Smithsonian Magazine's 2012 Photo Contest

“Rasta Daughter”. Photo by Selwane Evodia Melamu (Johannesburg, South Africa). Photographed in Johannesburg, South Africa, May 2012.

 “An Onlooker Witnesses the Annular Solar Eclipse as the Sun Sets on May 20, 2012”. Photo by Colleen Pinski (Peyton, CO). Photographed in Albuquerque, NM, May 2012.

“The Last Pollen Spore Preparing to Leave a Ladybug Trying to Hold On, Because It Didn't Want to Be Alone”. Photo by Hiep Nguyen Hoang (Hanoi, Vietnam). Photographed in Hanoi, Vietnam, April 2012.

“Mummy, I Am Down Here, and Hungry!”. Photo by Bjorn Olesen (Singapore). Photographed in Sarawak, Borneo, Malaysia, November, 2010.

“Ants Holding Seeds”. Photo by Eko Adiyanto (Bekasi, Indonesia). Photographed in Bekasi, West Java, Indonesia, April 2012.

“A Visit to Bagan, Myanmar”. Photo by Han Tha (Yangon, Myanmar). Photographed in Bagan, Myanmar, January 2011.

“Lone Acacia, Sossusvlei Sand Dunes”. Photo by Bob Bush (Altadena, CA). Photographed in Namibia, May 2010.

“A Man-Made Ice Geyser”. Photo by Nathan Carlsen (Duluth, Minnesota). Photographed in Duluth, Minnesota, January 2012.

“Musicians Arriving at the Bullring”. Photo by Raul Amaru Linares (Bogota, Colombia). Photographed in Quito, Ecuador, October 2011.

“Rice Terraces Close to Harvest Season”. Photo by Vo Anh Kiet (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam). Photographed in La Pan Tan, Mu Cang Chay, Yen Bai, Viet Nam, September 2012.

“Policemen Run Across the National Congress in Brasília During a Demonstration Against Corruption”. Photo by Olivier Boëls (Brasilia, Brazil). Photographed in Brasilia, Brazil, September 2011.

 “Annual Bucking Horse Sale in Miles City, Montana”. Photo by George Burgin (Billings, Montana). Photographed in Miles City, Montana, May 2012.

 “River Ferry Operating in the Early Morning in Xiao Donjiang, China”. Photo by James Khoo (Shah Alam, Malaysia). Photographed in La Pan Tan, Mu Cang Chay, Yen Bai, Viet Nam, August 2010.

 “People Harvesting Salt at Sunset”. Photo by Hoang Giang Hai (Hanoi, Vietnam). Photographed in the Ninh Hoa District, Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam, August 2012.

 “Baby Owl in Studio”. Photo by Phillip Pilkington (Southport, UK). Photographed in Southport, UK, November 2012.

 “The Milky Way Galaxy Exploding from Mount Rainier”. Photo by David Morrow (Everett, Washington). Photographed at Sunrise Point in Mount Rainier National Park, Washington, October 6, 2012.

Carnival in Brazil 2013

A dancer from the Mocidade Alegre samba school performs during a carnival parade in Sao Paulo, Brazil, early Sunday, February 10, 2013. (Photo by Andre Penner/AP Photo)

 Samba dancer Diana Prado applies makeup before the start of a carnival parade at central station in Rio de Janeiro. Prado made her Carnival debut at age 19, after auditioning for a spot with the Sao Clemente, one of 13 top-tier schools that will compete for the annual titles at Rio's Sambadrome this weekend. (Photo by Felipe Dana/Associated Press)

 A dancer from the Gavioes da Fiel samba school performs during a carnival parade in Sao Paulo, Brazil, early Sunday, February 10, 2013. (Photo by Andre Penner/AP Photo)

 A woman participates in the “Carnaval na Central” block party in Rio. (Photo by Felipe Dana/Associated Press)

