Scott Chapman fondly remembers flipping through binders filled with glossy National Geographic pictures as a kid.

Now, he hopes to add his own photo to that collection. The Saskatoon photographer is vying for a spread in one of the most popular magazines in the world after entering the 2012 National Geographic Traveler photo contest.

"It is a dream to think that there's a possibility of my picture being printed in National Geographic," said Chapman, who calls himself a semi-professional photographer.

The contest is split up into four categories, and the public votes on which pictures are sent to the finals. A judging panel will then choose the winners in August.

Not only would a win net Chapman a published picture, he'd also get to spend 10 days in the Galapagos Islands.

The photo he submitted is a landscape shot of the northern coastline of Kauai, Hawaii, taken from a helicopter.

"The coastline's a beautiful, jagged, volcanic, eroded area. So it really lends itself to forming those steep channeled canyons, and just the greenery that grows on it and contrasts with the black basalt," Chapman said, as he described the photo.

He said he picked the photo because of its visual impact, but admits it's the subtleties in photography that he loves the most.

"The image that can be put in front of you and people will be like 'how did you do that?' It's kind of that mystique to the images, showing people things that they just didn't see for themselves."

bmcadam@rawlco.com

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