Lookback on August

The Unsplash library welcomed an astounding addition of 116,375 visuals in August. Here are 20 exceptional submissions and the stories behind them.

“A macro photo of the underside of a begonia leaf. Photographed at Cairns Botanic Gardens in Australia.”  — David Clode 🇦🇺

“One of the most famous attractions on the island of Zakynthos is the shipwreck, which has been photographed millions of times. It's so hard to find a different and unseen point of view! A shadow in the late afternoon gave me a hand in creating a ‘highly geometric’ shot.” — Francesco Ungaro 🇮🇹

“I took this photo on my photo tour to Crete this year. I was looking for a suitable and beautiful location for the Milky Way and this grotto was a wonderful hit.” — Evgeni Tcherkasski 🇩🇪

"Rocket Ship. Cruise ship coming in to land through the sandstone infused waters of the Jurassic Coast, Devon, UK" – Red Zeppelin 🇬🇧

“Unforgettable night at the Fann Mountains, where I captured this fascinating landscape. The sky was alive with twinkling stars, and clouds floated above the mountain, catching the moon's glow. Being trapped between the cold mountain wind and the reassuring warmth of a fire nearby, the moment felt magical. This image serves me as a vivid reminder to nature's splendid contrasts and the serene beauty I was fortunate enough to experience.” — Slava Auchynnikau 🇧🇾

“The inspiration for creating this photo was the desire to convey the beauty and tranquility of nature, focusing on the interaction of light, color and movement. A slight blur creates a feeling of an unearthly atmosphere, making the scene look like a dream or otherworldly world.” — Eugene Golovesov 🇷🇺

“I came to a subway station, and while waiting for the subway train, I looked up and noticed some white decorative panels on the ceiling that had a beautiful curve at a certain angle, so I took this photo.” — Jiahui Sun 🇨🇳

“The light hits the building perfectly and with the security guard standing there to give the image scale. It was a "deciding moment" in street photography and thankfully I have Portra 400 on my Pentax 67 to capture it.” — Rocky Xiong 🇨🇳

“Of all the times I have visited the Maras salt mines in Cuzco, this was by far the most impressive. In fact, every time I return, I want to experience that sunset again, when the salt terraces reflected the sky and the mountains with such magic and splendor.” — Malena Ugaz 🇵🇪

“At a busy underground station in Bejing, I came across a window where I could see the platform from a higher perspective, I set my tripod to capture this unique and brand-new angle of view for a place everyone was familiar with. The 1-second shutter speed allowed me to freeze momentarily with the megacity's dynamics and stillness.” — Zhenyu Luo 🇨🇳

“At Burning Man last year, while biking alone through a dust storm, I stumbled upon a powerful installation—a massive hedgehog made from 6,000 pounds of steel and 100 anti-tank hedgehogs. It’s more than just art; it symbolizes the defense and unity of my fellow Ukrainians and honors those who lost their lives in the war.” — Sasha Matveeva 🇺🇸

“For this image, I was traveling with one of my cousin in Greece and decided to stop at the city of Nafplio. We were visiting the castle above the city and my cousin saw that boat through that hole and wanted me to take a picture. The view was breathtaking with the boat in the middle of the sea so I decided to take a shot. This is still one of my best taken so far and without him this picture wouldn’t exist so I give all the credits to him ! Since my cousin has been one of the reasons I’m still enjoying taking pictures.” — Christos Papadopoulos 🇧🇪

“Capturing the rare blue moon over Paphos, Cyprus, was a thrilling experience, perfectly encapsulating why I love night photography. There's a unique calmness that envelops the world after dark—a serenity that heightens my senses and sharpens my focus. As the luminous orb hung low in the sky, I noticed an airplane approaching in the distance. Timing was everything. I waited, camera ready, as the plane's path aligned perfectly with the moon. In that fleeting moment, the aircraft became a stark silhouette against the ethereal glow of the blue moon, creating an image that was both surreal and mesmerizing. This unexpected convergence of celestial beauty and human ingenuity was a once-in-a-lifetime shot—a testament to the magic that can only be captured in the quiet stillness of the night.” — Maksym Mazur 🇺🇦

“This illustration is a colorful and abstract representation of a city skyline, drawing inspiration from the Cubist and Art Deco styles. I love using bold, vivid colors and geometric shapes to create a sense of energy and movement. The overlapping shapes and bright palette give the artwork a playful and modern feel, making the city look lively and dynamic.

The piece is not meant to represent a specific place but rather capture the essence and vibrancy of urban life. I enjoy blending traditional artistic movements like Cubism and Art Deco in the form of digital art. This combination allows me to explore new ways to express my imagination, drawing figurative object into something more abstract. 

Overall, my goal with this piece was to evoke a sense of joy and curiosity, encouraging viewers to see cityscapes not just as functional spaces but as creative exploration.” — Milhad Art 🇮🇩

“In this image, the jackfruit stands out with its rustic skin that hides a juicy surprise inside. Its exterior is tough like a brick, while the inside is soft and sticky. The contrast with the wood and brick reminds us that even the roughest exteriors can hide the most delicious surprises.” — Eduardo Ramos 🇲🇽

“The story behind this 3D render is actually my fantasy of traveling solo to various places and enjoying the aerial view from a hot air balloon. You might be wondering, "Why did he choose a hot air balloon? It's not suitable for long-distance travel." That's why I imagined it being made of clouds so it could travel long distances with the flow of the wind. This way, I could enjoy the beauty of nature while having my favorite snacks. It’s just my fantasy 3D render, and as an artist, I love the power of 3D software, which helps me create what I visualize from scratch and share a small tale with others.” — Viraj Shah 🇮🇳

“I captured this photo in Gansu Province, China. We arrived before dark, set up the tripod, and used stargazing software to locate our shooting position. However, once night fell, we struggled to find our exact spot, which took nearly an hour. This made the shooting time quite tight, but we managed to capture the shot. We used an equatorial mount for the Milky Way background to ensure a clean backdrop and did a second exposure for the person, combining them using software.” — Tianhao Wang 🇨🇳

“For this image, I laid down different colors of sand in rows and then ran a string of pearls through the whole thing to create the pattern. I love seeing rainbow colors in different mediums: paint, alcohol ink, fabric, and now sand.” — Susan Wilkinson 🇺🇸

“The night I took this photo, I was initially looking for nice shots of the Perseid meteor shower. The muffled sound of a windmill nearby rerouted me. I couldn't tell whether the depths of the universe or this gigantic structure made me feel small the most.” — Nicolas Houdayer

“Here, I wanted to create a calm but loud image. I knew I wanted to mimic warm sunlight, wrapping around the subject’s skin. I achieved this by using a hard key light. The image is almost peaceful, but the texture of the gel creates a distorted sense of reality and warped emotions. I highlighted every detail in the gel, by ensuring the key light was hitting it, as well as the subject. Making the foreground loud and exaggerated. It has a real sense of duality and you don’t quite know how to feel.” — Becky Sherburn 🇬🇧

See you in a month when we take a look back on September!👋 (Psst, want to make the next round-up? Include a description with your submission.)