Picture of the Day: Indian Sunrise

 

INDIAN SUNRISE

 

Photograph by ram reddy/rammorrison Flickr

 

This beautiful sunrise capture (taken on Jan. 1, 2010) by rammorrison was taken in Kodaikanal, a city in the hills of Tamil Nadu, India. Kodaikanal’s name in Tamil means, “the gift of the forest”. Established in 1845, the city has a long history as a retreat and popular tourist destination. Much of the local economy is based on tourism. [source]

Kodaikanal sits on a plateau above the southern escarpment of the upper Palani Hills at 2,133 metres (6,998 ft), between the Parappar and Gundar Valleys. These hills form the eastward spur of the Western Ghats on the Western side of South India. [source]

 

via Ram Reddy/rammorrison Flickr

 

 

Picture of the Day: San Francisco Fogginess

 

SAN FRANCISCO FOGGINESS

 

Photograph by Michael Bennett

 

In this beautiful sunrise capture, we see the Golden Gate Bridge enshrouded in fog. Interestingly, fog is so prevalent in San Francisco the weather phenomenon even has its own Wikipedia entry! The article explains in detail how the combination of Pacific Ocean moisture, prevailing winds and the large ‘coastal gap’ at the entrance to the San Francisco Bay all contribute to the San Francisco Fog.

The photo, taken by Michael Bennett, is one of the featured images in National Geographic Travel’s Your Shot: Golden Hour gallery. The gallery represents the best ‘Golden Hour’ images from the National Geographic Your Shot photo community.

To submit your own photo, check out Your Shot to learn how.

 

via National Geographic Travel’s Your Shot: Golden Hour gallery

 

 

Picture of the Day: The Sky Shadow

 

THE SKY SHADOW

 

Photograph by runrgrl on reddit

 

In this beautiful sunrise capture we see Washington’s Mount Rainier casting an upward shadow towards the sky. The photo was posted by redditor runrgrl, who says the image was taken from Fox Island, near Gig Harbor. The body of water in the foreground is Hale Passage.

The ‘sky shadow’ phenomenon occurs when the sun rises further to the south and Mt Rainier can block the first rays of the morning. Mount Rainier is a stratovolcano located 54 miles (87 km) southeast of Seattle. It is the most topographically prominent mountain in the contiguous United States with a summit elevation of 14,411 ft (4,392 m).

Mt. Rainier is considered one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world, and it is on the Decade Volcano list. Because of its large amount of glacial ice, Mt. Rainier could potentially produce massive lahars (a type of mudflow or debris flow composed of a slurry of pyroclastic material, rocky debris, and water) that would threaten the whole Puyallup River valley. [Source]

 

via runrgrl on reddit

 

 

Picture of the Day: Mountain Shadows

 

MOUNTAIN SHADOWS

 

Photograph by SCOTT HOTALING
Website | Flickr | Facebook | Prints available

 

Seen here is the triangular shadow cast by Mount Hood in northern Oregon, USA. The photo was taken by Scott Hotaling who made the ascent from the south side during pre-dawn hours.

As for why a jagged mountain casts a perfectly triangular shadow, APOD explains:

“The triangle shadow phenomena is commonly seen from the tops of other large mountains and volcanoes. A key reason is that the observer is looking down the long corridor of a sunrise (or sunset) shadow that extends to the horizon. Even if the huge volcano were a perfect cube and the resulting shadow were a long rectangular box, that box would appear to taper off at its top as its shadow extended far into the distance, just as parallel train tracks do.”

 

Mount Hood is a stratovolcano located about 50 miles (80 km) east-southeast of Portland. In addition to being Oregon’s highest mountain, it is one of the loftiest mountains in the nation based on its prominence (the height of a mountain’s summit by the vertical distance between it and the lowest contour line encircling it). According to the US National Geodetic Survey (NGS) Mount Hood is 11,249 feet (3,429 m) tall. The peak is home to 12 named glaciers and snowfields. [Source]

 

via Scott Hotaling on Flickr

 

 

Picture of the Day: The Water Vortex

 

THE WATER VORTEX

 

Photograph by MANUEL M. ALMEIDA
Website | Flickr | 500px | Twitter | Tumblr | Google+

 

In this striking sunrise photograph by Manuel M. Almedia we see the Bufadero de la Garita in Telde, Gran Canaria in Spain’s Canary Islands. According to VisitCanaryIslands.org, the phenomenon comes from a ‘complex of basalt prismatic figures that have an underwater hollowness made by a volcanic tube which successively expels the water trapped inside, reaching a considerable height’.

This is the final shot of three pictures taken by Almeida showing this fascinating location. In the other photos you can see both the water rushing in and the water being expelled as outlined above. Although I’m unsure how deep this chasm actually is, the sight of ocean water gushing in to fill a large hole is truly a spectacle that would be exciting to experience and photograph!

