Photograph by Stuart Chape
"The high cliffs of Svalbard drop steeply into the sea," says Stuart Chape, who submitted this picture from Norway's Arctic archipelago to the National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest. "The eroded green cliffs, remnant snow, and aquamarine sea create an abstract visual impression."
This photo and caption were submitted to the 2014 National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest .
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Photograph by William Kerdoncuff
"[This is] the main attraction on the beaches of Kho Phi Phi, Thailand, at night," says William Kerdoncuff, who submitted this picture to the National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest. "A lot of bars hire young people to put on fire shows to attract tourists."
This photo and caption were submitted to the 2014 National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest.
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Photograph by Willem Kuijpers , National Geographic Your Shot
Your Shot member Willem Kuijpers captured this shot during the 24-hour I Misteri procession in Trapani, Sicily, during which the stations of the cross are carried through the city on the Friday and Saturday of Holy Week. "I came across this situation on the morning of Easter Saturday," Kujipers says. "The participants were getting very tired and I had to wait a lot because of the slow movement of the procession. The heavy stations are carried by the guilds of the city, each accompanied by a music group playing funeral music and a group of women and children."
Kujipers has been attending such processions in Sicily since 2002.
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Photograph by Shane Kalyn
"There is an ethereal, otherworldly feeling to this photograph, as this little island in the middle of Tumuch Lake in northern British Columbia appears as if it's floating in the clouds," says Shane Kalyn, who submitted this photo to the National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest. "To bring us back to Earth, a fish has left a ripple in the water on the left-hand side of the shot. The scene was amazing to witness, let alone be lucky enough to photograph totally the right place at the right time."
This photo and caption were submitted to the 2014 National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest.
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Photograph by Marcelo Castro
"In Old Bagan, Burma [Myanmar], a young monk finds a perfect light source to read his book inside a pagoda," says Marcelo Castro of this picture he submitted to the National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest.
This photo and caption were submitted to the 2014 National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest.
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Photograph by Richard Balonglong , National Geographic Your Shot
"A local gets airborne as he hits the breaking waves with his skimboard at the Barangay Urbiztondo beach in San Juan, La Union, Philippines, dubbed the north's surfing capital," writes Richard Balonglong , a member of National Geographic Your Shot. "This coming summer, tourists once again are expected to flock beach resorts to unwind."
This photo was submitted to Your Shot . Check out the new and improved website, where you can share photos, take part in assignments, lend your voice to stories, and connect with fellow photographers from around the globe.
Photograph by Kersti Kalberg , National Geographic Your Shot
"It was the first beautiful winter day in over a month, and the sun came out and everybody just stopped," says Kersti Kalberg , a member of our Your Shot community. "The world almost stood still, and the silent happiness just poured in."
Kalberg went for a walk to enjoy the day, as did many others, including the pony, Rainbow, found standing in the sunlight. "It looked like he was just feeling the sunlight and fresh air. I found it something remarkable, as if he were there for me to finally understand how similar people and animals sometimes are."
This photo was submitted to Your Shot . Check out the new and improved website, where you can share photos, take part in assignments, lend your voice to stories, and connect with fellow photographers from around the globe.
Photograph by Ng Yeow Kee
"Two Vietnamese ladies walk home along the popular sand dunes in Mui Ne in Phan Thiet, Vietnam," says Ng Yeow Kee, who submitted this photo to the National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest. "Mui Ne remains a must-see in Vietnam and is popular among tourists."
This photo and caption were submitted to the 2014 National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest.
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Photograph by Nicholas Roemmelt
After a heavy thunderstorm, a small pond grants a mirror reflection of a hiker at the Wave, the most famous landform in Vermilion Cliffs National Monument in Arizona and Utah. Says Nicholas Roemmelt, who submitted this picture to the National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest, it was "a calm and solemn place on a perfect day."
This photo and caption were submitted to the 2014 National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest.
