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Michael Nichols, National GeographicThis 300‐foot redwood is roughly 1,500 years old and has the most complex crown structure scientists have ever mapped. A team of seven photographers collaborated with Nichols over 19 days; in one magic hour, they created this composite image of 84 individual images, which took 120 hours to stitch together.
Location: Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, California 2009 -
Paul NicklenA male walrus flicks his tusks on the ice, sending a warning to the half-submerged photographer. The giant tusks of adult walruses can grow up to 90 centimeters long. Females prefer to congregate in Russian waters to the east, so the walrus population in Norway's Svalbard Archipelago is primarily male much of the year.
Location: Bellsund, Spitsbergen, Norway July 2007 -
Clyde Butcher"I had been struck by this mangrove's sculptural beauty before, but the light hadn't been right to take a photograph. One summer morning everything came together. A survivor of Hurricane Donna in the 1960s, this mangrove was destroyed by Hurricane Andrew in 1992." ‐ Clyde Butcher
Location: Ten Thousand Islands, Florida 1989 -
Michael Nichols, National GeographicA young tigress, recently pushed out of the pride by her mother, seeks relief from sweltering 120‐degree heat in a pool, despite its fetid brew of rotting leaves and monkey urine. She takes her own picture by breaking an infared beam.
Location: Bandhavgarh National Park, India 1996 -
Clyde Butcher"The fight to save the Everglades began at the Loxahatchee Wildlife Refuge. I was looking for an image that represented my feelings about what the Everglades look like. This is it, the beautiful wetlands I care so much about." ‐ Clyde Butcher
Location: Loxahatchee Wildlife Refuge, Florida 1989 -
Paul NicklenA polar bear swims submerged in Lancaster Sound in the Nunavut Territory of Canada, its image mirrored in the icy water. The continuous loss of ice platforms where polar bears forage has led to shorter hunting seasons, increasingly threatening their survival.
Location: Lancaster Sound, Nunavut, Canada June 2004 -
Paul NicklenA walrus returns to shore after diving and feeding on clams. The walrus population has slowly increased since Norway banned hunting in 1952. But as oceans warm, sea ice melts and glaciers recede, all wildlife living in the Svalbard Archipelago face an uncertain future.
Location: Poolpynten, Prins Karl Forland, Norway July 2007 -
Clyde Butcher"Mysteriously named plants like Guzmania and Ghost Orchid enticed me to explore the Fakahatchee Strand. Studded with native Royal Palms and numerous tropical plants, which are found only in the Strand and Central America, the Fakahatchee is truly a remarkable place." ‐ Clyde Butcher
Location: Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park, Florida 1999 -
Michael Nichols, National GeographicIn 2002, Jane Goodall, then 68, hiked through three swamps to lend her celebrity to the effort to expand a national park that would protect the vulnerable naïve chimps of the Goualougo Triangle.
Location: Goualougo Triangle, Republic of the Congo, Africa 2002 -
Donna and Stephen O'MearaA lone man along the eastern slope of Kilauea Volcano watches as lava pours into the Pacific Ocean, causing the sea to boil into a giant steam cloud.
Location: Kilauea Volcano, The Island of Hawai'i January 2009 -
Patricia LanzaDonna and Stephen O'Meara wear flame‐retardant suits as they explore the lava flow field at Volcano National Park.
Location: Volcano National Park, The Island of Hawai'i 2010 -
Clyde ButcherClyde Butcher's photographs explore his personal and profound relationship with the environment. For more than 40 years, Butcher has preserved untouched areas of the landscape onto black-and‐white film. Capturing his images with an 8 x 10" and 11 x 14" view camera, Butcher prints his limited editions on fiber‐based paper toned with selenium for archival purposes.
"Wilderness, to me, is a spiritual necessity," Butcher says. After his son was killed by a drunk driver, the photographer fled to the wilderness, searching for serenity and equilibrium. "The mysterious spiritual experience of being close to nature helped restore my soul." It was then that Butcher discovered the intimate beauty of the environment. "My experience reinforced my dedication to use the art of photography as an inspiration for others to work together to save nature's places of spiritual sanctuary for future generations." -
Michael Nichols, National GeographicIn 1990, Mike Fay discovered a society of chimpanzees who had never encountered humans. They possessed an abundant amount of curiosity without the innate fear of man found in other African wildlife. Twenty years later, these chimps have been studied and protected but remain vulnerable.
