Ice

Natural ice formations are one of the most amazing things in the world, in my opinion. The one above is one of the coolest ones I've seen, not because of it's shape, but because of the way it is photographed. The way the sun is shining through illuminates the detail of the ice and makes it appear to shimmer. I can't find anything I dislike about this photograph. It can be viewed at the following URL:

http://www.antarctica.gov.au/living-and-working/stations/davis/this-week-at-davis/2011/this-week-at-davis-26-august-2011

Great Wall of China

While not completely natural, the Great Wall of China is one of my favorite topics for photography. The above image is one of the better pictures I've seen of it. First, I really like how the greens and blues add a sense of depth to the image. The colors allow for the focus to be on the structure. While there are beautiful mountain peaks in the background, they simply serve as a nice background in this picture. I also really like how the wall leads the eye throughout the image from that lower right corner and back. The image can be seen at the following URL: 

http://pictures.4ever.eu/buildings/historical/great-wall-of-china-150741

Power of Perspective

This image is amazing to me. Usually, any wildlife in an image instantly becomes the focus simply because it is wildlife. However, in this image, it takes a while to notice there are a bunch of elephants in the lower third. The contrast is great in this. I love how the trees make the elephants look so small. This image can be seen at the following URL:

http://www.worldculturepictorial.com/blog/content/african-elephants-dwarfed-acacias-kenya-photo-2009-sony-world-photography-awards

Tornado Photography

One of my favorite movies growing up was Twister. Naturally, one of my favorite photography categories would be tornados! The National Geographic website has a multitude of tornado images, some of which can be seen at the following link:
http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/photos/tornado-general/

Happy storm chasing!

Shocking Sunflowers

The image located at the following link is one of my favorite images I've ever seen. The blues of the sky, illuminated by the lightning, create a great contrast with the yellow of the sunflowers. I really love how the lightning strike is in perfect focus while those sunflowers are blurred, adding to the intensity of the photo.

http://www.stanroseimages.com/photo/sunflower-b/

Bill Atkinson

Bill Atkinson is a popular nature photographer. His images are of very high quality. He has many images available from the United States. I particularly like his images of rocks. He uses the lines and colors very well. Some of these images can be viewed here: http://www.billatkinson.com/GenerateCatalog?page=0&filter=_Rocks

www.billatkinson.com has galleries and options to purchase his images.

NANPA

The North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA) has an awesome website to find some great nature photography from North America. The website includes things such as showcases, publications, and opportunity to enter original work to the next showcase. For someone interested in nature photography, NANPA would be a great place to become a member and learn more. www.nanpa.org