Trees, Lithuania. Photo by Matas Juras, courtesy of National Geographic My Shot.

“This winter,” writes the photographer Matas Juras, “has been extremely beautiful in Lithuania. It was an early morning and minus 25 degrees Celsius outside. This landscape feels out of this world, but in face it’s in the outskirts of my home city, Kaunas – just a mile away from my house. Oftentimes beauty lies just a step away from our door. But we tend to ignore it. Too often we opt to chase beauty in distant exotic locations, missing all that’s around us and ignoring the adverse effects of long-haul flights.”

Mount Wellington, Tasmania. Photo by Michael Walters, courtesy National Geographic My Shot.

“This was captured on Mount Wellington in the capital city of Tasmania, the island state of Australia. The mountain overlooks the city and is only a 10-minute drive from it. I was lucky enough to capture one of the most beautiful sunsets on this very cold winter’s day. I also got some minor frostbite on my hands for the effort. Gloves next time.” – Photographer Michael Walters

Monument Valley, Utah. Photo by Michael Bennett, courtesy National Geographic My Shot.

Michael Bennett writes, “The weather that day at Monument Valley called for a big thunderstorm; instead we got white-out conditions. We made the most of it, and eventually dramatic skies and a contrasting landscape created a very satisfying shot.”

Grizzly Bear in Yellowstone National Park. Photo by Jeffrey Wooden, courtesy National Geographic My Shot.

A young grizzly bear playing in the snow. Taken in Hayden Valley, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, May 8, 2010. Photo by Jeffrey Wooden.