The neon lights that illuminate this motel in Ranohira, Madagascar, recall the colors of the Madagascan flag. (Photograph by Michele Martinelli, National Geographic Your Shot)

Your Shot Photo of the Month: Moon Over Madagascar

August 07, 2015
2 min read

With a wink to Malagasy loyalists and geography buffs alike, Italian photographer and Your Shot community member Michele Martinelli notes that the porch lights of this motel in Ranohira, Madagascar, mimic the red, green, and white of the island nation’s flag.

Getting the shot: Martinelli and his wife (pictured) stayed in Ranohira before exploring the sculpted rock formations of nearby Isalo National Park.

At first Martinelli found the motel’s lights garish, but seeing the colors at sunset struck a chord.

“Our second evening there, I noticed the moon up and the reflection of the rooms in the pool,” he says. “Combining all these details at night made for a beautiful scene.”

What we liked: “The symmetrical composition and colored lights are what really catch my eye,” says Traveler’s director of photography, Dan Westergren.

“The weighting of the image leaves a little breathing room for the moon—a good choice by the photographer, since the roofs are so evenly spaced.”

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