 

via Manuel M. Almeida on 500px

 

 

Picture of the Day: A Triangular Volcano Shadow

 

A TRIANGULAR VOLCANO SHADOW

 

Photograph by Juan Carlos Casado (TWAN)

 

Seen here is the triangular shadow cast by Mount Teide, a volcano on Tenerife in the Canary Islands. With a summit of 3,718-metre (12,198 ft) it is the highest point in Spain and the highest point above sea level in the islands of the Atlantic. At 7,500 m (24,600 ft) from its base on the ocean floor, it is the third highest volcano in the world, after Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa in Hawaii. Its elevation makes Tenerife the tenth highest island in the world.

As for why the shadow looks like a triangle when Mount Teide itself does not have a strictly pyramidal shape, APOD explains:

“The triangle shadow phenomena is not unique to the Mt. Teide and is commonly seen from the tops of other large mountains and volcanoes. A key reason for the strange dark shape is that the observer is looking down the long corridor of a sunset (or sunrise) shadow that extends to the horizon. Even if the huge volcano were a perfect cube and the resulting shadow were a long rectangular box, that box would appear to taper off at its top as its shadow extended far into the distance, just as parallel train tracks do.”

 

The volcano and its surroundings comprise Teide National Park, which has an area of 18,900 hectares (73 sq mi) and was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO on June 29, 2007. It is one of the most visited National Parks in the world, with a total of 2.8 million visitors. [Source]

The World At Night (TWAN) is an international effort to present stunning nightscape photos and time-lapse videos of the world’s landmarks against celestial attractions. The eternally peaceful night sky looks the same above symbols of all nations and regions, attesting to the truly unified nature of Earth as a planet rather than an amalgam of human-designated territories.

 

via NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day: 2011 July 5

 

 

 

America the Beautiful: 50 States in 50 Photos

 

At 3.79 million square miles (9.83 million km2) and approximately 315 million people, the United States is the third largest country by land area and population. With fifty states (48 contiguous) and a special district, the United States is an extremely diverse country in both geography and climate.

Below we celebrate the beautiful natural landscapes of this diverse country. One photograph for every state. These are by no means, intended to be wholly ‘representative’ of each state, just a simple list to appreciate the natural beauty of one of the largest countries in the world 🙂

 

Alabama
Monte Sano State Park

Photograph by Wes Thomas (BamaWester on Flickr)

 

 

Alaska
Mount McKinley/Denali

Photograph by bimiers2 on Flickr

 

 

Arizona
Horseshoe Bend, Colorado River

Photograph by Luca Galuzzi | www.galuzzi.it

 

 

Arkansas
Hawksbill Crag/Whitaker Point, Ozark Mountains

Photograph by Jeff Rose/Jeka World Photography | Website | Facebook |

 

 

California
Yosemite National Park

Photograph by David Kingham

 

 

Colorado
Maroon Bells, Elk Mountains

Photograph by Alistair Nicol

 

 

Connecticut
Young’s Pond, Branford

Photograph by slack12 on Flickr

 

 

Delaware
Port Mahon

Photograph by Jeffrey on Flickr

 

 

Florida
Florida Trail, Big Cypress National Preserve

Photograph by Brian Koprowski

 

 

Georgia
Wormsloe Historic Site, Savannah

Photograph by Trey Ratcliff | Stuck in Customs

 

 

Hawaii
Waipio Valley, Big Island

Photograph by Paul Bica

 

 

Idaho
Little Redfish Lake, Sawtooth National Recreation Area

Photograph by Charles Knowles

 

 

Illinois
North Blackjack Road, Galena

Photograph by ταηjεεr on Flickr

 

 

Indiana
Cub Lake, Merry Lea Environmental Center

Photograph by David Cornwell

 

 

Iowa
Clayton County

Photograph by Todd Ehlers

 

 

Kansas
Cimarron National Grassland, Morton County

Photograph by BlackburnPhoto on Flickr

 

 

Kentucky
Indian Fort Mountain, Berea

Photograph by Jim (code poet on Flickr)

 

 

Louisiana
Oak Alley Plantation, Vacherie

Photograph by Prayitno on Flickr

 

 

Maine
Portland Head Light, Cape Elizabeth

Photograph by Kay Gaensler | ensler.de

 

 

Maryland
Route 40 – Exit 52, East of Cumberland

Photograph by Nancy Frost

 

 

Massachusetts
Houghtonville, North Adams

Photograph by Kae Gaensler | ensler.de

 

 

Michigan
Lake of the Clouds, Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park

Photograph by James Marvin Phelps

 

 

Minnesota
Minnehaha Falls, Minneapolis

Photograph by Todd Kehrberg

 

 

Mississippi
Sam D. Hamilton Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge

Photograph by Roger Smith

 

 

Missouri
Lake Taneycomo, Table Rock

Photograph by Drew Bandy | Facebook

 

 

Montana
Glacier National Park

Photograph by Trey Ratcliff | Stuck in Customs

 

 

Nebraska
Ashfall Fossil Beds State Historical Park, Royal

Photograph by Rich on Flickr

 

 

Nevada
Valley Of Fire State Park

Photograph by James Marvin Phelps

 

 

New Hampshire
White Mountains, Rockywold, Holderness

Photograph by Ben Ferenchak | benjaminleephoto.com

 

 

