National Geographic Photo Contest Offers Up Some Stellar Shots of SF

Photo by Chris McCann/National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest

The 2016 National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest is underway. So far the publication has received some stunning shots, in particular an ariel view of Lombard Street's famous crooked stretch and an ariel photo of the Golden Gate Bridge peeking through the fog.

The shot of the city's most famous bridge was snapped by Toby Harriman, who took the pic while riding in a helicopter. He described to National Geographic how he captured it:

This particular morning was a few months in the making. I was on an assignment shooting downtown San Francisco and fog was our target—which is always fine with me, as I love chasing fog and weather rather than blue skies! In between getting those other shots, we had to do a pass above the Golden Gate. This was always a shot I had dreamed of and the opportunity presented itself perfectly. Getting the lines of this shot perfect took a bit of clever time management and coordination with my pilot, but [the pilot] was able to get more than enough angles and lighting situations while I was up.

Photo by Toby Harriman/National Geographic Travel Photographer of

The contest is open to both hobbyists and professional photographers. National Geographic is looking for images "that tell the story of a place or reveal insights about what inspires you when you travel." And said travel could be right in your very own city. Entries need to be in before May 27. Hopefully, some of San Francisco's most talented photographers will enter.

Speaking of which, for those of you who aren't familiar with some of San Francisco's most noted photogs, be sure to check out the works of Troy Holden, Thomas Hawk, Patricia Chang, Darwin Bell, and Travis Jensen, just to name a few.

Photo by Bachir Badaoui/National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest

Photo by Michael Flores/National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest

Photo by Toby Harriman/National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year

Photo by Johannes Öhl/National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year

• 2016 National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year [National Geographic]
• Behind the Picture: Fly Through Clouds and Fog in San Francisco [National Geographic]
• National Geographic Photographer Contest Inspires Stunning Images Of San Francisco [SFist]