| 2015-11-dhaka-train-ngpc2015 | | Picture of people riding on top of train in Bangladesh | | The lush greenery of Bangladesh blurs past riders atop a train near Dhaka. The men are heading home to their villages, says Your Shot photographer A. M. Ahad, who captured the moment and submitted it to the 2015 National Geographic Photo Contest. "I am struck by how still and calm the riders are against the action of the moving train," photo editor Jeanne Modderman says. "[Ahad] captured this moment with great technique."
This photograph was submitted to the 2015 National Geographic Photo Contest.
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| 2015-11-golden-gate-blur-ngpc2015 | | Picture of Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, from the top of the bridge | | For this new look at a San Francisco standard, Ross Barringer had to go high—very high. "I was very fortunate to be given the opportunity to take a 'tower tour' of the Golden Gate Bridge south tower," he writes. "Just as I was about to take the long elevator ride back down, I saw an approaching cargo ship and I quickly set up my tripod for what was my very last shot atop the iconic bridge."
This photograph was submitted to the 2015 National Geographic Photo Contest.
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| 2015-11-riflebird-mating-ngpc2015 | | Picture of a Victoria’s riflebird in a mating display, Queensland, Australia | | A young Victoria's riflebird practices a mating display he'll need when he's older and has undergone a color transformation: Adult males are velvety black with a bright blue-green crown. This juvenile was photographed in Daintree Rainforest in Queensland, one of the last strongholds of ancient Australian rain forests.
This photograph was submitted to the 2015 National Geographic Photo Contest. Submit your best photo for a chance to win.
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| 2015-11-eureka-dunes-ngpc2015 | | Picture of person walking on Eureka sand dunes in Death Valley National Park, California | | The Eureka Dunes in Death Valley National Park offer an eerie soundtrack to visitors who decide to make their way up the sandy slopes—a mysterious phenomenon known as singing sand results in heavy bass notes and drones that sound like they come from airplanes. The booming sounds only add to the desolate beauty of the dunes, the tallest in California.
This photograph was submitted to the 2015 National Geographic Photo Contest.
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| 2015-11-vila-velha-sunset | | Picture of the sunset above the bay in Vila Velha, Espirito Santo, Brazil | | The setting sun sinks behind the low mountains framing Vila Velha, a coastal city in the Brazilian state of Espírito Santo. Your Shot member Victor Lima captured this dusky view of the bay and its surrounds from the Morro do Moreno, or Moreno Hill.
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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| 2015-11-geothermal-pool-ngpc2015 | | Picture of a man diving into a geothermal pool in Iceland | | “My Swedish friend and I decided (pretty easily) that a dive into a ... geothermally heated pool sounded abundantly more pleasant than being cold (like we were) during our late summer Icelandic journey,” writes Kelby Singhaus. Hruni’s rolling grass hills and “flocks of poofy sheep” contributed to what Singhaus called an unbeatable moment. “So dive, we did,” he writes, “and warm we were! Until we got out, of course.”
This photograph was submitted to the 2015 National Geographic Photo Contest.
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| 2015-11-south-africa-leopard | | Picture of a Cape leopard cub in South Africa | | A camera trap set in South Africa’s Cederberg Wilderness records the steady gaze of a Cape leopard cub. Though not classified as a separate subspecies of leopard, these shy mountain cats are smaller than their savanna kin.
See more pictures from the December 2015 feature story “Learning to Live With Leopards.”
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| 2015-11-wales-autumn-tree | | Picture of an autumn tree seen from above in Wales | | “Autumnal flying at its best,” writes Your Shot member Steve Brockett, who photographed this golf course in Wales from a powered paraglider. Though autumn hadn’t yet come into full swing, Brockett still found his sunset flight over the Monmouthshire valley rewarding. “Isolated points of color draw you to them like sentinels,” he writes. Initially attracted to the near perfect circle of leaves beneath the tree at center, he found that the shadows and light lent the image additional form—and a dose of magic.
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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| 2015-11-varanasi-boat-ngpc2015 | | Picture of man rowing boat in Varanasi | | “I was lucky to visit Varanasi during the [bird] migration. Morning boat rides are the ultimate thing to do during this time,” opines photographer Razz Razalli, who was in India when he captured this flock sweeping over a rowboat at sunrise. “According to the locals, the birds arrive in November and leave at the end of February,” Razalli writes. The annual migration attracts tourists to Varanasi, and for a fee, boatmen take tourists onto the river for an up-close look at the flocks.
