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Our favorite photos from National Geographic's stunning 2024 'Pictures of the Year' issue

National Geographic never disappoints.

Photo by Jasper Doest.

Romanian sheepherder Constantin Dăncilă.

National Geographic released its Pictures of the Year issue, highlighting the 20 best images Nat Geo photographers took in 2024. This year's shots were narrowed down from over 2.3 million photos, 300,000 more than in 2023. They're an eye-opening and thought-provoking glimse into the animal kingdom, various cultures and scientific innovation.

“A compendium of the best recent work from National Geographic’s photographers in the field, Pictures of the Year is an annual highlight of our editorial calendar. This year’s selection is timeless and timely,” said Nathan Lump, Editor-in-Chief of National Geographic. “Our 2024 photos are visually captivating, to be sure, but they also bring to life the urgent challenges facing us as well as the ingenuity that’s been sparked in meeting them – from an effort to save rhinos to advances in green technology to adaptations in animal behavior. We hope that these images will stop audiences in their tracks and inspire them to learn more.”

Here are some of our favorite photos. Visit National Geographic to see all 20 of 2024's Pictures of the Year.

via National Geographic Magazine Cover, Dec. 2024


1. "A Boom with a View" (Antigua, Guatemala) by Peter Fisher

Fuego Volcano has been erupting continually since 2002. A one-day hike up its dormant twin, Acatenango and across a valley rewards adventurers with a view from Fuego's ridgeline. Eruptions can occur multiple times a day.

fuego volcano, nat geo, guatemalaFuego Volcano has been erupting since 2002. Photograph by Peter Fisher


2. Dining at Dusk (Concan, Texas) by Babak Tafreshi

Frio Bat Cave in southern Texas is the spring and summer home of approximately 10 million Mexican free-tailed bats. Most nights around sunset, bats fly out in a coordinated stream to feed primarily on moths. “You think maybe it’ll finish in 10 minutes,” Babak Tafreshi says, but their takeoff “continues for two hours.”

nat geo, year in pictures, texasFrio Bat Cave in southern Texas.Photograph by Babak Tafreshi


3. A Hope for Rhinos (Nanyuki, Kenya) by Ami Vitale

A scientist holds the 70-day-old fetus of a rhino conceived through in vitro fertilization

rhinos, rhino fetus, nat geo.A scientist holds a rhino fetus.Photograph by Ami Vitale


4. Tiny Breakthrough (Konstanz, Germany) by Ingo Arndt

Ingo Arndt worked with the University of Konstanz to build a nest to observe the breeding behavior of wood ants, typically hidden in forest mounds. Arndt watched female colony workers clean eggs, larvae spin cocoons and hatchlings, like this one, open cocoons with their mandibles before workers helped cut them out.


wood ants, nat geo, pictures of the yearA wood ant hatchling.Photograph by Ingo Arndt


5. Shepherding Change (Coceneşti, Romania) by Jasper Doest

Intimately familiar with the land his family has worked for a century, Constantin Dăncilă, in a traditional sheepskin coat, has seen significant changes in the environment, prompting him to adapt his farming practices. With less snow in winter to supply streams, grass in the valley has become scarce, so he drives his flock higher into the alpine meadows.


romania, sheeperherders, nat geoA Romanian sheepherder.Phoyogreaph by Jasper Doest


6. Taking the Plunge (Atka Bay, Antarctica) by Bertie Gregory

A young emperor penguin jumps off a 50-foot cliff for its first swim. The species normally breeds on low-lying sea ice, but some colonies have been found on higher and more permanent ice shelves, behavior likely to become increasingly common with climate change. Left by their parents a month earlier, the chicks must fend for themselves and find food by hunting in the sea.

emperor penguin, climate change, nat geoA young emperor penguin in Anarctica takes the plunge.Photograph by Bertie Gregory.


7. A Forever Home (Benson, Arizona) by Christie Hemm Klok

Macaws are highly social birds that live an average of 40 to 60 years and often exhibit stressed behavior in captivity. This makes them challenging pets, so many end up in the Oasis Sanctuary, which provides permanent care for 800 parrots, including macaws. Here, Janet Trumbule, who runs the refuge, tries to coax them down with walnuts, a favorite food.

macaws, parrots, nat geoA bird santuary in ArizonaPhotograph by Christie Hemm Klok


For more on this story, visit NatGeo.com/Photos.

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Pennsylvania man's wilderness camera captures all walks of life crossing log bridge

There's something incredibly soothing about this video.

via Bob's Pennsylvania Wildlife Camera


Robert Bush Sr. is an avid outdoorsman who runs a Facebook page called "Bob's Pennsylvania Wildlife Camera."

