| 2015-12-casa-penedo-portugal | | Picture of a large stone house in Portugal | | While on a trip to Portugal, Your Shot member Daria Chuvaeva “heard from a local barman [about] an unusual stone house located in the Fafe Mountains,” she says. Chuvaeva decided to journey to the offbeat dwelling, known as the Casa do Penedo, and this image is the result of her effort. “Even if I got lost a few times, I can say that it was definitely worth it,” she writes. “There was something mysterious in that boulder house, [and] I [took] photos of it for a few hours.”
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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| 2015-12-kyoto-umbrella-scene | | Picture of umbrellas illuminated in a bamboo forest | | Photographing autumn foliage in Kyoto, Japan, Your Shot community member Aurora Simionescu came upon these illuminated paper umbrellas in a stand of bamboo trees at Kodaiji Temple. But capturing this image of the display wasn’t easy. “Illuminated traditional paper umbrellas were scattered throughout the temple grounds as a part of [the autumn illumination] festival,” she explains, “but I especially liked how they broke the monotony of the bamboo forest by adding a splash of color. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a tripod with me, so I had to try to keep my hands very still while lying on the ground in a pretty awkward position to get this angle. But it wouldn’t be the first or last time my clothes got dirty for the sake of photography.”
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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| 2015-12-puerco-river-bed | | Picture of a dry riverbed | | “While flying in a small plane near the Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona,” writes Your Shot member Aya Okawa, “we passed over the Puerco River, and I was fascinated by the colorful patterns and shapes created in the dry [riverbed]. It was October, so what little brush was around had lovely yellow leaves, and the sunrise illuminated the colors and cast stark shadows.”
Okawa’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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| 2015-12-morocco-blue-doorway | | Picture of a girl walking on a Moroccan street | | “The winding streets of Chefchaouen, Morocco, are coated in wonderful blue tones,” writes Your Shot community member Matt Dutile. “I found the studded door in the background a really great example of the architectural character of the city but wanted to capture someone passing by to give the photo a sense of place. So I crouched down in another doorway down the alley and snapped images as people were passing by. I waited until I had just the right moment I wanted—the colorful pink of the young girl's dress [popped] out well as she hit stride in just the right spot. Patience pays off.”
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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| 2015-12-czech-red-fox | | Picture of a red fox drinking water | | “I usually use this pond for taking pictures of birds,” writes Your Shot member Milan Zygmunt. “I didn’t expect the fox [would] come to drink.” Zygmunt takes his photos from a small hide in the bushes at this pond in the Zdarske Vrchy, a protected nature area in the Czech Republic.
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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| 2015-12-myanmar-monk-temple | | Picture of a monk walking along a corridor in Myanmar | | While visiting a temple in Myanmar, Joe Leung caught this moment of reflection. “While we were waiting to enter the temple, a monk walked slowly toward the temple,” the Your Shot member writes. “Suddenly, he looked back to us. I instantly felt that he seems to be looking back at his life.”
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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| 2015-12-nemrut-mountain-turkey-shepherds | | Picture of men herding sheep on dusty road in Turkey | | A group of herders tend to their flock of sheep on the dusty roads near Nemrut Mountain in Turkey. “I took this photo on a hot summer day,” writes Abudllah Metin, a National Geographic Your Shot member. “It was definitely a breathtaking atmosphere … I did not want to miss this moment.”
Metin’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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| 2015-12-greenland-ice-bridge | | Picture of an iceberg near Greenland | | A small Zodiac touring boat provides scale for this iceberg off the coast of Greenland. “[The boat] gives you an idea how large this berg really is,” writes Your Shot member Lorraine Minns.
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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| 2015-12-gljufrabui-waterfall-iceland | | Picture of a man standing on rocks in Iceland | | When Your Shot member Haukur Snorrason hiked into Iceland’s Gljúfrabúi Canyon, he was hoping to see the setting sun hit the canyon’s waterfall. Instead, he got a more unique shot. “I ... noticed some rays from the low sunlight that … colored the spray from the waterfall,” Snorrason writes. “This was a complete surprise to me, since I have never seen a photo like that from this place.”
