The National Geographic Society has been in existence since 1888, and is one of the largest nonprofit scientific and educational institutions in the world. Their monthly magazine has been published since their inception, but of course, they now have online sites to draw the interest of many more people.
As it has been around for so long, it is a common misconception that it is old-fashioned and boring – this is absolutely not so! National Geographic have always been famed for their stunning photography, and nowadays they incorporate images from their own photographers as well as from members of the public – and the photo of the day is selected from all of their photographic departments. National Geographic bring articles about geography, culture, archaeology, natural science, wildlife and much, much more. Here we have selected 30 beautifully stunning images from their Photo of the Day archives, all awarded in 2014.
National Geographic Photos of the Day
Backcountry Blue
Photo of the Day January 22, 2014
“Canada’s Yukon backcountry hides sublime surprises, such as Azure Lake in the rugged Ogilvie Mountains. Glacial meltwater laden with fine sediment lends the lake its namesake color.”
Flight of the Flicker
Photo of the Day February 25, 2014
“A northern flicker flies from the nest it has chipped out of a tree at the edge of a small pond near Whitehorse in the Canadian Yukon.”
Morning Catch
Photo of the Day March 14, 2014
“Along the Cua Dai riverbanks, there are hundreds of fishing nets spread here and there,” this kind of fishing is quite simple—a ten-square-meter net is stretched using four sticks of bamboo and wood, then at night, the fishermen dip their nets under the stream and drop some powder bait on the surface. In the early morning, they just raise the nets and collect the fish inside.”
Deserted Palms
Photo of the Day March 26, 2014
“This group of palms was planted as part of a planned real estate project in Lucerne Valley, a small town in the California desert. The development failed and years later these dead palms remain. I’ve shot this group of palms a few times, but never at night. The night I shot this I was returning home after shooting along old Route 66 and had driven up on these old friends. The palms were lit by a combination of moonlight and a streetlight. The artificial lighting gives the palms a weird glamour.”
Glacial Place
Photo of the Day April 1, 2014
“Mountaineering and ice climbing are among my greatest thrills—they give me the feeling of working with nature to push myself beyond the limits. Being a mathematician, I am scientifically and philosophically attracted to this aerial photograph, captured during an adventure trip to the Mendenhall Glacier, near Juneau, Alaska. While the helicopter was cutting through fog and wind, I was patiently waiting for the best visibility and this aha! moment.”
Strawberry Fields
Photo of the Day April 13, 2014
“Inhabitants of Hüyük, Turkey, make their living from strawberry production.”
Homeward Bound
Photo of the Day April 24, 2014
“Two Vietnamese ladies walk home along the popular sand dunes in Mui Ne in Phan Thiet, Vietnam. Mui Ne remains a must-see in Vietnam and is popular among tourists.”
Twin Beauties
Photo of the Day May 22, 2014
“Pale butterflies mirror each other on a stalk in this macro image submitted by Muhammad Mochtar.”
Cathedral Cove
Photo of the Day May 27, 2014
“Sunrise lights up Cathedral Cove, an iconic spot near Hahei, New Zealand. The natural tunnel is part of the Te Whanganui-a-Hei Marine Reserve on the Coromandel Peninsula. It also served as a portal to Narnia in The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.”
Where the Antelope Play
Photo of the Day June 6, 2014
“We were driving around the Savute plains in northern Botswana, searching for a group of lions that had killed a very young female impala a few minutes before. After we’d been observing the lions, a group of impalas got my attention. A young male was jumping around just a few meters away from the lions that had just killed one of its kind. The contrast between life and death made this moment unique. The other impalas were observing the lions, but this young male didn’t care one bit about them. He was just enjoying being alive.”
Up on the Scaffold
Photo of the Day June 15, 2014
“A horse is tied in a makeshift stall while Iranian youths gather on the scaffolding to watch the competition during a nomad festival. The festival took place on the outskirts of Kaleybar city in East Azerbaijan Province, Iran.”
