This blog is for people who want to be in the inner circle of one of the most unique and vast image collections in the world. Here you'll find images rarely seen by the public as well as the latest image additions from the field, and images that are fresh off of embargo. The latest and the best are highlighted here.
Below is a clip from Last Call with Carson Daly where National Geographic Stock photographer Joel Sartore describes how a photograph of the world’s last passenger pigeon led him to undertake his daunting, yet incredibly rewarding Biodiversity Project – a project aimed at documenting, as studio portraits, all 6,000 animals that are in captivity in the United States.
The importance of this project cannot be stressed enough as the lives and numbers of some of these animals continue to dwindle and deteriorate. As much as ever, his work shows the world what they have to gain or lose in the future of tomorrow. Whether he is shooting a Sumatran tiger or a terrestrial hermit crab, all of his work seems to take in the entirety of the subject and the nature of its character. By bringing majesty to every animal and utilizing only black and white backdrops, Sartore allows the viewer to weigh all animals and species on even ground. As half of the world’s plant and animal species will soon be threatened with extinction, this strategy aims at eliminating internal biases towards the larger, more cuddly mammals and establishing a unified effort to stop extinction of every animal – as they are all worth the efforts.
Earth Day, which falls on April 22nd, 2012, is dedicated to bringing about awareness and appreciation of the Earth’s natural environment while promoting conservation and concern due to its fragility and the vast amount of damage done by human presence. More than 1 billion people now participate in Earth Day activities each year, making it the largest civic observance in the world.
National Geographic Stock offers an extremely wide range of photographs covering the inhabitants and environments of this planet.
Hands holding seedling planted in soil out towards viewer. Adelaide Hills, South Australia, Australia. Image #1248072. Brooke Whatnall/National Geographic Stock
A rainbow over a baobab tree. Mombo, Okavango Delta, Botswana, Africa. Image #1011931. Beverly Joubert/National Geographic Stock
Portrait of a juvenile female western lowland gorilla. Mondika, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Image #1146099. Ian Nichols/National Geographic Stock.
Smoke rises from surface oil being burned by cleanup crews. Gulf of Mexico, Louisiana. Image #1346388. Joel Sartore/National Geographic Stock.
All of these numbers are just the beginning as more recent studies have shown interesting, yet disturbing insights into the long term effects of the Deepwater Horizon Spill. For instance, there have been studies conducted in order to examine the spill’s effects on dolphins, insects, marshlands, zooplankton, or the food chain of today’s Gulf of Mexico. On March 2nd, 2012, BP and plaintiffs agreed to settle their lawsuits, which includes approximately 100,000 filed claims. BP estimates they will pay around $7.8 billion to all plaintiffs and the settlement will not increase the $37.2 billion the company already budgeted for spill-related expenses. The terms of this proposed settlement will be filed in federal court in New Orleans by April 16th, 2012.
April 15th, 2012 marks the 100th anniversary of the RMS Titanic’s sinking and National Geographic has an exclusive video up for licensing with Dr. Robert Ballard, National Geographic Explorer in Residence and discoverer of the ship’s remains, as he discusses the RMS Titanic, his search for the vessel, and the grand nature of its discovery. Below is a short excerpt from “Titanic: A Remembrance,” but you can contact us here if interested in licensing the full length version.
Robert D. Ballard (with hat) and crew of a research vessel celebrate finding the wrecked Titanic. Image #530453, Emory Kristof/National Geographic Stock
Congratulations are in order for Alison Wright – the recently named Photographer of the Year for the 2012 SATW Bill Muster Photo Competition! Since its inception in 1981, this award has honored the finest travel photography and we at National Geographic agree with SATW in that there is no one more deserving of this award than Alison Wright!
Alison has been journeying the world for more than two decades, channeling her talent and energy in order to document human rights issues and the traditions of changing cultures around the globe. Her accomplished and incomparable talent has allowed her to travel the world, publish multiple books, and have her photographs be featured in a countless number of publications. Luckily, that same talent has allowed us to witness the world through her lens, helping us better understand and experience the people and planet around us.