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Photograph by Brian Yen
"In the last ten years, mobile data, smartphones, and social networks have forever changed our existence," writes Brian Yen, who submitted this picture of an Ocean Park Hong Kong tram to the National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest. "Although this woman stood at the center of a jam-packed train, the warm glow from her phone told the strangers around her that she wasn't really there. She managed to slip away for a short moment, a node flickering on the social web, roaming the Earth, free as a butterfly. Our existence is no longer stuck to the physical here we're free to run away, and run we will."
This photo was submitted to the 2014 National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest .
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Photograph by David Doubilet, National Geographic
A lion s mane jellyfish drifts in Bonne Bay in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The species can grow to eight feet across.
Years of overfishing, warming waters, and possible offshore drilling cause concern for the health of the gulf's ecosystem.
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Photograph by Jayanta Roy , National Geographic Your Shot
"I always like to travel in the Himalaya," says Your Shot contributor Jayanta Roy . "This photo is a previsualization; I had wanted to capture a rain of stars over Kanchenjunga for a long time, so I chose the location and timing, which is at almost midnight. It was bone-chilling, the wind was so strong and cold. The location is a tiny village called Lungtung in eastern India, population ten."
Roy took a few test shots and changed location a few times to add the tree and place Kanchenjunga exactly in the middle of the frame. The picture was recently published in the Your Shot Daily Dozen .
This photo was submitted to Your Shot . Check out the new and improved website, where you can share photos, take part in assignments, lend your voice to stories, and connect with fellow photographers from around the globe.
Photograph by William Albert Allard, National Geographic
The Seine is the liquid heart of Paris a conduit of commerce, a source of inspiration for artists, and a dreamlike backdrop for romance in settings provided by the dinner boat Le Calife.
Photograph by Hideyuki Katagiri
"There is a culture around the cherry blossoms in spring in Japan, especially strong now," says Hideyuki Katagiri, who submitted this picture of a plum grove on Mount Takao to the National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest. "But to me, the plum blossoms make me feel the coming of the season. This beautiful early morning light on the trees [seems to create] an explosion of spring."
This photo was submitted to the 2014 National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest .
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Photograph by David Doubilet and Jennifer Hayes, National Geographic
Born on the ice, a harp seal pup peers underwater near Quebec s Madeleine Islands. The islands are among the hosts of wildlife including fish, birds, and marine mammals in and around the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
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Photograph by Sarah Jackson , National Geographic Your Shot
"I was working on a one-year assignment in Diankana, Guinea, a village on a tributary of the Niger River," says Your Shot contributor Sarah Jackson . "I had not been in the country very long before I began hearing about the annual F te de la Mare (Festival of the Pond), which occurs in many villages throughout the eastern part of the country, where the Malinke culture predominates. This festival celebrates fishing and always takes place at the end of the hot season, when the water level of nearby ponds is at its lowest and the fish are easy to catch. Everyone waits at the water's edge for the signal to dash in with their fishing baskets and compete to catch the most and the biggest fish."
Jackson's picture, which was featured in the Daily Dozen , was taken while everyone waited for the signal to run into the pond. "It was a relaxed moment, with teenagers lounging on their fishing baskets and ladies chatting in the background, but there was an air of excitement for the festivities as well."
This photo was submitted to Your Shot . Check out the new and improved website, where you can share photos, take part in assignments, lend your voice to stories, and connect with fellow photographers from around the globe.
Photograph by Merve Ates , National Geographic Your Shot
"I was traveling between the European and Asian sides of Istanbul, Turkey, by ferry," says Your Shot contributor Merve Ates . "I was sitting on seats outside, accompanied on my journey by seagulls. The boy on the right was sitting next to me. I was listening to the screaming of the seagulls and smelling the sea air and taking several shots but also waiting for a particularly interesting moment, and suddenly I noticed the window reflection. It seemed like the man and the boy were sitting side by side. In reality, the old man was reading the Koran, while the young boy had a worried look on his face (maybe about his future who knows?). Two separate lives, together in the same frame."
This photo was submitted to Your Shot . Check out the new and improved website, where you can share photos, take part in assignments, lend your voice to stories, and connect with fellow photographers from around the globe.
