The best photos taken of planet Earth last year will transform the way you see the world
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The natural world is a stunning place.
Every year, the best landscape photography shows off Earth’s beauty. The following photos are some of the winners from the 2017 International Landscape Photographer of the Year contest.
They highlight powerful mountains, scenes of isolation, worlds of colour and light, and the abstract loveliness found in landscapes all over the world. Winning photos were shot in the wilds of Patagonia, the mountains of Iceland, and in the desert-surrounded lakes of Brazil.
They show the world in ways that will make you want to get up, pack a bag, and go exploring.
Cristiano Xavier of Brazil won the aerial photography award with this stunner from the Lençóis Maranhenses in north-eastern Brazil.
Brazilian photographer Marcio Cabral won the long-exposure award for this galaxy-revealing shot from Veadeiros National Park in Brazil.
Huibo Hou, who’s based in San Diego, won third in the Photographer of the Year competition. Here, she shows the otherworldly Bisti Wilderness Area of New Mexico.
Solitude and silence come through in Hou’s black and white images. Pictured is Yellowstone National Park in winter.
The park is blanketed in snow and silence in this shot by Hou.
And there’s a sense of isolation in this stark image, which is also from Yellowstone.
Romanian photographer Cosmin Stan won the snow award for this windy shot from Ciucas Mountains National Park in Romania.
Canadian Adam Gibbs came in second place in the Photographer of the Year competition. This is Watersprite Lake in Squamish, British Columbia.
With this ethereal image, Gibbs shows off Fairy Lake at Port Renfrew on Vancouver Island in British Columbia.
Gibbs also captured this natural bridge in Yoho National Park in British Columbia.
And here, he shows the spectacular view from above the clouds in Mt. Seymour Provincial Park in British Columbia.
Hong Kong-based photographer Stephen King won the tree award with this haunting image from Ace Hill at Hirafu Village in Hokkaido, Japan.
Max Rive of the Netherlands won the International Landscape Photographer of the Year award for his body of work, which includes photos from New Zealand, Patagonia (shown here), and other locations.
Rive started taking photos in 2008 and has only been a professional for the past three years. Here he shows Monte Fitz Roy in Argentina.
This image by Rive, taken on the Argentinian side of Patagonia also won the individual Photograph of the Year competition. It shows Cerro Torre in the background.
Rive’s perspectives of the spectacular Swiss Alps are also stunning.
Read more:
• This chart is easy to interpret: It says we’re screwed
• How Uber became the world’s most valuable startup
• These 4 things could trigger the next crisis in Europe
Read the original article on Business Insider UK. © 2016. Follow Business Insider UK on Twitter.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments