100 Images

Top 100 travel photos from Times readers

Costa Rica | 2009

This photo is a potent reminder of the real joy of travel. No one knows how to beat boredom like a 9-year-old, who opened a window and let the rain tickle his face on the hour-long ride from the airport to the hotel in Costa Rica. Margie Temme of Santa Ana took the shot.

(Margie Temme)

Galapagos Islands | 2009

Photographer Linda Boyd of Anaheim got in so close that you can’t help but feel you’re on the beach sunning yourself with the sea lions. By filling the frame with the animals, the lovable details emerge, even down to their whiskers.

(Linda Boyd)

Datong, China | 2009

Being flexible and having a good eye help. Photographer Felix J. Bonomo of San Marcos, Calif., had disembarked to shoot the train but found this scene instead. Subtle colors create an air of mystery. Like a great painting, it invites you to gaze at it.

(Felix J. Bonomo)

Jerusalem | 2009

This is a unique take on the Western Wall, which is a familiar subject. Photographer David Katz of West Hills used a long exposure for this nighttime shot, which created an ethereal effect when the men walked into the foreground.

(David Katz)

Destin, Fla. | 2009

Sheri Forbes of Houston took this lightning shot in Destin, Fla. It’s so vivid you can almost feel the electricity.

(Sheri Forbes)

6. Santorini, Greece

Judges said: Clean, beautiful and simple on Santorini. (Valerie Staines, Marina del Rey)

7. Huntington Beach

Judges said: The playfulness of this one made us smile, and the simplicity of the photo, shot at a kite festival, helped make it work. (Hyra George, Long Beach)

8. Kurashiki, Japan

Judges said: Good composition works with contrasting colors to create a photojournalistic look at a Kurashiki canal. (Janet King, Santa Barbara)

9. Turkey

Judges said: This picture of the cliffs of Pamukkale, Turkey, captures their fragility, which contrasts with the perception of the rugged countryside. (Saul Freedman, Tarzana)

10. Bali

Judges said: The framing of this photo -- a fighting cock -- enhances the beauty of a scene that is about to turn ugly. (TJ Korst, Canoga Park)

11. Italy

Judges said: Great lighting accentuates the unhurried feel of this shot from Cinque Terre.

Brandy Bishop, Santa Monica ()

12. India

Judges said: This photo of candles, about to be floated in the Ganges, creates a sense of intimacy even without showing a face.

Angelica Solis, Los Angeles ()

13. China

Judges said: Lovely composition, with the tunnel as frame, in Suzhou.

Randy Imai, Anaheim ()

14. Chicago

Judges said: This photo of “Cloud Gate,” nicknamed the Bean, invites you to study and decipher the nuances of the sculpture, which is made up of scores of stainless-steel plates.

Karen I. Shanbrom, Eagle Rock ()

15. Cozumel, Mexico

Judges said: On a dive off Cozumel, the photographer cleverly zoomed in on this sea anemone. The payoff: vivid colors that almost shout Mexico.

Julianne E. Steers, Santa Monica ()

16. South Georgia Island

Judges said: The strength of this photo of King penguins is its simplicity. Capturing this moment is a testament to the photographer’s patience.

David E. Ross, Long Beach ()

17. Antarctica

Judges said: A nice “found” moment with a leopard seal.

David E. Ross, Long Beach ()

18. San Francisco

Judges said: The framing of this one really sets it apart, and the photographer deserves credit for finding a location that gives new life to a familiar place. The juxtaposition of fence and bridge is enchanting.

Jake Lippman, El Cajon ()

19. Salt Lake City

Richard Paul, Redondo Beach ()

20. Venice, Italy

Paula Carroll, Pacific Palisades ()

21. A sunrise along the Ganges River in Varanasi, India

Francine V. Lucey, Venice, Calif. ()

22. The Old Public Market building in Manaus, Brazil

Dick Curry, Santa Barbara ()

23. Burano, Italy

Ruth Clampett, Studio City ()

24. Southern France

Greg May, Irvine ()

25. Dubrovnik, Croatia as seen from the Carnival Freedom cruise ship

Gareth Richards, Riverside ()

26. Niagara Falls

Judith Haun, Pacific Palisades ()

27. Da Nang, Vietnam

Daisy and Vic Schneidman, Long Beach ()

28. A rural road west of Arlington, Vt.

Ralph White, Bishop, Calif. ()

29. A <i>torri</i> (traditional Japanese gate) on Lake Biwa in Osaka, Japan

Daryl Getman, South Pasadena ()

30. Rheinstein Castle in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany

John F. Hines, Anaheim ()

31. A Jefferson pine tree in Mammoth Lakes

Skylar Ritchie, Pacific Palisades ()

32. Zhu Jia Jiao, an ancient water village in China

Sheryl Carrerow, Aliso Viejo, Calif. ()

33. Pokhara, Nepal

Todd Stern, Venice, Calif. ()

34. Children from the Batonka tribe on Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe

Lori Graham, Carpinteria ()

35. Brian Mogilewsky, 15, breaks a pinata during a birthday celebration in Oaxaca, Mexico

Joe Mogilewsky, Yorba Linda ()

36. Havana Vieja, Cuba

Brandon Rus, Newport Beach ()

37. A farm in the Berkshires, Mass.

Joe Brandolino, Hollywood ()

Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo in Wyoming | 2009

Stephen Krupnick of Laguna Beach took this shot at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo in Wyoming.

