Arrows of light seem to pelt a dragonfly in Indonesia's Riau Islands in Shikhei Goh's award-winning image "Splashing."A sudden rainstorm left Goh with a tough decision: Get his camera wet or take advantage of the "superb lighting," he wrote in his submission to the 2011 National Geographic Photography Contest. (See more dragonfly pictures.)
Goh took the picture, resulting in a "very striking macrophotography image that rose to the top of the "Nature" category for me because of its originality, beautiful light, rare action in a closeup image, as well as its technical perfection," said Tim Laman, one of three National Geographic magazine photographers who judged the contest.
Judge Amy Toensing added, "You can almost feel the dragonfly's experience of bracing itself against the weather. When I look at it, I want to say, Hold on tight little buddy!". The insect's plight also appealed to judge Peter Essick, who said the photograph gives the dragonfly a "character us humans can relate to." "It's rare indeed," Essick said, "to see a photograph that causes the viewer to feel a bond with a member of the animal world seemingly, but maybe not, so unlike our own."
(See the winners of the 2010 photography contest.)
