Best Readers' Photos of 2013

September 10, 2013

Our 24th annual reader photo contest wowed us with stunning images that capture island life. From 2,000-plus entries, here are the best.

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Islands Magazine Photo Contest | Travel Photography | Scrub Island, BVI — “I kept telling myself that photography is just my hobby. With doors off the helicopter, we saw pretty much the whole British Virgin Islands chain that day, but the colors of Scrub Island stood out. Plus those red rooftops on Marina Cay cut so perfectly into the island. I leaned out the window to try to get the perfect shot, trying hard not to let the camera shake, emphasizing that word hobby.” Shot with: Canon T2i, 11-16 mm lens

Islands Magazine Photo Contest | Travel Photography | St Kitt's Sunset — “I actually lived the island dream on Nevis, if only for a few months. My husband was in medical school there, and we lived around the corner from Lover’s Beach, Nevis’ best sunset spot. From here, it’s a direct shot across the water to St. Kitts. On this night I was moved by the colors meeting the clouds as a storm rolled in. Timing was everything.” Shot with: Canon 7D, 10-22 mm lens > Prize: One-week at Maine Media WorkshopsKatherine Gendreau

Islands Magazine Photo Contest | Travel Photography | Iceberg — “I was belowdecks, seasick, on a four-week expedition to the deep south — the one known for icebergs, not magnolias — when the captain yelled for me. The iceberg we faced rose 250 feet over the water. ‘It must be a small piece of Berg B15, the largest berg recorded,’ he said. Small piece? Turns out the mother iceberg was bigger than Jamaica.” Shot with: Sony A77 DSLR, 16-50 mm lens. Prize: Five-night stay at the Westin St. JohnEric Lew

Islands Magazine Photo Contest | Travel Photography | Santorini — “You wouldn’t know it, but it was windy when I shot this scene in the town of Oia. Everyone went home after sunset but I stayed, hiding behind a castle’s wall. I had a hunch twilight would deliver that famous Santorini blue-and-white scheme. To hear the wind along the coast, the homes seemed to cling to the cliffs. But here they look still, as if they’re a part of that mountaintop.” Shot with: Nikon D700, 24-70 mm lens > Prize: Five-night stay at Maui’s Aston Kaanapali ShoresYen Baet

Islands Magazine Photo Contest | Travel Photography | Maui, Hawaii — “My No. 1 goal during this trip to Maui was to capture a powerful shot of a fire dancer. So I researched how to shoot fire motion before I left — a high ISO and a shutter speed that would minimize motion blur. Everything came together. A beach performance with perfect evening light. My newly learned techniques. And the fact that he didn’t mind posing.” __Shot with: Canon EOS 5D Mark II, 24-70 mm lens. __ Prize: Seven-night Tahitian cruise for two with Paul Gauguin, plus airfare __ _ _Deborah Kolb

Islands Magazine Photo Contest | Travel Photography | Palua — Paul Bullen

Islands Magazine Photo Contest | Travel Photography | Iceland — Hayden Adams

Islands Magazine Photo Contest | Travel Photography | Big Island — David Concepcion

Islands Magazine Photo Contest | Travel Photography | Kauai — Tracey Rabjohns

Islands Magazine Photo Contest | Travel Photography | Bocas del Toro — John McKean

Islands Magazine Photo Contest | Travel Photography | Borneo — Peter Demarco

Islands Magazine Photo Contest | Travel Photography | Galapagos — Joanne McCorkie

Islands Magazine Photo Contest | Travel Photography | Maui boats — Todd Kawasaki

Islands Magazine Photo Contest | Travel Photography | Java — Helminadia Ranford

Islands Magazine Photo Contest | Travel Photography | Maui, Hawaii — Cynthia Hedgecock

Islands Magazine Photo Contest | Travel Photography | Maui whale — Joshua Munns

Islands Magazine Photo Contest | Travel Photography | Maui waterfall — Todd Kawasaki

Islands Magazine Photo Contest | Travel Photography | Maya Bay Thailand — Karin Whitehead

Islands Magazine Photo Contest | Travel Photography | Nevis — Katherine Gendreau

Islands Magazine Photo Contest | Travel Photography | San Blas — Joel Duncan

Islands Magazine Photo Contest | Travel Photography | Newfoundland — Rita Hansen

Islands Magazine Photo Contest | Travel Photography | Oahu — David Concepcion

Islands Magazine Photo Contest | Travel Photography | Oahu by Jess Moss — Jess Moss

Islands Magazine Photo Contest | Travel Photography | Sandy Spit BVI — Jane Mottern

Islands Magazine Photo Contest | Travel Photography | Santorini — Yen Baet

Islands Magazine Photo Contest | Travel Photography | Tahiti — Rich Cardoza

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