National Geographic photo contest open through the end of November

Attention photographers: there’s a National Geographic photo contest open until November 30th. The esteemed magazine is famous for spectacular photography and simultaneously famous for spectacular photo contests. The most recent photo contest is themed People, Places, and Nature. Judged by National Geographic photographers, the grand prize winner will received $10,000 as well as a trip to the National Geographic headquarters in Washington D.C. The photos will be judged on both creativity and photographic quality. National Geographic requests that the entries reflect real life, captured as it was at the moment in time that the photo was taken. If you have a great shot, enter it! (The subtext being… why not?).

Find more information on the contest here on the National Geographic website.

Texas wildfires: photos by National Geographic

Despite my living in Texas these days, the seriousness of the recent spate of wildfires in Texas didn’t really sink in until I checked out National Geographic and saw photos from the fire. An album recently published on www.nationalgeographic.com features photos from the Texas fires–gripping ones. National Geographic’s photographers are (of course) known for their excellence. These photos vividly bring to life a hot and pretty horrible reality that many Texans are now facing.

The wildfires in Texas are a result of a combination of factors. A fierce, hot drought is upon the state; that’s a factor. But the strong winds Texas has had lately are the true culprit behind the massive spreading of fire. More than a million acres have been burned in Texas during this fire season.

Follow this link to check out the collection of fiery photos.

National Geographic now Selling Famous Photos Online

My very first exposure to the world outside of my home country was through the pages of National Geographic. Even before I could read I’d thumb through the magazine gazing at the wondrous photography of far away places. And yes, like so many other American boys, this was also where I saw my very first pair of boobs.

National Geographic is legendary for their photographs. Unfortunately, they rarely share them outside the pages of their magazines and books.

But now, finally, National Geographic has embraced the 21st century and is selling more than 25,000 of their famous photographs online. The reprints range from 10-30 inches in size and cost $19.95 (unframed) to $275 (framed).

For easy navigation, the site is nicely arranged by such categories as Ice & Snow, Moons & Sunsets, Underwater Photographs, Cityscapes, and more. Sorry folks, but there is no category for Boobs.