Photo of the Day: Best of April 2009

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Havasu Creek Waterfall, Arizona

Photograph by Suzanne Mathia

Nestled 3,000 feet [900 meters] deep into Havasu Canyon lies the land of the Havasupai. The native Indians are named for the area, the people of the Blue Green. The area is known around the world for its blue waters and spectacular waterfalls. Havasu Creek, a year-round stream with incredible aquamarine water, flows by the village and descends another 1,400 feet [425 meters], passing over five waterfalls. Navajo Falls is the most secluded and is considered by many to be one of the most beautiful places on Earth.

This photo and caption were submitted to My Shot. Create and share albums, puzzles, and games with your photos in our My Shot community.

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Porcupine Mountains Waterfall, Michigan

Photograph by Gowtham

This is the result of a ten-second exposure on a breezy evening from a suspension bridge in Upper Michigan's Porcupine Mountains. Thankfully, no one was around the bridge to induce camera shake. At the end of it all, it was very, very satisfying and yes, ten seconds—often a minuscule amount of time in our daily standards—did feel like eternity.

This photo and caption were submitted to Your Shot. Have a great shot? Send it to us for possible publication in National Geographic magazine.

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Swans in Flight, Washington

Photograph by Mike McElroy

This lucky picture of swans was taken while out taking photos of other wildlife on Leque Island in Stanwood, Washington.

This photo and caption were submitted to Your Shot. Have a great shot? Send it to us for possible publication in National Geographic magazine.

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Polar Bear, Svalbard, Norway

Photograph by Paul Nicklen

In Svalbard, Norway's Arctic archipelago, a camera trap catches a polar bear looking out of place on bare brown soil.

See more photographs from the April 2009 National Geographic feature story "Svalbard."

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Humpback Whales in Sunlit Water, Tahiti

Photograph by Jody MacDonald

When you swim with humpback whales it's not their size that overwhelms you but their beauty. You want to stay in that moment forever. These three humpbacks came over to me to check me out. They put on a beautiful dancing display that makes your heart stop and you wish for the moment to never end. When they were done ten minutes later they took off but left me with amazing memories. Tahiti, French Polynesia.

This photo and caption were submitted to the 2008 International Photo Contest. See photo galleries, play jigsaw puzzles, and download wallpaper of images from more than 105,000 submissions.

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Tube Anemone, Bali

Photograph by Tara Noble Singh

This large tube anemone, photographed in Tulamben, Bali, stood high off the black-sand bottom, allowing me to shoot its spectacular tentacles from below and capture its graceful movement. The flashlight highlighted the anemone’s dazzling luminance, while the setting sun added a sense of atmosphere.

This photo and caption were submitted to the 2008 International Photo Contest. See photo galleries, play jigsaw puzzles, and download wallpaper of images from more than 105,000 submissions.

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Clouds Near Mount Everest

Photograph by Thomas Chudalla

This photo was taken on the way to Everest Base Camp.

This photo and caption were submitted to My Shot. Create and share albums, puzzles, and games with your photos in our My Shot community.

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Gray Reef Sharks, Kingman Reef

Photograph by Brian Skerry

Gray reef sharks and red snappers hover above a patch of table coral, waiting for prey fish to emerge. "They go after everything that moves," observed Enric Sala, a marine ecologist on Spain's National Council for Scientific Research and a National Geographic fellow. Because of their abundance and the resulting competition for food, the sharks and snappers at Kingman Reef, Sala said, "are always on the verge of hunger." Kingman Reef is part of a chain of Pacific atolls and islands (called the Line Islands) that straddles the Equator south of Hawaii.

See more photographs from the July 2008 National Geographic feature story "An Uneasy Eden."

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Giraffes at Sunset, Kenya

Photograph by Randy Crossley

After a safari in the Masai Mara Park we were racing back to our camp trying to get home before sunset. No one is allowed out in the park after dark. When I saw this photo op I had to convince our driver to stop just for a second so I could take this one picture. It was worth the risk of a fine for being out after sunset but fortunately we made it back in time.

This photo and caption were submitted to the 2008 International Photo Contest. See photo galleries, play jigsaw puzzles, and download wallpaper of images from more than 105,000 submissions.