A Phantom Lake
Photo of the Day July 15, 2014
“Members of a British-led expedition pause at a subterranean lake on the way to Titan Chamber in southern Guizhou Province, China, where it rains more than 50 inches a year. The lake appears and disappears as the rains come and go.”
Sahara’s Edge
Photo of the Day August 2, 2014
“A camel caravan journeys across the dunes of Morocco’s Erg Chebbi desert on the edge of the Sahara. Before capturing this scene, photographer Rafal Ziejewski had trekked two hours into the desert by camel and spent the night at a Berber camp. ‘On the way back I wanted to take some interesting photos of this amazing place,’ writes Ziejewski. ‘So instead of taking a camel, I decided to walk. Getting off the beaten track gave me a lot of opportunities for great shots.’”
Croc Tail
Photo of the Day August 13, 2014
”I met this crocodile face-to-face underwater. There was only my underwater camera between it and me. Having long dreamt of photographing a crocodile in its natural aquatic habitat, I traveled to Banco Chinchorro, Mexico, a biosphere reserve in the Caribbean Sea and a breeding ground for American crocodiles. ‘We lived in a fisherman’s hut that stood right on the sea on stilts. During the day we searched for crocodiles, which swam out of mangroves to hunt fish. This one was quite friendly and showed its beauty all around.’”
Sun Salutation
Photo of the Day August 17, 2014
“A blue heron catches the last rays of a setting sun at Great Falls National Park in Maryland. I go there often because the herons make great subjects for long exposures against the falls. After shooting for about a minute or two, I finally noticed one standing on the rocks. I loved how the glowing mist was drifting behind it and that the rocks were illuminated by the sunset.”
Tip of the Iguana
Photo of the Day August 30, 2014
“Not quite as threatening as some sea monsters, a spiny-backed iguana floats by in the Bonaire Caves of the Dutch Caribbean. There I was, fully equipped with my camera, its underwater housing, and a wide-angle lens, preparing for the final setting of the sun, when a friend interrupted my solitude. He had dived into the water above my head and was swimming around the entrance of the cave, as if to say ‘hello’ to me.”
Cold Encounter
Photo of the Day September 1, 2014
“Hoarfrost settles on a moor along the border of Espace Rambouillet, a wildlife reserve near Paris, France, that’s home to deer like this stag and other wildlife. Having heard noises on the moor one day, Nicolas Le Boulanger returned early the following morning to see the author of these sounds. He had just arrived at the path when the deer appeared. ‘It literally jumped up in front of me as if to block access to its secret garden. We watched each other for five minutes, and I took hundreds of photos, but many of the others were missed due to the hoarfrost on the subject, my own shivers, and the rising morning mist that blurred the perspective.’”
A Grand Flyover
Photo of the Day September 2, 2014
“Sunrise at Yellowstone National Park finds steam rising from the surface of the Grand Prismatic Spring, the park’s largest hot spring. Jassen T. overcame high winds and turbulence to capture the view while piloting a plane at 11,000 feet. This incredible place is not only remote, but flying over high terrain is dangerous. Trying to get the right angle without people on the walkway while trying to maintain the right altitude and attitude also made things complicated. While flying, I remember thinking to myself that I didn’t want to leave. There are just not enough words to describe the magic.”
Pooled Together
Photo of the Day September 3, 2014
“Blacktip sharks, bluefin trevallies, and twinspot snappers (foreground)—ever watchful for a potential meal—throng a shallow passage into the lagoon of Millennium Island in the southern Line Islands, a pristine Pacific archipelago. Top predators like these are a defining feature of the world’s healthiest coral reefs.”
Soldiering Through
Photo of the Day September 7, 2014
“Soldiers of the U.S. Army’s Fourth Stryker Brigade Combat Team return to their home duty station at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington State after a nine-month tour in Afghanistan. Joey Jdm, a member of the unit, had always wanted to take a photo from this angle inside a C-17 transport plane. ‘When I finally got the chance, I asked one of the crew if I could take some photos. I wasn’t a photographer for the unit—I just had my camera at the time and couldn’t resist capturing the moment of a lifetime.’”
