National Geographic : Photo of the Day : Best of June 2012

Rainstorm, Chile

Photograph by Camila Massu

My sister in the south of Chile. We were sitting at home next to the fireplace in our southern lake house when it suddenly began to pour uncontrollably. Had to rush into the lake to take this snapshot!

Village, Faroe Islands

Photograph by Ken Bower

The village of Gásadalur with the island of Mykines in the background. Until a tunnel was built in 2004, the 16 residents living in Gásadalur had to take a strenuous hike or horseback ride over the steep 1,300-foot (400-meter) mountain in order to make it to the other villages. It was a rare sunny day in the Faroe Islands and I had to wait until the clouds rolled in to provide some softer light. I decided to go with a long exposure (1 minute and 10 seconds) to illustrate the force of the wind and a serene sea among the isolated islands.

Portrait, Brazil

Photograph by Geralyn Shukwit

Christiane, a child of the "roofless" movement in Salvador, Brazil. A beautiful spirit living a life not hers by choice, but she brings love and light to all around her.

Morning Forest, Germany

Photograph by David Sausse

Photo was taken on September 25, 2011, at 7:46 a.m. in Vorderweidenthal, a municipality in Südliche Weinstrafle district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany.

Falling Petals, Japan

Photograph by Hisao Mogi

I sat down on a stump for a rest after a stroll in Nara Park and watched the deer. They were eating fallen cherry blossom petals peacefully. Suddenly a strong wind blew and cherry blossom petals started to fall on the deer. It was like a shower of cherry blossom petals. In Japanese, it is called hana fubuki, which means flower snowstorm.

Matterhorn at Night

Photograph by Nenad Saljic

The Matterhorn, 14,691 feet (4,478 meters), at full moon

Girl and Baobabs, Madagascar

Photograph by Ken Thorne

Near the city of Morondava on the west coast of Madagascar lies an ancient forest of baobab trees. Unique to Madagascar, the endemic species is sacred to the Malagasy people, and rightly so. Walking amongst these giants is like nothing else on this planet. Some of the trees here are over a thousand years old. It is a spiritual place, almost magical.

Sunset, Sri Lanka

Photograph by Oswald Fernando

Driving along the coastal road by a river, the sunset seen as a myriad of colors and reflections in the water

Lions and Cubs, Kenya

Photograph by Brandon Harris

A lion and lioness share some quality time with their cubs. Governor's Camp, Kenya.

Svartifoss, Iceland

Photograph by Giacomo Ciangottini

Svartifoss (Black Fall) is surrounded by the dark lava columns that gave rise to its name. The hexagonal columns were formed inside a lava flow that cooled extremely slowly, giving rise to crystallization. Skaftafell National Park, Iceland.

National Gergraphic : Photo of the Day: Best of May 2012

Underwater Surfer

Photograph by Tony Heff,

Surfer Coco Ho is momentarily suspended weightless between the ocean's surface and the shallow reef.

Dan's Cave, Abaco Island

Photograph by Wes C. Skiles,

Following the guideline her life depends on, a diver threads the needle through a stalagmite forest in Dan's Cave on Abaco Island. A single, misplaced fin kick can shatter mineral formations tens of thousands of years old.

 

Half Dome, Yosemite National Park

Photograph by Jimmy Chin,

Alex Honnold takes on the third zigzag of Half Dome without a rope. He has just one more difficult section, or pitch, in the last three before reaching the summit.

Deepwater Whip Coral, Japan

Photograph by Brian Skerry,

What looks like a tangle of gnarled cables is in fact a forest of deepwater whip coral in Suruga Bay. Each strand is studded with feeding polyps that reach tiny tentacles into the currents to grab floating food.

Sunset, Mount Everest

Photograph by Cory Richards, National Geographic

The sun sets over the west shoulder of Mount Everest (right) and Mount Nuptse.

Kayakers, Maui

Photograph by Ron Dahlquist,

There is an incredible coral bloom off the village of Olowalu on Maui's south shore. I've seen the coral from a helicopter numerous times and always thought it would photograph beautifully, especially if I could arrange for some kayakers to be paddling in and around the coral to add scale to the scene.

