An erupting volcano, a ballet of swans, geometric architecture and a group of curious observers were just some of the subjects featured among the winners of National Geographic‘s 2017 travel photographer competition.
From the 15,000 entries, the Grand Prize was awarded to a photograph titled The Power of Nature, showing Mexico’s Colima Volcano erupting with lava as it is hit by a bolt of lighting.
The hand behind the shot, Mexican Sergio Tapiro Velasco, took the photograph from around 12 kilometres away.
Mr Velasco had photographed the volcano for more than a decade and had been tracking its activity closely in the month leading up to the shot.
To Live took second place in the Nature category. Photo: National Geographic/Hiromi Kano
“What I was watching was impossible to conceive, the image showed those amazing forces of nature interacting on a volcano, while the lightning brightened the whole scene.
Levels of Reading took first place in the Cities category. Photo: National Geographic/Norbert Fritz
In addition to the grand-prize winner, top photos were selected in each of three categories: Nature, People and Cities.
National Geographic, a science, exploration, and adventure magazine featured all of the winners and honourable mentions on its website.
Second place winner in the People category shows spectators in front of Rembrandt’s masterpiece, Syndics of the Drapers’ Guild. Photo: National Geographic/Julius Y