Stark Beauty
Photo of the Day September 8, 2014
“It’s only after it has died and shed its needles that the stark beauty and grace of the whitebark pine’s sinuous, twisting limbs is revealed. The endangered conifer, hardy enough to withstand heavy snows and high winter winds, is found at high altitudes in western North America. Paul Glasser captured this picture from the north side of Oregon’s Mount Hood. The hills were bathed in smoke from the many fires burning across Oregon.”
Savoring Chance
Photo of the Day September 11, 2014
“Terraced salt pans dip into the Sacred Valley north of Cusco, Peru. Cedric Favero wanted to give an idea of the dimension of the site, called the Salinas de Maras. ‘The few workers on-site were too far away or kneeling. I moved around looking for someone and found this worker walking on the edges of the ponds. I waited until he reached this larger pond, where his silhouette would be detached from the background.’”
Key to Survival
Photo of the Day September 12, 2014
“The Kyrgyz of the Pamir Mountains in northern Afghanistan live at a high altitude where no crops grow. Survival depends on the animals that they milk, butcher, and barter. Here, Ayeem Khan wears boots borrowed from her father and the red veil of an unmarried Kyrgyz girl, to be traded for a white one when she weds. Twice a day she milks the family’s yaks; some milk curd will be dried for use in winter, when yaks give less.”
Flame Trees
Photo of the Day September 13, 2014
“A wildfire rages at the Saskatchewan River Crossing in Alberta, Canada. Christine Garner was vacationing in the park when a sharp turn in the road revealed the blaze. ‘I was so shocked to see a fire of this magnitude,’ she writes.”
Spirits of Westminster
Photo of the Day September 15, 2014
“I remember that cold, foggy February morning—it was 7 a.m. when I arrived at London’s Westminster Bridge. In modern times, the thick fog in Britain is less frequent, so when it comes many photographers try to catch the moment. The sun’s ambient light created fantastic, surreal views of the bridge and the Houses of Parliament. Walking people looked like spirits.”
Autumn Portrait
Photo of the Day September 16, 2014
“A forested park is suffused with the golden glow of autumn in the northern European country of Lithuania. Bordering the eastern Baltic Sea, the country’s landscape consists of gently rolling plains and extensive forests.”
Hollow Greeting
Photo of the Day September 24, 2014
“An owl peers from a tree hollow in Northumberland, United Kingdom. After unlucky weather derailed a trip to see puffins on the Farne Islands, Karthik Vilwanathan drove with a friend around a nearby woodland area, hoping to see birds of prey. ‘This time we were lucky. I saw this little owl pop its head out a few times from the tree, so I waited patiently, and 20 minutes later I captured this image.’”
Net Collection
Photo of the Day September 25, 2014
“Fishing nets are collected on a beach near Da Nang, Vietnam. Located on the central Vietnamese coast, the city of Da Nang is a gateway to popular beaches, the World Heritage sites of Hoi An and My Son, and the Marble Mountains.”
Call of the Wild
Photo of the Day September 26, 2014
“A lioness roars a warning to her cubs in Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve. She was perched on a hill right on the side of the dirt road. On an opposite hill were three young male lions, which sometimes kill cubs. Our guide knew this lioness had three young cubs that were were out of sight and hidden. We observed her for over an hour as she continued to call out to her cubs, warning them of the potential danger that lurked across the way. Unlike most of our children, these cubs were extremely obedient and remained hidden.”
On Faith
Photo of the Day September 27, 2014
“In California’s Central Valley, water in wildlife refuges is down by around 30 percent. Here, migratory geese on their journey north congregate on the Faith Ranch near the San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge, one of the Central Valley’s few scraps of native wildlife habitat.”
Conclusion
So if you though National Geographic was all about boring geography of the world, hopefully this article has made you think again. It can be very interesting to see and read about different cultures, wildlife and natural or man-made phenomenon around the world, but the beauty of National Geographic is that they cover all of these subjects and more, and the choice of what images you view, or articles you read is absolutely yours.