Location: Goualougo Triangle, Republic of the Congo, Africa 2002 -
Clyde Butcher"I spent three years photographing the Loxahatchee River before capturing its essence. One day, I got out of my canoe and, rather than paddling, walked down the river. I became one with the Loxahatchee and found perfect subjects for photographs everywhere I looked." ‐ Clyde Butcher
Location: Loxahatchee River, Florida 1991 -
Donna and Stephen O'MearaTephra explosions eject huge pieces of fragmented lava and cinder more than 1,000 feet upwards. These types of explosions, which create arcs of color during long photographic exposures, are accompanied by thunderous booms.
Location: Kilauea Volcano, The Island of Hawai'i July 2008 -
Clyde Butcher"Big Cypress National Preserve is my home, so I'm partial to its beauty. Wherever I go, photographic opportunities abound. " ‐ Clyde Butcher
Location: Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida 1999 -
Michael Nichols, National GeographicNichols' introduction to wildlife and conservation photography came in 1980 with this image of a silverback mountain gorilla. The resulting photo‐essay told the story of The Mountain Gorilla Project, a group working to stop poaching, educate communities and familiarize gorillas to harmless observers, the beginnings of eco‐tourism.
Location: Virunga Mountains, Rwanda, Africa 1980 -
Paul NicklenIn the land of the midnight sun, a polar bear hunts in ‐40°C temperatures at 3 a.m.
Location: Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada 1994 -
Donna and Stephen O'MearaThe tops of a lava flow form solidified tubes as they cool. This image shows a lava tube that has broken off and inside reveals molten lava which can flow for miles.
Location: Kilauea Volcano, The Island of Hawai'i February 2009 -
Donna and Stephen O'MearaPahoehoe lava flows to the coast, cooling into a hardened, fan‐shaped shelf called a lava delta or lava bench. As long as a supply of molten lava continues to flow, outpacing the destruction of the waves, new land continues to creep seaward.
Location: Kilauea Volcano, The Island of Hawai'i September 2006 -
Michael Nichols, National GeographicWhiskey, a five‐year‐old chimpanzee, is held captive in a car‐repair garage. He is chained by his neck in a dark, wet, disused lavatory, having become too dangerous to continue as the family pet.
Location: Bujumbura, Burundi, Africa 1989 -
Paul NicklenA polar bear shakes off after a dive under the ice.
Location: Admiralty Inlet, Nunavut, Canada 1995 -
Donna and Stephen O'MearaLava flows onto a newly formed black sand beach on its way to the Pacific Ocean.
Location: Kilauea Volcano, The Island of Hawai'i December 2008 -
Red pahoehoe lava flows into the Pacific Ocean on the east coast of the island of Hawai'i, causing the sea to boil and release steam. Lava is reflected in the ocean water. When it cools, the surface of the rippled lava flow looks like plastic.
Location: Kilauea Volcano, The Island of Hawai'i November 2005 -
Nathan WilliamsonMichael suffers a bee sting on assignment in Gabon during the Megatransect.
Location: Gabon, Africa 2004 -
Paul NicklenPaul Nicklen From polar bears roaming the northern tundra to leopard seals hunting for penguins in the southern seas, Paul Nicklen captures images from extreme environments few of us will ever witness. Growing up in an Inuit community in the Arctic, Nicklen is uniquely qualified to tell the stories of the polar regions of our planet. A former marine biologist, Nicklen realized he could make a greater impact in his quest to raise awareness of climate change and protect polar species and their habitats with his camera. Nicklen's relaxed Canadian demeanor belies his intensity on assignment. Intimately familiar with the Arctic, he immerses himself in his work, intrepid even when stranded on an ice floe, falling through the sea or suffering one of his countless bouts of frostbite. Nicklen's passion is fueled by the urgent need to save these distant and remote lands before they are lost forever. -
Donna and Stephen O'MearaAn early morning image of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano blasting steam, ash and lava over its glacier‐topped summit. Iceland has a unique location on top of the geologically active Mid‐Atlantic Ridge at the boundary of the American and Eurasian Tectonic Plates. Volcanoes like Eyjafjallajökull are born as these plates spread.
Location: Eyjafjallajökull Volcano, Southern Iceland May 2010 -
Donna and Stephen O'MearaThe Eyjafjallajökull volcano blasts steam, ash and lava over its glacier-topped summit.
Location: Eyjafjallajökull Volcano, Southern Iceland May 2010 -
Michael Nichols, National GeographicA mandrill, orphaned by a shotgun blast, grabs for the camera from a hunting camp where it is tethered on a rope.
Location: Gabon, Africa 2000 -
Paul NicklenA female leopard seal delivers her catch, a live penguin chick, dropping it on the photographer's camera.
