I thought it would be fun to post some Portraits, the expressions captured in these photographs are fantastic. Some are quirky, some are more subtle and standard, while others are simply beautiful.

Be Inspired, and leave a comment of your favorites.

Photograph: theluckynine

Photograph: AccidentlyAlexis

Photograph: Bosen

Photograph: Helenee

Photograph: Pristonegirl

Photograph: Zombiemewmew

Photograph: Myownskycloud

Photograph: Kenarr

Photograph: Picturesandwords514

Photograph: Bluejeannes

Photograph: escaped emotions

Photograph: Escaped Emotions

Photograph: Noukiej

Photograph: Eye90

Photograph: Annette Parks

Photograph: Emmie Photos

Photograph: Matmoon

Photograph: Klaamka

Photograph: Girl Fromstrangetown

Photograph: Carrionshine

Photograph: OnikKioo

Photograph: HelloDearr

Photograph: Dark Remorse

Photograph: Cassie Killed Herself

Photograph: April182

Photograph: Koroshino

Photograph: Grzyypp

Photograph: BombAttack

Photograph: Your Best Days

Photograph: Your Best Days

Photograph: Lusas

Photograph: Rawrsicle

Photograph: MypopTart

*Each of the photographs are linked back to their original place online, and are the copyright and ownership of the original owners.

Download Blurry Nghts of NYC (43mb zip)

Download Blurry Nghts of NYC (43mb zip)

Just recently we moved into our new house, and we printed off 5 big panoramic images for the house, I have included a few here on my flickr, and of course some other killer pans from around the globe.

My flickr photos

Resources

http://digital-photography-school.com/8-guidelines-to-taking-panoramic-photos-with-any-camera

http://www.panoramas.dk/

http://www.panoramicearth.com/

We have featured National Geographic a couple of times before for photography ( National Geographic Photos and National Geographic Photography Contest 2009 )
and when it comes to underwater photography, National Geographic has a huge portfolio of stunning underwater photos.

Enjoy your swim.

*All Images Property of National Geographic.*

By contrast, natural landscapes by night are, well, very dark, and difficult to capture in all their glory. The exception to this rule, as you’ll see, comes when natural light displays like forest fires and auroras play a role.

Whether you prefer urban or natural landscapes, I’m confident that you’ll be greatly inspired by the collection stunning images that we explore below. Hopefully they’ll furnish you with great new ideas to use in your own photography and design work.

Downtown Seattle at Night

Image: TGIGreeny

Portland by night

Image: Andreas-photography

A night by the lake…

Image: eir@si

Amsterdam Canal

Image: MarcelGermain

London Night Bus

Image: doug88888

Downtown Pittsburgh

Image: brunkfordbraun

New York City

Image: Paulo Barcellos Jr

Night lights – Shinjuku, Tokyo

Image: jamesjustin

Night Lights, Melbourne

Image: .a_dit.

Hypnotised By Lights

Image: -RobW-

Florence Street

Image: paolomargari

World Showcase Lagoon at Epcot

Image: etrusia_uk

Stadium at Night

Image: ron2000

A Solitary Lamppost

Image: electronicnude

Aerial View of Las Vegas at Night from the Top of The Stratosphere

Image: Old Shoe Woman

Night Time Driving

Image: Andrew Pescod

Toronto

Image: Hoang.Tran

An Electric Night in Times Square

Image: Stuck in Customs

Mountains in Southern Argentina

Image: Stuck in Customs

Lightning in Campinas

Image: Chaval Brasil

Hong Kong from the peak on a summer’s night

Image: Stuck in Customs

Chicago Cityscape

Image: Today is a good day

Rush Hour

Image: Stuck in Customs

Los Angeles River of Lights

Image: Te55

St. Louis 4th of July Fireworks

Image: Creativity+ Timothy K Hamilton

Stormy Sunset Moon-bow

Image: ViaMoi

The Town Sleeps

Image: Matthew Fang

Circle life ( Super O )

Image: Matthew Fang

Its Twilight Time

Image: Storm Crypt

Birds in Vegas

Image: {platinum}

Drive By Shooting

Image: drp

Dome of Light

Image: duane.schoon aka The Schoon

Night image of Keelung, Taiwan

Image: Matthew Fang

Gothic Sunset

Image: Te55

Smoking Power Plant

Image: Tgrab.

Disney World

Image: Stuck in Customs

Big Ben

Image: Holster¨

Baiyoke Bangkok

Image: Gary Wong Photography

Ominous Twilight

Image: Storm Crypt

City of Blinding Lights

Image: damian 78

I have compiled a showcase of some of my favourites from this year’s competition, but be sure to check out the site and vote for your favourites!

The contest is broken down into three categories: People, Places and Nature. Click Here to head over to National Geographic to vote now! Voting ends Dec. 4th.

And if you liked these stunning photos be sure to check out our first National Geographic Photography showcase: 31 National Geographic Photos

A single lightning strike covers the sky off the coast of Virginia Beach, Virginia, striking in the Chesapeake Bay.

David Hanson crosses a fallen log beneath soaring trees and a lingering fog in Washington’s Olympic National Park.

