Merced River, Yosemite Photograph by Michael Melford, National GeographicMerced River, Yosemite National Park, California 114.5 miles protected since 1987; 8 additional miles since 1992 Download Wallpaper (1600 x 1200 pixels)
Point Mugu, California Photograph by Garret Suhrie, Your ShotAt Point Mugu, near Malibu, California. A self-portrait while shooting with the 4x5, behind me the crashing waves at long exposure looking more like mountain peaks than rocky shoreline.
Point Reyes, California Photograph by Anton Barmettler, My ShotPoint Reyes, California, near the top of the cliff, under fog. The windswept trees forming a kind of tunnel, the sun piercing through the upper layer of the fog and the limited visibility provide for a very special effect. It appears quite unreal. Kind of spooky, especially considering that there were very few people around. Download Wallpaper (1600 x 1200 pixels)
Badwater Basin, Death Valley Photograph by Dan Desroches, My ShotThis was taken in Death Valley at a location named Badwater, a dry sea of salt below sea level. Download Wallpaper (1600 x 1200 pixels)
Ballet Dancers, California Photograph by James L. Amos, National GeographicLike nodding flowers, these ballerinas flow together as much for the palette of their costumes as for the choreography of the dance. Photographer James L. Blair has wisely photographed from above, allowing the soft pastels of the tutus to seem suspended against the simple dark background of the floor. —Annie Griffiths