Mont Blanc
Photograph by Danuta Hyniewska, National Geographic Your Shot

The snow-mantled rock face of the colossal Mont Blanc Massif, located between France and Italy, dwarfs a hiker (at lower left). At 15,771 feet, Mont Blanc is the highest peak in the Alps.

Florida Manatee
Photograph by Chris Bickford, National Geographic Travel

Gentle Florida manatees, here seen swimming in Crystal River, are a subspecies of the West Indian manatee.

Tre Cime di Lavaredo, Italy
Photograph by Philippe Schwaller, National Geographic Your Shot

The sun rises over peaks and ponds on Tre Cime di Lavaredo (Three Peaks of Lavaredo), an iconic Alpine massif in northeastern Italy's Sexten Dolomites. The distinctive formations and their surroundings are a popular climbing and hiking destination.

Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona
Photograph by Kevin Moloney, New York Times/Redux

Spectacular walls of red sandstone rise hundreds of feet above valley floors in Canyon de Chelly National Monument, creating scenes of stunning beauty. The park's most famous spot is Spider Rock, an eroded pinnacle that climbs 800 feet above the canyon.

Mountain Trout Ice Festival, South Korea
Photograph by Chung Sung-Jun, Getty Images

Anglers cast lines through holes in a frozen river during Hwacheon Sancheoneo, or Mountain Trout Ice Festival, in Hwacheon-gun, South Korea. The annual event draws thousands of visitors, who compete in a fishing competition with traditional lures or their bare hands.

Alligator in Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida
Photograph by Doug Perrine, Nature Picture Library/Corbis

An American alligator swims in the murky waters of Florida's Big Cypress National Preserve. Alligators are vital to the health of wetland ecosystems in both Big Cypress and neighboring Everglades National Park.

Peak Tram, Hong Kong
Photograph by Naki Kouyioumtzis, Axiom/Aurora

Hong Kong's Peak Tram carries sightseers up to Victoria Peak, as it has since 1888. The tramway carries passengers about 1,300 feet above sea level—at an angle that approaches 27 degrees.

Bordeaux, France
Photograph by John Kellerman, Alamy

A reflecting pool mirrors the elaborate Place de la Bourse in Bordeaux, France. The hub of a large region of vineyards producing some of the finest wines in the world, Bordeaux's other charms include green parks, landscaped quays, and pedestrian promenades.

Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
Photograph by Jens Schwarz, laif/Redux

Summer brings sunbathers and strollers to the beach in Donostia-San Sebastián, part of Spain's Basque Country. The resort city, called the "pearl of the ocean," surrounds a stunning bay and spans the estuary of the Río Urumea.

Harbin Ice and Snow Festival, China
Photograph by Kim Kyung-Hoon, Reuters

Hardy local artisans in Harbin, China—where brisk Siberian winds keep the average temperatures barely above zero degrees Fahrenheit—celebrate the season by sculpting ice blocks chopped from the Songhua River into pyramids and palaces. After dark, the illuminated displays dazzle neon bright.

Luxor Temple, Egypt
Photograph by Alexandra Avakian, National Geographic

The ancient temple at Luxor, Egypt, provides inspiration for artists and awe-inspiring scenes for tourists. Massive obelisks, statues, and sphinxes line the grounds of the temple complex, founded in 1400 B.C.

Cape Town, South Africa
Photograph by Heather Perry, National Geographic

Colorful beach huts stand at the ready along a beach in Cape Town’s St. James neighborhood, where a large man-made tidal pool beckons swimmers. Cape Town’s many draws include hiking, kite-surfing, miles of sandy beaches, and a world-class shopping and dining scene.

Rome’s Spanish Steps
Photograph by Dr. Wilfried Bahnmüller, Aurora

The Spanish Steps in Rome's Piazza di Spagna make up the longest and widest staircase in Europe. A baroque water feature called Fontana della Barcaccia, or Fountain of the Old Boat, decorates the plaza, a hangout for students, tourists, shoppers, and portrait sketchers.

Southern Alps, New Zealand
Photograph by Michael Melford, National Geographic

Snowcapped and shrouded in clouds, the Southern Alps create a stunning vista in New Zealand. A tumult of peaks that run like a jagged spine through the South Island, the Southern Alps got their name from Capt. James Cook, who first spied the chain in 1770.

Ice Skating in Amsterdam
Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic

Cold weather turns Amsterdam’s famous canals into a playground for ice skaters. Low bridges, arching trees, and historic narrow houses line the canals.

Luzon, Philippines
Photograph by Per-Andre Hoffmann, Aurora

Waterfalls cascade into a picture-perfect pool in Laguna, a province on Luzon Island in the Philippines. Luzon is the country’s largest island—and the fourth most populous island in the world.

