25 Reasons To Celebrate The Great Outdoors

Arguably, the greatest threat to the Earth is mankind. As Earth Day approaches, let yourself become inspired to preserve this planet's natural beauty. These twenty-five photographs were selected from the 2012 - 2014 Winners Galleries of PDN's Great Outdoors contest, from the Professional and Amateur categories.

1. "Face in the Ice."

Andrew Peacock / Via greatoutdoorscontest.com

This spectacular iceberg, with its shades of blue and hidden "face in the ice," captured my attention while sea kayaking along the Antarctic Peninsula.

2.

James Randklev / Via greatoutdoorscontest.com

Sun rays streaking through the fog at La Push beach in Olympic National Park, Washington State.

3. "Curiosity of Dalmatian Pelicans"

Bence Máté / Via greatoutdoorscontest.com

Dalmatian pelicans are typically shy, but closely follow fishermen's boats on Lake Kerkini, Greece, to hunt for fish. to capture images of the pelicans, Máté and his team constructed a special catamaran with a built-in camera.

4. "Streamline."

Franck Simonnet / Via greatoutdoorscontest.com

Powered paragliding pilot Emilia Plak flies by the Dordogne river in Meyronne, Midi-Pyrénées, France. The waterweeds in the flow provide unusual scenery.

5. "In the Barrel of the Milky Wave"

John Kelsey / Via greatoutdoorscontest.com

A long-exposure panorama in Gaviota, California.

6. "Displaying."

Mary Gretchen Kaplan / Via greatoutdoorscontest.com

An egret displays sexual feathers during mating season.

7. "Last Frontier"

Sebastian Copeland / Via greatoutdoorscontest.com

In the high Arctic, dogs are the first line of defense against bears since they provide early warning.

8.

Nenad Saljic / Via greatoutdoorscontest.com

The Matterhorn in the Swiss Alps illuminated by a full moon. The mountain's summit is 4,478 meters high.

9.

William Chua / Via greatoutdoorscontest.com

Wildebeest jumping into the river during the annual migration.

10.

Cesar Aristeiguieta / Via greatoutdoorscontest.com

Two adult female grizzly bears play in a river in Knight Inlet, British Columbia, Canada, as they wait for the salmon run.

11. "Walking on Clouds"

Keith Ladzinski / Via greatoutdoorscontest.com

Highliner Caio "Afeto" Solomon walking two thousand feet above Rio de Janeiro amongst the clouds. Minutes after this frame was taken, Ladzinski and his team were engulfed in a wet fog.

12. "Oryx Raising the Dune"

Ricardo Cisneros / Via greatoutdoorscontest.com

Cisneros captured this image from a helicopter, flying over the dunes in Kulala Wilderness reserve, Namibia, at dusk.

13.

Jonathan Raho / Via greatoutdoorscontest.com

As a storm was approaching, I captured this spectacular lightning strike from a bridge in Koh Chang, Thailand.

14. "The Purest Love"

Susan Onysko / Via greatoutdoorscontest.com

Japanese snow monkeys showcase the bond between mother and child at Jigokudani Monkey Park in the Joshinetsu Kogen National Park.

15. "The One and Only."

Daniel Tremblay / Via greatoutdoorscontest.com

What a good way to start a perfect day: The Grand Canyon offers such amazing views—it is the one and only place to be.

16. "On the Lookout."

Matt Dayka / Via greatoutdoorscontest.com

A group of male cheetahs scan the horizon of the Maasai Mara, Kenya.

17.

Marco R. Casalino / Via greatoutdoorscontest.com

Near carretera central, Ticlio, Peru.

18.

Scott Hoyle / Via greatoutdoorscontest.com

I could not believe how beautiful this horse was. I had only a moment to take this low-light photograph, and my goal was to keep the whiskers and eyes in focus while letting the rest fade out.

19. "Gabriel Lake."

Hank Gans / Via greatoutdoorscontest.com

Tiny Gabriel Lake in the Catskill Mountains, New York, is surrounded by far bigger lakes, but none more dramatic or beautiful just before sunrise on a fall day.

20.

Sara Shoemaker Lind / Via greatoutdoorscontest.com

A smack of moon jellyfish in the cold, dark waters near Patterson Point, Alaska at 40 feet below sea level. The water temperature was 44 degrees Fahrenheit.

21. "The Milky Way over Deadvlei."

Matthew Hood / Via greatoutdoorscontest.com

The skeleton of a camel thorn tree, believed to be approximately 900 years old, stands in the middle of the Deadvlei, Namib-Naukluft National Park, Namibia.

22. "Highland cattle"

Chris Gordaneer / Via greatoutdoorscontest.com

Gordaneer took this shot on a personal trip to Scotland. *Please note, this is a cropped image.

23. "Last Light"

Mateusz Piesiak / Via greatoutdoorscontest.com

Piesiak came across a long-eared owl on a cloudy winter evening and patiently waited to take the image until the sun revealed itself from behind the clouds.

24. "Wave Pacific #5."

Scott Hoyle / Via greatoutdoorscontest.com

This photograph is from Scott's ongoing series "Wave Pacific."

25.

Cody Duncan / Via greatoutdoorscontest.com

A lenticular cloud illuminated by moonlight over the Alabama Hills and Sierra Nevada mountains in California.