Citroen, Vietnam

Photograph by Loren Klein

This Month in Photo of the Day: Travel Photos
French Citroen car in the beautiful mountain town of Dalat, Vietnam
This photo and caption were submitted to the 2013 National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest. Have photos of your own travels you would like to submit? Enter today!

Orda Cave, Russia

Photograph by Viktor Lyagushkin

This Month in Photo of the Day: Travel Photos
A diver swims through Orda Cave in Russia.
This photo and caption were submitted to the 2013 National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest. Have photos of your own travels you would like to submit? Enter today!

Musicians, New Orleans

Photograph by Robert Davies

This Month in Photo of the Day: Travel Photos
On our last walk around the French Quarter before heading home we came across this band setting up on Royal Street. We were able to hear a few songs and snap a few shots before rushing off to the airport.
This photo and caption were submitted to the 2013 National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest. Have photos of your own travels you would like to submit? Enter today!

Bathers, India

Photograph by Santu Mondal, National Geographic Your Shot

This Month in Photo of the Day: Travel Photos
This shot was taken from a bridge. I found them bathing in the Mayurakshi River in West Bengal, India.
This photo and caption were submitted to Your Shot. Check out the new and improved website, where you can share and connect with fellow photographers from around the globe.

Simon's cat

Crinoid, New Caledonia

Photograph by Rodolphe Holler, Your Shot

This Month in Photo of the Day: The Stories Behind Your Shots
My home is Tahiti and I am a dive guide working on board private megayachts, joining my clients anywhere in the world for unique dive experiences. I was cruising New Caledonia with one of my clients, around the small Loyalty island of Ouvea. While we were diving over a beautiful untouched reef, I noticed this crinoid in the distance because of its unusual colors. When I got closer, I realized the high photo potential of this beautiful creature. Sea feathers are quite common around New Caledonia, but it was the only time I had come across this amazing, colorful specimen. —Rodolphe Holler

Berlin, Germany

This Month in Photo of the Day: The Stories Behind Your Shots

I was waiting for the train at Schlesisches Tor station in Kreuzberg, a predominantly Turkish neighborhood in Berlin, when I noticed people passing by below the train platform. I aimed my camera down at the cobblestones and waited a while for some interesting action. I must have shot 30 stills before this woman came walking through the frame. I missed my train but got this shot. —Gunnar Heidar

Pair : Cheetahs

Photograph by Mauro Mozzarelli, My Shot

Most wild cheetahs are found in eastern and southwestern Africa. Perhaps only 12,000 of these big cats remain, and those are under pressure as the wide-open grasslands they favor are disappearing at the hands of human settlers.

Pair : Polar Bear Cubs

Photograph by Mauro Mozzarelli, My Shot

These two polar bear cubs are playing close to our Tundra Buggy in Canada's Wapusk National Park.

Pair : Raccoons

Photograph by Terri Moore, My Shot

We found these two raccoons in our backyard, no mom around. They both seemed to look kind of curious, and kind of nervous. My daughter said she likes this picture because the outline of their bodies makes the outline of a heart.

Pair : Sea Lions

Photograph by Joanne Lembeck, My Shot

A sea lion gives what appears to be a kiss to her newborn in the Galápagos Islands.

Pair : Owls

Photograph by Irawan Subingar, My Shot

These two owlets are known as Sunda scops (Otus lempiji). They had just hatched from their eggs a few weeks before this photo was taken.

Pair : Alpacas

Photograph by Joseph Rescinito, My Shot

A baby alpaca displays some affection with her mother.

Mother's Love : Bottlenose Dolphin and Calf

Photograph by Augusto Stanzani/ardea.com

A mother dolphin may whistle to her calf almost continuously for several days after giving birth. This acoustic imprinting helps the calf learn to identify its mother.
Mother's Love, the first in a new, affordable line of gift books from National Geographic, is a great way to remind ourselves of the universal power of a mother's love.

Mother's Love : Mare and Foal

Photograph by John Daniels/ardea.com

A mare chooses the company her newborn keeps. Older siblings and trusted humans may approach, but she wards off all others.
Mother's Love, the first in a new, affordable line of gift books from National Geographic, is a great way to remind ourselves of the universal power of a mother's love.

Mother's Love : Giraffe and Calf

Photograph by Craig W. Walsh/iStockphoto.com

Giraffe mothers give birth on their feet—and their newborns drop six feet to the ground, headfirst. The fall actually helps them take first breaths.
Mother's Love, the first in a new, affordable line of gift books from National Geographic, is a great way to remind ourselves of the universal power of a mother's love.

