July didn’t hold back: 105,233 images landed in the Unsplash library. Check out 20 exceptional submissions and the stories behind each shot!

"This image is a stack of 20 frames captured on an August night in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, during peak Milky Way season." — Dmytro Koplyk 🇺🇦 🇺🇸

"I spent a week in Norway photographing the midnight sun. During midsummer in the Lofoten Islands, the sun never sets, giving you endless golden light all through the night. This image is my creative take on that experience, capturing one of Reine's most iconic viewpoints. As the evening fog rolled in and the light softened, the whole landscape felt incredibly cinematic, almost like stepping onto the set of Blade Runner." — Joshua Earle 🇺🇸

"Captured at the Melia Hotel in Palma, Spain, the image explores the dialogue between architecture and perception. Repeating triangular forms create a mesmerizing sense of depth, drawing the eye toward a vivid blue sky that interrupts the monochrome composition, revealing how geometry, light, and color can transform a simple architectural detail into an abstract visual experience." — Ricardo Gomez Angel 🇨🇭

"Photographing the moon needs no prior inspiration, just a love for it. The moon sparks your imagination, and as a photographer, using your imagination is all the fun, so with the Flower Moon of May, the curves of a flowering Magnolia tree and some post-processing, I was able to create this image." — Jeremy Hynes 🇨🇦

"I enjoy creating without knowing exactly where I’ll end up. This piece came from curiosity rather than intention. The fluid slipping through the hand felt like a metaphor for things we can’t control. Instead of forcing an outcome, I learned to embrace the process and let the work become what it wanted to be." — Shubham Dhage 🇮🇳

"This photo was taken on the bluffs of Palos Verdes during a family portrait session. I wanted to capture the scale of the coast and the idea that there is so much more life ahead of us than behind us." — Nathan Dumlao 🇺🇸

"During my journey through Serbia and Montenegro, I arrived in the town of Žabljak, Montenegro, late at night around midnight. I was amazed by the incredible number of stars shining above me. Far away from city lights, I captured this view of the Milky Way stretching across the night sky." –
Alex Panarin 🌎

"Oman is one of my personal top five destinations to travel to. It has been incredibly beautiful, but being in the desert and watching the light and shadows change the patterns of the sand every few minutes is simply mind-blowing. I could spend hours just gazing at the beauty that God has created. It’s a gift to be able to take these trips, experience such incredible places, and come home with a heart full of joy and an SD card full of photos to share with others." — Rafael Peier 🇨🇭

"I captured this photo in Carpinteria, CA of my favorite tree, the Monterey cypress. I found the way the tree eclipsed the sun to be very beautiful. Furthermore, I took this with a vintage lens, which I adapted to my camera—showing that you don’t always need fancy gear to do photography!" — Dan Begel 🇺🇸

"The flowers have passed their moment of bloom, yet their faded blue petals reveal a different kind of beauty—quiet, fragile, and enduring." — Takashi Miyazaki 🇯🇵

"I captured a tranquil seascape at sunset, where the glowing sun slowly dips below the horizon, painting the sky in delicate shades of pink, lavender, and soft orange. Dark rocky islets create striking silhouettes against the calm, glass-like sea, while distant islands fade gently into the atmospheric haze. The long exposure enhances the peaceful mood, smoothing the water and emphasizing the quiet beauty of the fading light." – Pascal Debrunner 🇨🇭

"Nature holds a gentle rhythm where everything happens in its own time. I find true joy in observing these simple, untouched scenes—reminding me that deep feelings and beauty are always present, even without a plan." — Kristaps Ungurs 🇱🇻

"A mind marked by anxiety is depicted on three planes: a bright red background, a face composed of broken lines symbolizing the knots in the brain, and dissolving hands, attempting to soothe the pain." — Mia Coquiette 🇫🇷

"The world keeps turning even when fire is ravaging through the world around us. Take in the beautiful things in life while you still can. Nothing lasts forever." – Tom Gainor 🇺🇸

"I create all of my work using Blender, which has been my primary software for bringing my ideas to life. I created this piece because it had been a long time since I last created something in this art style. Working on this artwork reminded me why I fell in love with 3D rendering in the first place. Revisiting this cinematic style brought the passion and excitement that first inspired me to pursue digital art." — Cash Macanaya, 🇵🇭

"This photo was taken on a trip to New York in 2023. One evening, I visited the observation deck at the Rockefeller Centre and was blown away by the view. When I noticed how many people were there, all taking more or less the same photos, I wanted to give the picture a slightly more abstract look. So I used a long exposure and moved the camera whilst taking the shot." — Dominik Mattern 🇩🇪

"Some mornings are worth the early alarm. I drove into the Santa Cruz Mountains before dawn and watched the first light paint the valley fog with gold." — Zetong Li 🇺🇸

"This photo is from a studio series focusing on light and shadow. The model wore a tight black fishnet dress and oversized black glasses against a black backdrop, blending into the darkness. This setup mimics the atmosphere of a techno or rave event. The flash illuminated only small areas of her body, acting like club lasers and strobe lights. The full collection shows how much the human eye can perceive in such low-light settings. In this specific shot, the flash captured the model's body in an S-shaped curve." — Marcin Sajur 🇵🇱

"I shot in a cinematic aesthetic. The main reference points are strong silhouettes by the large window, warm backlighting, and the feeling of a closed, almost theatrical space. I wanted to achieve the effect of a chamber drama. In any case, it was an interesting experience." — Dmitrii Shirnin 🇷🇺

"I made this thanks to the incredible tools that the Blender Foundation made available for free and enabled my passion for 3D. The goal was to create an ocean of flowing contours and shapes, made of an infinite number of tiny, identical objects." — Zach Malinowitz 🇺🇸

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