 A dancer from the Rosas de Ouro samba school performs on a float in Sao Paulo. (Photo by Andre Penner/Associated Press)

 Drummers from the Mancha Verde samba school perform in Sao Paulo. (Photo by Andre Penner/Associated Press)

  Dancers from the Vai-Vai samba school perform in Sao Paulo. (Photo by Andre Penner/Associated Press)

 Dancers from the Rosas de Ouro samba school perform during a carnival parade in Sao Paulo, Brazil, early Saturday, February 9, 2013. The Carnival season culminates on Tuesday, February 12, 2013, with street revelry and the pageantry of the Rex and Zulu parades. (Photo by Andre Penner/AP Photo)

 Dancers from the X-9 Paulistana samba school perform on a float during a carnival parade in Sao Paulo, Brazil, early Saturday, February 9, 2013. (Photo by Andre Penner/Associated Press)

 Members of the samba school Vai-Vai special group take part in a carnival parade at the “sambodromo” of Anhembi in Sao Paulo, Brazil, early 09 February 2013. (Photo by Sebastiao Moreira/EPA)

 A member of the samba school X-9 Paulistana special group takes part in a carnival parade at the “sambodromo” of Anhembi in Sao Paulo, Brazil, early 09 February 2013. (Photo by Sebastiao Moreira/EPA)

 Members of the samba school Rosas de Ouro Special Group participate in a carnival parade at the sambodromo of Anhembi in Sao Paulo, Brazil, 08 February 2013. (Photo by Sebastiao Moreira/EPA)

 A dancer from the Aguia de Ouro samba school performs on a float during a carnival parade in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Saturday, February 9, 2013. (Photo by Andre Penner/Associated Press)

Photos Taken With a GoPro Camera

“GoPro is a brand of the privately owned San Mateo, California company Woodman Labs that features “wearable” camera/camcorders such as helmet cameras that are targeted at adventure video/photography. Widely used by professionals and hobbyists”. – Wikipedia

 

 

“Bird watching with GoPro's Timelapse Mode! by Auzzy Hunter. Auzzy Hunter caught this amazing image quite by accident while doing a timelapse of the sky from the roof of his building. What luck!”. (Photo by Auzzy Hunter)

 

 

“Skydiving fun in Miami by Ralph Turner. This is a shot I took yesterday at Skydive Miami during a fun jump with friend Dexter Marcelino”. (Photo by Ralph Turner)

 

 

“Paragliding Thermik.net Cloudbusters by Daniel Kofler. Awesome flight over the clouds towards the Dolomites of Lienz in Tirol/Austria. Shot with the GoPro HERO3 Black Edition”. (Photo by Daniel Kofler)

 

 “Still life of a tide pool by Dune Newhouse. Gavin Beschen and his daughter adventure around the tides pools of Rocky Point at sunset”. (Photo by Dune Newhouse)

 

 “Cloud Chasers/Mark Freeman #408 Flight by Mark Freeman. Mark Freeman #408 and CloudChasers.ca flying over Stratford, ON, Canada! Photo taken with the GoPro Hero3 Black Edition”. (Photo by Mark Freeman)

 

 “Trail Airtime by Brian Lopes. Just a small little double on a trail in Raystown PA that I don't think was made to be jumped”. (Photo by Brian Lopes)

 

 “The GoPro Bomb Squad Takes a Day Off by Neil Amonson. Even the Bomb Squad has their downtime...”. (Photo by Neil Amonson)

 

 “2001: A Space Odyssey by Andy Godwin. Mind (and Earth) bending skydive photo from Andy Godwin”. (Photo by Andy Godwin)

 

 “Flying over Salt Lake by Tom Wallisch. Flying over Salt Lake and Stansbury Island today with @WileyMiller behind the wheel”. (Photo by Tom Wallisch)

 

 “Flying the Wave by Gordon Boettger. Soaring high above the Sierra Nevada near Heavenly Valley Ski area”. (Photo by Gordon Boettger)

