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Whirling Dervish - Bursa, Turkey
During these ceremonies, the dervish believed that through their motion, they attained a place closer to God, and considered their actions a prayer to connect to God. These men whirled, most with their eyes shut for what felt like an eternity without wavering or losing balance. It's one of the most beautiful things I have seen/heard in my life.
Photo: Amy Elkins
Mermaids in the Rain - Heana Beach, Kauai, Hawaii
The weather here is so unpredictable, when we swam out it was beautiful with no clouds. Thirty minutes into the photo session the clouds covered the sky and it started to rain. The rain however made for an interesting photo with the clouds on the mountain.
Photo: Wyatt Shaw
Cremation - Baan Mae Jo, Chiang Mai, Thailand
This photo of the cremation of a high-ranking Buddhist abbot was made in the temple in my village. I live in a handmade adobe hut, a 15-minute walk from the village on the border of a national park. The villagers built a special building for him, just to burn it down a few days later with his body inside. The ceremony went on for days.
Photo: Matador Ambassador Ryan Libre
Intermission
Carnival - Barranquilla, Colombia
Photo: Gregg Bleakney
Metro Sherbrooke - Montreal, Quebec
This shot was taken at 5:45am. It is just before the rush hour starts in Montreal. The first trains are all coming in to the central station (Berri-UQAM) and Sherbrooke is the last stop. The subway system was up and running in 1966 just before Expo 67.
Photo: Pierre Pilon
Dog Mountain - near Portland, Oregon
This photo was taken along the Dog Mountain hiking trail in the Columbia River Gorge area just about 45 minutes outside of Portland, on the Washington state side. The hike is about 7 miles round trip and goes up 2,850 feet, giving you stunning views of the Columbia River and the Cascade Mountains. It was taken in early July, so all the wildflowers were blooming. We hiked to the top then watched the sun set over the mountains. I've hiked it several times at different times of the year, and it's one of my favorite places outside of Portland to go.
Photo: Amanda Leigh Smith
Don't Question Why - Los Angeles, California
This photo is of John Fitzgerald doing a frontside ollie at a government building in Los Angeles. This building has this perfect ramp like architecture right in the front which makes it really appealing to skate. The downside is they never let you do it. So John and I ran up there one day and somehow got about 10 minutes to skate. I loved that there were clouds in the sky and an American flag in the reflections. I don't think I could recreate this photo if I tried. It was just one of those things where everything works out and you don't question why.
Photo: Aaron Smith
Sak Yant - Koh Maak, Thailand
This is a local fisherman. His wife is giggling as I take my shot. His flesh is decorated with Yantra and Sak Yant ( สักยันต ) tattoos, which are believed to have strong magical properties. There aren't too many fishermen left on the island--most have turned to tourism, which offers a greater revenue for less labor. Most of the 500 or so inhabitants of the island, Koh Maak, are involved in tourism. Each year when the monsoon rain and high seas have diminished I return to the island. And I hand out prints to those who have graciously allowed me to shoot them. That's possibly my favorite time of the year.
Photo: Michael Pigneguy
Nordkette Cable Car - Innsbruck, Austria
On the Nordkette cable car down from Seegrube (2,000m elevation) to Innsbruck city. Hikers and climbers in summer, skiers and snowboarders in winter, and tourists all year round come up here. The amazing thing is that it only takes around half an hour from downtown to the top of the mountain. The photo was shot using an iPhone 4S and Instagram.
Photo: Lea Hajner
Laid Back - Kauai, Hawaii
Kauai is a small island in Hawaii where everyone knows everyone. Its a real laid back community with a lot of local-owned businesses. When everyone is not at work they are usually at the beach surfing or kicking back enjoying the sunset with a cold drink and some good company.
Photo: Wyatt Shaw
Place de la Concorde - Paris, France
I was driving when I shot this picture.
Photo: Laurent Nivalle
Intermission
Caribbean - Colombia
My favorite spot on the Caribbean coast.
Photo: Gregg Bleakney
Currumbin Rock Pools - Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
The rock pools in Currumbin are the perfect way to chill off during a stifling summer season in the Gold Coast. Natural rock slides, a rope swing, and no park rangers nagging at you for doing something a little dangerous. It's a magical place to kick back with friends, reconnect with nature, and escape from the fabricated 'Surfers Paradise.'
Photo: Sarah Lee
Gargano Promontory - Carpino, Italy
The Gargano Promontory appears as a 'spur' on the heel of Italy, a region of picturesque limestone hills cloaked with beech and oak forests which provide one of the richest botanical habitats in Europe. In the summer, the coastline of the promontory, washed by the blue waters of the Adriatic, is a popular holiday area but in the spring, we will have it largely to ourselves.
Photo: Domenico Sergio Antonacci
Urban Transportation - Monterrey, Mexico
The images selected for this series present trucks and cars that somewhat show the daily life of this northern city. They relate to Monterrey because of the things carried in and on them and that it is a big city with diversity in its peoples, customs, and social classes.
Photo: Alejandro Cartagena
Vagabond Life - San Francisco, California
From a cycling trip with dear friends around San Francisco.
Photo: Gregg Bleakney
Kalemegdan - Belgrade, Serbia
Kalemegdan, the site of an old fortress, downtown Belgrade.
Photo: Aleksandra Kojić
R.I.P. - Hong Kong
A cemetery on the western side of Hong Kong island. The graves are Christian but they're laid out with consideration of Feng Shui, rising up the hillside to make a surreal sort of amphitheater in order for the dead to have a good sea view.
Photo: Alex Ogle
Foam Leap - North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii
The north shore of Oahu is where I chose to live some 15 years ago. Having been a major photographic contributor to the surf scene over the years, it was inevitable that I'd find myself in Hawaii sooner or later. It was here that I met my future wife and so it all just fell into place. I've always had an affinity to the water and waves. The very first image that I took back in 1977 was actually of a wave. I've always searched out rather unusual perspectives and this one from 1998 is no exception. I was basically trying to get the perspective that, say, a sand crab might have as a wave jumps out and over the edge of the beach. It's the waves that I love to photograph the most. It's always been that way. I now make most of my living from these very pictures of waves. Waves I like to call the ocean's sculptures.
Photo: Sean Davey
Lupu Bridge - Shanghai, China
Lupu Bridge crosses the Huangpu River, and it connects the Luwan and Pudong districts. That's how its name came about. On top of the bridge, you can have a bird's-eye view of the Huangpu River.
Photo: Liu Miao
Strange Planet - Lao Wei Beach, Taiwan
It's amazing that just about an hour out of the dense Taipei City, you are reminded that Taiwan is still a tropical island with geological wonders that make me feel like I'm on the moon or some strange planet.
Photo: Sean Marc Lee
Puerto Madero - Buenos Aires, Argentina
An amazing landscape near home. One of those places in the world where you stand in front of the immensity and breathe deeply, and then you have to go before something in between you and that happiness collapses.
Photo: Catalina Urtubey
Trestles - San Clemente, California
The Golden Hour at Trestles. alifornia golden light. People are coming in with smiles, satisfied with a few waves, and then catching up with friends on beach. It’s such an enjoyable time to be down there. It’s the lifestyle here.
Photo: Matador Ambassador Rusty Long