Location: Anvers Island, Antarctica February/March 2006 -
Donna and Stephen O'MearaHawaiian volcanoes spew silky, effusive pahoehoe lava. Lava can be as thick as cement or as runny as syrup. This flow drips over cliffs into the Pacific Ocean on the eastern flank of Kilauea near Waikupanaha.
Location: Kilauea Volcano, The Island of Hawai'i August 2006 -
Michael Nichols, National GeographicIn Chad, elephants live in complete danger. This male elephant was killed within earshot of an anti‐poaching team, who collected the ivory to ensure it didn't end up in China. They did not catch the killers.
Location: Zakouma National Park, Chad, Africa 2006 -
Michael Nichols, National GeographicDarkness falls at a small village on the Motaba River as a Bantu hunter appears with his shotgun and food for his family: a spot‐nosed guenon.
Location: Motaba River, Republic of the Congo, Africa 1999 -
Paul NicklenThe inquisitive female becomes more insistent in her efforts to feed the photographer the penguin.
Location: Anvers Island, Antarctica February/March 2006 -
Donna and Stephen O'MearaAs red hot rivers of lava pour into the Pacific Ocean near Kalapana, huge pieces of fragmented lava, called tephra, and cinder are blasted more than 1,000 feet skyward.
Location: Kilauea Volcano, The Island of Hawai'i July 2008 -
Michael Nichols, National GeographicEight hundred elephants, led by a single matriarchal female who knows the safest route to fresh forage, head out of the Zakouma National Park. That evening, poachers ambushed the group. Twenty animals were massacred.
Location: Zakouma National Park, Chad, Africa 2006 -
Michael Nichols, National GeographicA camera trap was set to capture this crocodile coming and going from its riverside den.
Location: Zakouma National Park, Chad, Africa 2006 -
Paul NicklenA gentoo penguin chick peeks under the ice to check for patrolling leopard seals before tempting fate.
Location: Port Lockroy, Antarctica February/March 2006 -
Donna and Stephen O'MearaA giant plume of steam rises into the sky as lava flows into the Pacific Ocean.
Location: Kilauea Volcano, The Island of Hawai'i July 2008 -
Michael Nichols, National GeographicIt took several days to find the massacre site outside of the southern border of Zakouma National Park. The perpetrators were never caught; the villagers and the military accused each other of killing the elephants.
Location: Garanda Village, Chad, Africa 2006 -
Michael Nichols, National GeographicLions in Zakouma often feast on young elephants in the dry season, when herds become concentrated around water holes. Orphans of adult elephants killed by poachers are especially vulnerable.
Location: Zakouma National Park, Chad, Africa 2006 -
Paul NicklenFrustrated that the photographer has refused her offering, the leopard seal blows streams of bubbles.
Location: Anvers Island, Antarctica February/March 2006 -
Donna and Stephen O'MearaAfter a 200‐year nap, the Eyjafjallajökull volcano bursts to life with the Seljalandsfoss Waterfall in the foreground. The largest volcanic island on Earth, Iceland is sliced down the middle by the hot and geologically active Mid‐Atlantic Ridge.
Location: Eyjafjallajökull Volcano, Southern Iceland May 2010 -
Michael Nichols, National GeographicSurrounded and protected by adult females, young elephants play and mock fight. After witnessing the massacre in Chad, Nichols worked to establish elephants as sentient creatures with intricate family ties.
Location: Reserve, Kenya, Africa 2007 -
Michael Nichols, National GeographicAll forest elephants fear humans; this elephant charges in response to the photographer's scent.
Location: Dzanga Bai, Dzanga-Ndoki National Park, Central African Republic, Africa 1993 -
Paul NicklenNarwhals cross tusks as they jockey for air.
Location: Lancaster Sound, Nunavut, Canada July 2006 -
Paul NicklenA bowhead whale surfaces from a long dive at the floe edge.
Location: Lancaster Sound, Nunavut, Canada June 2007 -
Michael Nichols, National GeographicBambendjelle Pygmies dance with the flooded forest spirit Mafoodya. The culture of the Pygmies is more endangered than the wildlife protected in Nouabale‐Ndoki National Park.
Location: Djoube, Republic of the Congo, Africa 1999 -
Michael Nichols, National GeographicA tagged northern spotted owl swoops toward a researcher's lure in a young redwood forest.
Location: Humboldt County, California 2008 -
Paul NicklenA narwhal wields a broken tusk as it catches a breath. The tusk will likely grow back.
