Straight Shot Photograph by E. JOIDOS A beachgoer appears to fly as he dives into the Aegean Sea at Milopotamos Beach in Pelion, Greece. This popular seaside spot is notable, not only for its crystal blue waters, but also for the large rock formation that pushes into the sea, dividing the beach into two. An opening in the rock or a tree-lined path over it allows beachgoers to move from one side to the other.
The Coast Is Clear Photograph by MATTHEW GOODWIN A helicopter flight “from Aransas Pass south toward Port Isabel” afforded Your Shot member Matthew Goodwin a clear and higher-than-bird’s-eye view of the Texas coast along the Gulf of Mexico. Goodwin’s route traces the Central Flyway, a major migration track for birds flying between North and South America.
Water Rushes In Photograph by BILL YOUNG This fantastical sight, found on the central Oregon coast off of Cape Perpetua, is not an endless drop down to the depths of the Pacific Ocean. Rather, Thor’s Well is a hole in the underlying rock thought to be about 20 feet deep. “Worth the visit, but time it right,” warns Your Shot photographer Bill Young. “The tides can be a little scary.”
Suddenly Soaked Photograph by Julie Mayfeng Life goes on despite the steady monsoon rain in Kolkata, India. “[The] weather is extremely hard to predict,” says Julie Mayfeng of the Indian rainy season, which typically lasts from July to September. “At the time [this photo was taken], I was eating lunch at a street café. Suddenly it started to shower. I borrowed an umbrella from a stranger and ran out into the street. Although I was wet through and through, I was able to capture this fantastic scene.”
Spring evening Photograph by Sho Shibata Tsugaru railway in Aomori Japan. This unmanned station will tunnel blooming cherry blossoms in spring. It is a beautiful spring scene of Japan.
Antarctic Drama Photograph by JUSTIN HOFMAN “This is the most unexpected split photo I’ve seen,” writes Enric Sala, a National Geographic explorer-in-residence and the editor of the Pristine Seas assignment, of this image by Your Shot photographer Justin Hofman. “The lonely krill seems to be checking for the presence of the penguin predator. At the same time, we can see the ice and landscape on the surface. It's mostly monochromatic, but the reddish krill attracts one's eye.”
Beauty Close to Home Photograph by OMER SHEMESH Omer Shemesh didn’t have to travel far to snap this colorful and exotic-looking image; he found this Thomisus onustus, commonly known as a flower crab spider, clinging to a bloom in a field next to his house in Israel. “It's hard to shoot insects in macro,” he admits, “since they are usually not very patient when you get close, and run away.”
Go With the Floe Photograph by CHRISTIAN ASLUND Go With the FloeWalruses on an ice floe off of Kvitøya (White Island) in Norway’s Svalbard archipelago return the gaze of Your Shot member Christian Aslund’s camera lens. These animals are most often found near the Arctic Circle, an environment to which they’re perfectly suited, thanks to their blubbery bodies, ice-piercing tusks, and ability to slow their heartbeat to withstand the freezing water temperatures.
Light the Way Photograph by GRANT COLLINS The Falcon 9 lifts off from Cape Canaveral in Florida, drawing a brilliant arc of light across a clear, dark sky. Your Shot photographer Grant Collins snapped this photo on “a cold March morning.” SpaceX, designer and manufacturer of the Falcon 9, was the first commercial company ever to visit the International Space Station.
The color of the cultivation in spring Photograph by Hiroki Inoue The color of the cultivation in spring with Cherry Blossoms and White Birches
Fire on the Mountain Photograph by Vladimir Voychuk "This is how the planet’s fiery breath looks," writes Your Shot photographer Vladimir Voychuk, "when the volcano wakes." The "blazing glow" of Klyuchevskaya Sopka, considered the tallest active volcano in Eurasia, is visible from more than 60 miles away, according to Voychuk. Klyuchevskaya Sopka is located on Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, approximately 60 miles west of the Bering Sea, and towers nearly 16,000 feet at its peak.
Natural Majesty Photograph by Karol Nienartowicz Your Shot photographer Karol Nienartowicz captures many splendid colors in this landscape shot of Sarek National Park in Sweden. "The light blue tones of the water drew me to this image when I saw it during my edit," says Your Shot photo editor Matt Adams. "I love how this wide-angle image lets me take in the entire landscape and I can focus on the details that make this image interesting."
Clear View Photograph by PETER STEWART Your Shot photographer Peter Stewart offers a dizzying view of an apartment block in Macau, China. Though quarters may feel close—and perhaps a little chaotic—down below, a look up reveals a bright, clear sky framed within the tidy symmetry of the buildings’ rooflines.
Reflections Photograph by ANDY TO As I've been trekking through different life experiences I'm actually starting to enjoy the uncertainties and spontaneity. Here's a photo of my new friend named Annmon. He's a Buddhist monk who lives in the Angkor Temple region. I can't put to words how amazing his insight on life was. By the end of our conversation I noticed my face starting to hurt because of how much I was smiling.
As It Stands Photograph by WARREN KEELAN Earth’s oceans are in perpetual motion, but not so for this wave, photographed by Warren Keelan. Its striated surface is revealed in this image taken, he explains, in “the moment [it] arcs over a shallow reef and takes on a different and unique form before reconnecting, exploding, and finishing its journey.”
THE DEW OF HEALTH Photograph by MICHELLE SHERWOOD In this close-up submitted by Your Shot photographer Michelle Sherwood, a supple tropical leaf scattered with dewdrops almost resembles skin. And much like our veins, which move blood throughout our bodies, the veins marking the leaf’s surface move nourishment throughout the leaf.
Sunrise Swing Photograph by PRASAD AMBATI Young girls from the Akha hill tribe in Thailand are up with the sun, taking turns on a handcrafted swing. Photographer Prasad Ambati says of his photo, which was published in the June/July 2016 issue of National Geographic Traveler, “I like how the moment was [frozen with] the girl above the mountains, the sun behind her, and the tree on the right adding balance. It was awesome that they were enjoying the time so early in the morning. Not many in this generation are close to nature like this.”
Autumn Falls Photograph by PANOS LASKARAKIS As if from a dream, the sun rises through the mist of a waterfall in Croatia’s Plitvice Lakes National Park. Your Shot photographer Panos Laskarakis describes the autumn scene as the “most (artful) waterfall I have ever seen.” The park in central Croatia, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is marked by lakes connected with these cascading waterfalls.
Fun Takes Shape Photograph by TANIA RUDA A humble paper boat is set adrift in this image submitted by Your Shot community member Tania Ruda. “I took this photo on a small lake close to our house in Kiev, [Ukraine],” she writes. “My husband [and I] were teaching our kids how to make paper sailboats the way we [made] them in our childhood … The kids were so happy!”
Eyes to the City Photograph by Aditya Sahu Providing the borough of Brooklyn a link to neighboring Manhattan, the Brooklyn Bridge has been a New York icon since its opening in 1883. Here, photographer Aditya Sahu attempts to “represent the strength of Brooklyn, which keeps its eyes on the stars,” by capturing the tangle of wires and the “eyes of Brooklyn,” the two symmetrical circles of wire above. “Those two circles showed me the strength of the bridge,” he writes.
