July 12 is the Photographer's Day

On July 12 the Catholic world celebrates the day of Saint Veronica, patron of photography. According to the Bible, Saint Veronica gave a cloth to Jesus so that he could wipe sweat off his face on his way to Mount Calvary (Golgotha). This is how Jesus Christ’s image appears on the cloth. Two thousand years afterwards, with the introduction of photography, the Pope declared that day as the day of photographers.

On the occasion of the day we are to present some of the best photos of the year posted in National Geographic website.

Rooftop Dreams, Varanasi

It was 5:30 a.m. and I had just arrived in Varanasi, India, off a sleeper train. I got to my guesthouse and instinctively climbed the seven flights of stairs to see the sunrise over the famous Ganges River. As I looked over the side of the rooftop terrace, my jaw dropped in disbelief. Below were mothers, fathers, children, cats, dogs, and monkeys all sleeping on their roofs. It was midsummer in Varanasi and sleeping without air-conditioning was pretty difficult. Can you spot the curry?

Silenced

This photo was taken on my last trip to Guangzhou, China. This place is the school dormitories of South China Normal University. When I was hanging around, most of them were taking a break. After lunchtime, they needed to go back to study.

There’s Something in the Water

Sometimes you get lucky and stumble upon an experience that truly rocks your world. This happened when I showed up to Krabi, Thailand and heard that the bioluminescence were beginning to peak under the new moon. Imagine swimming through the ocean as thousands of microscopic plankton light up at your finger tips, flickering blue as you move through the water. While this photo doesn't come close to the actual experience, I am proud I was able to capture, and now share this magical moment.

Traffic jam

While on safari in Ndutu, we had heard about a pride of tree-climbing lions. When we found them, they had just been chased off by a herd of elephants and retreated to a low, spreading tree.The tree-climbing lions of Masek were putting on a show! I captured this image after all but a couple of lions had climbed the tree, with a big lioness leading the way. The sub-adults followed, single file, resulting in a comical one-way traffic jam that had them all flummoxed as to how to descend!

The Fog and Mist in Hong Kong

During February and April, fog and mist are prevalant in Hong Kong. This photo shows the Kwai Chung Container Terminals being veiled by patches of fog, leaving only the container tractors and cargo ship trailers visible. The Stonecutters' Bridge with two distinctive bridge towers is one of Hong Kong's landmarks. This serves as the hub of the cargo industry. At the back is the 100-storey International Commerce Centre. This image is titled The Beauty of Hong Kong.

Intersection

A Lady waiting for the pedestrian green light to cross a busy intersection in Strand, London. I waited for a passing London cab to frame her within the window of this cab, using a slow shutter speed.

Midnight Thirst

In the still of a star lit night, buffalo cautiously approach to quench their thirst. A long exposure with light painting allows me to capture the moment forever.

Red Houses

This photo was taken on my last trip to Sichuan, China. It's around18 hours from Chengdu to Sertar and the journey is quite tough cause of the bumpy road. The Larung Gar Buddhist Academy in Sertar was known as the largest buddhist settlement in the world. There are more than 40 thousand of monks & nuns lived in the red houses and learned Buddhism at the Larung Gar Buddhist Academy.

Time To Go Home

The youngster are having fun at the roof top of the train. There are too many people who rushing home after the Bishwa Ijtema at Tongi train station of Bangladesh.

KAYAPÓ INDIAN

Kayapo Indian in the Xingu River.

Man vs Water

Every February paddlers from all over the world make their way to Patagonia to enjoy the pristine waters of the mighty Futaleufu and take part on a prestigious river festival, The Futaleufu XL.