| 2014-4-flower-macro-california | | Picture of a flower, Laguna Hills, California | | "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.
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| 2014-4-summer-swimming-india | | Picture of a child swimming | | "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.
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| 2014-4-great-grey-yellowstone | | Picture of a great gray owl in Yellowstone National Park | | 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.
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| 2014-4-landscape-carpathian-mountains | | Picture of a landscape in the Carpathian Mountains | | "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.
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| 2014-4-dancers-tango-prague | | Picture of tango dancers, Lucerna Music Bar, Prague | | "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.
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| 2014-4-noctilucent-cloud-estonia | | Picture of noctilucent clouds | | “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.
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| 2014-4-japanese-white-eye-cherry-blossom | | Picture of a Japanese white-eye | | "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.
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| 2014-4-tree-branches-new-zealand-melford | | Picture of trees covered in greenery in Fiordland National Park, New Zealand | | 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.
See more pictures from the March 2014 feature story “Where Greenstone Grows.”
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| 2014-4-dolphins-bimini-bahamas | | Picture of dolphins in the Bahamas | | "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.
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| 2014-4-rose-petals-couple | | Picture of a couple lying on rose petals | | 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.
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| 2014-4-mendenhall-glacier-aerial | | Picture of Mendenhall Glacier, Alaska | | "Mountaineering and ice climbing are among my greatest thrills—they give me the feeling of working with nature to push myself beyond the limits," says Your Shot contributor Snehal "Neil" Gaikwad. "Being a mathematician, I am scientifically and philosophically attracted to this aerial photograph, captured during an adventure trip to the Mendenhall Glacier, near Juneau, Alaska. While the helicopter was cutting through fog and wind, I was patiently waiting for the best visibility and this aha! moment."
This photo 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.
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| 2014-3-laguna-colorada-bolivia | | Picture of Laguna Colorada in Bolivia | | "I was traveling in South America last year, and one of the last places I visited was Uyuni in Bolivia, which is famous for its salt flats," says Your Shot member Dharshana Jagoda. "There was a stop at Laguna Colorada on our tour, which made up for the disappointment of being at the salt flats months ahead of the rainy season (too early to see the reflections produced by rain on the flats). I first saw the lake from quite a distance and didn't see the flamingos, only the contrast of the red water against the crystallized minerals. This photo was taken on my way back from the base of the lake."
Jagoda's picture recently appeared 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.
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| 2014-3-girl-swing-sunset | | Picture of a girl on a swing at sunset | | "I captured this moment of my daughter's reckless abandon in a suburban playground in Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia," says Gina Waga, a member of National Geographic Your Shot whose picture was recently featured in the Daily Dozen. "I chose an evening during a specific time of year, when the sunset would be enhanced by the smoke from the local canefires, creating the stunning, merging colors."
Waga says a lower-angle composition captured her daughter's silhouette perfectly. "It was then up to timing: teaching her how to position herself, pushing her on the swing, then getting back to the perfect spot in the overgrown grass to capture a moment of simplicity and beauty in a child's life."
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.
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| 2014-3-diver-mozambique-peschak | | Picture of a diver in waters off Ile Europa, Africa | | Few divers ever explore the reefs around the Île Europa atoll, which lies in a stretch of the Mozambique Channel known for its massive eddies, productive nutrient upwellings, meandering currents—and spectacular surf.
See more pictures from the April 2014 feature story “A Tale of Two Atolls.”
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| 2014-3-pelicans-marina-del-ray | | Picture of pelicans at Marina del Rey, California | | "This photo was taken at the break wall at Marina del Rey in southern California," says Your Shot member Karine Gabrielian. "It's a hot spot for brown pelicans, seagulls, and other birds. The excretion patterns that cover the rocks of the break wall create the impression of artwork. The scenery changes every minute: You see birds landing, taking off, thinking, relaxing, and talking to each other."
Gabrielian, whose picture was a recent Daily Dozen selection, says one can spend hours watching the birds. "It's impossible to resist the temptation to take hundreds of photos, even if you're not a professional photographer. Since I'm not a professional, I didn't use any specific technique knowingly. I just put into it lots of emotions and feelings."
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.
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| 2014-3-pont-alexandre-paris | | Picture of the Pont d’Alexandre III in Paris | | While preparing for a tough business week in Paris, IT professional Oliver Kremer decided to take a walk through the city for a boost of energy. "On the Pont Alexandre III, I rested for a while watching the Eiffel Tower cast this fantastic light on the foggy sky. I couldn't stop watching it." It took more than an hour to capture the photo at the precise time that the tower's lights pointed toward the sculptures on the bridge.
For Kremer, it was a life-changing moment. "I've quit my well-paid job to start all over and create a photography business, hoping that I'm able to make a living for my family and me. One of the first things I did was to pull out this very special photograph from my archives and share it with the community—it was the ignition for the move I made."
Kremer's picture was one of 19 selected for the final story in the I Heart My City 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.
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| 2014-3-desert-palms-california | | Picture of desert palms in California | | "This group of palms was planted as part of a planned real estate project in Lucerne Valley, a small town in the California desert," says Your Shot member Bill Brewer. "The development failed and years later these dead palms remain. I've shot this group of palms a few times, but never at night. [The night I shot this] I was returning home after shooting along old Route 66 and had driven up on these old friends. The palms were lit by a combination of moonlight and a streetlight. The artificial lighting gives the palms a weird glamour."
Brewer's picture was recently selected for 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.
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| 2014-3-goldfish-xogram-turvey | | Picture of a goldfish in a bowl | | British artist and photographer Hugh Turvey uses x-ray technology to create what he calls Xograms, a fusion of visible light and x-ray imagery. Here, he captures a swimming goldfish.
Turvey's work was recently featured on our Proof blog »
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