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We’ve selected for you the best
photos from the November 2015 National Geographic. You may also be interested in such photo series: National Geographic: Best of September 2015, National Geographic: Best of October 2015. Enjoy watching! National Geographic’s website: photography.nationalgeographic.com 
1 Color Screen. Photograph by Trudy Walden.
Preening brings out the coy side of a blue-winged macaw, also known as an Illiger's macaw. Found in the wild in parts of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay, the small parrot is classified as near threatened by the IUCN. Habitat loss and the pet trade have contributed to its shrinking numbers. 
2 Striking View. Photograph by J. Cho.
Lightning strikes beyond the rim of Arizona’s Horseshoe Canyon in this picture submitted by J. Cho. “It’s just amazing and beautiful,” Cho writes, noting that the movement of the storm in the background makes the scene come alive. Located within Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, the site is named for the distinctive bend of the Colorado River, which flows a thousand feet below the top of the cliffs. ![3 Sunrise Sweep. Photograph by Razz Razalli.
“I was lucky to visit Varanasi during the [bird] migration. Morning boat rides are the ultimate thing to do during this time,” opines photographer Razz Razalli, who was in India when he captured this flock sweeping over a rowboat at sunrise. “According to the locals, the birds arrive in November and leave at the end of February,” Razalli writes. The annual migration attracts tourists to Varanasi, and for a fee, boatmen take tourists onto the river for an up-close look at the flocks.](https://i.iam.photo/thumbnails/lenta/288/lx1288.jpg)
3 Sunrise Sweep. Photograph by Razz Razalli.
“I was lucky to visit Varanasi during the [bird] migration. Morning boat rides are the ultimate thing to do during this time,” opines photographer Razz Razalli, who was in India when he captured this flock sweeping over a rowboat at sunrise. “According to the locals, the birds arrive in November and leave at the end of February,” Razalli writes. The annual migration attracts tourists to Varanasi, and for a fee, boatmen take tourists onto the river for an up-close look at the flocks. 
4 All Fall Down. Photograph by Steve Brockett.
“Autumnal flying at its best,” writes Your Shot member Steve Brockett, who photographed this golf course in Wales from a powered paraglider. 
5 Cape Cub. Photograph by Steve Winter.
A camera trap set in South Africa’s Cederberg Wilderness records the steady gaze of a Cape leopard cub. Though not classified as a separate subspecies of leopard, these shy mountain cats are smaller than their savanna kin. 
6 A Geothermal Swim. Photograph by Kelby Singhaus.
“My Swedish friend and I decided (pretty easily) that a dive into a ... geothermally heated pool sounded abundantly more pleasant than being cold (like we were) during our late summer Icelandic journey,” writes Kelby Singhaus. Hruni’s rolling grass hills and “flocks of poofy sheep” contributed to what Singhaus called an unbeatable moment. “So dive, we did,” he writes, “and warm we were! Until we got out, of course.” 
7 Coastal Setting. Photograph by Victor Lima.
The setting sun sinks behind the low mountains framing Vila Velha, a coastal city in the Brazilian state of Espírito Santo. Your Shot member Victor Lima captured this dusky view of the bay and its surrounds from the Morro do Moreno, or Moreno Hill. 
8 Death Valley Dunes. Photograph by Kim Mitchell.
The Eureka Dunes in Death Valley National Park offer an eerie soundtrack to visitors who decide to make their way up the sandy slopes—a mysterious phenomenon known as singing sand results in heavy bass notes and drones that sound like they come from airplanes. The booming sounds only add to the desolate beauty of the dunes, the tallest in California. 
9 Flirt in Training. Photograph by Dean Jewell.
A young Victoria's riflebird practices a mating display he'll need when he's older and has undergone a color transformation: Adult males are velvety black with a bright blue-green crown. This juvenile was photographed in Daintree Rainforest in Queensland, one of the last strongholds of ancient Australian rain forests. 
10 Golden Gate Crossings. Photograph by Ross Barringer.
For this new look at a San Francisco standard, Ross Barringer had to go high—very high. "I was very fortunate to be given the opportunity to take a 'tower tour' of the Golden Gate Bridge south tower," he writes. "Just as I was about to take the long elevator ride back down, I saw an approaching cargo ship and I quickly set up my tripod for what was my very last shot atop the iconic bridge." 
11 Riding High. Photograph by A.M. Ahad. 
12 Peaks of Enchantment. Photograph by Joana Bochecha. Scottish. 
13 Reef Refuge. Photograph by Enric Sala. Republic of Palau. ![14 Lead the Way. Photograph by Fabio Petti.
From his perch on a dromedary camel, Your Shot member Fabio Petti made this image of his guide leading him and his fellow travelers into the smooth Erg Chebbi sand dunes of Merzouga, Morocco. “The Berber you see in the picture was the chief of our expedition,” explains Petti. “[He] asked me to stay first, close to him. This gave me the chance to have only the desert and him in front of me.” After a nearly two-hour journey to their campsite, Petti snapped this photo just a few minutes before sunset.](https://i.iam.photo/thumbnails/lenta/299/lx1299.jpg)
14 Lead the Way. Photograph by Fabio Petti.
From his perch on a dromedary camel, Your Shot member Fabio Petti made this image of his guide leading him and his fellow travelers into the smooth Erg Chebbi sand dunes of Merzouga, Morocco. “The Berber you see in the picture was the chief of our expedition,” explains Petti. “[He] asked me to stay first, close to him. This gave me the chance to have only the desert and him in front of me.” After a nearly two-hour journey to their campsite, Petti snapped this photo just a few minutes before sunset. 
