Update: if you liked this post, you’ll adore our latest post on the 38 Most Haunting Abandoned Places on Earth HERE.
Following on from our very successful blog “100 of the Best Street Art Images of 2013” (see HERE), we’ve widened the net and thanks to the guys over at Sifter, we bring you the Top 75 Pictures of 2013. All credit goes to the individual photographers and their inspiring visions of our beautiful planet. What’s your favorite?
Photograph by strummingmusic on Reddit
Photograph by HALEY LUNA
Photograph by HANS HANSEN
Photograph by Capt. Andreas M. van der Wurff via EPOD
Photograph by Adam Klukowski (ENT108) | klucznik.net
Photograph by JENNY DEAN
Photograph by LAURA WILLIAMS
Photograph by SCOTT MCCRACKEN
Photograph by Alexander Van Driessche
Photograph by ROLF MAEDER
Photograph by RADO GADOCZI
Photograph by Peter Rivera
Photograph by DEVEN STROSS
Photograph by Randy Kokesch
Photograph by NothingI5True on Reddit
Photograph via Kevin Trotman (The Rocketeer on Flickr)
Photograph by SPRENG BEN
Photograph via waitomo.com
Photograph by ROBERTO GIUDICI (via epod.usra.edu)
Photograph by JENNIFER HANNUX/Northeast Kingdom Photography
Photograph by GREG SUTTER
Photograph by NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute
Photograph by Anton Jankovoy | jankovoy.com
Photograph by Håkan Dahlström | dahlstroms.com
Photograph of KAWIKA SINGSON | Taken by Chris Hirata
Photograph by David Yu
Photograph by Lauren Manning
Photograph by PEDRO SZEKELY on Flickr
Photograph by (nz)dave on Flickr
Artwork by Nuxuno Xän | Photograph by Rosali Rodrigues
Photograph by ERVIN BOER
Photograph by CHRISTOPHE KICIAK
Photograph by PHILLIP CALAIS
Photograph by SARAH LEE
Photograph by The Cambrian Hotel
Photograph by AGUSTIN RAFAEL REYES
Designed and Built by Roderick James Architects | Carpenter Oak
Photograph by Archie Campbell | archiecampbell.co.uk
Photograph by Øyvind Tangen
Photograph by Omegatron on Wikimedia Commons
Photograph by Trey Ratcliff @ stuckincustoms.com
Photograph by Mister Boubou on Flickr
Photograph by Kendisan Seruyan
Photograph by G.A. KOUT | gakout.tumblr.com
Photograph by JAMES BRANDON
Photograph by Bruce Hood | brucehoodphotography.com
Photograph by naturen-ar-fantastisk.blogspot.com
Photograph by Dan Marker-Moore @ DANOR.ST
Photograph by KEENPRESS Photography | keenpress.com
Photograph by Solara Santoni (TheWildKid on deviantART)
Photograph by BERTRAND KULIK
Photograph by MARC SZEGLAT @ vulkane.net
Photograph by ABIGAIL GAWITH (alg24 on Flickr)
Photograph by GARY BRINK (photofrenzy2000 on Flickr)
Photograph courtesy of NASA/JSC/JOE ACABA
Photograph by CHELL HILL
Photograph via ubomw on Reddit
Photograph by JOE MCNALLY | www.joemcnally.com
Photograph by User:Colin / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA-3.0
Photograph by THE TOWN SHERIFF on Flickr
Photograph by BOB SACHA for National Geographic
Photograph by ALEXANDER SEMENOV
Photograph by MARTIN RIETZE @ mrietze.com
Photograph by TOM DANNEMAN (MRL 390 on Flickr)
Photograph by trottin-the-globe.tumblr.com
Artwork by Takahiro Iwasaki | Photograph by Owen Houhoulis
Photograph by Simo Räsänen
Photograph by Willyyz on Reddit
Photograph by LYNN SESSIONS | dreambreeze.com
Photograph by NASA
Photograph by SEBASTIAN OPTIZ | AblazeWithLight.com
Photograph by MARTIN RYCZEK
Photograph by GASTON BATISTINI
Photograph by TREY RATCLIFF @ StuckInCustoms.com
Photograph by PIERRE LESAGE
And don’t forget, if you’re looking for a piece of original art to hang on your walls, check out artFido HERE!
