Just pretty pictures


At first glance you might say "nice painting" but in fact this image a photo, taken by an 18 year-old from Minnesota. At second glance you might say "that doesn't look like Minnesota" and you would be right - it's New Zealand. This is the grand prize winner in Smithsonian Magazine's annual photo contest.

This one's been photoshopped so it's in the "altered images" category - but still a heck of a shot. How do you get a lion to pose for you like that? Bacon on a string up there some where?

And this one from Lake Austin, Texas is amazingly unaltered.

You can see all 50 finalist photos here.

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