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National Geographic magazine photographer Joel Sartore is taking a working tour of American zoos with his 18-year-old son in order to take portraits of the world’s animals. It’s all part of the the Biodiversity Project. He photographs animals wherever they are.
In zoos, in private collections, and in the field with biologists around the world, I’m trying to photograph as many species as I can by using a portable studio with black and white backgrounds. I’ve been at this quite a while now and have captured nearly 1,800 in the past five years. That’s not nearly enough, but it’s a start.
You can follow along Sartore’s reports from the tour at National Geographic’s Field Test blog. Sartore has decided the Biodiversity Project needs a new, catchier name. And he would like your input on that decision. Yes, you may be the one to name this awesome mission! Leave your suggestions at National Geographic. Now take a look at just a few of the wonderfully diverse animals Sartore has photographed.
A giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) at the Sunset Zoo. (Image credit: Joel Sartore/National Geographic)
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On approximately October 31st, 2011, the population of the earth is expected to reach seven billion people. By the year 2045, we may have nine billion. National Geographic magazine is giving us a year-long series of articles, photo galleries, and interactive features focused on this population milestone. Can our planet take the strain? What can we do to ease the demands on resources? These images are from National Geographic magazine’s new “7 Billion” app, based on its year-long series on world population, now available as a free app for iPad.
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Photo ©Jonas Bendiksen/National Geographic
Population: 7 Billion January 2011
Venezuela Sharing a hillside with high-rise apartment dwellers, children dance at a shop in one of the squatter communities that ring Caracas, a city of three million. One in seven people on Earth lives in slums today. Providing them with better housing and education will be one of the great challenges facing a world of seven billion people and counting.
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off Last week, we brought you a sampling of the annual Nikon Small World microphotography competition in a gallery called “Lives Within a Drop of Water.” This week, we have even more awesome microscope photography for you!
The judges decisions have been made, and the winners of the 2011 Nikon Small World microphotography competition have been announced. However, you can still place your votes among the 115 finalists for the Small World Popular Vote Award. It’s easy -just click a button to say you like a photograph, or skip to the next one. You can vote as many as you want, but Nikon asks that you vote on each picture only once. Votes for the Popular Vote Award will be taken until 5PM EDT on October 31st.
Nikon was generous enough to give Neatorama readers a special close-up view of some of the entries in this year’s competition. This particular collection is called “Making the Ordinary, Extraordinary.” It’s a chance to take a different kind of look at things we see every day, but certainly not this close!
Dr. Donna Stolz
University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Blade of Grass (200X)
Confocal stack reconstruction, Autofluorescence
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off The slogan for the Nikon Small World competition is “Recognizing Excellence in Photography through the Microscope.” Feast your eyes on these images that record a different world so small that it fits into a drop of water!
The first Nikon Small World competition was in 1974. Since then, Nikon has recognized the efforts of those who turn microscope photography into art. 2011 is the 37th year for the competition, and around 2,000 photographs were entered. The judges decisions have been made, and the winners will be announced later this fall. However, you can place your votes among the 115 finalists for the Small World Popular Vote Award. It’s easy -just click a button to say you like a photograph, or skip to the next one. You can like as many as you like, really, but Nikon asks that you vote on each picture only once. Votes for the Popular Vote Award will be taken until 5PM EDT on October 31st.
Nikon was generous enough to give Neatorama readers a special close-up view of some of the entries in this year’s competition. This particular collection is called “Lives Within a Drop of Water.” It’s a chance to marvel at the world of microscopic life we would never be able to see with the naked eye. Other collections will follow in the days ahead.
Michael Shribak/ Dr. Irina Arkhipova
Marine Biological Laboratory
Woods Hole, Massachusetts
Philodina roseola (bdelloid rotifer), live specimen
Video-enhanced polychromatic polarized light
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The night before Atlantis flies for the very last time, putting an end to the Space Shuttle program. Photographer: Sean Tamblyn
Story by Logan Kugler with photography by Steve Pemberton and Sean Tamblyn
Click the play button below to listen to accompanying audio courtesy of Sean Tamblyn.
17 seconds after lift off, the first sign of sound was audible from where I was standing, the closest location for any living human being, 3 miles away. First a mild rumble and then an overwhelming and sustained roar. Near its peak, the air above us crackled with a tin-can-like note that had everyone’s adrenaline pumping within 20 square miles.
The ground shook with the exhilarating force akin to sitting atop a subwoofer at an IMAX theater.
The heat pierced my skin as though I had just traveled closer to the Sun.
The explosion of light following directly behind the Shuttle was spectacularly bright and indescribably beautiful. For me, the light is what astonished the most. It was the brightest, most gorgeous gold you have ever seen. No image has ever captured it truly as it is and that’s why it surprised me so much. I had seen hundreds of photos of the Space Shuttle and it’s Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) under power, but none of them capture the true color. The flame wasn’t yellow, it was distinctly gold. Imagine the brightest gold color possible and that’s it.
As the Shuttle disappeared through the clouds, like a kid after a thrilling ride at Disney World, I shouted “Let’s do it again!” Then, I realized it was over. Not just that launch, but that I had just witnessed the last time a Space Shuttle will ever lift off for space again. It was done. Over. Never again.
As the last Space Shuttle to fly soared into the sky, it penetrated every aspect of the physical and emotional consciousness and unequivocally abducted the imagination of all 1 million who stood and looked up from the Kennedy Space Center and surrounding areas for that brief moment in time.
“Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.” – quote hanging on the wall at the Kennedy Space Center
The 4 astronaut crew of STS-135 walk alongside Atlantis as she makes her way from the OPF (Orbital Processing Facility) to the VAB to be moved vertical and be fitted with an orange fuel tank and two SRB (Solid Rocket Boosters) one last time. Photographer: Sean Tamblyn.