Tsingy Climbing, Madagascar

Photograph by Stephen Alvarez,

Climber John "Razor Sharp" Benson weaves through skin-ripping pinnacles. In Malagasy, the formations are called tsingy, meaning "where one cannot walk barefoot." The terrain resists intrusions from hunters, hungry cattle, and wildfires.

 

Nyiragongo Volcano Expedition

Photograph by Carsten Peter,

A cooking tent belonging to expedition scientists glows in the twilight on the rim of the Nyiragongo volcano—one of the most active in the world—in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Slackline, Rio de Janeiro

Photograph by Tim Kemple

The sunset slackline image is of my good friend Renan Ozturk slacklining over the Gavea Stone in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Kathmandu, Nepal

Photograph by Susheel Shrestha,

The Bodhnath Stupa is a World Heritage site in Kathmandu, Nepal. Kathmandu is for many a gateway to Mount Everest.

National Geographic : Photo of the Day : Best of April 2012

Whale Shark, Gulf of Tadjoura

Photograph by Thomas P. Peschak

In winter young whale sharks come to feed on plankton in the nutrient-rich waters of the Gulf of Tadjoura, off the arid coast of Djibouti. The world's largest fish—weighing more than an elephant—is becoming a symbol of Arabia's bountiful, but largely unprotected, marine heritage.

Desert Rivers, Mexico

Photograph by Adriana Franco, 

Rivers form treelike figures on the desert of Baja California, Mexico.

Rubbing Stone, Washington

Photograph by Fritz Hoffmann,

Looking as if it fell from the sky, a 40-ton erratic stands on the Colville Indian Reservation in Washington State. Such boulders are sometimes called rubbing stones because bison scratched up against them.

Canyon, Zion National Park

Photograph by Peter Scifres, 

Inside Zion National Park's famous Subway slot canyon, my hiking and photography friend, Suzanne, ponders the way ahead.

Godafoss, Iceland

Photograph by Orsolya and Erlend Haarberg

A glacial torrent pours over a 40-foot-high ledge at Gođafoss, "waterfall of the gods." After the Icelandic assembly adopted Christianity in 1000, its leader threw his pagan idols into the falls. The mossy island, notes geographer Guđrún Gísladóttir, "is protected from sheep."

Hraunfossar Waterfall, Iceland

Photograph by Orsolya and Erlend Haarberg

Hraunfossar waterfall in September looks much as it would have in Viking days: birch trees, bog bilberries, and the Hvítá River, white with silt. The waterfall is a series of springs that plunge into the river on the far bank.

Arch Rock, Joshua Tree National Park

Photograph by Karin Eibenberger,

A clear night at Arch Rock, Joshua Tree National Park. This is a self-portrait, made during a four-day stay hiking, camping, and climbing after being sent to a conference at San Diego by Johns Hopkins—it was the perfect combination of work and fun.

Alligator, Florida

Photograph by Larry Lynch,

I made this image at Myakka River State Park in Sarasota, Florida, this past spring. There had been no rain in the river valley for quite a while, and the waters were at drought level. I found this guy in a shallow depression in the riverbed, along with some trapped fish, and knew I had a good chance for an evening shot with flash.

Hoh Rain Forest, Olympic National Park

Photograph by Wai Chee Wong, 

Most people know about the Hoh Rain Forest in Olympic National Park, but only a few are lucky to discover the wonder near Sol Duc.

Shoebill, Uganda

Photograph by Cantay Gok, 

The shoebill is a bizarre bird, named because of its big bill. This shot was taken at Mbamba swamp in Uganda.

National Gergraphic : Photo of the Day: Best of March 2012

Water Resort, Dubai

Photograph by Thomas P. Peschak,

A huge water-themed resort rises on Dubai's coast.

Black Hole of Calcutta, Australia

Photograph by Carsten Peter,

"It feels like being swallowed by the Earth," says photographer Carsten Peter of the Black Hole of Calcutta in Claustral Canyon. Experienced canyoneers avoid it after heavy rains.

Horses, Mongolian Steppe

Photograph by Mark Leong,

An ocean of green, Mongolia is the most sparsely populated country in the world, with just under three million people in a landmass larger than Alaska. Mongolian culture—physical, mobile, self-reliant, and free—developed out here on the steppe. "When people move to Ulaanbaatar, they bring that mentality with them," says Baabar, a well-known publisher and historian.

North Face, K2

Photograph by Tommy Heinrich,

A full moon illuminates the north face of K2.

