Hira Punjabi of Maharashtra, India: On a frigid winter morning at India's Tal Chappar animal sanctuary, Punjabi came upon two male blackbucks battling for dominance against a glowing backdrop of dust and light. The graceful animals, once overhunted, can now be seen in herds throughout India. Punjabi made the photograph with a 500mm telephoto lens.

Bill Yeaton of Dover, New Hampshire: Yeaton was working as a physician on a small cruise ship in Mexico's Sea of Cortés when, at breakfast one morning, the passengers noticed that several dolphins were swimming alongside the boat. "Then more and more dolphins came up, until there were hundreds surrounding us," says Yeaton. He took this photo with a digital camera and a 28-300mm zoom lens.

Adam Schallau of Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico: Scouting for wildflowers near Crested Butte, Colorado, Schallau hit a gold mine: a field of mule's ear against a backdrop of the Anthracite Range and a glorious sunset. To capture the golden moment, the retail account manager used a 12-24mm zoom lens and a tripod to hold his digital camera steady for the quarter-second exposure.

Edsel L. Romero of Cavite, Philippines: While visiting Singapore Botanic Gardens in July 2004, Romero spotted two pairs of mating daylight-flying moths on a single blade of grass. To take the digital photo, the computer programmer lay flat on the ground, inches away from the brightly patterned moths, and used a 180mm macro lens.