From the wild ranges of Yellowstone to the canopy of a Bornean rainforest, National Geographic photographers have captured some of the world's best images.
While many of the photographs featured online and in print have offered readers a breathtaking glimpse of faraway places or beautifully inspiring visuals, much of the work done by contributors to the magazine also makes a difference in the world.
Photographer Tim Laman's work put a spotlight on the threats orangutans face from loss of habitat. Ami Vitale documented the setbacks and successes of China's panda conservation program. And Joel Sartore is on a mission to photograph every endangered animal in the world—before they become extinct.
The photographs above feature some of the most illuminating, far-reaching and stunning photography by National Geographic photographers in the last 10 years. Read through the captions to discover the story behind each photo.
From the “Paradise Revisited” story in the November 2013 issue of National Geographic magazine, this image is a beautiful vision of father-and-son fishermen as they move through the multicoloured coral gardens of Kembe Bay, Papua New Guinea, in a traditional outrigger canoe.
PHOTOGRAPH BY DAVID DOUBILET
A harp seal pup seeks shelter from the constant wind that blows across the sea ice in Canada's Gulf of St. Lawrence as it awaits the return of its mother. This image speaks to the necessity of taking climate change seriously, as rising global temperatures threaten traditional harp seal nurseries built on continuously thinning ice.
PHOTOGRAPH BY JENNIFER HAYES
National Geographic photographer Tim Laman’s image of a Bornean orangutan climbing 30 meters up from the rainforest canopy in Gunung Palung National Park won the London Natural History Museum's “Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2016” award. His work shines an important light on orangutan conservation and the need to protect their rainforest homes.
PHOTOGRAPH BY TIM LAMAN
Published in our May 2016 issue of National Geographic magazine, “Yellowstone–America’s Wild Idea,” this unique image features a grizzly bear guarding a bison carcass from ravens. The articles take a fascinating look at the interactions between humans and wildlife in U.S. National Parks and examine what happens when we protect spaces large enough for these animals to be free of daily human contact.
PHOTOGRAPH BY CHARLIE HAMILTON JAMES
Snow white pelicans feed in a nutrient-rich canal of the Mississippi River Delta, an ecosystem that is under threat from both climate change and damage caused by oil and gas companies. This image has been highlighted in several of National Geographic's more popular books, including the 2010 publication “Great Migrations” and our 2002 publication “Women Photographers”.
PHOTOGRAPH BY ANNIE GRIFFITHS
In this never before published photo, Christina Mittermeier captures the serious issue of water scarcity in a unique way. Colourful laundry contrasts the stark browns of a desiccated Madagascar riverbed as two emaciated cows continue their search for water. The image is a reminder of the daily competition for life-sustaining resources in many parts of the world.
PHOTOGRAPH BY CRISTINA MITTERMEIER
This unpublished gem highlights the majesty of the Northern California redwood trees as the sun shines through the uppermost branches and burns through the fog in radiant beams. Diane Cook and Len Jenshel are regularly published in National Geographic magazine and are well-known for their work on unique environmental topics, such as rooftop gardens.
PHOTOGRAPH BY DIANE COOK AND LEN JENSHEL
Melissa Farlow captures a joyous image of a dog racing across the sands of Cape Lookout, Oregon. Farlow’s conservation articles for National Geographic magazine illuminate the spirit and beauty of people and animals alike.
PHOTOGRAPH BY MELISSA FARLOW
Paul Nicklen has a knack for capturing the personalities of underwater animals, as seen here in a unique shot of a leopard seal in South Georgia, Antarctica. Part of our "Iconic" collection, this image was shot on assignment for an article about leopard seals published in the November 2006 issue of National Geographic magazine.
PHOTOGRAPH BY PAUL NICKLEN
This popular image of a 45-foot, 70-ton right whale swimming beside a diver on the sea floor in the Auckland Islands has been published not only in National Geographic magazine but in several of our publications, including our commemorative “Around the World in 125 Years” book.