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Mt. Nyiragongo, Virunga National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo: Expedition members are barely visible on the 2nd terrace of Mt. Nyiragongo's crater as they look down to the 3rd terrace and immense spatter cone surrounding the lava lake. (Photo Credit: Carsten Peter/National Geographic)
This Thursday, April 7th, National Geographic presents Man vs. Volcano, as part of their Expedition Week series of specials.
Journey into the mouth of Africa’s most active volcano, Nyiragongo, and stand on the shore of the world’s largest lava lake. Join an expedition with a National Geographic Magazine photographer and an international team of scientists as they reach the volcano’s summit — a near-vertical 11,385 feet — and then rappel directly into its mouth — 1,300 feet — nearly the height of the Empire State Building. With little doubt it will erupt again, the team hopes to take stunning images and gather geological samples to unlock the secrets of one of most dangerous and least studied volcanoes in the world.
Prepare yourself for the experience with this sneak preview, a collection of photographs of Nyiragongo from National Geographic.
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Designer John Leung from ClarkeHopkinsClarke Architects brought us the Parallel of Time Clock last year. Now he presents the “Bias of Thoughts” Bookshelf. The design is based on the famous 2D illusion, now rendered in confounding 3D.
How many shelves are there? Look to the left: four shelves. Look to the right: three shelves. The design is based on the illusion known as the Impossible Fork or Blivet.
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National Geographic presents The World’s Biggest Cave, a TV special that gives us a close-up look at Son Doong, a huge recently-discovered underground labyrinth in Vietnam.
In 2009, a team of British cavers investigated a recently uncovered cave in a remote Vietnamese jungle. The Son Doong cave is enormous; can it be larger than the current world-record holder? The explorers traveled for miles through the cave before hitting a 46-foot-high wall. Now, follow the team as they return to Son Doong to finish exploring the cave and climb the wall. Will Son Doong prove to be the worlds biggest cave? And what secrets are undiscovered inside this unique ecosystem?
The special airs Monday, December 20th at 10PM EST. Check the listings for an encore presentation. Also read the full article on Son Doong cave by Mark Jenkins in the January 2011 issue of National Geographic Magazine. But first, enjoy some of the beautiful pictures illustrating the natural beauty of Son Doong.
A half-mile block of 40-story buildings could fit inside this lit stretch of Hang Son Doong, which may be the world’s biggest subterranean passage. (Photo Credit: © Carsten Peter/National Geographic)
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Mark Racop was one year old when the series Batman premiered on television in January of 1966. The next year, the toddler vowed to build his own Batmobile. And he did, at age 17. But Racop didn’t stop there- he kept building more Batmobiles until he established himself as the Batmobile guy, building replicas of the 1966 Batmobile for a living! His crew, Fiberglass Freaks work out of a secret “Batcave” location in Logansport, Indiana.
Racop says that his occupation is more than just a job, it’s a mission. “I’ve been studying this car since I was two-years-old. I have over 5,000 photos, all 120 episodes on tape, and lots of video of the Barris cars in my archives. Yeah, you could say that I’m a little obsessed!” Racop says, laughing.
Racop has received official sanction for his fully-loaded, fully-drivable replicas. D.C. Comics has now licensed his company to manufacture official Batmobile replicas.
“Most of our customers are in their late 40′s or 50′s,” Racop said. “The kids are out of the house, they have come into some money, and it’s time to do something fun. They either like the 1966 Batman, or just loved the 1966 Batmobile. Either way, every guy between the ages of 40 to 60would love to have this car. This was their childhood dream car, just as it was for me. Some want a Batmobile to show off while picking up their kids from school. Others use them for charity events. Some have private collections, and others drive it nearly every day.”
“I say this with all humility: we’ve been very blessed with a very talented crew, and to receive this license from DC Comics is an absolute honor.”
Racop’s Batmobiles feature gadgets seen in the TV series, such as the Batbeam, a flashing red beacon light, a polished aluminum roll-top dashboard, electric actuators for the hood and trunk, a green flashing radar Detect-a-scope, and “rocket” exhaust pipes that spew two-foot flames!
An authentic 1966 Batmobile replica will set you back $149,999. For that price, you’ll have the coolest car anyone around has ever encountered. Find out all about them at Racop’s website, Fiberglass Freaks. Phone inquiries can be made at 574-722-3237.
Oh, you wanted to see some pictures? Feast your eyes!
Take 122 years of National Geographic history and distill the most amazing people, places, and things and you’ll get something like Melina Gerosa Bellows’ book Nat Geo AMAZING!
Links: Official Nat Geo AMAZING! Website | Amazon
Lovers of the weird and the wonderful – isn’t that all of you Neatoramanauts? – rejoice: not only did Neatorama get a glimpse of the book and TV series, we’ve also got 4 copies of the book to give away (more on that later). First, here are some of the neat things you’ll find in Nat Geo AMAZING!
"That’s the balance between life and death, and that is where life is"
- Eskil Ronningsbakken
Most of us seek balance in our lives, but few of us have turned it into an art form. Eskil Ronningsbakken is the exception, perfecting it even over troubled waters … on a tight-rope thousands of feet in the air. Sometimes he is on a bicycle, sometimes he is on his feet; often times he is upside down. Occasionally he glides above solid ground, dangling from a hot air balloon.
"Other people might see this as stupid, but to me it’s about being free and able to do what I want in my life," says the Norwegian, who has been performing for the past decade. Ronningsbakken is taking that message to the slums of Nairobi, Kenya, and the young Africans who live there. By teaching them acrobatics, he hopes to inspire lifelong confidence. "As a professional balancer," he explains, "you’ve got to be able to overcome fear. You’ve got to be at total peace with yourself."