Baby Elephant and Keepers

Photograph by Michael Nichols,

Dedicated keepers at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust's Nairobi Elephant Nursery in Kenya protect baby Shukuru from the cold and rain, and the risk of pneumonia, with a custom-made raincoat.

Coral Reef, Red Sea

Photograph by Thomas P. Peschak,

Rarely visited, the reefs off Saudi Arabia in the northern Red Sea are some of the most undisturbed in the region. Sunlight penetrates deep into the clear waters, enabling lush gardens of corals to flourish along these wave–washed coasts.

Oil Tanker, Persian Gulf

Photograph by Thomas P. Peschak,

A relic of the Iran-Iraq war, this oil tanker was scuttled near the Kuwait-Iraq border on Saddam Hussein’s orders, to block access by sea to southern Iraq. Kuwaiti authorities are reluctant to remove the vessel for fear of damaging the wetlands of nearby Bubiyan Island, an important fish nursery and seabird breeding ground.

High Tide, Indonesia

Photograph by John Stanmeyer,

As night falls and the tide rises on the Indonesian island of Pulau Balai, off the west coast of Sumatra, more than an inch of water washes into the home of 20-year-old Busrani. In March 2005 a seafloor earthquake lowered the island by three feet. Busrani can't afford to raise his floor, which floods at every high tide.

Quiver Trees, Namibia

Photograph by Frans Lanting,

Quiver trees stand like eerie sentinels under the stars in the Namib Desert. The flowers of these desert–tough varieties of the aloe plant provide nectar for birds and insects.

White Pocket, Arizona

Photograph by Richard Barnes,

Miniature lakes reflect the sky in White Pocket, one of the geological spectacles on the Paria Plateau. Over the eons, groundwater has leached the color out of the Navajo sandstone here, and the weather has broken its surface into irregular polygons.

National Geographic : Photo of the Day: Best of February 2012

Squirrel in Snow

Photograph by Ray Yeager,

Photographed during a snowstorm in New Jersey

Gray Wolf, Washington

Photograph by Mukul Soman,

A gray wolf rests at Wolf Haven International, a wolf sanctuary in Washington State.

Whale Shark, New Guinea

Photograph by Michael Aw

"Suddenly he just jumped in!" says photographer Michael Aw. Sarmin Tangadji, the Papua police officer who escorted the photographic team to where the sharks congregate, "was so excited to see them up close." Aw shares that excitement when it comes to diving with a dozen whale sharks: "You are sandwiched in, sharks ahead and behind, but you want to be there," he says. "They make eye contact with you and then charge by. It blows your mind."

Cows, India

Photograph by Mariajoseph Johnbasco, 

I shot this calf on the road in 2011 on the eve of Diwali at Neyveli, which is my hometown. Due to crackers going off everywhere, the cows couldn’t rest near homes so they sought the middle of the road for rest. The fog, noise, and the backlighting of the streetlight made me take this picture.

Lion Pride, Serengeti

Photograph by Michael Nichols, National Geographic

A pride of lions behaves naturally for the camera—a remote-controlled car outfitted with still and video cameras to capture the lions at ground level.

Snowy Owl

Photograph by James Galletto, My Shot

This snowy owl was captured during a snowstorm. Unlike most owls, which are nocturnal, snowy owls are diurnal—they hunt and are active both day and night.

Gaucho, Patagonia

Photograph by Jasmine Rossi, 

This picture was taken at Estancia El Condor, a ranch in southern Patagonia, near the border of Chile. A lonely gaucho surveys his land.

Canadian Lynx, Yukon Territory

Photograph by Nicolas Dory,

A Canadian lynx is seen in the Ogilvie Mountains (Yukon Territory, Canada) last winter. I followed fresh wolf tracks, north of Tombstone, before I found this lynx enjoying the sunset. I spent three hours with the feline, watching him resting, stretching, and hunting snowshoe hares in the snow.

Giraffes, Kenya

Photograph by Diego Arroyo, 

Giraffes are pictured at dawn in Kenya’s Samburu National Reserve.

Elephant Trio, Namibia

Photograph by Susan McConnell, 

Two adult elephants and a baby are at a water hole in Etosha National Park in Namibia. The adults appear to be in heated conversation, but the conflict is resolved quickly and peacefully.