Mother's Love : Japanese Macaque and Infant

Photograph by Tim Laman

Japanese macaques can convey ideas to one another and pass skills down, generation to generation. The macaques, also called snow monkeys, have humanlike faces that can show a lot of emotion. They live in northern Japan, where it gets very cold, so they grow heavy fur coats in the winter to keep them warm.
Mother's Love, the first in a new, affordable line of gift books from National Geographic, is a great way to remind ourselves of the universal power of a mother's love.

Mother's Love : Otter and Pup

Photograph by Lynn M. Stone

Newborn sea otters can float, but they can't swim. Mothers balance them on their stomachs.
Mother's Love, the first in a new, affordable line of gift books from National Geographic, is a great way to remind ourselves of the universal power of a mother's love.

Mother's Love : Dog and Puppies

Photograph by Stanislav Duben/Shutterstock

Mother dogs lick their newborn pups clean, biting off each umbilical cord—an essential step in the bonding process.
Mother's Love, the first in a new, affordable line of gift books from National Geographic, is a great way to remind ourselves of the universal power of a mother's love.

Mother's Love :Pig and Piglet

Photograph by Craig W. Walsh/iStockphoto.com

A dominant mother pig typically gives birth to more male piglets than subordinate sows.
Mother's Love, the first in a new, affordable line of gift books from National Geographic, is a great way to remind ourselves of the universal power of a mother's love.

other's Love :Cat and Kittens

 

Photograph by Orphan Cam/Shutterstock

Born blind and deaf, kittens depend on their mother's sense of sight and hearing, navigating the world by touch, taste, and smell for the first three weeks of life.
Mother's Love, the first in a new, affordable line of gift books from National Geographic, is a great way to remind ourselves of the universal power of a mother's love.

other's Love :Duck and Ducklings

 

Photograph by lozan365/iStockphoto.com

A duck and her ducklings walk along a riverbank. Ducklings believe that the first thing they see is their mother.
Mother's Love, the first in a new, affordable line of gift books from National Geographic, is a great way to remind ourselves of the universal power of a mother's love.

Mount Errigal, Ireland

Photograph by Derek Smyth, Your Shot

This Month in Photo of the Day: The Stories Behind Your Shots
While en route to another photo assignment I was drawn to this perfect reflection of Mount Errigal in the clear still water of Dunlewey Lough. I quickly set up my tripod and worked on getting this composition using the small bushes to break up the foreground. Mount Errigal is in County Donegal, Ireland. —Derek Smyth
This photo was submitted to Your Shot. Check out the new and improved website, where you can share and connect with fellow photographers from around the globe.

Patagonia, Chile

 

Photograph by Feliciano Ripa, Your Shot

This Month in Photo of the Day: The Stories Behind Your Shots
I took this photo in Villa O'Higgins, a remote town in southern Chile, during my bicycle trip through Patagonia. I arrived at this place after I had been riding my bicycle for two weeks. At the end of an exhausting day I went for a stroll and came across a lookout. As a storm was developing, I saw a beam of light breaking through the clouds. It only lasted for a few seconds, but it was a peaceful and magical moment. —Feliciano Ripa
This photo was submitted to Your Shot. Check out the new and improved website, where you can share and connect with fellow photographers from around the globe.

Red Fox, Canada

Photograph by Todd Mintz, My Shot

This Month in Photo of the Day: The Stories Behind Your Shots
Heading to the Canadian Arctic on the shores of the Hudson Bay in Manitoba, Canada, I had one day in Churchill before we would catch a small plane to the remote cabins on the tundra to photograph polar bears. A friend and I borrowed a local truck and toured around the Churchill area looking at the historic sites and watching for polar bears. As we drove past the massive grain terminal I spotted this hybrid red fox hunting among the piping. He paused, very comfortable with our presence, and posed for me—as interested in us as we were in it. —Todd Mintz

Surfer, Australia

Photograph by Alex Coppel, My Shot

This Month in Photo of the Day: The Stories Behind Your Shots
During my summer holidays I spend a few weeks at a beach house on the South Coast of New South Wales in Australia. I am a professional photographer but have a real love affair with underwater imagery, so I look forward to this time of year. Instead of shooting the surfers above the water on the waves I would allow them to fly past me underwater, just to see them passing through the wave as it breaks. Sometimes they come a little too close …

Sadhu, India

Photograph by Massimiliano Sticca, My Shot

This Month in Photo of the Day: The Stories Behind Your Shots
This photo of a sadhu was taken in Allahabad at Maha Kumbh Mela 2013. I was walking along a road in Kumbh when I saw the bike and sadhu near the tent. I stopped walking and waited. The sadhu left the tent and went near the motorbike. I took a step forward to get closer to the subject (I was taking the photo with a 14-24mm very wide optic) and I took the photo. The sadhu realized what happened only when the photo was taken, maybe for the best since I was able to catch his expression in a better way.
After I took the photo, he asked me to come closer to show him the pictures. I did that and he blessed me. It was a nice experience. I prefer to shoot people only after interacting. Just in a few cases, like with the sadhu and motorbike, I preferred to shoot without asking. —Massimiliano Sticca