New Jersey
Silver Spray Falls, Walpack Township, Sussex County

Photograph by Nicholas A. Tonelli

 

 

New Mexico
Manzano Mountains, Southeast of Albuquerque

Photograph by Doug Aghassi

 

 

New York
Central Park, New York City

Photograph by Christopher Schoenbohm | Lost Man Project

 

 

North Carolina
Smoky Mountains, Suttontown

Photograph by Kay Gaensler | ensler.de

 

 

North Dakota
Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Photograph by the.waterbird on Flickr

 

 

Ohio
Ash Cave, Hocking Hills State Park

Photograph by Bryan Olesen on Flickr

 

 

Oklahoma
Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, Lawton

Photograph by Daniel James

 

 

Oregon
Lower Kentucky Falls

Photograph by Loren Kerns

 

 

Pennsylvania
Pine Creek Gorge, Tioga County

Photograph by Nicholas A. Tonelli

 

 

Rhode Island
Portsmouth, Newport County

Photograph by RawheaD Rex on Flickr

 

 

South Carolina
Landsford Canal State Park

Photograph by Ken Fager

 

 

South Dakota
Badlands National Park

Photograph by Keith Cuddeback | Essence in Photography

 

 

Tennessee
Mt. Cammerer, Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Photograph by Michael Hicks

 

 

Texas
Hamilton Pool Nature Preserve, Southwest of Austin

Photograph by Dave Wilson

 

 

Utah
Thor’s Hammer, Bryce Canyon National Park

Photograph by Luca Galuzzi | www.galuzzi.it

 

 

Vermont
Peacham, Caledonia County

Photograph by Susan Cole Kelly

 

 

Virginia
Pembroke, Giles County

Photograph by Dmitry Lyakhov

 

 

Washington
Tipsoo Meadow, Pierce County

Photograph by Michael Bohlander

 

 

Washington D.C.
Monumental Core

Photograph by Michael Huey

 

 

West Virginia
Hawks Nest Bridge, Macdougal

Photograph by VaMedia on Flickr

 

 

Wisconsin
Gibraltar Rock, Okee

Photograph by Ron Wiecki

 

 

Wyoming
John Moulton Barn, Mormon Row, Grand Teton National Park

Photograph by Jon Sullivan

 

 

 

 

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Picture of the Day: Sunrise in the Cinque Terre

 

SUNRISE IN THE CINQUE TERRE

 

Photograph by JAMES BRANDON | Prints available

 

In this stunning sunrise capture by James Brandon, we see the village of Riomaggiore in the famous Cinque Terre region of Italy. Brandon recalls:

“Out of the five little villages in the Cinque Terre, Riomaggiore is probably the most quaint as well as the most dramatic. This image was made at sunrise and was manually blended together from three separate exposures. A quick exposure for the sky, a long exposure for the town to capture the starbursts in the light sources and another quick exposure to freeze the boats in place in the water.”

 

Riomaggiore is a village in the province of La Spezia. It is the first of the Cinque Terre and the most southern of the five villages which are all connected by trail.

The Cinque Terre is a rugged portion of coast on the Italian Riviera. It is in the Liguria region of Italy. “The Five Lands” is composed of five villages: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. The coastline, the five villages, and the surrounding hillsides are all part of the Cinque Terre National Park and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. [Source]

You can see more of James’ fantastic photography on his website, Twitter and Google+. James has also recently published an eBook for photographers entitled, Tack Sharp. It provides techniques and tricks to help you get consistently sharp images.

If you use the discount code SIFTER you will get a $2 discount and Tack Sharp can be yours for $7.97

 

via James Brandon Photography @ james-brandon.com

 

 

 

Picture of the Day: Flyby Eclipse

 

FLYBY ECLIPSE

 

Photograph by PHILLIP CALAIS

 

In this perfectly timed capture by Phillip Calais, we see an airplane flying by a partial solar eclipse. Selected as NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day for May 13, Calais remarked:

“It was just eight minutes after sunrise, last week, and already there were four things in front of the Sun. The largest and most notable was Earth’s Moon, obscuring a big chunk of the Sun’s lower limb as it moved across the solar disk, as viewed from Fremantle, Australia. This was expected as the image was taken during a partial solar eclipse — an eclipse that left sunlight streaming around all sides of the Moon from some locations.
 
Next, a band of clouds divided the Sun horizontally while showing interesting internal structure vertically. The third intervening body might be considered to be the Earth’s atmosphere, as it dimmed the Sun from its higher altitude brightness while density fluctuations caused the Sun’s edges to appear to shimmer”

 

via NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day

 

 

 

Picture of the Day: Sunrise from Space

 

SUNRISE FROM SPACE

 

Photograph by NASA

 

In this beautiful capture, the sun is about to come up over the South Pacific Ocean. The colorful scene was photographed by one of the Expedition 35 crew members aboard the Earth-orbiting International Space Station between 4 and 5 a.m. local time, May 5, 2013.

The outpost was at a point above Earth located at 27.4 degrees south latitude and 110.1 degrees west longitude, a few hundred miles east of Easter Island.

 

via NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center on Flickr