(Stephen Krupnick)

39. Antarctica

Bob Fairbanks, Dana Point ()

40. Taikodani Temple in Tsuwano, Japan

Peter King, Santa Barbara ()

41. The Sacred Monkey Forest in Ubud, Bali

Lauralee Asch, Santa Monica ()

42. India

Vighnesh Iyer, Cerritos ()

43. San Pedro, Belize

Danielle Wiebe, Palos Verdes Estates ()

44. The Mutianyu section of the Great Wall of China during October

Jay M. Grosflam, Long Beach ()

45. Walton Memorial Lighthouse in Santa Cruz

Richard Paul Kain II, San Dimas ()

46. A tour guide is silhouetted by the sunset on Rio Mamore in Brazil

Ken Lee, Balboa Park, Calif. ()

47. An abandoned house in the Eastern Sierras

Richard Rains, Sylmar ()

48. A street near El Malecon walkway in Havana, Cuba

Ronald Rus, Newport Beach ()

49. Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco

Dave Schwien, Seal Beach ()

50. Mauritius

Joan Sittenfield, Los Angeles ()

51. Bimini Island, Bahamas

Bud Gundersen, Granada Hills ()

52. Quechua fisherwomen on Lake Titicaca at sunset

Ralph De La Parra, Whittier ()

53. Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada

Fran McFate, Long Beach ()

54. A full moon rising in Rockport, Mass.

Ralph White, Bishop, Calif. ()

55. Jølstravatnet Lake in Jølster, Norway

Svein Brunstad, Valencia ()

56. Tillamook Bay in Tillamook, Ore.

B.J. Patterson, Rancho Palos Verdes ()

57. Sandhill Cranes in Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, N.M.

John Chase, West Hills ()

58. San Diego at night as seen from Coronado Island

Joseph Berk, Upland ()

Chicago | 2009

Chicago is reflected in “The Bean” sculpture in Millennium Park in this image by Jim McIntire of Thousand Oaks.

(Jim McIntire)

60. Gentoo penguins in Antarctica

Bob Fairbanks, Dana Point ()

61. Botswana

William J. Glucksman, Los Angeles ()

62. North Malé Atoll, Maldives

Todd Stern, Venice, Calif. ()

63. Mono Pass in Yosemite National Park

Herbert Petermann, Topanga ()

64. A glacier on Prince William Sound, Alaska

John Nall, Pomona ()

65. Uros Island on Lake Titicaca, Peru

Ina Setiadji, Los Angeles ()

66. Cairo

Sultana McDevitt, Santa Maria ()

67. Taipei

Richard Rains, Sylmar ()

68. Southern India

Peter King, Santa Barbara ()

69. Geisha in Japan

Richard Ross, Pacific Palisades ()

70. Paris

Mark Farbstein, Pasadena ()

71. Buenos Aires

Dov Ascoli, Manhattan Beach ()

72. Cape penguins in South Africa

William J. Glucksman, Los Angeles ()

73. A lioness and her cub in Serengeti National Park in Tanzania

Anthony Galvan III, Goleta ()

74. Kodiak bears on Kodiak Island, Alaska

John Nall, Pomona ()

Toronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia | 2009

Clark Woodford of Los Angeles took this image of a giraffe at the Toronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia.

(Clark Woodford)

76. Historic schoolhouse in Sula, Mont.

Martin Roitman, Monarch Beach, Calif. ()

77. Nashville, Tenn.

Judith A. Proffer, Encino ()

78. Downtown Beijing

Conor H. Cook, Los Angeles ()

79. Sylhet, Bangladesh

Denise Gallant, Walnut ()

80. San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

Susan Merrifield Prieto, Los Angeles ()

81. Valley of the Queens in Thebes, Egypt

David Greenspan, Oak Park, Calif. ()

82. Otavalo, Ecuador

Linda Boyd, Anaheim ()

Nepal | 2009

Todd Stern of Venice photographed a young girl visiting a temple in Kathmandu, Nepal.

(Todd Stern)

84. Vietnam

Julie Stayton, Ridgecrest, Calif. ()

85. Grand Canal in Venice, Italy

John Johnson, Covina ()

86. Kerala, India

Todd Stern, Venice, Calif. ()

Gecko | 2009

Howard Maize of Woodland Hills steals a shot of a gecko.

(Howard Maize )

88. White Sands National Monument, N.M.

Lisa Ketchem, Seal Beach ()

89. A scarlet macaw in Corcovado Beach, Costa Rica

Sam Spector, Culver City ()

90. Switzerland

Jeffrey Kaplan, Anaheim ()

91. Egypt

Diana Flores, Glendale ()

92. Varanasi, India

Kay Erickson, Santa Monica ()

93. Southern Vietnam’s countryside

Joan Meyerson, Valley Village, Calif. ()

94. Ladakh, India

Ken Lee, Lake Balboa, Calif. ()

95. Mercat St. Josep in Barcelona

George W. Contreras, Camarillo ()

96. Lamayuru Monastery in Ladakh, India

Ken Lee, Lake Balboa, Calif. ()

97. Fall in New Hampshire

Jerri Ellen Wheeler, San Juan Capistrano ()

98. A red colobus monkey in Zanzibar, Tanzania

Rick Plows, Long Beach ()

99. Hanalei Pier in Kauai

Teresa Cendreda, Irvine ()

100. India

Kay Erickson, Santa Monica ()