Selected Image/Cover June-July 2018.
The June/July issue of National Geographic Traveler features Takashi’s image of Mt. Fuji. (Photo: Takashi Nakazawa, National Geographic Your Shot)
For just the second time in history, a photograph taken by a member of Your Shot has landed on the cover of National Geographic Traveler‘s cover. The June/July 2018 cover features a magnificent photograph taken in Japan by a member of National Geographic’s global online photo community. Japanese photographer Takashi Nakazawa beat nearly 20,000 other submissions to grace the cover with his beautiful image.
Taken in Arakurayama Sengen Park, Nakazawa used a five-story pagoda and bright cherry blossoms to frame Mt. Fuji in the distance. Nakazawa, as well as 14 other finalists, submitted their work as part of a Your Shot assignment, The Trip that Changed My Life. It was only fitting that Nakazawa selected a photograph featuring Mt. Fuji. The Tokyo-based photographer has been fascinated with the natural landmark since first visiting it seven years ago. Since that time, he’s spent most weekends visiting Mt. Fuji and has amassed an archive of over 70,000 photographs featuring the mountain.
While Nakazawa’s winning image was shot close to home, others traveled long distances for their photographs. For some, the image is a symbol of life changes, for others, the photographs are a way to honor their love of travel and capture local traditions. Curious to learn more? Pick up the June/July 2018 issue of National Geographic Traveler at newsstands on May 29, 2018.
Almost 20,000 images from the Your Shot community were submitted for consideration as the June/July 2018 cover of National Geographic Traveler. Here are the finalists!
‘Yellow devotees’
I captured this photo during the Pattan kadoli village festival. The Vittal Birdev Annual Yatra is celebrated at Pattan Kodoli village in Kolhapur district of Maharashtra attended by thousands of devotees, The festival is celebrated to offer prayers to the community deity of the shepherds, Shri Vittal Birdev, an incarnation of Lord Shiva. (Photo: Dnyaneshwar Vaidya / National Geographic Your Shot)
‘My heart keeper’
It’s hard to see this mountain without any clouds and when it happens, it’s hard to see its reflection in this tarn because even a very light wind can make it disappear. Three years ago this has been the first track Jessica and I had walked on. From that moment and on, we’ve visited many places and we’ve done many things, but here, like last time, we leave a piece of our heart with the promise to come back again one day to take it back! (Photo: Marco Grassi / National Geographic Your Shot)
‘Peaceful life in the mountains & forest’
I was told by local people that this place is most beautiful at dawn, so I had to wake up very early in the morning (at around 4am). This is a very special kind of terraced fields as its shape is similar to a round tray of sticky rice (which is a typical food of ethnic people here). I was very lucky to capture the moment when the ethnic people in their traditional clothes came visit their fields in the morning. (Photo: Hoai Nguyen / National Geographic Your Shot)
Perito Moreno Glacier, Argentina. (Photo: Roberto Oggiano/ National Geographic Your Shot)
‘When in India’
It’s my third time I visited the Taj Mahal, but it’s still as amazing as it was in the first time I saw it. India was a country I really fell in love with and now I’ve been traveling 8 months around the country. There is so much to see and do. (Photo: Damon Beckford / National Geographic Your Shot)
‘Island hopping’
From a trip that changed my life. I left the office and a career in advertising to leave it all behind and pursue my passion and work abroad as a photographer. It’s daily moments like this that have made this time spent in remote Indonesia the trip of a lifetime. (Photo: John Barton / National Geographic Your Shot)
‘Street without end, Valletta’
Valletta is the tiny capital of the Mediterranean island nation of Malta. (Photo: Majka K / National Geographic Your Shot)
‘Before the Storm’
Last rays of sun before the storm kicks in. It was a second trip to Patagonia for me. After coming from European Alps, it is very easy to underestimate Patagonian distances, unpredictable weather, and difficulty of wild terrain. It certainly does put a completely different perspective into the life. (Photo: Liana Manukyan / National Geographic Your Shot)
‘Swing with a View for the Daring’
The trip that changed my life started in May 2012 and I haven’t made my way back home since. Venturing off for a gap year after graduation, I am now voyaging through year six of my journey around the globe. Driven by an insatiable curiosity I’m trying to catch a glimpse of the world we live in today, immersing myself into local cultures through slow travel. This swing with a view onto Tungurahua volcano in Ecuador is one of my favorite places and I lived in a village nearby for a year. (Photo: Miles Astray / National Geographic Your Shot)
‘Highlander’
Well, the hiker was not really wearing a kilt, but for a moment he was providing just a right silhouette for the scenery he was admiring. And the scenery was epic… I was trying to get to this area for a few years but was not lucky with weather. Finally last summer I was lucky to see it and it was there when I finally felt that Iceland has got a very special place in my heart. I am coming back there this year, and again… Kerlingarfjöll, Iceland 2017 (Photo: Andro Loria / National Geographic Your Shot)
‘Night Keeper blues’
Got the chance to visit a friend who has his family house just in front of the Mount Otemanu, the highest peak of Bora Bora island and located in a peaceful atoll. His father, few decades ago, after a trip to Bali, brought that ” Tiki “, and wanted to place it in the lagoon just in front of the family house, to protect and bring good karma to his lands. Rarely I felt such serenity, watching at that Tiki and stargazing with the blues of the lagoon & ocean. The night keeper blues. (Photo: Christian Petit / National Geographic Your Shot)
‘Live on the Edge’
Breathtaking sight at Sunwapta Falls (Photo: Cris Magsino / National Geographic Your Shot)
‘Maori church on a hill’
Lovely Maori Rātana church on a hillside. North Island , New Zealand. This trip gave me confidence to go down roads less traveled , you never know what is around the corner. (Photo: Cheryl Burnham / National Geographic Your Shot)
‘Angelita’
When you dive in this natural cave called Cenote Angelita, the light goes from green to blue, creating a beautifully surreal scene. At about 30 meters deep, there is a layer of hydrogen sulphide which separates the fresh water from the deeper salt water. This atmosphere is similar to a lunar landscape. It’s an amazing and unique experience in the life of an underwater photographer. The mysticism and beauty of this underwater landscape makes me feel like I discovered another world. (Photo: by Fabrice Guerin / National Geographic Your Shot)