46. “Rainy Day”

Possible Camera Used: Olympus Tough TG-6
Where to Buy: Amazon
Cost: $349*
“Rain” was nominated for several Agora Awards, and the haunting photograph is definitely one of the more unique. Photographer Perry Wunderlich photographed his father during a rainstorm, catching the individual raindrops as they landed on his father’s raincoat. The photograph was then changed to black-and-white.

“Rainy Day” @TiredBee / Pinterest
To take a photo like this, you’d need a waterproof camera. While you wouldn’t need a camera suitable for deep diving or underwater adventures, the Olympus Tough TG-6 is a solid choice. The TG-6 is waterproof and, as DCW.com put it, “tough as nails.” It’s a favorite among hikers, backpackers, and people adventuring outdoors. Best of all, it’s $349, making it one of the cheaper cameras on this list.

47. “Whale Shark Encounter, Papua West, 2018”

Possible Camera Used: GoPro HERO9 Black
Where to Buy: GoPro.com
Cost: $399.99*
Italian photographer Marco Zaffigani took this eerie snapshot, titled “Whale Shark Encounter, Papua West, 2018.” He might have used a camera like the GoPro HERO9, which is excellent for underwater photography such as this. Half of this photograph features the fishermen above the water, while the other half shows a much scarier scene beneath the waves.

“Whale Shark Encounter, Papua West, 2018” @Minako / Pinterest
Zaffigani was able to capture a whale shark sneaking up on a group of fishermen. Scary though this photo might seem, whale sharks barely notice humans, let alone try to eat them. They are filter-feeders meaning they eat plankton and small fish. This whale shark probably came up to the boat out of curiosity, hoping to score a snack.

48. “Reaching For Heaven”

Possible Camera Used: DJI Phantom 4 Pro
Where to Buy: DJI Drones
Cost: $1,519*
Konrad Paruch goes by @thedronelad for his social media photography accounts, so you can probably guess that he didn’t use a regular camera to capture this beautiful piece of art. Paruch used a drone to take a high-altitude photograph of Mont Saint Michel, a French island, peeking through a sea of clouds.

“Reaching For Heaven @P D L / Pinterest
Titled “Reaching for Heaven,” this photo looks like something out of a fantasy movie. Paruch’s drone of choice was the DJI Phantom 4 Pro. DJI Drones is one of the highest-quality camera drone-makers out there. The Phantom 4 Pro costs $1,519, and it can fly to altitudes of 19,685 feet.

49. Incredible Heights

Possible Camera Used: iPhone Camera
Where to Buy: Apple
Cost: $599-$799*
This selfie, taken in Yekaterinburg, Russia, is definitely dizzying and super scary. Instagram user @makhorov posted the picture on Instagram, likely taken with an iPhone or Android camera. It showed him standing from a great height, having climbed a set of outdoor stairs in one of Russia’s many forests.

Incredible Heights @angela_nikolau / Instagram.com
Thrill-seeking selfies have become quite common in Russia, so much so that the government has felt forced to step in. The Russian Interior Ministry, after a lot of injuries from risky selfie-taking, started a “Safe Selfie” campaign several years ago. Judging by electrifying photos like @makhorov’s, it hasn’t quite worked.

50. Shaving Cream Fight

Possible Camera Used: iPhone Camera
Where to Buy: Apple
Cost: $599-$799*
Sometimes, a cute family photo taken on an iPhone or Android can resonate with an entire country, and that is just what happened when Marta Szulc submitted a photo of her two boys and her having a shaving cream fight. Szulc submitted the photo to National Geographic’s 2018 “Your Shot” competition.

Shaving Cream Fight @National Geographic / Pinterest
The photo showed the two kids having tons of fun in a kiddie pool while mom sprayed them with shaving cream. Of the 1.2 million photos in 2018, National Geographic selected this one, as it showed the best of America: fun and family. Szulc said that her family has always been “crazy,” and they “play crazy too.”

51. Insane Skyscraper Selfie

Possible Camera Used: iPhone Camera
Where to Buy: Apple
Cost: $599-$799*
Angela Nikolau is an Instagram user who’s never afraid to risk her life for a crazy picture, and she even hashtags her photos with #DangerousSelfie. She took this photo from Tianjin, China, and she even had a selfie stick to add extra height—not that she needs it. The photo shows her standing atop a high, illuminated tower, though how she got up there is a mystery.

Insane Skyscraper Selfie @angela_nikolau / Instagram.com
Nikolau has over 820,000 followers, and Daily O said she was “taking the world by storm” with these crazy selfies. The Instagrammer represents another picture-taker jumping on the trend of super dangerous, super high-up selfies for likes.

52. Underwater Florida

Possible Camera Used: GoPro HERO3
Where to Buy: Walmart, GoPro.com
Cost: $100-$350*
Dana C., a photographer who submitted her 2018 photo to the National Geographic “Your Shot” competition, created this underwater photo using a GoPro camera. She said that this was her “first experience” shooting underwater,” and she was “totally hooked.”

Underwater Florida @National Geographic / Pinterest
The photo featured a person doing a cannonball into the water. Except, this time, we got to see what happened when under the surface of the pool. GoPro cameras aren’t too expensive, with the HERO9 costing $399.99. You can buy them at Walmart, Target, or the GoPro website. Their underwater cameras, like the HERO3, cost $100-$350, depending on where you shop.

53. Active Volcano Selfie

Possible Camera Used: iPhone Camera
Where to Buy: Apple
Cost: $599-$799*
@JennyM89, an Instagram user, took a steamy selfie—literally—with her friend in front of an active volcano that was erupting in the background. This is definitely a strong contender for the “Most Dangerous Selfies in the World” list, and @JennyM89 was far from the first.