He set up a secret camera on a log that lays across a steam to capture footage of all the different animals that walked across it. The result is a relaxing video featuring all sorts of wildlife including a black bear, chipmunk, coyote, turkey, and great horned owl.



Bush is very active recording wildlife videos, which he shares on his Facebook and YouTube pages.

In the introduction to his Facebook page he captures his philosophy that is welcoming to all, with a few ground rules:

"I love the outdoors and wildlife and I am not anti-hunting, this page is not about hunting and I will not post any hunting pictures or videos on this page, this page is about the wildlife in the mountains of Pennsylvania. Please do NOT post hunting pictures in the comments, and do not comment about killing the animals or about hunting at all, and do not bash hunters or talk about anti-hunting ... just enjoy the videos."

Well said, Robert. And now, on to the first video:

You may have noticed the video is called "The Log 2." Well, here's the original.

This article originally appeared on 02.28.20

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Joy

Chris Hemsworth's 'Limitless' series is a surprising celebration of female power

No fanfare or feminist pronouncements—just impressive woman after impressive woman being highlighted.

"Chris Hemsworth" by Gage Skidmore

Chris Hemsworth highlighted women who mastered the challenges he undertook in "Limitless."


Judging by his physique, Chris Hemsworth already appears to be a person who pushes himself to the limit. The guy convincingly plays Thor, the Norse god of thunder, for the love.

But even Hemsworth, with his bulging biceps and sleek six-pack, is bound by the laws of human nature, which include pesky limitations like fear and aging. Now that he's in his 40s, the Australian actor, husband and father of three wants to maximize his time on Earth. So in a six-part series on Disney+, he pushed himself to the brink in six different challenges to "discover how to live better for longer."

The titles of each episode—"Stress Proof," "Shock," "Fasting," "Strength," "Memory" and "Acceptance"—offer a glimpse of what kinds of challenges he undertook in his quest for optimal existence.

The series trailer shows some of what Hemsworth endured in these challenges, from doing a polar swim in the Arctic to walking a plank on top of a high rise to climbing a rope to a cable car dangling over a deep ravine.

What the series descriptions and trailer don't show is how many of the real-life examples of people who have mastered what he's trying to do are women.

I watched the series expecting that it would be well done and interesting, as most National Geographic specials are, but I kind of figured it would be a big testosterone fest. And it easily could have been created that way.

Instead, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the people Hemsworth met with to learn about how to prepare himself for each challenge were largely women who had already mastered what he was attempting. And the best part was, it was never pointed out directly. There was no big "female power" pronouncement, no indication that women were going to serve as his mentors for much of the series. But the featuring of women was noticeable and notable.

For instance, in the first episode, "Stress Proof," Hemsworth takes on the challenge of walking across a crane jutting out from the top of a high-rise building. Despite his daring feats on screen, Hemsworth has a fear of heights, so this challenge was particularly stressful.

To explore how to manage the stress of the crane walk, Hemsworth shared the impressive abilities of Faith Dickey, a mountain climber and highlining champion who walks across slacklines hung between cliffs. She shared how she learned to make stress her friend and channel it, as well as how she utilizes self-talk to make it across a narrow strip of fabric suspended hundreds of feet above the ground.

She even once did it in heels:

Following the Dickey example, Hemsworth met with a group of firefighters at a training facility in New South Wales to learn how to control his breath and heart rate under duress. He was teamed up with 16-year veteran firefighter Tara Lal to enter a burning building in full gear and attempt to "rescue" dummies from the inferno. Firefighting is a highly male-dominated career field, yet they chose a woman to be Hemsworth's mentor. Love it.

In addition to the specific skill mentors, the psychologist who helped Hemsworth through his preparation for the stress walk was also a woman, Dr. Modupe Akinola.

Each episode featured women who shared their wisdom and experience with Hemsworth, from all around the world. A Finnish woman who cuts holes in the ice and swims under it. A British American freediver who can hold her breath underwater for six minutes. The Indigenous women and girls who run through the rocky mountainsides of Sierra Tarahumara, Mexico. The 85-year-old weight-training African American woman who could inspire anyone to exercise. And the list goes on and on.

The diversity of people of all ages and ethnicities highlighted in the series, as well as the high proportion of awesome women, creates a far more well-rounded exploration of better and longer living than the "Chris Hemsworth does these six hard things, look at him go" entertainment one might expect based on the trailer. The understated representation is well done and very much appreciated.

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10 of our absolute favorite photos from National Geographic’s Pictures of the Year 2022 issue

These are the best photos from more than 2.2 million taken for Nat Geo this year.

via National Geographic

National Geographic's Pictures of the Year 2022.

