This year, the Annual Smithsonian.com Photo Contest received 48,000 submissions from photographers in 155 countries. Here are 15 of the 60 finalists in the six categories: Natural World, The American Experience, Travel, People, Altered Images, and Mobile.
“MAKING INCENSE” BY TRAN TUAN VIET
“Decoratively dyed bundles of incense dry in Quang Phu Cau, a commune in Hanoi, Vietnam. In Buddhist countries like Vietnam, incense is an irreplaceable part of traditional festivals and religious ceremonies.”
“SARDINES IN THE SUN” BY GIACOMO MARCHIONE
“Sardines emerge from a coral wall in cobalt waters just a few yards from the shores of Cebu Island in the Philippines. They move in a single undulating cloud of silver that twists, turns, shrinks, expands and wraps itself around any object that gets in its way. At times, it becomes a thundercloud, blocking out the sun or clapping violently as it suddenly flips its formation to evade a predator.”
“SALT FIELD WORKERS” BY MATTY KARP
“These are women who work in a salt field in Vietnam. I altered the image to black and white and made the background black to emphasize the women.”
“UMBRELLA MARKET” BY THANH TRAN
“When I went to take photos of an apartment, I saw a woman through market umbrellas.”
“BEAR AND SALMON” BY ROIE GALITZ
“This brown bear successfully captured a salmon in Kuril Lake. There is no happier bear than a bear with a fresh salmon in his mouth! The bears at Kuril Lake are in a state of hyperphaghia, meaning they are always hungry. They must gain weight before the winter’s hibernation and catch up to 40 salmon a day to achieve that.”
“BOATMAN” BY DEBASHIS MUKHERJEE
“A boatman enjoys the leisure of reading a newspaper on his boat.”
“AFFECTION” BY THOMAS CHADWICK
“This is my favorite black skimmer photo that I have taken in all the years following a little-known colony. Every year I select a nest when the parent is on eggs, then follow that same nest until they fledge. I choose one nest because colonies are chaotic; you will miss some shots by pointing the lens at hundreds of birds. One morning I got into position and lay there for an hour until sunrise when a parent flew in directly to feed the baby. The baby was inches away from me, so I couldn’t get the feeding photo. However, after the baby gobbled down the fish, I captured it running up to the parent and displaying the behavior pictured.”
“RED CHILI PEPPER PICKERS” BY AZIM KHAN RONNIE
“Countless chili peppers surround laborers in the Bogra district in the north of Bangladesh. More than 2,000 people work in almost 100 chili farms in Bogra in Bangladesh to supply local spice companies with chilies for use in their recipes. Chili peppers are a major part of the Bengali cuisine popular in Bangladesh and are used as part of a combination of spices for various meat dishes, including chicken and beef.”
“RHINO FROM CHITWAN” BY TANYA SHARAPOVA
“There are about 600 rhinos in Chitwan National Park. It was a pure adventure to follow wild rhinos in their natural habitat. The main instructions, in case a rhino ran in my direction, were to climb a tree; if there was no tree, to run zigzags. The red color of the grass comes from my imagination.”
“SUMMIT ECLIPSE” BY JASON HATFIELD
“Mountaineers witness totality of the 2017 eclipse on the highest mountain in its path, 13,809′ Gannett Peak. Deep in the Wind River Range of Wyoming, reaching the summit requires two days of backpacking, a 12+ hour climb day, and crossing two glaciers.”
“GREEN” BY GARETH BRAGDON
“A vendor at a fun fair in The Meadows, Edinburgh.”
“AFTER A LONG DAY” BY GEOFFREY GILLER
“At the end of the night – after the after-party and the after-after-party – in, yes, the hotel lobby, the bride and groom finally retire to their room. This is the last glimpse of the bride before the door shut.”
“NYC” BY TATIANA BORODINA
“This picture was taken during the New Year holiday in NYC from the Roosevelt Island aerial tramway. Despite the rain, there is a festive mood in the frame. Raindrops resemble Christmas balls.”
“FELIZ NAVIDAD” BY ALEXEY KHARITONOV
“I wandered through downtown. The city was slowly coming to life after Christmas celebrations and was preparing for the New Year. Suddenly I found myself at a small market. When I saw this butcher, sitting among large red pieces of meat dangling from acid-green counter, I pressed the shutter button automatically.”
“RARE” BY SARA JACOBY
“This is Maggie. She has two rare chromosome duplications, one of which she’s the only child on record to have. This photo captures not only her vulnerability, but also the magnitude of the science for which we are so grateful. A little girl and her ‘Gigi’ already way too familiar with hospitals and doctors offices than any child should be.”
