The Photos Up For 2017 Sony World Photography Awards Are Absolutely Stunning

Isn't it heartening to know that there are still photographers who want to take pictures of more than just the meals they're about to eat or the shirt they're thinking of buying? From the peaks of snow-capped mountains to the sandy depths of the ocean, photographers are out there to show us the kind of world we're living in. And if the entries shortlisted for the 2017 Sony World Photography Awards are any indication, it's one heck of a world out there.

Two concertgoers turn around for a selfie.

Shortlisted in the Open Architecture category.

A rancher trots along the edge of a dust cloud kicked up by his herd.

Shortlisted in the Open Motion category.

An aerial view of the coast of the Adriatic Sea near Montenegro.

Shortlisted in the Open Travel category.

Buffaloes dip their noses to drink at South Africa's Zimanga game reserve.

Shortlisted in the Open Wildlife category.

An Iranian mourning ceremony.

Shortlisted in the Open Culture category.

Storm clouds menace a highway, leading to a tornado near Stratford, Texas.

Shortlisted in the Open Nature category

Russian bodybuilders apply body paint before a competition.

Shortlisted in the Professional Sport category.

A young girl defies gravity gripping a yellow ball. 

Shortlisted in the Open Enhanced category.

A surreal composition called 'Transcending Ego' by German photographer Julian Schievelkamp.

Shortlisted in the Open Enhanced category.

A mountain climber trudges through the snow on Mount Belukha in Russia.

Shortlisted in the Open Nature category.

Diamond dust forming above a forest in Japan.

Shortlisted in the Open Nature category.

A group of bound, blindfolded Iraqi men wait to be interviewed by Kurdish security near Kirkuk, Iraq.

Shortlisted in the Professional Current Affairs & News category.

The 'lonely tree' in the Vermilion Cliffs in Arizona.

Shortlisted in the Professional Landscape category.

Dolphins foraging for food on the sea floor, in crystal clear waters.

Shortlisted in the Open Wildlife category.

Shaolin monks run along a wall. 

Shortlisted in the Professional Sport category.

An Armenian girl sits in a makeshift shelter.

Shortlisted in the Professional Daily Life category.

A reflected vision appearing to be a perfectly symmetrical building, on the banks of the Danube River.

Shortlisted in the Professional Architecture category.