LOS ANGELES, CA — It’s neither a glimpse of nature’s majesty nor an image of breathtaking beauty. The grand prize winner of the 2018 National Geographic Photo Contest is a surreal scene in the Mojave Desert, a jarring juxtaposition of the barren desert landscape against an accidental monument to greed and pollution.
The aerial photo, titled “Unreal,” was captured by Jassen Todorov. It features a massive boneyard of thousands of Volkswagen and Audi cars recalled in 2015 after the manufacturer was caught designing cars to cheat emissions tests. There in Apple Valley, the new car graveyard borders one for old airplanes in a riot of color surrounded by dusty, brown desert.
Todorov, a concert violinist, shot the photo while piloting a 1976 Piper Warrior.
“These cars are just sitting out there and collecting dust,” he told National Geographic. “By capturing scenes like this one, I hope we will all become more conscious of and more caring toward our beautiful planet.”
In much of his photography, Todorov captures nature’s quirks and beauty, often from thousands of feet above.
“When I fly long distances, I listen to a lot of music. I’m able to combine music, flying, and photography,” he told the magazine. “Music has a lot to do with structure and composition, colors and patterns, moods and characters—when I am looking at a photo, I am thinking about the same things.”
The other winners this year include a wildlife shot of endangered rhinoceroses sneaking a late night drink at a South African watering hole, the dystopian wreckage of a Syrian city destroyed by war, an ethereal Japanese snowfall, and a striking portrait shot in a Kenyan shantytown.
The winners include:
Main Photo: UNREAL, PHOTO AND CAPTION BY JASSEN TODOROV: Thousands of Volkswagen and Audi cars sit idle in the middle of California’s Mojave Desert. Models manufactured from 2009 to 2015 were designed to cheat emissions tests mandated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Following the scandal, Volkswagen recalled millions of cars. By capturing scenes like this one, I hope we will all become more conscious of and more caring toward our beautiful planet.
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