1 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 . ( Photo and caption by Cesare Naldi ) 2 On the final leg of a six - week United States of America road trip , I was driving east across Interstate 40 when a spot storm with golf ball - sized hail struck . A sign near Groom , Texas , announcing the " largest cross in the western hemisphere " explained the large crucifix I 뭗 been wondering about for miles on the highway ; it seemed like an OK place to wait out the storm . on my way to getting stuck in the mud and a giant double rainbow , I saw this silhouetted view of the cross , splitting the sunny sky from the stormy plains . ( Photo and caption by Brad Maule ) # 3 This picture was taken during the Rinjani volcano trek on Lombok Island in Indonesia at sunrise . ( Photo and caption by David Bismuth ) # 4 An example of photo luminescence in coral in West Papua ( Photo and caption by Stephen Martin ) # 5 A male gelada baboon on the Guassa Plateau of the Ethiopian Highlands enjoys a good grooming . ( Photo and caption by Robin Moore ) # 6 I was in the front car of the short subway between Pudong and the Bund , and was treated to the wonderful spectacle of an oncoming train in the tunnel ' s changing light show . I put my camera up to the window and shot as fast as possible to get this image . ( Photo and caption by Gail von Bergen Ryan ) # 7 A stone ' s - eye - view of two tracks made by the sailing stones of Death Valley ' s Racetrack playa . The dried clay surface has a beautiful texture , and there is a palpable aura of mystery over the entire three - square - mile playa . The Racetrack was not entirely free of human influence though : several weeks before this taken many of the stones were stolen , leaving long trails without a traveler at the end . ( Photo and caption by Tucker Sylvestro ) # 8 On my second day visiting the astounding Iguazu falls on the Brazilian side I was forced to change to my telephoto lens as my wide angle had been damaged by the water vapour . In had rained solid for 10 days prior to my arrival and so the falls were at their most spectacular . Standing on the elevated viewing platform I was able to shoot this school group who stood transfixed , emphasizing the incredible size of the falls . ( Photo and caption by Ian Kelsall ) # 9 I took this picture on a sunny fall afternoon on a prairie near Chicago , Illinois . To improve the color saturation , I blocked the sunlight with my body . The blue background came straight from the camera . The image was not altered with any editor . ( Photo and caption by Richard Susanto ) # 10 My grandfather was born and raised on our New Zealand farm . He and my grandmother were married nearly 60 years . Preparing for a photo in the barley , my grandmother lovingly reached up to adjust his hat . This was his last harvest . ( Photo and caption by Gemma Collier ) # 11 During a rainy , cloudy morning at the Wild Goose scenic overlook on St . Mary Lake in Glacier National Park , Montana , the sun peeped from under the cloud cover long enough to paint a golden - yellow swath across the face of the mountain for maybe 15 minutes before disappearing again . ( Photo and caption by Rebecca Latson ) # 12 A young orangutan swings from tree to tree in Tanjung Puting National Park in Indonesian Borneo . ( Photo and caption by Sean Crane ) # 13 This is about one hour of firefly activity near my home in rural ontario . The precision of the background star trails is an interesting contrast to the chaotic pattern of the firefly flashes . ( Photo and caption by Steve Irvine ) # 14 The edge of an iceberg floating just off the coast of Antarctica . ( Photo and caption by Mike Matas ) # 15 While visiting Kruger National Park with my son , we came across two male hippos battling for dominance as we crossed a bridge over the Sabie River . The bellowing from the animals as they fought their bloody battle was incredible . They first fought in the shallows near the bank and then moved into the deeper part of the river . We don ' t know how it turned out but we were so glad to see the spectacle . ( Photo and caption by Steve Mandel ) # 16 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 . ( Photo and caption by Peter Allinson ) # 17 The Darvaza natural gas crater is located in the center of the Karakum Desert in the central Asian country of Turkmenistan . The crater resulted after a Soviet natural gas exploration accident in the 1950 s and has been burning ever since . The crater is approximately 60 meters in diameter and its depth is approximately 20 meters . ( Photo and caption by Natalja Silver ) # 18 When the wave conditions are right a wave appears , infrequently , as a result of the splash back off the cliff connecting with an incoming wave . This causes the incoming wave to pop up , creating fan - like shapes . on this particular day , over the two hours I spent on the rocks , this wave only appeared once . This is that shot . ( Photo and caption by Aaron Feinberg ) # 19 David Hanson crosses a fallen log beneath soaring trees and a lingering fog in Washington ' s Olympic National Park . ( Photo and caption by Michael Hanson ) # 20 Even during the Arirang Mass Games in North Korea , the ultimate ｅxpression ! of the state ideology , an individual can still sometimes stand out from the crowd and break free of the collective . If only just for a moment . ( Photo and caption by Brendyn Zachary ) # 21 Cary stands on a deserted road in Central Ohio , at sunset . ( Photo and caption by Lisa Roberts ) # 22 This bee was unfortunate enough to land in my pool , but he made some amazing patterns buzzing around in the water . He later escaped . ( Photo and caption by Michael Johnson ) # 23 Taken at Kwena Croc Farm in South Africa ( Photo and caption by Wayne Holloway ) # 24 This is one view of many dunes found in Jordan . Two steps forward and one step back made for a challenging ascent . ( Photo and caption by Andrew Cwiklewich ) # 25 Curious gulls on Sanibel Island , Florida . Meet my friend , " Gull - i - Bel "!!! ( Photo and caption by Richard Rush ) #