Thanks and very nice! Can I copy these photo ?
OMG!!! two words. amazing. photos
I like to writings thing dat no one reads.
beautiful pictures
Amazing photos. Thanks!
wooooow! very nice and beautiful pictures.
71 Angel Falls, it’s discovery was fascinating.
63 Totally FASCINATING !
57 i HAVE SEEN 2, BUT 4? wow!
55 Who was Studley?
51 I’d like to see the video that followed
37 what made the candy stripes in the ice?
23 & the story is?
19 Cool dude duck – YEAH !
13 Who else saw the ‘man’ in the lightning?
11 Lions Hear where?
I’d like to copy some for my wall.
anyone
the lions head is in Cape Town, South Africa
That is not a ufo over seattle! It is the space needle!! are you kidding me
Fairly certain they were kidding…
If you saw the the uploader’s name “NOTHINGI5REAL” you would know they weren’t serious….
yes they are
I noticed most pictures of beauty are shot looking up…curious…very enjoyable. Many thanks.
Awesome! We really have an amazing world…
In 2013 Brussels did not have the Flower Carpet. In fact 2013 marked the beginning of a new festival called Floralientime that will take place every second year.
Hate to be That Guy, buy at least 3 of these aren’t from 2013. (4, 11, 34). It doesn’t make the pictures any less gorgeous, but I’m sure there were 3 pics from 2013 which could have easily replaced them.
Wow we have some very talented people in this world. they make it a better place.
Uplifting …..
Some of them are really awesome!!! People who posted these are great. Gyus you’re cooooool even not all of them have impressed me. Bravo, keep collecting images!
With some exceptions, I was disappointed with the overall choices made here. I have seen, on varying sites, much better photography and more interesting subject matter. Some of these pictures I have already seen on other sites. Sorry, artFido. But, you tried. And after all, it’s a matter of opinion, isn’t it?
Beautiful images . . . manipulated or not. But can ducklings really fly with such small wings?
Nope. But they do actually jump out of their nest to the ground, which is often five or more feet up. Many people consider this their ‘first flight’. And considering their size and the distance that they fall, I’m inclined to agree with those people lol.
very cool pictures
Daniel, Love your MOON!!!!!!!!! Hugs, Grandma
Wow simply amazing especially the ones on the top of the world views , they simply gave me goosebumps ! O.o
Very interesting and amusing pictures which are seldom seen. I happen to know the tree in Hawaii; it is a sight to see. Congrats to the photographer or photographers, its a job well done.
Kipling Douglas
For those of you who believe that any photo enhanced by computer manipulation should be relagated to a separate category, keep in mind that great photographers like Imogene Cunningham, Ansel Adams, Paul Strand, Edward Weston, and all other award winning photographic artists arrived at their final product only after countless hours spent in the darkroom manipulating their original negatives, not unlike today’s award winning photographers who might spend hours working on their original raw digital files. Art is art….
Well said, almost every picture I keep gets at least a little tweaking.
Nice visual gift for 2014!
We like the artwork of Harry Weisburd. He is an exceptionally talented, highly trained master of human expression.
Invisible reflection! Life is just an illusion – I love it!!
Why is 60. COLOGNE CATHEDRAL DURING WWII, listed here? doesn’t it say top 75 pictures of 2013? pretty sure WWII was not during 2013.
Hi Philip. We should have explained this one a little better. This is a long lost photo that was re-discovered in 2013 and restored by the photographer. :)
Regarding the initial comment from the Editor. Didn’t read every single comment, but would it not be interesting to see the unretouched photographs in comparison?
I love these photographs, thanks so much!