Parc Güell, Barcelona
Photograph by Guido Cozzi, Corbis

Reflecting organic shapes found in nature, Barcelona’s Parc Güell is popular with tourists and locals alike. Architect Antoní Gaudí’s unique style is visible in landmarks around the city, including Sagrada Família, Casa Milå, and many others.

Snow in Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
Photograph by Laura Zirino, National Geographic Your Shot

Low clouds linger in Utah’s Bryce Canyon National Park, a wilderness of phantom-like rock spires, or hoodoos, that attracts more than a million visitors a year. Bryce Canyon's colorful hoodoos are sculpted by snow over thousands of years. Freezing meltwater enlarges cracks to slowly create—and eventually destroy—the towering limestone pinnacles.

Forbidden City, Beijing
Photograph by Yiming Feng, National Geographic Your Shot

Now listed as a World Heritage site, the imperial palace complex of Beijing’s Forbidden City was home to ruling emperors for nearly 500 years after its completion in 1420. It contains 9,999 rooms—nine being a lucky number for the superstitious Chinese.

Transylvania, Romania
Photograph by Catalin Caciuc, National Geographic Your Shot

Frost covers house and trees, field and hay in the Transylvanian village of Sirnea, Romania. Farms cover these valleys, and Transylvanian family and village life is intimately bound up with the seasons.

Layered Land
Photograph by John Stanmeyer, National Geographic

Youths explore Roman ruins at Samaria-Sebaste, a West Bank archaeological site divided between Israeli and Palestinian control. A forum and a temple to Augustus remain from the pre-Christian Roman city.

Gray Langur at Rest
Photograph by Hemin Patel, National Geographic Your Shot

“I was in my college parking lot, and this monkey appeared on this tree in front of me,” writes Hemin Patel, a member of our Your Shot community who captured this photo in Anand, Gujarat, India. “The sunlight was coming through when I saw it. It was wonderful.”

The Lookout
Photograph by Chris Martin, National Geographic Your Shot

“After losing their kill to a huge gathering of vultures, these cheetahs took time out to rest from their hunting exertions and survey the surrounding plains for their second attempt at a feed,” writes Your Shot member Chris Martin, who describes this photo as the last in a series captured on a summer morning at South Africa’s Sabi Sand Reserve. “It was spellbinding to watch the cats both attempt to feed and fend off the unwanted attention of the vultures that began to mass in increasing numbers and advance on their prize. Sensing the battle was lost, the cheetahs moved on, and their elevated position gave me the opportunity to compose my next shots at eye level, giving a much more powerful composition."

Floating Season
Photograph by Nhiem Hoang, National Geographic Your Shot

“During the floating season on the Mekong Delta, wild water lilies grow in the rice fields now covered by water,” writes Your Shot member Nhiem Hoang. “They become a traditional food, processed into special dishes such as salad and sour soup with fish.” Hoang travels to the region each year to photograph what many consider its most beautiful season. “I saw this situation happening from the road while riding my motorbike alongside the Vinh Te Canal. I was lucky that day because it had just stopped raining and the woman and her boat appeared in the right place. First I used a telephoto lens but felt dissatisfied, so I tried to cross a muddy yard to fill the action using my superwide 16mm, with different shooting angles from high to low. Finally, I got the shot I expected."

Night Falls
Photograph by Phil Hawkins, National Geographic Your Shot

Though most photographers leave Yosemite National Park’s Tunnel View overlook when the direct light of sunset has disappeared, Your Shot member Phil Hawkins usually stays for another hour to see how the light evolves. “On this occasion I happened to notice a slight glow in the mist hugging the valley floor and wondered how this would look in a timed exposure,” he writes. “So I drilled in on an area of activity and simply left the shutter open for about ten minutes, and this image is the result.”

Fair Day’s End
Photograph by Aman Chotani, National Geographic Your Shot

Camels make their way over dusty terrain at the close of the annual Pushkar Fair in Rajasthan, India. “There were hundreds of them,” writes Aman Chotani, a member of our Your Shot community. “I started following them and managed to get this shot.”

Bodybuilders
Photograph by Adhi Prayoga, National Geographic Your Shot

Ants build a bridge with their bodies to reach food on a higher branch in Mataram, Indonesia. “I often observe and take pictures of ants when the sun rises in order to [capture] their activity in a beautiful light,” writes Your Shot member Adhi Prayoga. “I was lucky to get a moment of cooperation.”

Lofty Frosts
Photograph by Eduard Gutescu, National Geographic Your Shot

Frost settles over the village of Peştera, Romania, in this picture by Your Shot member Eduard Gutescu.

Dearly Beloved
Photograph by Bartek Olszewski, National Geographic Your Shot

“I was so lucky,” says Your Shot member Bartek Olszewski, who found this scene on entering London’s Richmond Park on a July day. He began taking as many pictures as he could of the battling stags. “It only lasted a few seconds,” he says. “I love to watch and track red deer, finding them and enjoying their natural behavior. I have my camera in my hands at all times when I’m going out to take pictures. Always be ready—wildlife is unpredictable, so it can surprise you at any time.”

