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National Geographic, unpublished National Geographic photographers deliver thousands of photos
for a single story that can stretch into several years. And yet each month, when that yellow-framed magazine lands in millions of mailboxes, viewers only see a dozen. Here are some that didn’t make the cut.
Identical twins Sierra and Sariya Winters were photographed at the annual Twins Days Festival in Twinsburg, Ohio. ”As a portraitist who often works with celebrities who arrive with an entourage of publicists, hair and makeup stylists, it was refreshing to photograph people in their own clothes exactly as they came.” For Schoeller, this project was interesting because everyone thinks of themselves as unique — but with twins, the idea of individuality is a question. “A Thing or Two About Twins,” January 2012.
Martin Schoeller
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National Geographic
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Manny, an Afghan hound, is among the more elegant examples of canine diversity. The breed was a favorite for Clark. “I could shoot Afghans all day long — they are so beautiful and athletic — just to freeze the dog jumping, coat flying with the awareness in their eyes is such a pleasure.” “Mix match Morph: How to Build a Dog,” February 2012.
Robert Clark
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National Geographic
A cheetah can hit 60-plus miles an hour in three seconds. To capture the world’s fastest land animal in motion, Senior Photo Editor Kim Hubbard contacted the Cincinnati Zoo. On a grassy field where the zoo’s cheetahs exercise, the cats were lured to sprint. Deputy Director of Photography Ken Geiger had a tenth of a second to shoot this still image with his hand-held camera. “Cheetahs on the Edge,” November 2012.
Ken Geiger
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National Geographic
Toensing’s journey to find the nomadic Meakambut tribe of Papua New Guinea took almost two weeks. Pasu Aiyo, whose beard is bedecked with yellow flowers, is proud of his people’s traditions, but the nomadic life of the tribe takes a toll, and illness often proves fatal. “Last of the Cave People,” February 2012.
Amy Toensing
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National Geographic
Despite Rio de Janiero’s deep social divisions, the beach is democratic. Rich and poor, tourists and locals share the sand. “If there is one thing that I totally believe about telling any story, the photographer has to find a subject that is reflective of their own particular personality, and Rio is definitely that for me,” Harvey said. “Playing Rio,” October 2012.
David Alan Harvey
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National Geographic
Havana is a time capsule for classic American cars, like this Ford Mercury. “Paolo Pellegrin has a unique style and layered vision, so when you are editing his images, you have to pay attention or you can miss a great frame,” says Deputy Director of Photography Ken Geiger. For this one story, he looked through 99,000 images taken by Pellegrin.“Cuba’s New Now,” November 2012.
Paolo Pellegrin
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National Geographic
Allard shot this wedding reception at the First Creek Community Hall in Malta, Mont. Many locals are descendants of northern Montana’s Homesteaders, who endured harsh isolation and struggled with the tough terrain. “Riding Out Another Season,” January 2012.
William Albert Allard
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National Geographic
The FunCity amusement park in Sanaa, Yemen’s capital, cost $60 million to build. Meanwhile, Yemen is one of the poorest countries in the world, with little opportunity for young people. Although it is difficult for Western photographers to work in Yemen because of the lack of security, Sinclair, who had been to Yemen twice for a 2011 article on adolescent brides, was determined to return. “Traveling by road I wore a niqab, the veil that leaves only your eyes visible. At some checkpoints, I used an additional veil that covered my eyes. It was a strange feeling, but I was able to visit places that would have been much more difficult, if not impossible, were I not a woman.” “Yemen: Day of Reckoning,” September 2012.
Stephanie Sinclair
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National Geographic
Emperor penguins in Antarctica mill in the depths as they prepare for their swift ascent to the sea ice. “Once they start to launch,” says Nicklen,”within 30 seconds they’re all standing on the ice.” For this story Nicklen used polar survival skills he learned as a child living among the Inuit on Canada’s Baffin Island. “Escape Velocity,” November 2012.
Paul Nicklen
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National Geographic
John Stanmeyer has documented radical changes in Indonesia over the past 15 years. This image was taken on the island of Pulau Balai, located on the west coast of Sumatra. In March 2005, a seafloor earthquake lowered the land by three feet, triggering flooding. This woman stands in ankle-deep water to hang laundry on the front porch of her family home. “The Calm Before the Wave,” February 2012.
John Stanmeyer
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National Geographic
The Porta Nigra, or “black gate,” still dominates Trier, Germany. A hundred feet tall, it was built in the second century when Trier was a major city in the Roman Empire. “The light was so good from my hotel room that I put up a tripod and started taking pictures. The gate is surrounded by modern elements like power lines and a gas station, so I captured a variety of ways of looking at it. This was a way of combining both the old and the new.” “Roman Frontiers,” September 2012.
Robert Clark
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National Geographic
Every year, thousands of Americans keep the memory alive by reenacting Civil War campaigns and battles. Richard Barnes uses 150-year-old techniques — a wooden camera, aluminum plates coated in collodion and dipped in silver nitrate, with an ice-fishing tent as a darkroom — to make historical-looking images that include glimpses of the modern world. “I am not interested in replicating the past. I’m not interested in nostalgia; I’m interested in what I refer to as the slippage of time where the contemporary and 150 years ago somehow coalesce, combine and overlap.” “A Sketch in Time,” May 2012.
Richard Barnes
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National Geographic
Photographing the President, as this 247-foot-high, 3,200-year-old giant sequoia is known, was about capturing a moment, says Michael Nichols. It took nearly half an hour for a camera rig to make a top-to-bottom sweep, taking the 126 photos that, stitched together, capture the world’s second-largest tree. “It’s about honoring the tree,” Nichols explains.”Forest Giant,” December 2012.
Michael Nichols
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National Geographic
“This horn had been cut off a rhino two minutes before I took this image. I remember thinking how disoriented the rhino must feel, how it must be trying to readjust to this new perspective its eyes were seeing, how much lighter its head must feel. I remember wondering if the rhino was suddenly afraid, wondering how it would defend itself. It’s bizarre that this act of de-horning is considered the only defense against poachers for this animal,” Stirton said. Rhino horns rival the price of gold on the black market, and an eight-pound rhino horn like this one can reap up to $360,000. “Rhino Wars,” March 2012.
Brent Stirton
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National Geographic
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