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| Photo by Hoang Giang Hai (Hanoi, Vietnam). Photographed in the Ninh Hoa District, Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam, August 2012 |
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| Photo by Raul Amaru Linares (Bogota, Colombia). Photographed in Quito, Ecuador, October 2011 |
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| Photo by Colleen Pinski (Peyton, CO). Photographed in Albuquerque, NM 2012 |
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| Photo by Md. Akhias Uddin (Sylhet, Bangladesh). Photographed in Moulvibazar, Bangladesh, April 2012 |
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| Photo by Han Tha (Yangon, Myanmar). Photographed in Bagan, Myanmar, January 2011 |
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| Photo by David Morrow (Everett, Washington). Photographed at Sunrise Point in Mount Rainier National Park, Washington, October 6, 2012 |
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| Photo by Daniel Nahabedian (Chiang Mai, Thailand). Photographed in Chiang Mai, Thailand, November 2012 |
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| Photo by David Egan (San Francisco, California). Photographed in Petaluma, California, September 1, 2011
*I just couldn't resist this one, it reminded me too much of a real life Edward Hopper
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| Photo by Javier Arcenillas (Alcobendas, Madrid, Spain); Photographed in Chicago, Illinois, October 2010 |
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| Photo by Bjorn Olesen (Singapore). Photographed in Sarawak, Borneo, Malaysia, November 2010 |
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| Photo by Jenny Braun (Hampton, Minnesota). Photographed in Hampton, Minnesota, July 2012 |
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| Photo by Violet Kashi (Giv'atayim, Israel). Photographed in Tel Aviv, Israel, September 2011 |
These photos are just a small sampling of the finalists chosen for the Smithsonian Magazine's 10th Annual Photography contest. The photos are divided into 5 different categories: The Natural World, Travel, People, Americana, and Altered Images. While the images above are some of my favorites (I tend to really respond to composition and creative uses of light), truth be told they are all gorgeous and really inspiring. If you have time, definitely check out the rest of the images on the Smithsonian Magazines website. A winner in each category, the Grand Prize winner and Readers' Choice Award are going to be announced in late April, so probably any day now!
xx
Meghan