Photograph by Antic Zlatko , National Geographic Your Shot
I always say that the best things happen unexpectedly and spontaneously, says Antic Zlatko , a member of our Your Shot community who captured this scene on the Tami River near his home in Pan evo, Serbia. It was taken on a cold winter day, but the ambience was magic the cold afternoon with the fog and the sun [shining] over it. I saw this through the window and had afterward gone on a walk with my kids. I made a few shots but I think this one shows the true ambience.
Zlatko s picture was featured in the Your Shot Daily Dozen .
This photo was submitted to Your Shot . Check out the new and improved website, where you can share photos, take part in assignments, lend your voice to stories, and connect with fellow photographers from around the globe.
Photograph by Seyit Konyali , National Geographic Your Shot
Inhabitants of H y k, Turkey, make their living from strawberry production, says community member Seyit Konyali , whose picture was recently featured in the Your Shot Daily Dozen .
This photo was submitted to Your Shot . Check out the new and improved website, where you can share photos, take part in assignments, lend your voice to stories, and connect with fellow photographers from around the globe.
Photograph by Marco Parenti , National Geographic Your Shot
It was a rainy day when I visited the Taj Mahal last year, says Your Shot contributor Marco Parenti . During my walk to the monument, I noticed this long arcade with a cart at the end. The perspective offered by the sequence of the pillars precisely zooming right onto the cart s wheel was amazing. The ochre tone was highlighted by the grayish light of the day. [It was] just perfect everything seemed to be there just waiting for my shot!
This photo was submitted to Your Shot . Check out the new and improved website, where you can share photos, take part in assignments, lend your voice to stories, and connect with fellow photographers from around the globe.
Photograph by Robyn Gael Ellsworth , National Geographic Your Shot
"I had been at a park with my grandchildren, and while they played I noticed this unusual flower in a spring patch," says Robyn Gael Ellsworth , a member of our Your Shot community who was photographing in Laguna Hills, California. "The colors were bright and contrasting. I shot it from a few different angles, but its shape was best defined by taking it from above to show off its arrow-like details."
This photo was submitted to Your Shot . Check out the new and improved website, where you can share photos, take part in assignments, lend your voice to stories, and connect with fellow photographers from around the globe.
Photograph by Md Rafayat Haque Khan , National Geographic Your Shot
"Early on a winter morning during Ramadan, I went to the bank of the Buriganga River near the Sadarghat Boat and Launch Terminal in Dhaka, Bangladesh," writes Your Shot member Md Rafayat Haque Khan . "I saw a few boys swimming and playing in the river. This scene brought me back to the simpler days of being a child and caught in small moments that seemed so magical such a serene, peaceful [moment], the kid representing the golden moment of life."
Khan's picture was featured in the Your Shot Daily Dozen .
This photo was submitted to Your Shot . Check out the new and improved website, where you can share photos, take part in assignments, lend your voice to stories, and connect with fellow photographers from around the globe.
Photograph by Henrik Nilsson , National Geographic Your Shot
A great gray owl sweeps its wing in Yellowstone National Park in this picture from Your Shot member Henrik Nilsson . "The owl was being harassed by a raven," Nilsson says. "If you look closely, you can see part of the nictitating membrane in the owl's left eye."
Nilsson, who visits Yellowstone at least once a year, had been driving one morning toward the Lamar Valley to look for wolves when he came across the owl in a small meadow. "It was sitting on top of one of the conifers presumably looking for breakfast. At one point, it relocated to an old, dead tree, and moments later, a raven joined it and commenced with quite the show. I suspect it had a nest nearby and was attempting to distract the owl away."
Nilsson's picture was recently featured in the Your Shot Daily Dozen .
This photo was submitted to Your Shot . Check out the new and improved website, where you can share photos, take part in assignments, lend your voice to stories, and connect with fellow photographers from around the globe.
Photograph by Volodymyr Zinchenko , National Geographic Your Shot
"This photo was taken in the Carpathian Mountains near Kolochava village in Ukraine's Zakarpatska region," writes Your Shot member Volodymyr Zinchenko . "It was the middle of October, when after weeks of dry weather, it started raining. There was almost constant rain from the village to the point where this picture was taken my camera was the only dry thing." Zinchenko says the warm mountains caused the moisture to evaporate. "That and the autumn colors made the picture."
