Thiksey Monastery and the Indus Ranges Let me give you a perspective on the size of the mountain ranges you see. The structure in the frame is Thikse monastery which is 12-stories in height, located on top of a hill. The monastery is at an altitude of 3,600 metres (11,800 ft) in the Indus valley.Rest to your imagination :)
Tree Swing. PHOTOGRAPH BY FRANCESCO MINGORANCE Photographer Francesco Mingorance had many amazing photographs of Barbary macaques in the November National Geographic feature story, “The Monkeys of Morocco.” But this is my favorite. I interpret this moment for the macaque, mid-swing from the branch of a maple tree, snow delicately falling, as bliss.
Patagonian Cowboys Sebastian Garcia (left), Jorge Vidal (left center), Dario Muñoz (center right) and Abelino Torres (right) gather after most of their dogs run far away following animals, so they have to go back now and try to meet them below, in Sutherland. The sea belongs to Fiord Ultima Esperanza, and the glacier is Balmaceda, seen from Peninsula Antonio Varas, Chilean Patagonia. January 12, 2014.
River Lady. PHOTOGRAPH BY VINCENT J. MUSI What I like most about Vincent J. Musi’s photographs of South Carolina’s ACE Basin in the November issue of National Geographic are that they show the sublime beauty of the Lowcountry landscape in an intimate way. In this classic shot of a cypress-draped in spanish moss, I feel I am sitting there in quiet stillness, maybe in a kayak or a john boat, breathing in the perfume of the marsh grasses. As a side note, this story was on the calendar for eight years before being published, a possible National Geographic record. Why in the world would this be when Musi actually lives in the South Carolina Lowcountry? He shared the story with Proof a little while back. It is pretty funny.
Bengali Bride Sofie and Amit were married in a traditional Bengali wedding ceremony in Mamallapuram in eastern India. In the Gaye Holud ritual, the bride and groom are presented with fish dressed up as them. Sofie took it upon herself to have some fun with her fish!
Magic Eye PHOTOGRAPH BY SIMON KWAN, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC YOUR SHOT Hong Kong’s breathtaking skyline takes on a dizzying effect in the darkness. “It is a forest made by the buildings,” writes Your Shot member Simon Kwan, who made the one-and-a-half-hour journey to the top of Beacon Hill to capture the cityscape. 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.
Family Time at Gombe. July 24 Photograph by Anup Shah and Fiona Rogers, National Geographic Jane Goodall, who turned 80 this year, reflects on her relationships with the chimpanzees who changed her life in the August issue of National Geographic. Here, Sparrow (second from the right, looking up) enjoys a grooming session with two generations of her offspring. At age 56, Sparrow is the oldest chimp in Gombe.
A Watery Underworld. July 3 Photograph by Halszka Tutaj-Gasinska A wooden boat floats down a canal in Venice. The Italian city is one of the most visited destinations in the world—its old section receives up to 80,000 tourists a day.
Branching Out. July 14 Photograph by Franck Boutonnet A lone tree on the edge of the city seems to stand as a testament to Dubai’s changing landscape. The burgeoning cosmopolitan metropolis is home to some 2.1 million people.
Shades of Green. July 26 Photograph by Luke Aveil, National Geographic Your Shot Fitzroy Gardens in Melbourne, Australia, takes on an ethereal quality in the light of a streetlamp, emanating deep hues of jade and emerald. “It reminds me of somewhere magical out of a fairy-tale story, a small piece of tranquility in the middle of a bustling city,” writes Luke Aveil, a contributor to Your Shot. Named after Sir Charles Augustus Fitzroy, the gardens receive over two million visitors each year.
Surf and Turf. July 25 Photograph by Joe Hsu A surfer rides a wave as it crashes onto the shore at Palm Beach in New South Wales, Australia, giving the ocean an otherworldly appearance. Palm Beach, a northern suburb of Sydney, is home to two Surf Life Saving clubs—one dating back to 1921.
Celebration. July 30 Photograph by Khalid Rayhan Shawon Local children wave flags to celebrate Victory Day in Dhaka, Bangladesh, as a plane passes overhead. Victory Day, which occurs each year on December 16, honors the victory of the Allied High Command over Pakistani forces in the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War.
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ An Enduring Tribute The gleaming white marble of the Taj Mahal's main mausoleum is framed by a red sandstone archway of the complex’s mosque and assembly hall. Arches feature prominently in Islamic architecture. The Taj Mahal was built in the 1600s in Agra, India, as a tribute by emperor Shah Jahan to his favorite wife, who died in childbirth.
Underwater Park. May 31 Photograph by Marc Henauer, National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest Every spring, melting snow creates a dreamscape in Tragöss, Austria. Green Lake, which for most of the year is no more than six feet deep, expands with the inflow of snowmelt, swallowing part of the park that surrounds it: trees, hiking trails, benches, bridges, and all. The lake’s depth reaches some 30 feet and provides a unique experience for divers—for a few weeks at least.
Tree Pose. May 14 Photograph by Mohn Khorshid, National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest Mohn Khorshid captured this shot of a short-eared owl in a Kuwait natural reserve, “in stretching and relaxing mode.”
Gridlock In Thailand, the tents of a large night market align in a sprawling grid bright with light and color. Photographer Prasad Ambati writes that it’s a lively venue, where shoppers can purchase antiques, have dinner, and enjoy live music.
Deep-Sea Dentist Here’s an alternative to those pesky, sometimes painful dentist visits: a quick dip underwater with Lysmata amboinensis, more commonly known as cleaner shrimp. Fish will stop by “cleaning stations”—such as this one in Nha Trang, Vietnam—where the shrimp congregate to have the cleaners remove parasites. So, too, will divers with something stuck in their teeth.