The editors at National Geographic had the impossible task of choosing the best photos taken for the magazine in 2022 for its Pictures of the Year issue. Why? Because this year, 132 photographers were sent on assignment in 60 countries and 2,238,899 images were filed.

But the editors were able to pare them down to 36 images that offer breathtaking glimpses of our shared human journey and remind us of the incredible planet we all share.

“The photos selected for ‘Pictures of the Year’ stop us in our tracks and make us pay attention to stories that need to be told,” Whitney Johnson Latorre, VP of visuals and immersive experiences for National Geographic Media, said in a statement. “Each image reveals a portrait of life in motion, encouraging us all to see the world around us in new and unprecedented ways; that is the power of visual storytelling.”

via National Geographic

“I love that Nat Geo’s ‘Pictures of the Year 2022’ isn’t merely capturing the news highlights of the year; we’re showcasing the powerful stories of the year that our photographers around the globe have had their lens on,” noted National Geographic Editor-in-Chief Nathan Lump. “As a result, the collection captures novelty and surprise in a way that I believe expresses the best of what we do at Nat Geo.”

Here are 10 of Upworthy’s favorite images from National Geographic’s Pictures of the Year 2022.

Photo by Mac Stone

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, launched from Cape Canaveral in the early hours of June 19, streaks above a stand of bald cypress trees. This was the second time in less than a year that a SpaceX rocket appeared in photographer Mac Stone’s frame while he was shooting at night in a remote swamp. Stone says that the increased frequency of launches without fanfare “suggests that we have crossed over into a new era where cosmic missions are simply business as usual.”

Photo by Brent Stirton/National Geographic

Wild Asian elephants mingle with cattle at a garbage dump near Minneriya, in central Sri Lanka. The island nation is home to some 6,000 pachyderms living in close contact with people. Having lost their lowland forest home, elephants now seek out human-affected habitats, including croplands, and are master generalists, capable of eating at least 100 different plants. That doesn’t mean that Sri Lankan elephants are thriving; they instead may be coping. Researchers are tracking their levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, that could be detrimental to the elephants’ health

Photo by Keith Ladzinski

In this desert setting, heat and drought “threaten a delicate balance of life,” says photographer Keith Ladzinski—life that includes populations of inquisitive meerkats.

Photo by Orsolya Haarberg/National Geographic

Visitors ascend the spiraling 150-foot-high boardwalk in the yellowing autumn at Denmark’s Camp Adventure to gain a new perspective on the forest southwest of Copenhagen—and, perhaps, on life itself. “Forest bathing,” among the woods’ most powerful and least tangible benefits, has been shown to reduce stress and improve mental and physical well-being.

Photo by Stephen Wilkes/National Geographic

To create this image of Bears Ears National Monument, Stephen Wilkes took 2,092 photos over 36 hours, combining 44 of them to show a sunrise, a full moon and a rare alignment of four planets. “Beyond the sense of awe and beauty,” he says, “there’s a palpable sense of history with every step you take.” This spectacular landscape in southeastern Utah exemplifies the risk to some of the country’s unique, irreplaceable places. One president preserved it at the urging of Native Americans who hold it sacred; another tried to open it to drilling and mining. The national monument is rich in archaeological sites, including the Citadel, an ancient cliff dwelling now popular with hikers.

Photo by Erika Larsen/National Geographic

Manatees, among other sea life, adorn a convenience store’s mural in Crystal River, a coastal city in western Florida known as the Manatee Capital of the World. A refuge for the sea mammals operates there

Photo by Ami Vitale/National Geographic

Photographer Ami Vitale showcased these 6-month-old cubs snacking and playing as part of her long-term focus on giant panda conservation

Photo by Wayne Lawrence/National Geographic

“The warmth I felt in Durban was so refreshing,” Lawrence says. Unathi Madalane (at left) and Tshiamo Maretela enjoy the beach.

Photo by Jen Guyton/NationalGeographic

Photographed at night with an infrared camera, a spotted hyena that scientists nicknamed Palazzo submissively grins and lays her ears back as Moulin Rouge, the clan’s dominant female at the time, towers over her. Palazzo’s cub peers out from between them. Unlike most social mammals, females rule among spotted hyenas, maintaining their hierarchy through relationships with female allies. These African predators, the largest members of the hyena family, weigh up to 190 pounds, and females are on average 10% heavier than males. Clans, some topping 100 animals, form complex societies.

Photo by Vincent J.Musi/National Geographic

Viktor, a 39-year-old male bonobo, resides in Texas at the Fort Worth Zoo, where he’s known for interacting with visitors. Veteran photographer Vince Musi is known for capturing animals’ personalities in portraits such as this one.

For more on this story, visit natgeo.com/photos.

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