Bird Bank
Photograph by Vincent J. Musi, National Geographic

Thousands of brown pelicans find a safe place to nest on South Carolina’s Deveaux Bank, one of the largest pelican rookeries on the Atlantic coast. The isolated, shape-shifting island is free of raccoons and other predators that eat eggs and chicks.

The Pinnacle
Photograph by Chris Prescott, National Geographic Your Shot

“We were near the summit of Sgurr Dearg, [also called] the Inaccessible Pinnacle, a famous feature of the Cuillin Ridge on Scotland’s Isle of Skye, shooting a behind-the-scenes documentary about the making of 'The Ridge,’” writes Chris Prescott of the Cut Media short film featuring trials cyclist Danny MacAskill.

“MacAskill grew up on Skye and wanted to make a film that showed off the beauty of the island. A traverse of the full Cuillin Ridge is considered one of the classic mountaineering challenges in the U.K. The film was shot over two weeks and meant transporting a lot of filming equipment onto the ridge every day. Fortunately we were very lucky with the weather!

“The shoot on the Inaccessible Pinnacle was one of the key moments of the film and meant a 3 a.m. start in order to get the best light and catch the cloud inversion. This was taken at around 6 a.m. in the middle of summer, and the sun was still low in the sky. I used the shadow of the pinnacle to block the sun and create the halo effect around Danny. It was taken handheld using a 17mm lens and a graduated neutral density filter.”

Pronking Springbok
Photograph by Charles Jorgensen, National Geographic Your Shot

“I was on vacation in an area of South Africa where springbok are quite common, and I had a goal of capturing this behavior, called pronking,” writes Charles Jorgensen, a member of our Your Shot community. “On a self-drive safari in Mountain Zebra National Park, we found a plateau that attracted many herds of springbok, among other animals. After a few failed attempts at getting the shot, I came across a small herd. They started running, and one of them started to pronk, jumping to amazing heights. I fired away and managed to capture this animal in its acrobatic display.”

Falls in Autumn
Photograph by Vedrana Tafra, National Geographic Your Shot

Dispersing fog and a moment of sunshine bring the falls and foliage of Croatia’s Plitvice Lakes National Park into view on an early autumn morning. The country’s oldest and largest national park, Plitvice boasts more than plunging waterfalls: Its 16 terraced lakes, formed by natural travertine dams, change color throughout the day, and its abundant wildlife includes 261 species of birds.

Monkeying Around
Photograph by Francisco Mignorance, National Geographic

In Morocco’s Middle Atlas mountains, a Barbary macaque pauses for a snack after a bout of playing with other young members of the troop. Macaques eat anything: seeds, grass, young leaves, berries, even mealworms and reptiles.

The Children’s Place
Photograph by Masami Murooka, National Geographic Your Shot

Looking like playfully scattered confetti, children sled a snowy hill in Shizukuishi, Japan. Your Shot member Masami Murooka calls it an “extraordinary playground,” which emerged at the side of a large festival’s parking lot. “Anyone trying to photograph only the festival would never notice this place,” Murooka writes.

Seal Dive
Photograph by Thomas P. Peschak, National Geographic

Southern Africa has some of the world’s richest waters. But debate swirls over how to sustain these seas and the fishing communities that depend on them. Here, a fur seal surfs Atlantic swells off Cape Town. To conserve sea life around the city’s coastline, a marine protected area (MPA)—one of 23 in South Africa—was created in 2004.

Spiritual Scale
Photograph by Kavya Reddy, National Geographic Your Shot

Thiksey Gompa, a Tibetan Buddhist monastery known for its resemblance to Lhasa’s Potala Palace, sits at 11,800 feet in the northern Himalayan region of Ladakh, India. The 12-story complex houses temples, a nunnery, and Buddhist artwork, including a 40-foot statue of Maitreya, or the future Buddha.

More Than Everest
Photograph by Aaron Huey, National Geographic

For the Sherpas of Nepal, the years spent working on Mount Everest are fraught with danger. Some Sherpa families in the Everest region send their children to live with relatives in Kathmandu so they can attend schools there. The parents hope the next generation won’t have to risk their lives working on the mountain.

Home to Roost
Photograph by Thomas P. Peschak, National Geographic

Gulls, gannets, and penguins are neighbors on Mercury Island, near the Diamond Coast of Namibia. The country’s first marine protected area aims to reduce human disturbance and increase natural abundance around Mercury and ten other islands along 250 miles of coastline.