Some of these photos are very nice. Regarding the comments about photo alteration; many of these photos are artistic renditions but not reality. So this is where I draw the line on most of these pictures, many of these are more artistic impressions using photoshop or similar tools which is fine, it’s art, it’s someone providing their interpretation of how they’d imagine the scene. But calling many of these enhanced photos the best photography is a stretch. Touching up a photo, adjusting the contrast, brightness, etc., to compensate for shortcomings inherent in all cameras, to have the photo match what was seen with the human eye, that is true photography. People can enjoy the art, there is nothing wrong with that and I think sometimes people enjoy the fantasy more than real life, much like watching movies, but I have much more respect for what is true and natural versus someones attempt to enhance the reality. It’s my opinion; I just don’t think anyone can make it better than what nature provided. So I’d classify most of these photos, not all, as excellent photoshop art, and be certain, there is a lot of skill involved, but it’s not the photography as much as the photoshop skill to render many of these images, and there needs to be a distinction.
I agree with Ed. I did enjoy these images but Photoshoped images are a different art than photography and can be very beautiful, but I prefer the real thing. – I have been a natural authentic Photographer for 30 years.
So well said, Ed, I was thinking that as I was strolling through. We must never blur the line between photography and photographs that are computer altered. Yes, they are an art form but nature is so beautiful we must remember that it is real. So while I enjoyed scrolling through I was also aware that it was not really photography and titling the presentation as such is not accurate or fair to nature and to photographers.
While I agree to a large extent with the argument that overly photoshopped or otherwise altered photos are more art than photography, then the same philosophy should apply to black & white photos….if we only consider it “photography” if it is as the eye sees it, or how it appears in nature, that’s a pretty narrow range of photos that “rise above”. In fact, one might argue that some processes, such as HDR (when done conservatively) actually present an image truer to reality than a straight-on photograph, which is limited by the range of exposure possible under highly contrasting light conditions.
Ansel Adams enhanced his photos with dodging and burning. All photos are altered images, altered by the lens and altered by the capture medium – whether film or digital imaging. In photography nothing is real, and everything is real.
Yes, but the line that I think is being discussed is whether the subject matter itself is natural or not.
I agree, there is photoshopping and there is PHOTOSHOPPING. I do a lot of restoration work. I scan old, faded and damaged images and renew them using a variety of manipulations. I try to enhance what is there already. When you cross the line and change the reality of the image you are into a new art form. Bythe way, if you do restoration, Photoshop is worth every penny of its substantial cost. Nothing else compares IMHO.
RIGHT ON!, FINALLY SOMEBODY DECLARES PHOTOSHOP IS NOT PHOTOGRAPHY, THE DIGITAL AGE IS SOMETHING I THINK IS OVER RATED,CALL ME OLD FASHION…RLFROMM
These are magnificent! I shared on our Maine Arts Camp (http://www.maineartscamp.com) facebook page so our campers can enjoy them. Thank you for sharing!
FABULOUS PHOTOS!!! The smiling boys covering themselves from rain with banana tree leaf, adorable. Nature around the globe, AWESOME!!!
As a photographer myself, I really enjoyed all these photos and am a little jealous of their beauty. Too many wonderful photos to say which is the best. Thanks for posting.
I went to Hawaii this past summer and I believe I have a picture of my parents in front of “The Ancient Banyan Tree.” Small world :)
Nice to see the photo of the Studley Tool Chest. It was once owned by my husband.
A wonderful collection of amazing photographs, thank you so much for putting them together. :)
These were all fantastic. I have too many favorites to try to narrow it down to just one.
J’ADORE LES BELLES PHOTOS DE LA NATURE
Very amazing. Should be more of this shown instead of the negative things published everyday on the web. Thank you for a great work. God bless you and your works. Don Campbell – Abbotsford BC
# 64 is truly a beautiful place. It is in my hometown of Watkins Glen, NY. I have been there 100’s, if not 1,000’s of times. It is even more beautiful and impressive when totally frozen over in winter, although you are NOT supposed to go thru the park then. Tell that to inquisitive teenagers! The others are also very beautiful – I liked the invisible reflection and sunrise on Easter Island.
