22 award-winning photos that will make you appreciate the natural world

Carey won $125,000 for her photo of a humpback whale floating with its calf. Rain fell on the water, combining with the sun to spotlight the animals.

The scale of both the water and the animals is almost impossible to comprehend.

Taken in Iceland, Bogaerts' photo shows a man standing in front of an enormous waterfall.

The subject looks tiny against the rushing water, and Bogaerts used a slow shutter speed to capture the water as it moved.

Shanth Kumar Samba Shivam Laila's "What a problem!" was taken during a monsoon in Mumbai, India.

In the shot, people fight their way on top of buses and cars to avoid the rising water, struggling against the tide.

The photo, which won third place in the water category, shows a boy hunting for an octopus underwater in Ambon, the Maluku islands.

According to Diken, children learn to fend for themselves at a young age in this village.

The boy looks directly at the camera behind a pair of goggles, while an older man watches him from a boat floating on the water. The black-and-white filter adds drama to the shot, as storm clouds form in the sky behind the pair.

A group of children got trapped in a rainstorm and waited for their father to come and help them as they hid under a blanket.

Faces are not visible in the photo, but the connection between the father and his children is clear as one of the kid's heads turns towards him.

A father and son stop to drink water at a lake in Mongolia in Al Zaabi's candid photo.

The duo cheerfully cups water into their mouths as the sun shines on them. The moment is extraordinary in its normalcy.

A polar bear saunters across an iceberg as the night meets the day in Talal Al Rabah's photo.

The viewer can only see the bear's silhouette, but the hint of the sun makes his shape clear.

Niemiec captured an elderly man taking a stroll through a field of 200-year-old trees in Poland. The trees tower over the man, almost as if they're keeping him company as he walks.

Sarkar captured a group of children playing, creating a natural focus on a boy with a ball by snapping a photo of him through a tire.

Water splashes up as the boys play, and the black-and-white filter makes it hard to see where the sky ends and the ground begins, creating an otherworldly experience.

An arctic wolf burrows into the snow in Al Enezi's photo, blending in with the icy surroundings.

The only color in the image comes from the fox's orange eyes, drawing the viewer in immediately. It seems as though the animal could pounce toward the camera at any moment.

Mirza's close-up of Sapa, a woman with heterochromia, is mesmerizing.

Sapa stares directly at the camera, with only her face visible. The light shines on her from the right, making her one blue eye appear even brighter.

Her expression makes it seem like she can see right through the camera into the viewer.

At first glance, it seems as though you're watching a two-headed bear scavenge for food in "One Soul Opposite Direction." But it's actually two bears that blend together as they look around.

The closeness of the animals drives home the connection between all living creatures.

The overhead shot stuns with shades of green, showing a fisherman wading through mossy waters during the winter months.

Although the image is beautiful, it's haunting, as it almost looks as though the fisherman can't actually touch the sea.

Gunawan's aptly named "Reflection" shows a sunbird stopping to get nectar, accidentally mirroring the plant it's eating from in the process.

The close view allows you to see the details of the bird's feathers and the plant's leaves.

Alshathri's photo was captured during The Festival of Sacrifice, a ritual that is part of the Islamic celebration, Dhu al-Hijjah.

Pilgrims gather around the Holy Kaaba in this shot, creating a flurry of color with their movements. They orbit around the Kaaba, seeming to move as one.

Fahad Faraj Abdulhameid intended not to take any professional photos while on vacation with his wife, but their spontaneous dance in the rain made him whip out his camera.

The couple hold hands and lean away from one another in joy as rain falls around them. A light from behind them acts as a spotlight.

It looks like they're the only people in the world.

Kumar snapped his award-winning photo of a mosque when a Dupatta, a traditional Indian dress, flew in front of his lens.

The transparent fabric gives the image a bright red color thanks to the setting sun pouring in from behind. The juxtaposition of the bright color against the more plain view where the shawl ends is stunning.

Mac Gregor's series of photos focuses on aquatic life, showing sea creatures in black and white.

The pictures were designed to highlight the dangers the animals face from humans each day, despite the ferocity they have. They're a call to protect them.

Cui's photos spotlight the North Korean loggers who carry supplies across the Yalu River each summer.

It's a dying way of life because of modern technology, but Cui's work memorializes it, giving the viewer insight into a simpler time.

Hundreds of logs float in the water in this photo.

Taking home the third-place prize for the portfolio category, AthoUllah's photos show how the fishing industry is killing Blacktip sharks at an alarming rate.

Fishing boats float in the water in this photo, hinting at the destruction to come.

Hussen's photos showcase the Iraqi government's violent response to peaceful protests in Tahrir Square in Baghdad, despite the legality of the demonstration.

The images show a city in revolt and a government's startling attempts to quiet their discontent.

Podavini documented the practices of Ethiopian Christianity in his photos, aiming to capture the way the community's religious beliefs are ingrained in their everyday lives.

In this photo, a group of men walk together in religious attire, embarking on one of their traditions as a unit.

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