7 peaceful vistas: Our favorite reader-submitted photos of the day

This week’s Photos of the Day gallery is all about peaceful imagery. With so much negativity and uncertainty in the world right now, I figured we could all use a calming distraction. So scroll through and take a moment to imagine yourself in each of these supremely tranquil landscapes/cityscapes, all captured by readers like you.

And if you’d like to see your own work in a future gallery, go ahead and upload your best shots to our Flickr page or tag them with #PopPhotoOfTheDay on Instagram and/or Twitter, for consideration. The official rules for submitting can be found here.

Lead image by Quintin D, see more of Quintin’s work here.

Banff Lake

Banff National Park is truly a place filled with visual wonder. And this landscape shot, captured by Raj Bose, certainly does it justice. Raj made this image at Lake Louise in Alberta, Canada. According to the caption, it’s among the most-visited lakes in the park, but you’d never know it from this scenic image, void of any human forms. Like so many of the shots here, this one follows the Rule of Thirds fabulously. And I love the color palette, that turquoise lake water looks so calming and inviting (though I’m guessing it’s also very cold).

Last light at Yosemite

Making our way from one gorgeous national park to another, next up we have a sunset shot, captured by Marion Faria at Yosemite National Park in the United States. Marion discovered this image while recently looking back through some older work. And I’m glad she did because it’s a beautiful photograph! The purples, pinks, oranges, and blues are fantastic—Marion used a 10-second exposure to make this one, capturing the very final moments of golden hour.

Owl and moon

This next image was captured at Salisbury State Park in Massachusetts by Flickr-user Kayaker72. The photographer used a 700mm focal length to compress the perspective and make the Snowy Owl appear on a similar focal plane to the moon. It’s a super-cool shot and one that certainly gives me a sense of peace and tranquility. Let us all be this owl for a moment, basking under blue skies.

Technicolor spring

This colorful photo was snapped by Tim Richards at Big Springs in Idaho. Tim used a wide-angle lens (at 17mm) and a reasonably low shooting angle to fill the frame with a lot of foreground, a classic landscape photography technique and one that works brilliantly here. This is also another great example of using the Rule of Thirds to one’s advantage. And I equally love the use of a slow shutter speed (1/15-second) to give the water some sense of movement. Nice work, Tim.

Beach dog at sunset

Rebecca Cole‘s shot of what I interpret to be a dog photobombing a beautiful beach sunset really speaks to me. After all, what could be better than hanging with pups on the beach? Whether the canine’s inclusion in the frame was planned or not, it adds an almost comical sense of spontaneity and intrigue to the image. I especially love the glowing scruff, blowing in the breeze, on the otherwise silhouetted subject.

Sicilian village

Finally, we have this sweeping vista showing the town of Ragusa in southern Sicily, snapped by Anthony R Gargano. Situated between two deep valleys, this colorful and historic town—which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site—seems like the perfect place to sneak off to for a while for a bit of rest and relaxation. And Anthony’s lovely photo makes it all the more inviting.