Ditto all this, Fred Kelly! This is Evelyn {Landsberg} Kountoupes; it’s my hometown as well! Born there, return each summer to one of the beauties of the Finger Lakes. Wonderful shot of the bottom section of the gorge… I DID try it out in winter, and it’s very dangerous.. Only a plant sticking out on the step’s sides saved my friend from falling over the edge!
Anyone else notice how the vast majority of these pics get their stunning beauty from nature and natural patterns? We have all the beauty we need in our natural surroundings!
Beautiful photography! Thanks for sharing with us! Too bad there has to be so many haters, it really is so sad, they should really keep their comments to themselves and just move on.
I agree 100% Thelma. If anyone out there thinks that there is a photo published today that isn’t Photoshopped, they’re kidding themselves. Get over it folks and just enjoy the beauty.
And if they know anything, they would understand that “Photoshopping” takes real talent, time and dedication. If they don’t think it takes talent to Photoshop, then I would like to see their efforts in this area! Drives me bananas.
I would think that one should just appreciate the final product and be thankful we have this ability today! Thank you kindly for your efforts!
Mike
I agree Mike. I worked with photographers for years and these images photoshopped or not, are amazing. It truly takes talent to create these works!
I don’t think people are “hating” as you stated it – I think that there are people who just want other people to know when the images are not authentic. Photoshopping pictures is an art of its own, an art I can’t do, the results can be beautiful as we have all just witnessed… but it is not true photography I think that is the point trying to be made. And Larry… my photographs are not photoshopped, never were, never will – that is just my style – not better not worse – check it out if you want http://www.westviewimages.net :)
I agree with you, Jill! It’s fine to be proud of Photoshopped work, but if you are proud, you shouldn’t be ashamed to say it’s altered either. Equally talented are photographers who can take photos that don’t need to be Photoshopped, because so many people can’t. They are separate art forms and should be labeled as such.
wow beautiful thanks for sharing
it was great picture and really nice lovely place in the world
So many of these photographs have unnecessarily had their colour artificially enhanced in Photoshop! It’s just ruins what could have be good pictures.
Thank you for assembling such great photography
#42 “underwater perfection” by Sarah Lee
Honored to have this amazing piece hanging in our gallery along with many more of her beautiful photographs. A truly talented young woman!
Nice to see one of our featured artists, Sarah Lee, made it on the list. She has amazing work and this is just one if her beautiful pieces hanging in our gallery.
#42 Underwater Perfection
Please be advised that the photograph of the Volkswagen Golf appeared in the Sunday newspapers as a full spread (double page)in South Africa during the early 90’s. If I am not mistaken, this is a 2003/04 Golf 4. At that stage I was fascinated by it…still am.
How could a 2003 or 04 VW photo appear in a paper in the early 90’s?
Your attempt at being erudite and informed left you looking a bit silly.
How indeed could a 2003 or 2004 Volkswagen Golf appear in the newspaper in the early 90’s!?
Because it’s actually a Golf MK2 (1983-1992)
This picture of the VW Golf was typically seen in the owners manual.
AMAZING. I might need to steal a few of these3 for our social media :)
Love the Cloudy City, Dubai
thanks for sharing!
I like the pic at 69, very creative it is.
I like “69. INVISIBLE REFLECTION” ,very creative.
That “UFO” is the Space Needle, located in Seattle, WA. The body of the building is photoshopped out…
The body of the building isn’t photoshopped out. That would be cloud and fog that naturally occurs in a lot of coastal cities blocking the view of the building.
I wish there were links to further information about each of these beautiful pictures. For example, the Great Wall of China being overgrown with foliage is intriguing.
the Great Wall of China pic may be from this blog. Even if it isn’t – great story.
http://imgur.com/a/JP0LS
I thought I’d seen it all, Thanks.
Such beautiful places and natural occurrences.
Leaves one speechless.
#60 Cologne Cathedral during WW11
This brought back many memories as I have a photograph showing the other side of the Cathedral ( while flying over Cologne with the RAF) at the end of the War. Cologne looked bad enough from the air but you should have seen it from the ground. Berlin was even worse.
Let’s hope such blanket bombing will never happen again. It’s a blind mass murder technique.
The photographs are MIGHTY.