A Standout PHOTOGRAPH BY CHRISTIAN ZIEGLER, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC A brightly hued Labord’s chameleon clings to a branch, standing in stark contrast to the surrounding dry brush. It’s a popular myth that chameleons take on the color of what they touch. Though some color changes do help them blend into their surroundings, the skin’s changing hue is in fact a physiological reaction that’s mostly for communication. National Geographic photographer Christian Ziegler documented the colorful chameleons of Madagascar for the September issue of National Geographic magazine.
A Slight Trick of the Eye PHOTOGRAPH BY STAS BARTNIKAS, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC YOUR SHOT “Truly, nature is the best painter,” says Stas Bartnikas, a Your Shot community member. Bartnikas had flown over the Namib Desert during sunrise and sunset and noticed that the color of the dunes heavily depended on the angle of the sunlight and the point of view, with colors changing and unusual pictures and patterns emerging. As it turned out, he writes, the effect can also be observed from the ground. He took this photo while riding through Namib-Naukluft National Park one morning. “The dune behind the tree looked very unreal,” he writes, “like clouds or something else, because of [the] special angle of the sunlight.” He had only five minutes to photograph—after that, the effect disappeared.
“La Fornarina on Pavement” PHOTOGRAPH BY DMITRY BUTUZOV, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC YOUR SHOT A street artist re-creates Raphael’s “La Fornarina,” or “Portrait of a Young Woman,” in chalk on the sidewalks of Florence, a common canvas for serious and whimsical nods to the Italian masters. Margherita Luti, depicted in the portrait, was a baker’s daughter from Trastevere and mistress of the Renaissance painter. The original work is housed in Rome’s Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica.
Eyes on the Pride PHOTOGRAPH BY PAUL LYNCH, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC YOUR SHOT Your Shot member Paul Lynch captured this “family portrait” while on a long-awaited trip to Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve. During the last day of the trip, Lynch’s Maasai guide urged the group to take a last drive around before their morning flight to Nairobi. “We didn’t expect to see much on this final drive, as we were a bit rushed to get back in time for our flight,” he writes. “Oh, how we were pleasantly surprised, as we came upon the Olkiombo pride of lions shortly after sunrise!” Lynch got shots of the family playing together—not so different, he notes, from photographing his kids at home. “Then, for one fleeting moment, four of the larger lions looked directly at me, as if acknowledging my presence. I quickly took the shot and immediately knew I had something special.”
Red Arranging PHOTOGRAPH BY VICTOR DJAJA, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC YOUR SHOT In order to compose this image of a woman arranging fish to dry in the coastal village of Sawah Luhur, Indonesia, Your Shot member Victor Djaja took a physical approach to capturing the shock of red from above—raising the camera as high above his head as possible.
Sun Exposure PHOTOGRAPH BY NINA STAVLUND, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC YOUR SHOT Passengers on a tour of the Northwest Passage boarded Zodiacs near Beechey Island, Canada, after hearing of a possible polar bear sighting—the first of the trip. “Our drivers maneuvered us [into] perfect positions to take pictures of the bear without stressing the animal,” writes Your Shot member Nina Stavlund. “You could feel the excitement, but everyone was very quiet.” With flowing adrenaline and a pounding heart—”This was, after all, my first polar bear in the wild”—Stavlund was shaking so much that she had to take a few deep breaths. “I made sure my shutter was fast and that I had a good exposure [so as] not to wash out the beautiful white coat. [When] the bear turned its head toward the sun, I saw a catch light in the eye and pressed the shutter until my buffer was full.”
PHOTOGRAPH BY TUAN GUITARE, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC YOUR SHOT Terraced rice fields, like those above snapped in Vietnam, are wonderfully photogenic. No matter how many times I’ve seen similar versions, I am still drawn to the curving patchwork of earth and water. In this month’s roundup of Photo of the Day favorites, there are some universally photographed subjects that are beautiful in and of themselves—dolphins, a volcanic beach in Iceland—and others where the exact moment the photographer snapped the shutter turns something ordinary into a work of art.
có ảnh gốc không bác, set lên màn full hd nó hơi bị loang :(, bác cho xin ảnh gốc thì tốt quá, mình xin cám ơn
Step Sellers PHOTOGRAPH BY QUANG TRAN, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC YOUR SHOT In the mountain city of Dalat in southern Vietnam, women work on market steps—adapted to the sloped terrain—after a heavy shower. Your Shot member Quang Tran was walking through the city “observing people do different things to earn [a] living … and that way I caught this moment in front of an old market.”
Between Land and Sea PHOTOGRAPH BY ABRAR MOHSIN, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELER PHOTO CONTEST Though Dubai is known for its grandiose cityscapes, it also has a vast and awe-inspiring natural beauty, writes Abrar Mohsin, who captured this aerial view from a helicopter above the seaside UAE metropolis. “The serene turquoise water and the golden hues in the desert sand present an interesting contrast,” he writes.
Chhau Dancer PHOTOGRAPH BY ARGHYA CHATTERJEE, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC YOUR SHOT A costumed Chhau dancer performs in Purulia in West Bengal, India in this photograph by Your Shot member Arghya Chatterjee. Prevalent in eastern India, the traditional martial and dramatic art comes in several forms, one of which incorporates colorful, outsize masks such as the one seen here.
Poster Dolphins PHOTOGRAPH BY ERIKA HART, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC YOUR SHOT A pod of spinner dolphins swims off Makua Beach, Hawaii, in this picture captured by Your Shot member Erika Hart during a solo swim. Groups of the sociable spinners can number in the thousands.
Planet Iceland PHOTOGRAPH BY SOPHIE CARR, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELER PHOTO CONTEST “This [was] taken at the volcanic beach at Stokksnes in southeastern Iceland in February 2015,” writes photographer Sophie Carr. “I used a two-second exposure to capture the water trails as the waves receded over rocks at the edge of the beach, just as the sun was setting behind me, illuminating the mighty Vestrahorn mountain and some peaks in the far distance.”
Hill of Crosses PHOTOGRAPH BY HIDEKI MIZUTA, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC YOUR SHOT Thousands of religious tributes—said to have first appeared in a peaceful show of resistance to foreign oppression—are amassed on the Hill of Crosses in Siauliai, Lithuania. “Many people pray for God and [mourn] the death of people killed by war,” writes Your Shot member Hideki Mizuta. “When I visited here, a girl ran through … It was a strange sight.”
Warring Weather PHOTOGRAPH BY PAUL BROOKS, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC YOUR SHOT While trying to provide storm coverage for local affiliates, Iowa storm chaser Paul Brooks followed a cell from Albia to Mount Pleasant at sunset. He captured this scene just east of Mount Pleasant—lightning to the south and a well-defined rainbow to the east—by stacking seven separate shots on top of each other, forming a composite image of the weather events. “Truly a perfect alignment of the elements,” he writes.
White Hot PHOTOGRAPH BY ELLIOT ROSS, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC YOUR SHOT “On a sun-bleached afternoon cresting 100ºF at White Sands National Monument [in New Mexico], I was making my way to the only shade visible,” writes Your Shot member Elliot Ross. “As I approached, out of nowhere these travelers rounded a dune and beat me to it. My frustration melted when I saw how perfectly symmetrical their vehicles made my frame. I took a dozen steps back to highlight the immensity of this surreal landscape. After a few frames, I was on my way to find new shelter.”
