National Geographic Photo of the Day

Neon Nights

Mon, 22 Aug 2016 00:00:00 -0400

With raindrops no longer falling, this street in Beijing, China, hums back to life under the glow of neon signs. Your Shot photographer Caue Ferraz took this photo in the neighborhood around Jingshan Park, a 57-acre green space with views into the Forbidden City.

This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our storytelling community where members can take part in photo assignments, get expert feedback, be published, and more. Join now >>

Sandy Oasis

Sun, 21 Aug 2016 00:00:00 -0400

Anguilla, a British territory in the Caribbean, is a nation of tranquility, but Sandy Island takes it to another level. This speck of sand in the bright blue waters is constantly reshaped by the ocean and weather, and visitors to the cay are encouraged to make reservations. Your Shot photographer Matthew Wade captured this shot using a drone.

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Golden Hills

Sat, 20 Aug 2016 00:00:00 -0400

Your Shot photographer Hannah Overeem captured this shot of her dog, Badger, an Australian cattle dog, in Chino Hills, California. She writes that the contrast of the golden field and blue-and-white sky give this image a “surreal” look.

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Hidden Gem

Fri, 19 Aug 2016 00:00:00 -0400

Forged by the wear of water rushing over rocks, Olo Canyon in Arizona is concealed inside the Grand Canyon. Its alluring landscape includes natural springs and rocks shaped like cathedral amphitheaters.

See more pictures from the September 2016 story "Are We Losing the Grand Canyon?"

Behind the Curtain

Thu, 18 Aug 2016 00:00:00 -0400

Circus performers in Hanoi, Vietnam, prepare for the show minutes before it gets under way. Nguyen Thi Thu Hiep, shown here stretching, is a contortionist. For extra money, she also performs at private parties and social events.

See more pictures from the September 2016 story "A Life at the Circus: Going Behind the Curtain in Vietnam."

'You Dropped Something!'

Wed, 17 Aug 2016 00:00:00 -0400

Your Shot photographer Suyash Mehta gained a souvenir from a passing eagle in Satara, India: a long feather. India is home to nearly two dozen eagle species.

This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our storytelling community where members can take part in photo assignments, get expert feedback, be published, and more. Join now >>

City of Sun Showers

Tue, 16 Aug 2016 00:00:00 -0400

Even in a rainstorm, Paris lives up to its nickname of the City of Light, as sun streaks through storm clouds over the city in this image by Your Shot photographer Raffaele Tuzio.

This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our storytelling community where members can take part in photo assignments, get expert feedback, be published, and more. Join now >>

A Flash in the Distance

Mon, 15 Aug 2016 00:00:00 -0400

Flashes of lightning illuminate the night sky above Lake Ontario, as seen from an overlook in Lyndonville, New York—located about an hour from the Canadian border at Niagara Falls.

This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our storytelling community where members can take part in photo assignments, get expert feedback, be published, and more. Join now >>

Flood of Color

Sun, 14 Aug 2016 00:00:00 -0400

Floods bring a mosaic of color to the rice fields of Y Ty, Vietnam. The wet season typically lasts from May to June in the mountainous village.

This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our storytelling community where members can take part in photo assignments, get expert feedback, be published, and more. Join now >>

A Walk on the Wild Side

Sat, 13 Aug 2016 00:00:00 -0400

Ye Ye, a 16-year-old giant panda, lounges in a wild enclosure at a conservation center in China’s Wolong Nature Reserve. China has been creating reserves to restore and protect disappearing panda habitat and is now introducing captive-bred pandas into the wild.

See more pictures from the August 2016 feature story "Pandas Get to Know Their Wild Side."

A Popular Perch

Fri, 12 Aug 2016 00:00:00 -0400

Birds gather on a rock formation—a popular attraction for both seabirds and people—at Natural Bridges State Beach in Santa Cruz, California. Your Shot photographer Laurence Norah writes that it’s “a wonderful place to get the sunset … A long exposure added a slightly surreal element to the shot.”

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High-Rise and Shine

Thu, 11 Aug 2016 00:00:00 -0400

The brightly colored lights of Shinjuku, a ward of Tokyo, Japan, glitter in this double exposure by Masayuki Yamashita. The district is a bustling hub and home to what’s known as the world’s busiest railway station: Shinjuku Station, through which millions of passengers pass daily.

This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our storytelling community where members can take part in photo assignments, get expert feedback, be published, and more. Join now >>

Whale of a Time

Wed, 10 Aug 2016 00:00:00 -0400

A whale shark—the biggest fish in the sea—swims along, “extremely curious” about his observers. Your Shot photographer David Robinson, who researches whale shark ecology, captured this image in Qatar on a day with “great visibility” in an area with waters that are usually full of plankton.

Robinson's shot was recently featured in the Daily Dozen.

This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our storytelling community where members can take part in photo assignments, get expert feedback, be published, and more. Join now >>

Life on Mars

Tue, 09 Aug 2016 00:00:00 -0400

Your Shot member Bryan Geiger’s early morning visit to the summit area of Haleakalā volcano in Hawaii’s Haleakalā National Park yielded this extraordinary image of an otherworldly landscape. “I woke up at 3 a.m. and drove to Haleakalā summit,” Geiger writes. “As the sun came up it revealed only a white wall of mist. After a couple of hours, disappointed and cold, I decided to leave. While driving back I jumped out at the overlook to see if anything had changed. At that moment the clouds retreated and I had only an instant to snap this photo of the [alien-looking] land.”