 

 

“North Shore Sunrise by Freddy Booth. Can't remember the last time i woke up early to surf, but lately photography has got me dawn patrolling again. My first Love, and life itself, The Ocean... Mahalo Ke Akua!”. (Photo by Freddy Booth)

DAKAR RALLY 2013

France's Christian Lavieille and co-pilot Jean-Michel Polato compete with their Proto Dessoude during the first stage of the Dakar Rally 2013 from Lima to Pisco January 5, 2013. (Photo by Jacky Naegelen/Reuters)

Husqvarna rider Joan Barreda Bort of Spain competes during the 1st stage. (Photo by Victor R. Caivano/Associated Press)

 Qatar's Nasser Al-Attiyah and co-pilot Spain's Lucas Cruz compete with their Buggy during the 4th stage of the Dakar Rally 2013 from Nazca to Arequipa, January 8, 2013. (Photo by Franck Fife/Reuters)

A tent is blown away by strong gusts of wind as spectators watch the 1st stage near Pisco, Peru. (Photo by Victor R. Caivano/Associated Press)

Totoya's Lucio Alvarez and co-driver Bernardo Graue of Argentina, left, and Yamaha's Todor Hristov of Bulgaria compete in the 1st stage. (Photo by Victor R. Caivano/Associated Press)

A helicopter casts a shadow on the ground as Yamaha rider David Casteu of France competes in the 2nd stage in Pisco, Peru. (Photo by Franck Fife/Associated Press)

Martin Van Den Brink, Peter Willemsen and Arjan Veenvliet from The Netherlands compete in the 2nd stage in Pisco. (Photo by Victor R. Caivano/Associated Press)

Husqvarna rider Alessandro Botturi of Italy falls from his motorcycle as Honda rider Gerard Farres Guell of Spain races past him in the 3nd stage of the race. (Photo by Victor R. Caivano/Associated Press)

KTM rider Ferdinand Kreidl of Austria kicks up dust on his way up a mountain during the 4th stage. (Photo by Victor R. Caivano/Associated Press)

Medics, helped by fans, evacuate Leonardo Martinez of Bolivia, who was injured after crashing with his quad during the 3nd stage of the 2013 Dakar Rally. (Photo by Victor R. Caivano/Associated Press)

Driver Robby Gordon of the U.S. looks at his overturned Hummer during the 4th stage of the 2013 Dakar Rally. (Photo by Franck Fife/Associated Press)

Eduard Nikolaev, Sergey Savostin and Vladimir Rybakov of Russia race their Kamaz truck on a beach in the 4th stage. (Photo by Victor R. Caivano/Associated Press)

Yamaha Paolo Sabbatucci of Italy, right, tries to get his motorcycle out of the sand as Yamaha teammate rider John Mckendrick of Chile waits for him during the 6th stage. (Photo by Victor R. Caivano/Associated Press)

Argentine co-driver Bernardo Graue, left, and driver Lucio Alvarez, inside the vehicle, try to free their pick-up stuck on a dune during the 6th stage of the 2013 Dakar Rally. (Photo by Victor R. Caivano/Associated Press)

Carlos Sainz of Spain and co-driver Timo Gottschalk of Germany compete during the 6th stage of the 2013 Dakar Rally from Arica to Calama, Chile, Thursday, January 10, 2013. Sainz and Gottschalk abandoned the race due to an engine problem. (Photo by Victor R. Caivano/AP Photo)

Ales Loprais of team Tatra competes in the special stage during day one of the of the 2013 Dakar Rally on January 5, 2013 in Pisco, Peru. (Photo by Shaun Botterill)

Robby Gordon's vehicle displays a personalized license plate on the back of his Hummer, parked at the Dakar Rally encampment in Salta, Argentina, at the end of the 7th stage on Friday, January 11. (Photo by Victor R. Caivano/Associated Press)