Active Volcano Selfie @jennym89 / Instagram.com
The Royal Geographic Society in the UK has often warned people against taking photos like this, especially since there have been so many falls. In 2019, for example, a man fell seventy feet after he climbed over a guardrail, falling into Mt. Kilauea’s caldera. He survived the fall, but that served as a very serious lesson for other thrill-seekers.

54. Yasukuni Shrine

Possible Camera Used: Canon 5D Mark III
Where to Buy: Walmart
Cost: $2,499*
This stunning photograph was taken by Takashi Furo for “Your Shot.” The picture was taken at the Mitama Festival in Tokyo, and I was a snippet of the 30,000+ lanterns that decorate the Yasukuni Shrine. The lanterns, all aglow with a warm golden light, each possess a wish for peace.

Yasukuni Shrine @National Geographic / Pinterest
The Mitama Festival has been held each year for over seven decades, and the Yasukuni Shrine is a vital part of the Festival. This Shinto shrine was founded in 1869 by Emperor Meiji. It commemorates those Japanese soldiers who died in the Boshin and First Indochina Wars in the 1860s and mid-1900s. The Canon 5D Mark III is a possible camera used, as it would be good at capturing the glowing light of the lanterns in full detail.

55. Mr. Bromo Eruption

Possible Camera Used: Canon EOS R5 Full Frame
Where to Buy: Canon.com
Cost: $3,899*
Photographer Pradeep Raja took this picture of Mt. Bromo erupting, adding in a black and white filter for an extra eerie appeal. Raja submitted his photo to the 2017 “Your Shot” competition, and it was an award-winner, not least because of the effort it must have taken to climb up to document Mt. Bromo’s eruption.

Mr. Bromo Eruption © Shutterstock
Located in Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, the last eruption of Mt. Bromo happened in 2011. Raja documented the 2016 eruption, and he said that, though the loud sounds from the crater and thick smoke were “scary,” he was “happy” to have “witnessed [his] first volcanic eruption.”  The Canon EOS R5 Full Frame would have been great for a shot like this, as it is a top-rated nature photography camera.

56. Josef Glacier

Possible Camera Used: Canon 5D Mark IV
Where to Buy: Canon
Cost: $2,599*
Takashi Tsuneizumi took this amazing photograph of the Franz Josef Glacier, located in New Zealand. The possible camera used to take a photo such as this could have been the Canon 5D Mark IV, which is great for nature photography, even in harsh climates like the Glacier’s. The Mark IV is an update on the Mark III.

Josef Glacier @weatherchannel / Pinterest
The Franz Josef Glacier is certainly one of the marvels of the world. The New Zealand glacier is a 7.5-mile-long, temperate maritime glacier. Also known as Ka Roimata o Hine Hukatere, the Glacier is located in the Westland Tai Poutini National Park and is visible with a guided tour.

57. Colossal Cumulonimbus Cloud Over Earth

Possible Camera Used: Nikon Z 7
Where to Buy: Nikon USA
Cost: $2,499.95-$3,099.95*
Santiago Borja submitted this photograph to the “Your Shot” competition in 2017. Borja was traveling across the Pacific Ocean on his way to South America. At 37,000 feet in the sky, Borja’s plane encountered a massive thunderstorm, and he was able to snap this pic. If not taken by an iPhone, the professional camera that would have done this shot justice is the nature-ready Nikon Z 7.

Colossal Cumulonimbus Cloud Over Earth @hypescienceoficial / Pinterest
This “colossal Cumulonimbus” cloud, as Borja put it, looked to be flickering with lightning when he took the shot, making this a case of being in the right place at the right time.

58. Tuyajto Lagoon

Possible Camera Used: FujiFilm GFX 50S
Where to Buy: B&H
Cost: $5,499*
Victor Lima took this enchanting photo of the Tuyajto Lagoon, which is located in Chile’s Atacama Desert. Lima managed to capture a colorful cloud formation over the Lagoon and its interesting pond floor. Calling it a “spectacle of nature,” Lima explained to National Geographic that the formations in the photo are formed by salt.

Tuyajto Lagoon @Sanmukha_ / Pinterest
However, that’s not the whole story. The formations take their shape because, for thousands of years, small microorganisms feed on nutrients there. A possible camera that could have been used to take such a beautiful landscape is the FujiFilm GFX 50S, which delivers, according to Fuji, “the world’s best image quality.”

59. Inside the Ambrym Volcano

Possible Camera Used: iPhone Camera
Where to Buy: Apple
Cost: $599-$799*
At least this photo was taken wearing the proper protective gear. George Kourounis is a “storm chaser” and explorer for National Geographic and, as anyone who follows him on social media knows, he’s never afraid to take a crazy photo while he’s on an adventure.

Inside the Ambrym Volcano @georgekourounis / Twitter.com
This one takes the cake. Kourounis took his selfie standing next to the fearsome Ambrym Volcano. Located in Vanuatu, Ambrym is an island with tons of lava lakes. The tropical island is open for tours, and it’s very beautiful, but don’t fall in. Lava has a temperature ranging from 1,470 to 2,190 degrees Fahrenheit.

60. Night Rainbow

Possible Camera Used: Nikon D850
Where to Buy: Nikon USA
Cost: $2,999.95-$5,499.95*
It’s very, very rare that you can see a rainbow at night, but the Iguazu Falls in Brazil were able to provide such a magical sight. This photo, taken by Wai Mei Chan at 11PM on the night of a full moon, used moonlight to reflect off the water and create a rainbow.

Night Rainbow @sytzebentveld / Pinterest
Brazil is full of many beautiful sights, and the Iguazu Falls are perhaps some of the most spectacular, particularly when you have natural lighting from the moon. A possible camera used to take this nighttime photo is the Nikon D850, which Creative Live described as an “idea night photography” camera.