If You Think NASA's Photography is Good, These Photographers Will Astound You
- Want to Photograph in Space? Now, You Can. It'll Only Cost You $50 Million.
- Behold, the First Picture of a Black Hole
Photo by Nicolai Brugger
The world's best astrophotographers applied to the Royal Observatory's Astronomy Photographer of the Year award. The observatory received nearly 5,000 applications, more than any of the previous 10 years of the competition.
The photos came from all over the world and featured, among other things, a beetle, a range of landscapes... and the Eye of Sauron.
Photo by Stefan Liebermann
The competition's rules are pretty lax. You need to be over 16 (a legal adult in Greenwich) and that's pretty much it.
Photo by Connor Matherne
Competitions with such wide open parameters usually formulate the best applications because it allows the photographers full creative control.
Photo by Miguel Claro
The winners of the contest will be announced in September, but in the meantime, enjoy these wonderful shortlisted photos.
Photo by Marcin Zajac
Photo by James Stone
Photo by Robin Stuart
Photo by Majid Ghohroodi
Editor's Tip: Want to create better portraits simply and easily? Use a reflector! Reflectors bounce light onto the subject and help fill in shadows for more even, more flattering light. You can buy reflectors in a 5-in-1 kit that has a gold reflector, which warms up the light and a silver reflector, which bounces the most light onto the subject, making it more intense. These kits also include a white reflector, which bounces very soft and subtle light onto the subject, a translucent diffuser, which softens light and minimizes shadows, and a black anti-reflector, which absorbs light and enhances shadows. Learn more about how to take the perfect portrait.
Photo by Andrew Campbell
This photo by Andrew Campbell is a personal favorite because Campbell and I are both nerds. It's entitled, "Deep in the Heart of Mordor."
Photo by Jason Perry
Photo by Masoud Ghadiri
Photo by Eddie Trimarchi
Photo by Raul Villaverde Fraile
Photo by Steven Mohr
Photo by Bernard Miller and Martin Pugh
Photo by Peter Feltoti
Photo by Jordi Delpeix Borrell
Photo by Alan Friedman
Photo by Alastair Woodward
Photo by Bai Yifan