Sky Light
Photograph by Emma Blythman, National Geographic Your Shot

Viewed from a remote ecolodge, the aurora borealis unfurls over a snowy plain in Canada’s Northwest Territories. “Having always had a love of the stars, I moved to the lodge to see the aurora and to learn to live off the land,” writes Your Shot member Emma Blythman. “Each night, after learning how to hunt and collecting wood, I would camp out by candlelight at the igloo, set up my camera, and watch the aurora dance above my head for hours. Magical.”

Morning Glory
Photograph by Todd Klassy, National Geographic Your Shot

“Many photographers prefer to photograph the world as the sun goes down,” writes Your Shot member Todd Klassy. “Me, I prefer the peacefulness of the morning light.” After a night of heavy snow, Klassy made sure to get up before snow plows had a chance to alter the clean white landscape in rural Green County, Wisconsin. “Fortunately, the sun painted the horizon a beautiful pinkish hue, and it provided a nice background for this minimalist scene,” he writes. “Unfortunately, the snow plow driver was up earlier than me and cleared the road before I had a chance to photograph it without the black strip of asphalt.”

The Bagualero Way
Photograph by Tomás Munita, National Geographic

In the wilds of Patagonia, cowboys called bagualeros pit themselves against the meanest livestock on the planet. Here, bagueleros pause in their search for cattle on Antonio Varas Peninsula, in Chilean Patagonia. Few choose the bagualero way. “It’s a beautiful life but a tough one,” says Sebastián García Iglesias (at far left).

Flight of Locusts
Photograph by Michele Martinelli, National Geographic Your Shot

A dense swarm of locusts obscures a view of fields in Madagascar. Most destructive in sustenance farming regions of Africa, locust swarms devastate crops and can cause major agricultural damage, as well as famine and starvation.

Ballooning Kindness
Photograph by Giorgio Lulli, National Geographic Your Shot

Your Shot member Giorgio Lulli came across a charity event by chance one Sunday in the main square of his hometown of Bologna, Italy. “People had responded generously to the charity call, and the big square was almost totally covered with balloons,” he writes. “This shot was taken with the camera practically at ground level, with framing from bottom upward.”

Wild Wetland
Photograph by Vincent J. Musi, National Geographic

Water—fresh, brackish, and salt—is the lifeblood of South Carolina’s ACE Basin. Along the Combahee River, wetlands veined with tidal creeks are nurseries for fish and feeding grounds for birds. Visitors in boats often spy bald eagles.

Funny Face
Photograph by Brian Callaway, National Geographic Your Shot

“The gaye holud is a traditional Bengali wedding ceremony in which the bride and groom are presented with fish dressed as the couple,” writes Your Shot member Brian Callaway, who captured this photo in the town of Mamallapuram, on the east coast of India. “Amit and Sofi have an amazing sense of humor and started playing and posing with the fish after their gaye holud. It didn’t take too long before I saw that if they held the fish up to their faces, the eyes of the fish would match their own. For me, the photo perfectly captures this cultural part of their wedding, their fun/spontaneous personalities, and, more importantly, how much fun they were having. It's also their favorite photo.”

Shores of Durban
Photograph by Juan Pinnick, National Geographic Your Shot

“What drew me to this situation were the tempestuous tides and moody skies,” writes Juan Pinnick, a member of our Your Shot community. Using a large aperture and a relatively slow shutter speed, Pinnick waited for the waves to crash in front of him while also breaking in the background at this site near the resort village of Umhlanga Rocks in Durban, South Africa. “This was a shoot I had been looking forward to for months,” he writes.

Hanging On
Photograph by Valtteri Murto, National Geographic Your Shot

“I’m an airline pilot interested in both urban decay and aviation history,” writes Your Shot member Valtteri Murto, who captured this picture during a day off spent photographing parts of Brooklyn. “I came to Floyd Bennett Field out of pure curiosity, and after noticing these hangars, I just couldn’t keep myself away,” he writes. Though it was a sunny day in March, recent rains had left large puddles that caught reflections like this one. “I had to dodge falling pieces of aluminium plating,” Murto adds. “The hangars are in a state of serious decay, and roof panels and debris were blown across by gusty wind.”

Tasty
Photograph by Rob Daugherty, National Geographic Your Shot

While visiting Alaska’s Lake Clark National Park, Your Shot member Rob Daugherty planned to photograph coastal brown bears. He saw 21 bears on the first day alone. He came across this one about two hours into a boat ride on Crescent Lake. “He had just finished eating a salmon,” Daugherty writes. “It was an epic moment to photograph him as he licked his fishy, post-meal chops.”

Kallur Lighthouse
Photograph by Grégoire Sieuw, National Geographic Your Shot

From a northern promontory on the Faroe island of Kalsoy, the Kallur lighthouse boasts a panoramic view of the sea and neighboring islands. About a hundred people inhabit four villages on remote Kalsoy, one of 18 islands making up the North Atlantic archipelago.