At the end of every quarter the Sifter will highlight the top 25 ‘Pictures of the Day‘, culminating in an epic Top 100 at the end of the year (check out the ‘Top 100 POTDs for 2012‘). It’s hard to believe we’re already half way through 2013. Below you will find the second installment…
SKY’S THE LIMIT Photograph by Sam Javanrouh | topleftpixel tumblr In this perfectly framed photograph by Sam Javanrouh, we look skyward from a beautiful courtyard in Siena, Italy. Sam took great care in locating the absolute center of the courtyard and must have been laying on the ground (or had a tripod…
PLANET MERCURY Photograph by NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington This colorful view of Mercury was produced by using images from the color base map imaging campaign during MESSENGER’s primary mission. These colors are not what Mercury would look like to the human eye, but rather the colors enhance…
SHIPWRECK BEACH Photograph by Robert Wallace Located on the coast of Zakynthos, Greece is Navagio (Shipwreck) Beach, an exposed cove often referred to as Smugglers Cove. The story goes that in 1980 Greek authorities discovered a boat suspected of smuggling contraband. The chase was on. During the pursuit and inclement weather, the…
LIGHTNING-WORKS Photograph by AJ192 on Reddit In this perfectly timed photograph by Redditor AJ192, we see lightning strike at the exact moment a firework lights up the night sky. The photograph was taken at a firework show at the Rio Rancho High School in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, United States. The image…
LOOKING UP TO LIBERTY Photograph by Stefan Georgi Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. Seen here is a unique view looking…
A LAKE IN THE MOUNTAINS Photograph by Ryan Gsell Bachalpsee or Bachse is a lake with an area of 8.06 ha (19.9 acres) close to the First (a minor summit below the Schwarzhorn which can be reached with a cable car) and above Grindelwald in the Bernese Oberland (Bernese highlands) of Switzerland.…
BADLANDS NATIONAL PARK Photograph by Jsoo1 on Wikimedia Commons Badlands National Park is a national park in southwestern South Dakota that protects 242,756 acres (98,240 ha) of sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles, and spires blended with the largest undisturbed mixed grass prairie in the United States. On January 29, 1939, it was established…
SKYLINE SILHOUETTE OF CHICAGO Photograph by Tom Gill In this beautiful capture by Tom Gill, we see a silhouette of the Chicago skyline as seen from the top of a tall dune at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. The national lakeshore runs for nearly 25 miles (40 km) along the southern shore…
ORIGAMI MICRO CRANE Artwork and Photography by JOAQUIN BALDWIN Website | Twitter | Google+ In this macro photo, we see a ‘micro’ origami crane folded using the tip of an X-Acto knife. The crane measures: 6mm square paper, 4mm wingspan, 3mm body; and was done by animator Joaquin Baldwin and posted to…