This photo was submitted to Your Shot . Check out the new and improved website, where you can share photos, take part in assignments, lend your voice to stories, and connect with fellow photographers from around the globe.
Photograph by Martin Gallie , National Geographic Your Shot
"I attended my friend's prom ball to take some pictures and celebrate his successful studies, and these wonderful dancers were performing," says Martin Gallie , a member of National Geographic Your Shot who captured this picture at the Lucerna Music Bar in Prague. "I loved the passion of the dance along with the gracefulness of the movement. I didn't use flash, and it was a fast dance, so I had to wait until [the pause] at this moment."
This photo was submitted to Your Shot . Check out the new and improved website, where you can share photos, take part in assignments, lend your voice to stories, and connect with fellow photographers from around the globe.
Photograph by Martin Koitmae , National Geographic Your Shot
It was the most amazing night of my life so far, says Your Shot member Martin Koitmae of capturing this noctilucent cloud over Estonia's Kuresoo bog, calling the silence of the moment the loudest sound I ve ever heard.
Koitmae had never been to a bog before visiting this one in the country's Soomaa National Park. "It was an absolutely magical experience to see noctilucent clouds glowing and reflected by perfectly still bog pools and accompanied by complete silence."
Koitmae s picture was recently included in a National Geographic Daily News gallery featuring these night shining clouds, which grace high-latitude sunsets around the globe.
This photo was submitted to Your Shot . Check out the new and improved website, where you can share photos, take part in assignments, lend your voice to stories, and connect with fellow photographers from around the globe.
Photograph by Joe Motohashi , National Geographic Your Shot
"It was a warm day in spite of being early March, and I went out to photograph birds in Tokyo's Zenpukuji Park," says Your Shot member Joe Motohashi , whose photo was featured in the Daily Dozen . "There was one early blooming cherry tree there. And I found a couple of Japanese white-eyes going to it. It seemed to symbolize the coming of spring."
It was the birds' first banquet of the season, so they were so busy eating nectar that Motohashi was able to approach them. "I tried to catch the quick movement of the bird while being careful about light," he says.
This photo was submitted to Your Shot . Check out the new and improved website, where you can share photos, take part in assignments, lend your voice to stories, and connect with fellow photographers from around the globe.
Photograph by Michael Melford, National Geographic
The fantastically wet climate of southwestern New Zealand average rainfall of more than 20 feet a year allows tree limbs like these in Fiordland National Park to grow shaggy with moss, lichen, liverwort, and other clinging greenery.
Photograph by Nadia Aly , National Geographic Your Shot
"I was in Bimini in the Bahamas shooting hammerhead sharks, and after a few weeks I decided to take a break and see if we could get a good dolphin encounter," says Nadia Aly , a member of our Your Shot community. "We headed out in the afternoon and spotted the dolphins pretty much right away."
Aly had been in the water for nearly two hours when she captured this shot. "The dolphins were mostly feeding on the bottom, and every so often they would come up for a breath, check me out, and go back down. This moment was magical. Suddenly all the dolphins below came up to the surface, and it was so beautiful. The waves, the dolphins, the sun everything is moving. Keeping your eye on the prize, looking for that perfect moment, is what it s all about."
This photo was submitted to Your Shot . Check out the new and improved website, where you can share photos, take part in assignments, lend your voice to stories, and connect with fellow photographers from around the globe.
Photograph by Ankit Narang , National Geographic Your Shot
Your Shot member Ankit Narang photographed this couple a few days before their wedding. "It was taken at a farmhouse away from the city," Narang writes. "I went before the actual day of the shoot to explore camera angles and interesting light, and I came across this aerial angle and imagined the couple in the morning light along with the shadows of the trees."
The shadows would provide a natural vignette effect, but Narang thought something should be added to the frame to make it more interesting. "On the day of the shoot, the couple brought rose petals on their own, and my problem was solved."
This photo was recently featured in the final story of our Love Snap assignment.
This photo was submitted to Your Shot . Check out the new and improved website, where you can share photos, take part in assignments, lend your voice to stories, and connect with fellow photographers from around the globe.