Location: Admiralty Inlet, Baffin Island, Canada July 2006 -
Paul NicklenA ringed seal scans for polar bears before taking a breath.
Location: Admiralty Inlet, Nunavut, Canada July 2004 -
Michael Nichols, National GeographicA hippo surfs off the coast of Gabon. "Surfing hippos" are extremely rare; most hippopotamuses wade in rivers and lakes. These animals became protected after 13 national parks were created as a result of conservationist J. Michael Fay's Megatransect.
Location: Loango National Park, Gabon, Africa 2003 -
Michael Nichols, National GeographicCathedral silence fills the old‐growth sanctuary of Humboldt Redwoods State Park.
Location: Humboldt County, California 2008 -
Paul NicklenIn spring, narwhals push into cracks and holes created by the receding ice pack as they migrate toward summer grounds.
Location: Admiralty Inlet, Baffin Island, Canada July 2006 -
Clyde Butcher"We were out hiking in the grassy plains on a summer day, and the beauty of the water, grass and cypress trees seemed to express the entire eco‐system of South Florida. I couldn't resist taking a photograph." ‐ Clyde Butcher
Location; Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida 1986 -
Michael Nichols, National GeographicNine months through his 456‐day Megatransect, Mike Fay surveys the surrounding ocean of trees. A chain of rock outcrops in Minkebe Forest marked the most remote point in Fay's journey, 45 miles from the nearest village.
Location: Republic of the Congo, Africa 2000 -
Michael Nichols, National GeographicPhotographing redwoods depends completely on finding a way to see the whole tree, undistorted and with a character of light that brings to print the awe and spirit that one experiences when walking among these giants.
Location: Prairie Creek State Park, Californina 2009 -
Paul NicklenIn a rare quiet moment during breeding season, a bull elephant seal throws sand on its back to keep cool. Getting close to the massive, mercurial creatures is a dangerous dance.
Location: Gold Harbour, South Georgia Island November 2008 -
Clyde Butcher"After tracking the moon phases for months, I positioned my camera on a ladder and snapped the shutter‐‐it didn't work. I took the lens off, pried open the shutter, replaced the lens and used the dark slide as a shutter, guessing at the exposure time. This is the result." ‐ Clyde Butcher
Location: Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida 1986 -
Michael Nichols, National GeographicLake Tele in Northern Congo, a 3.5‐mile‐wide basin surrounded by vast swamp, is one of the most remote places on earth. Pygmy oral traditions led cryptozoologists to search here for mokele‐mbembe, the last living dinosaur.
Location: Republic of the Congo, Africa 1998 -
Paul NicklenTusks of all lengths indicate these walruses are of various ages. The group has gathered on the Svalbard Archipelago, which can see as many as 2,600 walruses in a summer. By the early 1900s, ivory hunters had nearly wiped out Norway's walrus herds.
Location: Bellsund, Spitsbergen, Norway July 2007 -
Paul NicklenKing penguins and elephant seals gather on the beach during breeding season. The ultimate beach party, this profusion of wildlife is fueled by a krill‐rich current from Antarctica.
Location: St. Andrews Bay, South Georgia Island November 2008 -
Clyde Butcher"The water was two feet deep, but the muck was endless, so I took this image from my pontoon boat. Even with anchors at each corner, the boat was still an unsteady platform. It took several akempts to achieve this one sharp image." ‐ Clyde Butcher
Location: Chasshowitzka River, Florida 1991 -
Michael Nichols, National GeographicMen fashion themselves as tigers during an annual celebration in southern India.
Location: Mangalore, India 1997 -
Donna and Stephen O'MearaThe tops of a lava flow form solidified tubes as they cool. This image shows a lava tube that has broken off, revealing molten lava inside, which flows for miles. Along the top of the tube, lava can re‐melt and form stalactites, a rare phenomenon to witness.
Location: Kilauea Volcano, The Island of Hawai'i December 2005 -
Woody WaltersClyde Butcher in his back yard, the Big Cypress National Reserve in Southern Florida.
Location: Cypress National preserve, 1996 -
Paul NicklenA leopard seal greets underwater cameraman Göran Ehlmé at Antarctica's Anvers Island.
Location: Anvers Island, Antartica, 2006 -
Patricia LanzaDonna and Stephen O'Meara wear flame‐retardant suits as they explore the lava flow field at Volcano National Park.
Location: Volcano National Park, The Island of Hawai'i 2010 -
Michael NicholsMichael Nichols covered in "Sweat Bees" during the Megatransect.
Location: Ndoki National Park, Congo Basin, Africa 1999
