It seems somehow appropriate that, right as we’re offering readers our first prize giveaway, we should get tagged by several of our blogger friends to enter the Capture the Color Photo Contest. Judged by some of the best photographers in the business, the contest requires each entrant to submit travel photos that capture Blue, Green, Red, White and Yellow colors, with individual category prizes and a £2,000 cash prize for the overall winner to spend on traveling. Here are the photos we’re submitting to the contest:

BLUE 

Bison Herd Grazing in Snow, Yellowstone National Park

We’d gotten a LOT more snow than we’d bargained for during the first four days of our Winter Wonders Tour of Yellowstone National Park, so we were delighted when the skies finally cleared for our final day in the park. These two herds of bison were feeding close to the road from the Old Faithful Lodge to Mammoth Hot Springs, and I FINALLY began to understand why they call Montana “Big Sky Country.” I loved the way the lines of white, brown and green broke up the bottom third of the photo, contrasting the brilliant blue sky.

GREEN

Emerald Spring, Yellowstone National Park

I’m not quite sure what it is about about this photo of Emerald Spring that I love so much, but this Day 5 photo is arguably my favorite from Yellowstone. The steam rising off the green natural hot spring created these incredible icicles on the pine trees that surrounded it, and the sunlight reflecting off of them reminded me of Superman’s crystal cavern. Looking at this photo is ALMOST enough to make me wish we lived further north, rather than in a state that almost never sees snow.

RED

Magnificent Frigate With Inflated Pouch, Galapagos Islands

You would not believe how many photos of Magnificent Frigates we took during our trip to the Galapagos Islands in an attempt to get one perfect shot. This one (which appears in the Galapagos Wildlife Calendar we give away free to those who sign up for our monthly newsletter) was by far our favorite, with the incredible inflated red pouch displayed so clearly that you can see the tiny feathers sticking out of it. I love the jaunty angle of his beak, the proud posture, the look in the eyes that says, “Yeah, I know I’m a bad-ass!” How could any female frigate resist?

WHITE

Driftwood Beach, Jekyll Island, Georgia

It was early morning on New Year’s Day. Mary and I had gone to Jekyll Island‘s Driftwood Beach for a morning stroll before heading back to Atlanta and, despite the fact that the sun was out, there was a remarkably thick white fog rolling in off the Atlantic. It looked bizarre, with the sun casting striking shadows on the eerily shaped driftwood and the beach drenched in otherworldly mystery. Just as I lined up the photo, I saw a woman, alone, walking into the shot, and I waited until she was framed by the branch on the far right. It felt like something out of a Stephen King novel…

YELLOW

Land Iguana, Santa Cruz, Galapagos Islands

The Galapagos Islands had no shortage of reptiles, but the Land Iguana was by far our favorite. In contrast to dull gray shades that dominated the Marine Iguanas‘ skin, these colorful cuties ranged from canary yellow and orange to fiery red and rust. They also had tons of personality and no fear of humans whatsoever, which allowed me to get down on his level and at relatively close range for this Macro shot. The end result was easily among our favorite wildlife photos of 2011.

We’re supposed to nominate 5 other folks to participate, so we’ll tag:
Jim McIntosh of Holes In My Soles

Barbara Weibel of Hole In The Donut

Karen & Eric of Trans-Americas Journey

Christine & Hal of Travel4Wildlife

Dalene & Pete of Hecktic Travels

 –by Bret Love; photos by Bret Love & Mary Gabbett