We are excited for some of her more recent work, which includes the resilience of a post-tsunami Japan, chasing the magical northern lights in the Arctic Norway, and the children at the Alyn Hospital in Israel for her Faces of Hope Foundation.
Don’t miss out on the opportunity to feature this award-winning travel photographer; browse some of her work here!
The Burj Al Arab Hotel in the evening. Dubai City, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Image #1404463. Alison Wright/National Geographic Stock.
A Buddhist monk in front of a buddhist temple. Shodo Island, Japan. Image #1057392. Alison Wright/National Geographic Stock.
Photographer Alison Wright with a half blind and orphaned amputee. Saint Damien Hospital, Port au Prince, Haiti. Image #1295734. Alison Wright/National Geographic Stock.
National Geographic would like to shine the spotlight on Stephen Alvarez, congratulating him for his coverage and contributions to the NPR stories “Life Below The City Of Light: Paris Underground” and “For Prostitutes, An Alternative To The Streets“. These stories were awarded by the White House News Photographers Association at their “The Eyes of History 2012″ competition with 3rd Place in New Media: Photography & Audio – Natural Sound and an Award of Excellence in Video Editing: Long Form, respectively.
Stephen Alvarez, a National Geographic photographer since 1995, exposed the unnoticed underworld of Paris in a collaborative story for both National Geographic and NPR News. Maneuvering through caverns and tunnels both expansive and narrow, Stephen compiled a remarkable series of photographs documenting both the sunken history beneath the streets of Paris and a cultural upheaval of appreciation and intrigue for these passageways into the past – an accomplishment most deserving of an “Eyes of History” award. Congrats again Stephen for giving us another glimpse into a world most have never seen, nor ever would have seen without your creative vision or masterful camera work.
To browse Stephen’s photos of Paris Underground, click here.
Photographer Stephen Alvarez with a sculpture in a sandy chamber known as the "beach". Paris, France. Image #1375038. Stephen Alvarez/National Geographic Stock.
The National Cherry Blossom Festival is one of the most anticipated celebrations of the year for the Washington metropolitan area, bringing in thousands of visitors in order to commemorate the March 27th, 1912 gift of Japanese cherry trees from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo. This year however, visitors will also participate in the centennial celebration, marking 100 years since the first tree was gifted. In traditional Japanese culture, the tree symbolizes the fleeting and ephemeral nature of life and most see the Festival as a moment to pause and reflect on the rare sanctity of this flower, of this planet, and of a warm spring day spent with those we hold dearest.
The start date has been announced and the Festival will take place from March 20th until April 27th, 2012 so don’t hesitate – start browsing stock photos today.
In Christianity, Holy Week takes place on the last week of Lent and the week before Easter (April 1st until April 7th this year). It commemorates the last week of the life of Jesus Christ and includes the religious holidays of Palm Sunday, Maundy (or Holy) Thursday, and Good Friday.
This photographic essay provides a deep exploration of the Catholic brotherhoods in Antigua, Guatemala. The photographer takes you behind the scenes of one of the most significant religious celebrations in the world, which dates back to the 1500’s when friars from Mexico and Spain founded the La Merced and San Francisco churches. The story offers a rare glimpse at Holy Week and its important rites, some of which, photographers have never been given permission to document.
A church procession enters a church at Easter time. Antigua, Guatemala. Image #1317895. Raul Touzon/National Geographic Stock
The brotherhoods started as “cofradias” – groups of people who shared similar professions, social classes, or ethnic groups. In most cases, groups had their own patron Saint based on their professions. For instance, carpenters showed devotion towards St. Joseph and blacksmiths did the same for St. Sebastian. Presently, alliance to the brotherhoods is based on family tradition, although some of the old traits still persist such as socio-economic and ethnic factors. Thousands of people participate not only as spectators, but also as “cucuruchos”, carrying the traditional “andas” during the processions. These “andas” are floats that bear centuries-old images of Christ and the Virgin Mary. Some of them weigh in excess of 6,000 pounds and may require over 80 people to lift and carry them in procession all over Antigua. Women are not only a part of the brotherhoods, but also play a vital role in the ceremonies. They act as the caretakers of the “Virgin Mary”, called “Dolorosa” for she is mourning her Son’s death.
