“I had driven to the Grand Canyon in anticipation of the storm,” writes Your Shot member David Stoker of the above photograph. “I remember the morning being particularly cold as I hiked along the rim awaiting the arrival of the sun. The skies were still overcast, but a small break in the clouds allowed a single ray of sunlight to shine through, illuminating a small portion of the butte below.” The drama of this image, one of several chosen for the Your Shot First Light assignment, feels like a fitting start to this round-up of my favorite images from last month’s Photo of the Day.

Photographer Marco Vernaschi’s project “Biophilia” draws attention to