| 2015-3-hellenic-cadets-parthenon-majoli | | Picture of Hellenic cadets touring the Parthenon | | Cadets from the Hellenic Military Academy tour the Parthenon in Athens, Greece. Degraded by pollution, the ancient temple to the goddess Athena atop the Acropolis is being restored.
See more photos from the March 2015 feature story “Two Cities, Two Europes."
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| 2015-3-grand-canyon-dawn-light | | Picture of light striking the South Rim of the Grand Canyon before dawn | | Predawn sunlight strikes the South Rim of Arizona’s Grand Canyon in this picture submitted to the recent Your Shot assignment First Light. “A cold winter storm had passed through the region the day prior,” writes photographer David Stoker. “I had driven to the Grand Canyon in anticipation of the storm. I remember the morning being particularly cold as I hiked along the rim awaiting the arrival of the sun. The skies were still overcast, but a small break in the clouds allowed a single ray of sunlight to shine through, illuminating a small portion of the butte below.”
Stoker's picture recently appeared in the Your Shot assignment First Light.
This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our storytelling community where members can take part in photo assignments, get expert feedback, be published, and more. Join now »
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| 2015-3-polar-bear-prey-kaktovik | | Picture of a polar bear and cub with prey in Kaktovik, Alaska | | “The polar bears were usually playing, sleeping, and sometimes nursing,” writes Your Shot member Yoh Fong Chan of observing the bears in Kaktovik, Alaska. “They were hanging out near the shore during this time of the year, waiting for the sea to freeze before they could go out hunting for seals. On this very rare occasion, this bear came proudly from the horizon with its catch of the day.” Chan, who had long dreamed of photographing polar bears in the wild, says patience and endurance were important. “It was bitterly cold out there. As with most wildlife photography, hours were spent observing and waiting to capture that one special moment.”
Chan's image was recently featured in Your Shot's Daily Dozen.
This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our storytelling community where members can take part in photo assignments, get expert feedback, be published, and more. Join now »
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| 2015-3-mangrove-roots-reserve-ecuador | | Picture of mangrove trees in Cayapas Mataje Mangrove Reserve in northwestern Ecuador | | The mangroves of the Cayapas Mataje Mangrove Reserve in northwestern Ecuador are the tallest in the world. The area is home to many Afro-Ecuadorian communities who rely on gathering black cockles that can be found in the mud of the mangroves and sold as a culinary delicacy. Picking shells is a tremendously arduous task, as concheros have to crouch down for hours in knee-deep mud.
See more images from Felipe Jacome’s photo essay, “Lord of the Mangroves,” on Proof.
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| 2015-3-unterthiner-chamois-gran-paradiso | | Picture of a high-foraging chamois in Gran Paradiso, Italy | | Springtime is when high-foraging chamois give birth; there are now about 8,000 in Italy’s Gran Paradiso National Park.
See more photos from the February 2015 feature story “Paradise Found.”
Get the story of how Stefano Unterthiner fell in love with photography as a teenager in Gran Paradiso National Park.
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| 2015-3-greenland-ice-phenomena-fredericks | | Picture of a constellation of orbs, rings, and halos hanging above the Greenland ice sheet | | A constellation of orbs, rings, and halos hangs above the Greenland ice sheet in this picture by Murray Fredericks, who spent months photographing the island’s remote beauty. The optical phenomena seen here occur when ice crystals—suspended by powerful winds called piteraqs—refract sunlight.
ICESHEET #4727, 22° AND 46° HALO, TANGENT ARC, PARRY ARC, CIRCUMZENITHAL ARC, AND PARHELIC CIRCLE
See more photos from the March 2015 feature story “End of the Earth.”
Read more about what it’s like to “photograph nothing” on Proof.