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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| 2015-12-socotra-island-ngpc2015 | | Picture of trees and flowers on Socotra Island in Yemen | | Socotra Island, located off the southeast coast of Yemen, is known for its lush biodiversity—and strange plant life. Dracaena cinnabari—more commonly known as the dragon’s blood tree—is the island’s iconic species, with its upturned branches perfectly adapted to capturing moisture.
This photograph was submitted to the 2015 National Geographic Photo Contest.
Browse galleries of editors’ favorites >>
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| 2015-12-kazakh-wedding-western-mongolia | | Picture of Kazakh newlyweds in Mongolia
| | While on a photo expedition in western Mongolia, Your Shot member Dimitar Karanikolov had the opportunity to photograph a traditional Kazakh wedding celebration taking place in Altai Tavan Bogd National Park. “Great environmental portrait,” says National Geographic photography producer Jeanne Modderman. “I’ve learned so much about the people and the place just by looking at this photo.”
Karanikolov’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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| 2015-12-izmir-wasp-leaf | | Picture of an insect peeking over the side of a leaf | | While in his garden at his home in İzmir, Turkey, Your Shot member Can Tunçer caught this inquisitive insect peeking over the top of a leaf. “This [was] a one-time opportunity,” he writes.
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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| 2015-12-panachaiko-turbines-sunset | | Picture of wind turbines in Greece at sunset | | The sun sets over the Panachaiko mountain range, located near Patras, Greece, and its wind turbines in this image captured by Your Shot member Alexandros Maragos. Panachaiko is home to Greece’s largest wind farm, with more than 40 turbines, which were completed in 2006.
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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| 2015-12-loi-krathong-festival | | Picture of monks releasing lanterns in Thailand | | While exploring Chiang Mai, Thailand, in the days following the Loi Krathong festival, Your Shot member Joost Hardesmeets happened upon an enlightening moment. “I found a little temple with this beautiful pond next to it and discovered this amazing ceremony was about to take place,” Hardesmeets writes. “The small group ... was chanting beautifully and sort of finished the setting to a surreal spectacle I felt very special to be a part of."
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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| 2015-12-iceland-latrabjarg-puffins | | Picture of puffins resting on a rock in Iceland | | Your Shot member Manuel Schulz traveled to Iceland to capture some images of the country’s avian residents. After deciding to camp for an extra night in Látrabjarg, weather conditions changed on him. “The weather conditions looked great, but shortly before the light was getting nice, a thick wall of fog moved in from the sea and up the cliffs,” Schulz writes. “It was very impressive to see.” Schulz used a wide-angle lens and got close to the cliff’s edge to get this shot of these puffins as they waited for better hunting conditions.
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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| 2015-12-kalkar-reactor-park | | Picture of an amusement park ride inside a nuclear reactor in Germany | | This nuclear reactor at Kalkar, Germany, was finished just before the 1986 explosion at Chernobyl, Ukraine—and never used. It’s now an amusement park with a ride in what would have been the cooling tower. Fear of nuclear power spurred Germany’s transition.
See more pictures from the November 2015 feature story “Germany Could Be a Model for How We’ll Get Power in the Future.”
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| 2015-12-shiva-tree-temple | | Picture of the Shiva Tree Temple in Kauai, Hawaii | | After spending time meditating at the Kauai Hindu Monastery in Hawaii, Your Shot member Andrew Hara came across this tucked-away statue of Shiva, one of the trinity of Hindu deities. “I ... [found] a hidden space where the statue of Shiva was gloriously placed under a glowing understory,” Hara writes. “I waited for the sunlight to shift through the tree canopy to bring out the glowing luster on the statue and surrounding space."
Hara’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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| 2015-12-slovenia-paddleboarding | | Picture of people paddleboarding in Slovenia | | “[This] photo was taken alongside our Slovenian coast in early September,” writes Your Shot member Davorin Volavsek. “The sight of the sun setting behind the group seemed magical, and I just had to take the photo.”
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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