This photograph was submitted to the 2015 National Geographic Photo Contest.
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| 2015-11-jokulsarlon-iceberg | | Picture of icebergs in Iceland | | Your Shot community member Freia Lily submitted this photo of an iceberg reflected in the “still waters of Jökulsárlón,” a “glacier lagoon” in Iceland. Detached remnants from the vast Vatnajökull (Vatna Glacier) wash up on the shorelines here, gracing visitors with views of the shimmering blocks before they melt.
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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| 2015-11-special-forces-helo-training | | Picture of military helicopter training at night | | U.S. military special forces members conduct fast rope and hoisting training during exercises at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico. According to Your Shot member Jodi Martinez, the service members are part of a program that trains special operators to conduct joint operations.
Martinez’s shot was recently featured in the 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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| 2015-11-aperol-photomicronograph | | Picture of a microscopic detail of a drop of Aperol | | A polarized-light photomicrograph reveals a crystallized drop of Aperol, a brand of bitter liquor that lends its orange color to the popular Italian aperitif spritz. “I had never taken photomicrographs of drinks ... because there's somebody—Michael Davidson—who does this job at an unbeatable level,” writes Your Shot member Bernardo Cesare. After showcasing Davidson’s work alongside his own rock photomicrographs at a conference, Cesare received a suggestion: Try Aperol. “I did it, and the result is what you see here.”
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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| 2015-11-yosemite-fire-sun | | Picture of smoke coming from a wildfire in Yosemite | | From a meadow in California’s Yosemite National Park, Your Shot community member Khanh Le snapped this photo of the smoky skyline. As the smoke rises, sunlight blazes through it, turning the haze itself a dramatic, fiery hue.
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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| 2015-11-iceland-aerial-ngpc2015 | | Picture of southern Iceland from the air | | Photographing from a Cessna, Stas Bartnikas captures a seasonal view of southern Iceland. Bartnikas explains that as glaciers melt in the summertime, rivers start their currents among fractures in the lava fields. “The easiest way to see it is [by] flying above,” he writes.
This photograph was submitted to the 2015 National Geographic Photo Contest.
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| 2015-11-illiger-macaw-ngpc2015 | | Picture of an Illiger’s macaw parrot | | Preening brings out the coy side of a blue-winged macaw, also known as an Illiger's macaw. Found in the wild in parts of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay, the small parrot is classified as near threatened by the IUCN. Habitat loss and the pet trade have contributed to its shrinking numbers.
This photograph was submitted to the 2015 National Geographic Photo Contest.
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| 2015-11-lyngen-wintertime-ngpc2015 | | Picture of icy landscape in Norway | | This photo of Lyngen, Norway’s icy landscape was submitted by Isabelle Bacher. The dark Norwegian winter gives these ominous jagged rocks and swirling seawater an eerie glow, but Bacher enjoys the view. “Dark all day and all night,” she writes, “but a blue light in the sky makes this time magical.”
This photograph was submitted to the 2015 National Geographic Photo Contest. Submit your best photo for a chance to win.
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| 2015-11-afternoon-veils-ngpc2015 | | Picture of Indian women in veils walking down a staircase | | “[These ladies] were leaving work in the afternoon,” explains Dasha Horita, who submitted this photo of women in India, uniformly outfitted in bright-pink veils and flowered dresses, descending a staircase in the waning sunlight.
This photograph was submitted to the 2015 National Geographic Photo Contest. Submit your best photo for a chance to win.
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| 2015-11-etretat-france-cliff | | Picture of Manneporte rock formation, Etretat, France | | Out for an anniversary stroll with his girlfriend, Louis Schneider had to step "a bit over the edge" to capture this shot of the Manneporte, a rock formation in Étretat, France. The area has attracted photographers and artists for well over a century: "The cliffs at Étretat are among the most interesting on the French coast," reads a 1915 National Geographic magazine article, "The Beauties of France." "Étretat is a noted resort, especially affected by artists and literary men, who are attracted by its picturesque and curious situation."
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