23 Incredible Pictures that Nat Geo's Photo Editors Loved This Month

Silhouette of a person immersed in the midst of a golden plasma-looking scene.
An Astronomic ViewPhotographer Andrew McCarthy took this image of skydiver Gabriel Brown silhouetted against the sun after Brown leaped from a motorized paraglider over Arizona’s Sonoran Desert. To create the surreal backdrop, McCarthy connected his camera to a modified telescope that can reveal the chromosphere—a layer of gases and plasma that surrounds the sun. He then stacked multiple exposures to enhance the effect. This photo is featured in the "In Focus" series in the July 2026 issue of National Geographic.
Andrew McCarthy
Photos curated byNational Geographic's Photography Department
Captions written byYasmine Maggio
Published August 13, 2026

Skydiving by the sun. Playing with a baby seal. Bathing in corn flour. Check out some of the pictures featured in our Photo of the Day.

A grey baby seal grabs onto bright pink flippers.
All SmilesA young harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) approaches a diver near the Hopkins Marine Station in Monterey, California. Seals are known for their curious and playful demeanor, but they can also easily become stressed with unexpected human interaction. The presence of these marine animals typically indicates a healthy habitat, as they consume fish that are vulnerable to pollution, in turn regulating their populations.
Jennifer Adler
Six people walk around a large white monument with a golden spire.
Sunrise WalkTibetan Buddhist monks walk around the Boudhanath Stupa at sunrise in Kathmandu, Nepal. The ritual is a form of walking meditation known as kora, in which Buddhist worshippers trace a clockwise path around a sacred space or object while reciting mantras. The Boudhanath Stupa is a popular pilgrimage destination, but Mount Kailash in China is considered one of the most sacred sites for Tibetan Buddhists.
Tomás Taipa
Close up of a toucan's blue-and-black eye and yellow beak.
Up CloseIn 2024, Terria Clay snapped this close-up photo of a toco toucan's eye at the Bronx Zoo in New York. The bird is the largest member of the toucan family and native to South America's rainforests. The Wildlife Conservation Society photographer tells National Geographic that this image is a reminder for us all to pay attention to small details like the striking colors and texture of this bird's eyes. "I enjoy when I can share these new perspectives with audiences, and the incredible, often unseen elements of our wild world," Clay says.
Terria Clay
The pale green and yellow leaves of a tree.
Traveler's TreeThe traveler's tree (Ravenala madagascariensis) is native to Madagascar. Despite its name, the tree is not considered a true palm tree but rather a giant flowering plant. The image is part of photographer Charlotte Yonga's project, "(Tsy) Possible," which documents how intimacy is shaped by the social and geographical landscape of Madagascar. The title combines tsy, which means "no" in the country's primary language of Malagasy, with the French word possible.
Charlotte Yonga
An aerial view of two combines passing over a wheat field in opposite directions.
In PassingAn aerial view of combines harvesting a wheat field in Kansas. Though his work has taken him around the world, photographer and native Kansan Jim Richardson has also spent 40 years capturing life in Cuba, Kansas—a town with less than 200 residents. His photos have been featured in National Geographic numerous times since 1985.
Jim Richardson, National Geographic Image Collection
Six shirtless men swim in the ocean.
Morning RoutineEach morning, the lifeguards on Haeundae Beach in Busan, one of South Korea’s most popular summer destinations, perform an elaborate series of stretches, group runs, and rescue drills. Photographer Forrest Walker encountered this crew as they finished a swim workout. “The beach felt more like a training ground,” Walker says, “with a quiet discipline.” That is, until the lifeguards assumed their posts—and the sunbathing masses began to gather.

This photo is featured in the "In Focus" series in the July 2026 issue of National Geographic.
Forrest Walker
Multiple jellyfish swim near the surface of water.
Ocean LifeLiving in a fishing village on Mexico’s Baja California peninsula, photographer Nicolas Hahn noticed that the midday winds pushed all kinds of sea creatures close to shore. During one snorkeling session, he discovered this remarkable scene: a collection of mauve stingers, a type of small bioluminescent jellyfish. Hahn got stung a few times around his mask, but the pain was worth it. His underwater lens captured every last tentacle in astonishing detail.