Tokai Forest, South Africa

Photograph by Penny R. Robartes, Your Shot

This Month in Photo of the Day: The Stories Behind Your Shots
I woke up early to go take some photos of a haunted mansion in Tokai in Cape Town. I got lost down a dirt road of sorts and noticed how gorgeous the heavy mist looked as it hung low over Tokai forest. I went into the forest and was taking photographs when I saw a crow in the tree about to take off, so I aimed my camera to where I thought the crow would fly and captured it when it came into my frame. —Penny R. Robartes

Canal, Venice

Photograph by Wilmot David, My Shot

This Month in Photo of the Day: The Stories Behind Your Shots
The bridges and canals of Venice at first light. The alleyways and canals can be a photographer's dream. As morning light arrived before the hustle and bustle of the crowds, I captured the colors and reflections of this enchanting city near Campo Santa Maria Formosa. —Wilmot David

Garden, Cape Town

Photograph by Albena Willuweit, My Shot

This Month in Photo of the Day: The Stories Behind Your Shots
What inspired me to take this photograph was the light. As an artist (and enthusiastic photographer) I have always been fascinated by the warm, golden, late-afternoon light. During the spontaneous moment when I took the photograph, the light was reflecting off the surface of the lush plants and the water droplets (from the irrigation system), causing everything to shimmer. I chose a high shutter speed and a low angle of view, isolating the plants and water droplets against the plain, dark background of the tarred road.
The photo was taken in my home’s backyard, Cape Town, South Africa. —Albena Willuweit

Penguin, South Georgia Island

Photograph by Max Seigal, My Shot

This Month in Photo of the Day: The Stories Behind Your Shots
It was 5 a.m. and we had just landed on the shore of South Georgia to catch the sunrise. It was cloudy and overcast, which presented the perfect opportunity for me to shoot some long exposures. At first I experimented with standing out in the water and photographing the crashing waves contrasted with the penguins on shore, but the waves were moving my tripod too much to get a stable shot. I realized I would need to be on shore, where I could get a steady shot, but I still wanted to include the water in my photo. I looked over and saw this lone penguin just at the water's edge. I quickly aimed and took this long-exposure shot, and moments after the shutter clicked the penguin looked up and walked off. Even though the sky didn't glow orange that morning due to overcast conditions, I still walked away very pleased with shooting in wonderful conditions that allowed me to capture this image. —Max Seigal

Sunset, South Africa

Photograph by Giampiero Torello, Your Shot

This Month in Photo of the Day: The Stories Behind Your Shots
In the southern summer of 2012, I spent some weeks for work in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, together with my wife, and we used to take long walks on the beaches around the city in our spare time. One evening we came to a beach called Maitland, a large stretch of sand dunes.
I took a few photographs of the beach while a light wind was moving the sand and the sky was getting cloudy. Gradually the sea and the sky became first gray and then brown before the sun went down. It lasted just a few minutes, but luckily I had not yet finished the battery of my smartphone! I did nothing to this photograph; I was surprised myself but the sunset really looked like this. —Giampiero Torello

Houses, Mexico

 

 

Photograph by Oscar Ruiz, Your Shot

This Month in Photo of the Day: The Stories Behind Your Shots
A few years ago when I was working as a helicopter pilot for a local radio station, we were required to fly around all of Mexico City chasing news and traffic. I remember flying up to the highway that connects Mexico City with the neighboring state of Puebla, and on my way back this housing complex that seemed to go on forever caught my attention. I decided to circle around to observe from up close what I later found out was the recently built San Buenaventura complex, which is located in Ixtapaluca, on the eastern outskirts of Mexico City.
The exceptional afternoon sun reflecting those thousands of recently painted small homes just looked so beautiful, and the lower I flew the better the angle, so I just got out my camera, opened the sliding window on my Bell helicopter, and snapped a couple of shots. —Oscar Ruiz

Shelf Cloud, Saskatchewan

Photograph by Gunjan Sinha, My Shot

This Month in Photo of the Day: The Stories Behind Your Shots
The day began as any other storm-chasing day in the Canadian Prairies. My girlfriend and I followed this particular storm from its birth and observed as it formed this gorgeous shelf structure eight hours later, at the end of the day. The photo was taken just southeast of Fillmore, Saskatchewan, along Highway 33. I used my Pentax K200D camera with f/5.6, 1/200-second exposure and a basic 55mm lens to capture this unforgettable moment. —Gunjan Sinha