15 A Flurry of Activity. Photograph by Stian Servoss.
Your Shot community member Stian Servoss says this enchanting photo was taken on a day that actually began as a sunny one in Reine, a small fishing village in the Lofoten Islands in Norway. “I was about to pack my gear as it suddenly started snowing—a lot,” Servoss writes. “I ran down to some fishermen working at the docks to get a few shots of them as they were lifting containers of fish from their boat to land … All of a sudden, I noticed hundreds of birds.” The birds appear to be playing in the snowflakes—though they are more likely attracted to the day’s catch. ![16 Shifting Light. Photograph by Hamed Tabein.
Your Shot member Hamed Tabein made an early morning trek to the desert, just east of Esfahan in Iran, to capture this shot of the smoothed sand and a hardy little stand of trees that has managed to grow in a hollow between sand dunes. “[This photo was taken] at around 7 a.m.,” Tabein says. “It's an extraordinary place for landscape photography. I went there before sunrise, and as the sun came up I started [photographing] because of the best light and sand texture ... Two hours after sunrise you cannot see anything except the sand, without any texture and contrast. It would be just a washed-out picture.”](https://i.iam.photo/thumbnails/lenta/301/lx1301.jpg)
16 Shifting Light. Photograph by Hamed Tabein.
Your Shot member Hamed Tabein made an early morning trek to the desert, just east of Esfahan in Iran, to capture this shot of the smoothed sand and a hardy little stand of trees that has managed to grow in a hollow between sand dunes. “[This photo was taken] at around 7 a.m.,” Tabein says. “It's an extraordinary place for landscape photography. I went there before sunrise, and as the sun came up I started [photographing] because of the best light and sand texture ... Two hours after sunrise you cannot see anything except the sand, without any texture and contrast. It would be just a washed-out picture.” 
17 Beacon Bright. Photograph by Justin Knott.
A patient dog makes a long exposure possible at the Yaquina Head lighthouse in Newport, Oregon, captured here by Your Shot member Justin Knott. A working lighthouse since 1873, the 93-foot beacon is a landmark of the Oregon coast’s Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area. 
18 Act of Faith. Photograph by Mukunda De.
Your Shot member Mukunda De submitted this photo of an actor, dressed as Lord Krishna, seated backstage during a Ramlila performance in Delhi, India. The actor’s closed eyes and faint smile infer a moment of contemplation—perhaps a truly spiritual investment in his work. 
19 Water Colors. Photograph by Jassen Todorov.
Seeing familiar landscapes from above lends uncommon and often arresting new views. “The colors, shapes, and patterns in the Great Salt Lake are absolutely stunning. I have always wanted to fly over this particular area,” writes Your Shot community member Jassen Todorov, who captured this striking aerial image of evaporation ponds from just west of Stansbury Island in Utah’s Great Salt Lake. 
20 Lion Below. Photograph by Chris Schmid.
A helicopter flying overhead captures the attention of a lioness as she walks through the tall grasses of Botswana’s Okavango Delta. Shooting from aboard the aircraft, Chris Schmid considered the experience a lucky one. “She was ... looking at me, and there’s nothing in Africa so intense as a lion looking right at you.” 
21 Coastal Commute. Photograph by Marcel Koláček.
Shot in black and white, Marcel Koláček’s recent photo of a scene at the Colombo Fort Railway Station in Colombo, Sri Lanka, looks like it could have been taken decades ago. Indeed, the station has been around for some time—in operation since 1908, it is a Sri Lanka Railways hub. 
22 Pinniped Playground. Photograph by Megan Barrett.
Photographer Megan Barrett had a ringside seat for this aquatic display in San Diego, California. "I happened upon this group of sea lion pups by chance after photographing smelt that were moving through the reefs around La Jolla Cove," she says. "I had never seen the pups band together like this—they were circling around me, porpoising and enjoying the bait swimming around in the water. It was around noon, so with the overhead light and the surf grass below, I felt as though I was watching children running wild on an underwater playground." 
23 'Picturesque and Curious'. Photograph by Louis Schneider.
Out for an anniversary stroll with his girlfriend, Louis Schneider had to step "a bit over the edge" to capture this shot of the Manneporte, a rock formation in Étretat, France. 
24 In the Pink. Photograph by Dasha Horita. 
25 Blue-Sky Night. Photograph by Isabelle Bacher.
This photo of Lyngen, Norway’s icy landscape was submitted by Isabelle Bacher. 
26 Here Today. Photograph by Stas Bartnikas.
Photographing from a Cessna, Stas Bartnikas captures a seasonal view of southern Iceland. 
27 Go Up and Flame. Photograph by Khanh Le.
From a meadow in California’s Yosemite National Park, Your Shot community member Khanh Le snapped this photo of the smoky skyline. As the smoke rises, sunlight blazes through it, turning the haze itself a dramatic, fiery hue 
28 Hard Drink. Photograph by Bernardo Cesare.
A polarized-light photomicrograph reveals a crystallized drop of Aperol, a brand of bitter liquor that lends its orange color to the popular Italian aperitif spritz. 
29 Maneuvers in the Dark. Photograph by Jodi Martinez.
U.S. military special forces members conduct fast rope and hoisting training during exercises at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico. 
30 Quiet Reflection. Photograph by Freia Lily.
Your Shot community member Freia Lily submitted this photo of an iceberg reflected in the “still waters of Jökulsárlón,” a “glacier lagoon” in Iceland.
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