PHOTOGRAPH BY BRIAN J. SKERRY
Sixteen-year-old panda Ye Ye rests in an enclosure at the Wolong Nature Reserve, a conservation centre that trains pandas for release into the wild. This image was published in the August 2016 National Geographic magazine as part of “Pandas Gone Wild”.
PHOTOGRAPH BY AMI VITALE
The aquifer-fed Platte River is a roosting area for roughly 413,000 sandhill cranes as they migrate between northern Mexico and Siberia. This shot was taken as an evening storm rolled into the Nebraska plains just as the birds were beginning to land for the night. It was published in the August 2016 issue of National Geographic magazine.
PHOTOGRAPH BY RANDY OLSON
These African white-bellied tree pangolins are among the most frequently trafficked animals in the world, primarily because some cultures maintain the belief that the scales of these creatures have curative properties. This image is part of Joel Sartore’s “Photo Ark” project and was published in the April 2016 issue of the National Geographic magazine cover story “Every Last One”.
PHOTOGRAPH BY JOEL SARTORE
Oglala Sioux Indians race horses across the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. This image was published in the August 2012 issue of National Geographic magazine. The article, “In the Shadow of Wounded Knee: Pine Ridge Reservation,” highlights the resilience of the tribe and their customs.
PHOTOGRAPH BY AARON HUEY
First published as the cover to our “Edge of the World” story in the January 2010 issue of National Geographic magazine, this photograph capturing the grandeur of Scotland’s Isle of Skye could almost be mistaken for a painting. The basalt pinnacles of the Old Man of Storr loom high above the Sound of Raasay, surrounded by some of the world’s most dramatic scenery.
PHOTOGRAPH BY JIM RICHARDSON
This photograph was published in our January 2013 issue of National Geographic magazine for the article “The New Age of Exploration” which features imagery from around the world. Illuminated by the sunset, mountaineers face harsh landscapes as they ascend the 26,360-foot Gasherbrum II, a part of the Karakoram Range in Pakistan.
PHOTOGRAPH BY CORY RICHARDS
This unpublished photo by Pete McBride highlights the stunning Pjorsa River delta in Iceland at the precise point where it meets the Atlantic Ocean. McBride is known not only for his jaw-dropping aerial photography but for his focus on issues facing freshwater ecosystems.
PHOTOGRAPH BY PETE MCBRIDE
A full moon sets behind desert oak trees growing in the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in the Northern Territory of Australia.
PHOTOGRAPH BY AMY TOENSING
In Yellowstone’s Hayden Valley, a classic red convertible drives past a bison resting in the sun. This image was published as part of our May 2016 issue dedicated to Yellowstone National Park. An interesting juxtaposition of nature and technology, the photo brings to the forefront questions about the issues regarding human-wildlife interactions, and when is “close”, “too close”?
PHOTOGRAPH BY DAVID GUTTENFELDER
Mount Semeru, Mount Bromo and Mount Batok are three sacred volcanoes on Java, Indonesia, that have shaped both the culture and the landscape of the region. These incredible geological formations were published as part of our story “The Gods Must be Restless” in the January 2008 issue of National Geographic magazine.
PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN STANMEYER
Best known for his work in adventure photography, Keith Ladzinski captures a fleeting moment in time when rainy Montana skies briefly give way to a glorious sunrise over the mountains as three horseback riders move across the valley. A quiet scene of people interacting with nature in a way that leaves only a small footprint behind.
PHOTOGRAPH BY KEITH LADZINSKI
Header Image: Published in both Traveler magazine and the 2013 book “Tigers Forever”, this serene image captures a mother tiger resting with her two-month-old cub in Bandhavgarh National Park, India. A rare scene to photograph, given the ever-present threat of death by poachers, that underscores the necessity for tiger conservation projects to become a global priority. PHOTOGRAPH BY STEVE WINTER