A float with a statue of Jesus during an Easter Week procession. Antigua, Guatemala. Image #1317903. Raul Touzon/National Geographic Stock
At center stage of this photographic journey is “The Cofradia de Jesus Nazareno de La Merced”, the first and biggest brotherhood founded in 1582. Today, the “hermandad” organizes two of the largest processions, “La Reseña” and “La Penitenencia”.
There are 16 brotherhoods with the most important being La Merced, Escuela de Cristo, San Bartolome, San Felipe and San Francisco. The modern role of these organizations is to preserve the centuries-old traditions of celebrating Holy Week in Guatemala.
Easter week procession in the streets of Antigua. Antigua, Guatemala. Image #1431411. Raul Touzon/National Geographic Stock.
To see more of Raul Touzon’s photographs of Holy Week in Antigua, click here.
Or, click here to browse other stock photographs from Holy Week.
National Geographic Stock would specifically like to recognize three of our own – Carsten Peter, Joel Sartore, and Steve Winter – for each winning Awards of Excellence for their outstanding ability to captivate our minds with the wonderment of their craft. They all three won Awards of Excellence in the Science/Natural History Picture Story category of the competition.
In Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park in north-central Vietnam, Carsten ventured with an expedition team determined to survey the recently discovered Hang Son Doong, meaning Mountain River Cave, after being halted in 2009 by a 200-foot-tall calcite wall they comically deemed the Great Wall of Vietnam. This time around, the team came prepared to ascend the wall. After 20 hours preparation and climbing higher they finally reached the top where, most likely, no human had ever been before. Once over the wall, the team could see light at the end of the passage, revealing the exit and a treasure trove of unusually large cave pearls. After the expedition and survey were completed, it was determined that Hang Son Doong is the largest cave in the world and because of Peter’s diligent passion and technical prowess we are able to witness the magnitude and beauty of the world’s largest cave discovered to date. To witness it yourself or license these images, click here.
A half-mile block of 40-story buildings could fit inside this lit stretch of Hang Son Doong. In nearby Loong Con (left), a climber ascends a shaft of sunlight. Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park, Vietnam. Image #1416112. Carsten Peter/National Geographic Stock.
As much as ever, Joel Sartore shows us a world of monumental worth in a region in desperate need of attention – Uganda’s Albertine Rift. As tectonic plates split the nation apart, so does the overhanging tension of a growing population’s fight for livable space. Places like the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, home of a population of 340 critically endangered Mountain Gorillas called Bwindi Gorillas, and Queen Elizabeth National Park, famous for its volcanic features such as crater lakes, are experiencing heavy resentment and protest from locals as one of the most densely populated places on Earth continues to grow. Sartore, with his unique vision and acute technique, gives us an important glimpse at this region in order to show us what’s at stake in the decades ahead. This kind of approach to photography is what makes Joel stand out from the rest and why POYi has recognized him for his truly amazing work. To see his work from Uganda, click here.
A tree-climbing lion stirs in Uganda's Queen Elizabeth National Park. Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda. Image #1431979. Joel Sartore/National Geographic Stock.
This year, Steve Winter brings us to the forefront of the issues surrounding a cat in crisis – the tiger. Traveling throughout Thailand, Indonesia (Sumatra), and India, Steve provides an introspective cross-examination of the majestic beauty these animals possess, the violent and social threats of today and the future, and some of the valorous efforts being made to protect them and their environment. Despite the millions of dollars that have been spent on tiger conservation, their numbers continue to decline and dwindle. Through the power of his lens, Steve shines a new light on this issue, revealing best practices for conservation efforts and reminding us of our connection with this elegant animal. His proven ability and passion rises off the surfaces of these images, a rarity deserving of the POYi Award of Excellence. This story will be available for licensing on March 1st, 2012.
A tiger peers at a camera trap it triggered while hunting in the early morning in the forests of northern Sumatra, Indonesia. Tigers can thrive in many habitats, from the frigid Himalaya to tropical mangrove swamps in India and Bangladesh. Sumatra, Indonesia. This story will be available for licensing on March 1st, 2012. Steve Winter/National Geographic Stock.
