National Geographic Photos of the Day (Selects from May | June)

MAY 8, 2014

Birds of Bharatpur

Photograph by Sreekumar Krishnan, National Geographic Your Shot

"The Keoladeo Bird Sanctuary in Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India, is approximately 11 square miles" says Your Shot contributor Sreekumar Krishnan. "It sees the migratory bird influx in late September, and by the time summer hits the area, you'll see considerably fewer birds there."

Krishnan describes the sanctuary as magical, mystical, and magnificently maintained. "Little lakes are created and there are walkways in between," he says. "Generally one walks around the lakes but having seen this huge flock of nearly a hundred birds, my feet carried me on a walkway to the center of the lake to be with them. I was particularly attracted to the glossy ibis among all the white cranes and egrets. I crouched in the slush, trying hard not to slip, and edged closer and closer. It took close to 20 minutes to get the shot I wanted, and the dreamy air of the sanctuary and its mystical birds contributed largely to this shot.

MAY 14, 2014

Tree Pose

Photograph by Mohn Khorshid

"A short-eared owl is in stretching and relaxing mode in a Kuwait natural reserve," says Mohn Khorshid, who submitted this photo to the National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest. The picture was featured in the Spontaneous Moments gallery compiled by our editors.

This photo was submitted to the 2014 National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest.

MAY 15, 2014

Huffing Puffins

Photograph by Danny Green, National Geographic

Dueling puffins flare their wings and part their beaks in a muddy tussle on Skomer Island, Wales. Most puffin fights start over competing claims to a burrow. A bite to the neck usually settles the issue.

See more pictures from the June 2014 feature story “Puffin Therapy.”

MAY 17, 2014

Box Life

Photograph by Norbert Well

There's nowhere to see but up in this photo of Hong Kong, taken by Norbert Well and submitted to the 2014National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest. "Living in a box is living in Hong Kong," he says.

This photo and caption were submitted to the 2014 National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest.

MAY 22, 2014

Twin Beauties

Photograph by Muhammad Mochtar, National Geographic Your Shot

Pale butterflies mirror each other on a stalk in this macro image submitted by Muhammad Mochtar, a member of our Your Shot photo community.

MAY 25, 2014

Aerial Geometry

Photograph by Ralitsa Byalkova, National Geographic Your Shot

Paused for a moment in the rain, two pedestrians create a striking scene captured from above. This picture was taken near Milan Cathedral in Italy.

MAY 27, 2014

Cathedral Cove

Photograph by Chris Gin

Sunrise lights up Cathedral Cove, an iconic spot near Hahei, New Zealand. The natural tunnel is part of the Te Whanganui-a-Hei Marine Reserve on the Coromandel Peninsula. It also served as a portal to Narnia in The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.

MAY 31, 2014

Underwater Park

Photograph by Marc Henauer

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.

JUNE 3, 2014

Temple Talk

Photograph by Réhahn Croquevielle, National Geographic Your Shot

Symmetrical architecture serves a conversation at a temple in Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan, India.

JUNE 6, 2014

Where the Antelope Play

Photograph by Chris Schmid, National Geographic Your Shot

"We were driving around the Savute plains in northern Botswana, searching for a group of lions that had killed a very young female impala a few minutes before," writes Your Shot member Chris Schmid. "After [we'd been] observing the lions, a group of impalas got my attention. A young male was jumping around just a few meters away from the lions that had just killed one of its kind. The contrast between life and death made this moment unique. The other impalas were observing the lions, but this young male didn't care one bit about them. He was just enjoying being alive."

Schmid's picture recently appeared in Your Shot’s Daily Dozen.

JUNE 8, 2014

Light in the Afternoon

Photograph by John Bragg

"The town of St. Magdalena, Italy, sits at the base of the Dolomite mountain range, with an amazingly beautiful view during the afternoon hours," writes photographer John Bragg.

JUNE 9, 2014

Dive Sight

Photograph by Matt Lasky, National Geographic Your Shot

"I was diving off a live-aboard dive boat named Febrina in the Vitu Islands in West New Britain, Papua New Guinea," writes Your Shot member Matt Lasky. "We were diving our second of five dives for the day and found this friendly turtle at about 22 meters [72 feet] that was happily swimming around the divers, checking us out. There was a large school of jacks closer to the surface, and I was fortunate enough to be below the turtle and see the jacks swimming in the opposite direction."

JUNE 12, 2014

Warm and Fuzzy

Photograph by John Halvorson, National Geographic Your Shot

A cygnet peers out from its mother's wing at a local pond in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. According to Your Shot member John Halvorson, the adult swans arrived in February, during an unusually bad winter. "I followed them daily through the mating cycle and the nest building," he says. "When we had a brutal series of ice storms and there was little for them to eat I took them cracked corn. I became a trusted friend, so when the chicks hatched I was allowed to sit close by and photograph the adults and the newly hatched chicks. I stop by frequently to check on them. Of six eggs, four hatched, and today only two survive. They are beautiful birds."

JUNE 17, 2014

Falling Water

Photograph by Peter Lik

"The shafts of light in [this] canyon [were] one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen," says Peter Lik, who took this photo in the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon and submitted it photo to the National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest. "It was a surreal feeling being surrounded by the towering cliffs. The only way I could capture this special moment of weeping walls was after an incredibly torrential rain. I knew I had to get to a shallow portion of the river to unfold my tripod. I was drenched from head to toe by the falling water. Mist and rain covered the camera, but I fired a few shots. As I stood in awe of the scene, the sun broke through for a few seconds and cast God’s rays into the side-lit waterfall."

JUNE 29, 2014

Marmot Watch

Photograph by Sebastian Wahlhuetter, National Geographic Your Shot

“This photo was taken during a 100-kilometer [62-mile] trekking trip in Ladakh, India, at an altitude of 4,500 meters [14,763 feet]," writes Your Shot member Sebastian Wahlhuetter. "I was at Lake Tso Kar, one of the highest saltwater lakes on Earth. I [had been] watching the marmots for a couple of days, and I was wondering if I might be able to get a close-up shot from a very short distance, covering not only the animal but also the stunning environment these creatures were living in. It took me one desperate evening and a very successful morning for the final outcome. With literally hundreds of holes it was quite a task of observation to figure out where these animals would eventually appear next."

all photos and text from NationalGeographic.com