Winter, Bulgaria

Photograph by Juliano Miteff, My Shot

This Month in Photo of the Day: The Stories Behind Your Shots
This is a landscape that I see every day from my terrace in Varna. This is an old playground. I love the silence and quiet that's created by the snow. In other seasons, it is not so beautiful, because kids no longer play there, and it's a little sad. —Juliano Miteff

Great Egret, Florida

 

Photograph by Carol Kay, Your Shot

This Month in Photo of the Day: The Stories Behind Your Shots
This great white egret is often found at this spot on Tampa's beautiful Hillsborough River. It was almost sunset, and we were just taking our kayaks out of the water at the Trout Creek Park boat dock. When I looked up and saw the bird directly across the river in front of this massive old bald cypress, I saw the "perfect" shot and grabbed my camera, a Nikon digital D80. The bluish cast to the water is partly due to the sun having gone almost down and pollen floating on the surface. —Carol Kay
(This photo was submitted to Your Shot.)

True Love: Surprising Photos of Animal Affection : Puppy Love

Photograph by Adam Harnett/Carters News Agency

Nettle, a mother dog, never worried when she needed a break from her pups. A chicken named Mabel was happy to take over as surrogate mom. Brought to live inside a farmhouse in England after a horse stepped on her foot, Mabel would fluff up her feathers, plop down on top of her brood of pups, and tuck them under her body as if they were chicks.

True Love: Surprising Photos of Animal Affection : Real Romantics

Photograph by Klein-Hubert/Kimball Stock

During courtship, mature stallions and mares sniff, nuzzle, nicker, and even nip at each other.

True Love: Surprising Photos of Animal Affection : Aunt Rosie

Photograph by Bill Garvin, courtesy Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park

Affectionately called Aunt Rosie (pictured on the left) by keepers at Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park in Florida, this manatee has taken more than 20 young ones under her flipper, whether they were orphans or simply in need of a babysitter.

True Love: Surprising Photos of Animal Affection : Sibling Love

Photograph by Terri Moore, My Shot

Spending all their time together, raccoon kits never leave the den during the first two months of their lives.

True Love: Surprising Photos of Animal Affection : Wiggles and Her Puppy Family

Photograph by Richard Gwin/Lawrence Journal World

Piglet Wiggles sleeps alongside her puppy brothers and sisters. When Wiggles was born on a farm in Kansas, her owner needed to give her away, so she went to live with a litter of newborn puppies. Wiggles soon adapted to the puppies’ lifestyle, and her new siblings accepted her as part of their family.

True Love: Surprising Photos of Animal Affection : Arctic Love

Photograph by Norbert Rosing/National Geographic Stock

Polar bear moms may nurse their cubs for as long as three years.

True Love: Surprising Photos of Animal Affection : Otter Love

Photograph by Tom and Pat Leeson/ardea.com

Before going hunting off the California coast, this sea otter mother secures her pup in sea kelp to keep him safe while she is away.

True Love: Surprising Photos of Animal Affection : Pig Friends

Photograph by Klein-Hubert/Kimball Stock

Pigs, which have been living side by side with humans for some 9,000 years, cooperate in social groups known as sounders.

True Love: Surprising Photos of Animal Affection :A Mother's Bond

Photograph by Klein-Hubert/Kimball Stock

Mother donkeys and their foals share a strong bond. Foals are weaned when they are about six months old or when the next foal is born.

BABY BABY

Introducing baby Charlotte to the world. 3 weeks old but already sporting a gorgeous head of hair - such a little sweetie!

BUSY BEES

I've been a bit slack posting recently. Have come to the conclusion that there just aren't enough hours in the day and I really do need air conditioning in the office! I have a humongous list of things to do staring at me, although "23. make fancy-dress costume" isn't such a bad thing!

This week we're off to Kumeu Valley Estate and Mangawhai for weddings, which we're really looking forwards to. Inquiries for Dec 09 - April 10 have increased dramatically for us so if you've just started looking for a photographer, don't wait too long before making an inquiry. Happy hunting!

WEDDING TRAVELS

Here are a few shots taken on our wedding travels around New Zealand. We've visited some stunning locations in the past couple of months. A few more to go before the season's over!

RENOVATIONS

This winter I'm looking forwards to doing some more personal work and we've got big plans for renovating our place. We've been collecting home magazines for years and it's about time we got around to putting them to good use. I see us having photographs everywhere but choosing the photos will probably be the hardest task (as one of us has a major case of indecisiveness - guess who!) And we can't just have a wall of cat photos as people will think we're crazy... Bring on the paint and dust sheets! 

 

 

AUCKLAND CITY LANDSCAPE

The extra duvet is on the bed, we've bought a draft stopper and a new blanket so I guess it's now officially coming into Winter. It's time for hot chocolates and roast dinners!