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| 2015-3-plitvice-lakes-autumn-croatia | | Picture of waterfalls and fall foliage at Plitvice Lakes National Park in Croatia | | Dispersing fog and a moment of sunshine bring the falls and foliage of Croatia’s Plitvice Lakes National Park into view on an early autumn morning. The country’s oldest and largest national park, Plitvice boasts more than plunging waterfalls: Its 16 terraced lakes, formed by natural travertine dams, change color throughout the day, and its abundant wildlife includes 261 species of birds.
Vedrana Tafra’s image was recently featured in Your Shot’s Daily Dozen.
This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our storytelling community where members can take part in photo assignments, get expert feedback, be published, and more.
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| 2015-2-pronking-springbok-karoo-africa | | Picture of a pronking springbok in Mountain Zebra National Park, South Africa | | “I was on vacation in an area of South Africa where springbok are quite common, and I had a goal of capturing this behavior, called pronking,” writes Charles Jorgensen, a member of our Your Shot community. “On a self-drive safari in Mountain Zebra National Park, we found a plateau that attracted many herds of springbok, among other animals. After a few failed attempts at getting the shot, I came across a small herd. They started running, and one of them started to pronk, jumping to amazing heights. I fired away and managed to capture this animal in its acrobatic display.”
Jorgensen’s image recently appeared in Your Shot’s Daily Dozen.
This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our storytelling community where members can take part in photo assignments, get expert feedback, be published, and more.
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| 2015-2-macaskill-mountain-biking-scotland | | Picture of Danny MacAskill riding along the Cuillin Ridge on the Isle of Skye, Scotland | | “We were near the summit of Sgurr Dearg, [also called] the Inaccessible Pinnacle, a famous feature of the Cuillin Ridge on Scotland’s Isle of Skye, shooting a behind-the-scenes documentary about the making of 'The Ridge,’” writes Chris Prescott of the Cut Media short film featuring trials cyclist Danny MacAskill.
“MacAskill grew up on Skye and wanted to make a film that showed off the beauty of the island. A traverse of the full Cuillin Ridge is considered one of the classic mountaineering challenges in the U.K. The film was shot over two weeks and meant transporting a lot of filming equipment onto the ridge every day. Fortunately we were very lucky with the weather!
“The shoot on the Inaccessible Pinnacle was one of the key moments of the film and meant a 3 a.m. start in order to get the best light and catch the cloud inversion. This was taken at around 6 a.m. in the middle of summer, and the sun was still low in the sky. I used the shadow of the pinnacle to block the sun and create the halo effect around Danny. It was taken handheld using a 17mm lens and a graduated neutral density filter.”
Prescott’s image recently appeared in the Your Shot assignment Behind the Adventure.
This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our storytelling community where members can take part in photo assignments, get expert feedback, be published, and more.
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| 2015-2-beaver-winter-frozen-montana | | Picture of a solitary beaver in the snow in Lake Elmo, Montana | | A solitary beaver pauses at dawn on its way home from a night of chewing off tree branches, newly within reach under the weight of freshly fallen snow. Your Shot member John Warner explains that the beaver, a mate, and two kits appeared late in the fall on Montana’s Lake Elmo and hastily built a lodge before the winter freeze.
Warner’s picture recently appeared in the Your Shot assignment First Light.
This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our storytelling community where members can take part in photo assignments, get expert feedback, be published, and more.
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| 2015-2-berlin-architecture-reichstag-ludwig | | Picture of people walking in and around Germany’s 1894 parliament building, the Reichstag | | Berlin, the imposing power city at the heart of Europe’s 20th-century tragedy, is learning to live with its troubled inheritance. Here, a central glass dome symbolizes transparency in the 1894 parliament building, the Reichstag, damaged in World War II and restored by British architect Norman Foster in the 1990s.
See more pictures from the March 2015 feature story "Two Cities, Two Europes."
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| 2015-2-myanmar-people-morning-cattle | | Picture of locals in Myanmar walking down a path alongside cattle in the early morning | | While walking the mountain villages between Kalaw and Inle Lake in Myanmar (Burma), Your Shot member Alexandros Tsoutis woke early one morning to find this scene. “The foggy, exotic landscape gave me the opportunity to experience the beautiful sunrise hues while locals were making their way to the farms,” he writes.