This photo is featured in the "In Focus" series in the July 2026 issue of National Geographic.
Nicholas Hahn
A woman in a colorful floral dress dances surrounded by a man playing guitar and other onlookers.
Dance BreakCatholic pilgrims perform flamenco during a stop at Doñana National Park along their spring journey to the Virgin of El Rocío shrine in Andalusia, Spain. Each year, more than a million pilgrims travel to the site either on foot or horseback to honor the Virgin Mary. The journey takes place 50 days after Easter on Pentecost weekend.
Aitor Lara Moreno, National Geographic Image Collection
Ultraviolet blue hairs surrounding a dark blue bee's eye against a black background.
More than Meets the EyeThorben Danke used ultraviolet-induced visible fluorescence photography to make this image of a wild bee's eye, which is surrounded by tiny hairs. Landmark scientific research published in 1969 found that insect eyes contain fluorescent particles that absorb UV wavelengths and reemit them as visible light. "A quiet reminder that nature still holds surprises when we look at it through a different spectrum," Danke wrote on Instagram.
Thorben Danke
Several black-and-white penguins jump off a cliff.
Leap of FaithSouthern rockhopper penguins (Eudyptes chrysocome) navigate the rocky cliffs and crashing waves on Marion Island, one of two Prince Edward Islands off the coast of South Africa. The penguins are characterized by the spiky black-and-yellow feathers on their heads. They typically hop rather than waddle along the rugged shorelines of islands north of Antarctica, which is how they got their name.
Thomas P. Peschak, National Geographic Image Collection
Two women, surrounded by tangerine trees, stand on a latter picking fruit.
Under the Tangerine TreesTwo women pick mexericas, or tangerines, from a tree in the village of Noiva do Cordeiro in Minas Gerais, Brazil. The rural community in southeast Brazil consists of about 350 people, and women have helped shape it for more than two centuries. It is common for both men and women in the village to participate in manual labor, and harvesting mexericas helps bring in income for the residents.
Luisa Dörr, Nat Geo Image Collection
Overhead, black-and-white photo of a large flock of sheep.
Above the FlockA flock of sheep are herded on a ranch near Irwin, Idaho. The land belongs to the Siddoways, a family that has been sustainably raising sheep for six generations. The sheep graze in alpine meadows in the Teton Range in Wyoming each summer, before returning to Idaho to finish out their time there.
Natalie Behring
A person sprays a hose in a large, misty atrium full of trees and plants.
Inside the AtriumMorning showers mist more than 4,500 different plant species at the Eden Project in Cornwall, England. The environmental and educational center was built in 2001 and consists of two biomes. The larger one is the Rainforest Biome, which houses the biggest indoor rainforest in the world.
Jonathan Blair, Nat Geo Image Collection
A bee resting on a lime wedge sitting in the palm of dirty hand.
Ordinary MomentsPhotographer Duncan Wright's work focuses on the histories, communities, and everyday moments experienced through people and places, like this bee landing on a lime in his drink in Hamilton Hill, Western Australia. "I fished it out and placed it on there, watching as it slowly came to before letting it fly off, perhaps to another lime in someone else's drink on that warm summer afternoon," he tells National Geographic. The image is from his debut monograph, Dancing Unconscious.
Duncan Wright
A rimmed hat with plastic horses and fences glue to it, blocking the face of the person wearing it.
Horsey HatA spectator sports a playful hat at the Ascot Racecourse in Ascot, England. Racegoers are known for sporting hats of all shapes, sizes, and colors. Documentary photographer Sophie Green's work is known for its bold colors, often exploring the complex and ever-changing nature of British culture through the lens of community, identity, tradition, and humor. The image is part Sophie's latest exhibition, "Tangerine Dreams," on display at the Martin Parr Foundation in Bristol until September 6.
Sophie Green, courtesy of Martin Parr Foundation
A tiny bug pokes its head out of a hole in a green leaf.
Tiny VisitorA damselfly (Zygoptera) rests in the hole of a leaf in Romania. These insects are similar to dragonflies but have slimmer bodies and narrower wings. Damselflies have long fascinated photographer Remus Tiplea, who became deeply familiar with their behaviors after spending years photographing them.
Remus Tiplea, National Geographic Image Collection
Black and white photo of a freeway, with houses in the distance.
A City IntertwinedThe Bayshore Freeway was completed in 1937 and is part of U.S. Route 101, connecting San Jose with San Francisco. "The slick concrete highway was constructed to ferry affluent suburban residents to office towers downtown," writes Gregory Harris, curator of photography at the High Museum of Art, in photographer Mimi Plumb's new book, Blazing Light. "What initially drew Plumb to the scene was the striking light, but upon further consideration, the image seemed to ask, 'Is this progress, and who benefits?'”
Mimi Plumb
A man with a green cane and a long brown robe stands in front of ancient ruins.
Amongst the RuinsAhmad Abou Adbou stands in front of Roman ruins in Apamea, Syria. He has worked as a shepherd in the nearby village of Al Karkat since he was young. "What drew me to Ahmad in particular was the fact that he embodies the continuity of everyday life within this historical landscape," photographer Charles Cuau tells National Geographic. "Despite the site’s grandeur and protected status, it’s part of the surrounding communities’ daily lives. People continue to use it and cross it daily, and therefore make sure Apamea is not forgotten."
Charles Cuau
A school of silver fish with long snouts crowded together near some underwater grass.
On Safe Spawning GroundsA school of longnose gar (Lepisosteus osseus) gather near a patch of floating vegetation in Ichetucknee Springs, Florida. The vegetation mats serve as essential spawning grounds for these prehistoric fish, helping them avoid predators. Spawning only occurs a few days between April and June each year. But the rise of boat traffic and ecotourism is leading to efforts to remove the vegetation from parks and waterways.
Bill Hawthorne
A man and a woman throw flour on each other's heads in celebration.
Peruvian TraditionTwo farmers in the Peruvian village of Huaylacucho cover each other’s heads in corn flour—part of an annual planting day tradition known in Quechua as Since. Photographer and National Geographic Explorer Florence Goupil had heard stories of her grandmother participating in this playful ritual in the Andes, and sought to document it herself. “It was the first time I was able to see, with my own eyes, what my grandmother’s traditions looked like,” Goupil says.