Geiger's shot was recently featured in the Daily Dozen.

This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our storytelling community where members can take part in photo assignments, get expert feedback, be published, and more. Join now >>

Western Spirit

Mon, 08 Aug 2016 00:00:00 -0400

Framing an expansive blue sky, desert buttes, and a pair of majestic horses, Your Shot member Nora Feddal captures the essence of the American West in this image made while visiting Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, which extends into both Arizona and Utah.

This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our storytelling community where members can take part in photo assignments, get expert feedback, be published, and more. Join now >>

Night Falls

Sun, 07 Aug 2016 00:00:00 -0400

By day, the water of Arizona's Havasu Falls is a remarkable, bright blue-green. In this image submitted by Jes Stockhausen, it’s a milky ribbon, illuminated at night by the light of a camper’s headlamps. “While camping in the Havasupai [Indian Reservation], you hear the roar of the falls 24/7. My friend and I went to see if we could see the stars and were blown away [by] the sheer darkness of the canyon. This shot was [made] with two headlamps, one at the subject’s feet and one on his head.”

This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our storytelling community where members can take part in photo assignments, get expert feedback, be published, and more. Join now >>

First Light

Sat, 06 Aug 2016 00:00:00 -0400

Photographer Theerasak Saksritawee submitted this photo of birds taking flight in a golden sky over Taiwan’s National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. The memorial, dedicated to the former president of the Republic of China, includes gardens, ponds, and this sprawling plaza, a popular spot for national celebrations.

Saksritawee's shot was recently featured in the Daily Dozen.

This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our storytelling community where members can take part in photo assignments, get expert feedback, be published, and more. Join now >>

A Walk in the Park

Fri, 05 Aug 2016 00:00:00 -0400

Photographer Graham De Lacy captured this shot of an African elephant taking a sunny-day stroll in South Africa’s Madikwe Game Reserve. “[It was] one of the many close encounters … I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing,” De Lacy writes. African elephants are the largest land mammals on Earth.

This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our storytelling community where members can take part in photo assignments, get expert feedback, be published, and more. Join now >>

Pelican Party

Thu, 04 Aug 2016 00:00:00 -0400

Pelicans, seen from above in this aerial shot submitted by Your Shot community member Stas Bartnikas, congregate on the Colorado River in Mexico. The social birds usually travel in flocks and are found on many of the world’s coastlines and along lakes and rivers.

This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our storytelling community where members can take part in photo assignments, get expert feedback, be published, and more. Join now >>

Lifting the Veil

Wed, 03 Aug 2016 00:00:00 -0400

A lacy veil of cigarette smoke encircles a man in Sarawak, one of two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo. “I embarked on photography trips to inland Sarawak to seek out the native people [who] preserve their way of life,” Your Shot member Jonathan Nyik Fui Tai says. ”Many of the tribes have slowly [been] assimilated into modern society.”

This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our storytelling community where members can take part in photo assignments, get expert feedback, be published, and more. Join now >>

Hot Rock

Tue, 02 Aug 2016 00:00:00 -0400

Spiking from inky storm clouds, a white-hot thunderbolt spears the plateau during a summer storm in Vermilion Cliffs National Monument. The monument comprises 300,000 unspoiled acres that cross both Arizona and Utah and contain steep cliffs, deep canyons, and sandstone formations.

Rankin’s shot was recently featured in the Daily Dozen.

This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our storytelling community where members can take part in photo assignments, get expert feedback, be published, and more. Join now >>

Black Water

Mon, 01 Aug 2016 00:00:00 -0400

Seen from above, a small boat travels the Buriganga River, thick and dark with pollution, in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh. Though the water is filled with human and industrial waste, millions depend on it for their livelihood and transportation. “The Buriganga is economically very important to Dhaka,” Your Shot photographer Jakir Hossain Rana writes. “Launches and country boats provide a connection to other parts of Bangladesh.”

Rana’s shot was recently featured in the Daily Dozen.

This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our storytelling community where members can take part in photo assignments, get expert feedback, be published, and more. Join now >>

Rose-Tinted Spectacle

Sun, 31 Jul 2016 00:00:00 -0400

Sunset splashes a rosy tint over the landscape in this image submitted by Fabrizio Fortuna. The mountain is the 1,500-foot (457-meter) Vestrahorn, a main landmark of southeastern Iceland.

This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our storytelling community where members can take part in photo assignments, get expert feedback, be published, and more. Join now >>

Pushed for Time

Sat, 30 Jul 2016 00:00:00 -0400

“One of the best places [to photograph] in Cairo, Egypt, is the camels market,” writes Your Shot member Nader Saadallah. “At this moment, the camels’ keepers and sellers [are] trying to push the camel into their vehicle to send it to the local market to be slaughtered to be ready for customers.”

This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our storytelling community where members can take part in photo assignments, get expert feedback, be published, and more. Join now >>

Old Guard

Fri, 29 Jul 2016 00:00:00 -0400

“Hundreds of old cypresses guard the perimeter of Lake Camécuaro and its turquoise-colored, crystal clear water,” Javier Eduardo Alvarez writes of this photo he made of the small Mexican lake, popular for its picturesque beauty. “This place is magical.”

This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our storytelling community where members can take part in photo assignments, get expert feedback, be published, and more. Join now >>