National Geographic The Photographs: Iconic Images from National
Geographic
by National Geographic, Foreword by Jimmy Chin
10/28/25; 464 pages
Disney Publishing Group
National Geographic The Photographs: Iconic Images from National Geographic is a very highly recommended collection of over 250 photographs. This is a perfect gift, especially for anyone who loves photography or has a sense of wonder. The seven photographs in the opening pages leading up to the table of contents will immediately grab your attention and are a perfect introduction to the wonder that awaits you. These include in part: a lion waking up in a tree in Uganda, a sailboat tracing an 1847 voyage to the Northwest Passage through icebergs, a cougar with the Hollywood sign in the background, and an empire penguin chick jumping off a tall iceberg in Antarctica.
The photographs accompanying the stories found in National Geographic over the years have been a great part of what made the magazine. This iconic collection makes that abundantly clear. For example, it is one thing to read about climbing El Capitan in Yosemite National Park or even see the climbers from a distance, on the ground. It opens up a whole breath taking new world to see the photos from a climber's point of view. Or seeing someone on the 130 foot Sky Ladder in Austria. That is a small part of the wonder and the new worlds National Geographic has helped open through it's photographs over the years.
Parring down all the images National Geographic has published over the years to create a collection is a feat unto itself. As pointed out in 2023 more than 2 million images were taken by 165 photographers. Of these around 850 were published. For this collection the photographs are groups into five chapters/collections. These include: Adventure & Exploration, The Power to Discover; Wildlife & Conservation, The Power to Protect; People & Culture, The Power to Honor; Landscapes & Environment, The Power to Cherish; and Science & Technology, The Power to Reveal. At the end of the book there are Illustration Credits, a Photography Index, and Information about the contributors.
Included are interviews with Camille Seaman (iceberg photos), David Doubilet (marine biologist rising through a cloud of nonstinging jellyfish), Erika Larsen, Kris Graves, and Robert Clark. Additionally there are biographies of Jody McDonald (Asian elephant on India's Havelock Island), Carsten Peter (Mexico's Cave of Crystals) Keith Ladzinski, Brian Skerry, Joel Sartore ( Blue waxbills from Mozanbique), Beverly Joubert, Hannah Reyes Morales, Jodi Cobb, Lynn Johnson, Sofia Jaramillo, Frans Lanting, Aaron Huey, Anand Varma, Helene Schmitz, and Nichole Sobecki.
Noted in parenthesis behind the photographer are a few photos of over 20 I flagged while reading as being ones I found especially intriguing. Obviously I haven't mentioned all the photos I loved, but I especially loved two composite photos. One was made composed of many photos capturing the activity around a water hole in the Serengeti National Park by Stephen Wilkes. Another by Marcio Esteves Cabral was of the Milky Way above a field of wild flowers in Brazil.
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