Tsoutis's picture was recently featured in the Your Shot assignment First Light.
This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our storytelling community where members can take part in photo assignments, get expert feedback, be published, and more.
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| 2015-2-ermine-gran-paradiso-unterthiner | | Picture of a white-coated ermine in the snow in Gran Paradiso National Park, Italy | | Among the wildlife inhabiting Italy’s Gran Paradiso National Park are ibex, chamois, red foxes, and ermines such as the one shown here wearing its white winter coat (its spring and summer coat is reddish brown).
See more photos from the February 2015 feature story “Paradise Found.”
Learn about how Stefano Unterthiner's love of photography developed in Gran Paradiso National Park on Proof.
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| 2015-2-tyrolean-alps-hike-adventure | | Picture of a hiker resting beneath the stars in the Tyrolean Alps | | Moonlight floods snow-covered peaks in this high-altitude selfie captured in the Tyrolean Alps. “I put my camera on a 25-second exposure and myself on a 25-second ‘do not move,’” writes Muehlbacher, a member of our Your Shot community. Muehlbacher’s headlamp provided additional lighting.
Muehlbacher’s picture recently appeared in the Your Shot assignment Behind the Adventure.
This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our storytelling community where members can take part in photo assignments, get expert feedback, be published, and more.
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| 2015-2-fireflies-night-tennessee-liittschwager | | Picture of fireflies lighting up a summer night in Tennessee | | Fireflies flash and streak through a Tennessee summer night, putting on a spectacular light show to seduce prospective mates. The summertime ritual is one of the most familiar examples of bioluminescence on land.
See more photos from the March 2015 feature story “Luminous Life.”
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| 2015-2-monument-valley-storm-arizona | | Picture of a thunderstorm at the Mitten Buttes in Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, Arizona | | While touring Arizona’s Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, Your Shot member Emma Rogers and her partner were undeterred from a day of sightseeing by the stormy weather sweeping the landscape. Here, a mass of thunderclouds hovers above the Mitten Buttes, a scene made more dramatic by a bolt of lightning. “While it was a lucky shot,” writes Rogers, “I feel like it perfectly captured the atmosphere of the day.”
Rogers’s image recently appeared in Your Shot’s Daily Dozen.
This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our storytelling community where members can take part in photo assignments, get expert feedback, be published, and more.
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| 2015-2-manatee-crystal-river-underwater | | Picture of two manatees feeding in the freshwater springs of Crystal River, Florida | | “The winter season is when some manatees find sanctuary from the chilly Gulf of Mexico by migrating to the freshwater springs of Kings Bay in Crystal River, Florida,” writes Ryan Nelson, a member of our Your Shot community. “[A] colder than normal morning created a good opportunity to observe these peaceful giants seeking refuge. The ambient light was perfect for catching the rays of sunlight ... [and] the fallen palm stump, natural lighting, and two animals feeding set the perfect stage.”
Nelson’s picture recently appeared in the Your Shot assignment First Light.
This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our storytelling community where members can take part in photo assignments, get expert feedback, be published, and more.
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| 2015-2-namibia-pomona-kolmanskop-sands | | Picture of an abandoned house filled with sand in the mining town of Pomona, Namibia | | In the abandoned diamond-mining town of Pomona on the Namibian coast, sand devours buildings like this one, a house on a hill outside the main village. “I was amazed by what I saw inside, the purity of the sand that was untouched for years, maybe decades,” writes Your Shot member Romain Veillon, who was shooting Pomona and nearby Kolmanskop for a photography project. “This picture always makes me wonder about the story of the people who used to live there—and what they were thinking when they were looking at this incredible view.”
This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our storytelling community where members can take part in photo assignments, get expert feedback, be published, and more.
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