Masjid Selat Melaka is a new landmark in Melaka on the man-made island of Pulau Melaka near Malacca town. Masjid Selat Melaka is built along the coastline of Straits of Malacca, at the water level of the sea. So, in the evening at high tide, Masjid Selat Melaka looks like a floating mosque. This shot was taken on the day of Eid ul-Fitr, often abbreviated to Eid, that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting.

Nazroo, a mahout (elephant driver), poses for a portrait while taking his elephant, Rajan, out for a swim in front of Radha Nagar Beach in Havelock, Andaman Islands. Rajan is one of the few elephants in Havelock that can swim, so when he is not dragging timber in the forest he is used as a tourist attraction. The relationship between the mahout and his elephant usually lasts for their entire lives, creating an extremely strong tie between the animal and the human being.

After a rarely seen spyhopping of a dwarf minke whale the whale slowly descended in my direction and we came close to a 1.5m distance. The shot happened early in the morning around 7 a.m. and it was a rough surface and it was not easy to control my own movement. ISO 200 1/400 f7.1 13mm Tokina fisheye 10-17mm lens Nikon D200 aquatic housing.

A young snow monkey (Japanese macaque) is warming up in a hot spring in Japan.

The view from Verdugo Crestline Drive in Tujunga, California, on August 31, 2009

A dainty tree frog on a bunch of lady’s fingers bananas, from a home garden in Queensland, Australia.

An adult and juvenile bearded vulture, a threatened species, have a quarrel over territory. This action captured at Giants Castle in the Drakensberg region of Southern Africa.

Andrew and his friend, a young sperm whale named Scar, were swimming together off the west coast of Dominica. The two of them became “friends” after Andrew saved Scar’s life.

Taken at 1:22 a.m. on March 11, 2008. My wife and I arrived at the 528 Causeway in Cape Canaveral with our Sony 100a DSLR. With a low, solid, overcast of clouds covering the launch site, they launched. I pushed the shutter and started a 15 second time-lapse exposure! Disaster!!! I ripped the camera off of the tripod, spun the program wheel to anything else and started to squeeze the shutter. I was only able to take two photos as the shuttle Endeavour lifted into the overcast. This is the second one.

This magnificent spectacle stands in solitude outside of Gerlach, Nevada, quietly marking the passing of time. Layer upon layer building skyward, this leaking geothermal well spews a steady stream of scalding, mineral-laden water.

After a long day walking all around Paris, heading back to my hotel I could not help but be compelled to capture a truly amazing sunset through the Arc de Triomphe.

Wild winds and a big tide combine to whip up large waves that thrash against the sea wall. Briefly the sun backlights the tower through sodden air. A hesitant photographer is drawn closer to the fury to chance more than just his camera.

This shot was taken just before the sunset. The title seems to fit the view as it contains all the basic “elements”: water, earth, and air.

While some photographers prefer to use expensive cameras and lenses to create their tilt-shift images, others choose to use postproduction techniques instead. By blurring the top and bottom of an image, as well as increasing its contrast and saturation, you can create a tilt-shift miniature fake that looks just as good (if not better) than the real thing.

Queensland- A Surfer’s Paradise

Image: Erik K Veland

Hilltop View of Bergen, Norway

Image: aha42

A cluster of homes in Karori, Wellington, New Zealand

Image: wellurban

Mini London Skyline

Image: magnetstudio

View of London’s Millennium Bridge from the top of St Paul’s Cathedral

Image: magnetstudio

London’s Shell Centre

Image: tiltshiftphotography.net

Calvin College, Michigan

Image: michael baird

Football Game

Image: pattagon

Otaru Street, Japan

Image: .mushi_king

Baltimore Street Corner

Image: wumpiewoo

Tate Modern, London

Image: jeangenie

Soccer Players

Image: m4r1usha

Christmas in Knoxville, Tennessee

Image: mechwolf42

Nagoya Airport, Japan

Image: pattagon

Traffic in Thailand

Image: 27147

The Spoon Bridge in Minneapolis Sculpture Park

Image: someToast

Sydney Opera House

Image: hey tiffany!

Steam Train

Image: aussiegall

Car Show

Image: baldheretic

Oregon State Beavers

Image: Wikimedia

Southern Cross Station, Melbourne, Australia

Image: JamesDPhotography

Fairground

Image: spike55151

New York City

Image: .mushi_king

London’s Millennium Bridge on a Busy Day

Image: The Daily Telegraph

Key West, Florida

Image: curious oddities

The Bundestag in Berlin

Image: Thpx

Train Station at Night

Image: JanneM

Sydney, Australia From Above

Image: Becky E

Miniature Manhattan

Image: Roger@elaws

A Quiet Highway in Nagoya, Japan

Image: Guwashi999

The ImaginOn Building in Charlotte, North Carolina

Image: Zevotron

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Image: hey tiffany!

Fake-Looking Houses

Image: Roger@elaws

The Square in Christchurch, New Zealand

Image: Joe_Focus

A Little Market in Barcelona, Spain

Image: oseillo

Gravina, Italy

Image: luigi scorcia

A Village in Greenland

Image: Dylan Bishop

Big Ben Captured From the London Eye

Image: Suviko

View From the Sky Tower, Auckland, New Zealand

Image: Dirk Hartung

Market Street, San Francisco

Image: Reven.