This photo is featured as part of the "In Focus" series in the July 2026 issue of National Geographic.
Florence Goupil
View of a pelican opening its bill.
A Prey's ViewWhen Lukas Andree Andersen visited Lake Kerkini in Greece, a famous wintering ground for the Dalmatian pelican, he figured he’d get close to these imposing creatures. He didn’t anticipate how close. After a pelican landed on the roof of his boat, it grabbed the photographer’s wide-angle lens with its pointy bill. “I just started shooting,” says Andersen, who somehow managed to frame the perfect angle of a pelican staring down at its prey.
This photo is featured in the "In Focus" series in the July 2026 issue of National Geographic.
Lukas Andree Andersen
Close up of a brown, scaly snake coiled up on a tree branch.
Ready for ActionA bush viper (Atheris hispida) coils up on a tree branch in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The snakes are highly venomous and native to sub-Saharan Africa. Though more than 30,000 people in the region die from venomous snakebites each year, it is believed that the number may be double due to unrecorded deaths, as National Geographic reported in December 2020.
Thomas Nicolon, Nat Geo Image Collection
Walker Guinnee and Madison Tessler curated this selection of images for Photo of the Day, where we highlight one extraordinary photograph every day. Yasmine Maggio wrote and researched the captions. Check out today's photo here.