nationalgeographic

There's an intensity on Hawkeye Huey's face as he looks out from Salvation Mountain in California, Fujifilm Instax 210 in hand, goggles askew on his forehead, eyes searching the horizon for the next exposure. It's the kind of intensity typified by at least two kinds of people: 4-year-olds and National Geographic photographers.

Which makes sense, since Hawkeye is the first, and his father, celebrated photographer Aaron Huey, is the second.

So you just got yourself a great telephoto lens and you're aching to go shoot some wildlife (with a camera), but you have no idea what you're doing. You shoot landscapes, or street photography, or sports, but wildlife is a mystery.

Have no fear, because Jay P. Morgan of The Slanted Lens is here with some solid tips from none other than his father, a seasoned wildlife photographer who shot for the likes of National Geographic and the Audubon Society for many years.

There are few photographers out there as well-known as the iconic Steve McCurry. His Afghan Girl portrait earned him world-wide fame and recognition, but all of his work -- from the most iconic to the largely unseen -- speaks to his uncanny eye for capturing emotion and composing portraits that are second to none.

And now, four decades of the great man's work is being summed up in a 150-portrait retrospective called Oltre lo Sguardo, on display at the beautiful Villa Reale di Monza in Italy until April 6, 2015.

National Geographic is, without a doubt, one of the foremost authorities in the world of photography. So when they rank their top 10 cameras for travelers, the entire photo industry perks up its ears and pays special attention to see what they have to say.

Did you know that after National Geographic published its first wildlife photographs in July 1906, two of the National Geographic Society board members "resigned in disgust"? They argued that the reputable magazine was "turning into a 'picture book'".

Luckily for us, it did turn out to become quite a picture book. Those first wildlife photos published in the magazine were captured by George Shiras, III, and marked quite a few "firsts."

Casey Neistat doesn't believe he is the best looking, tallest, most talented, most capable, best funded filmmaker. In fact, he's pretty convinced he's not, and there's nothing he can do about those things. What he can do is be the hardest working person in the room, and the way he sees it, "the hardest working person will always win."

These little nuggets of wisdom and a whole lot more are all shared in the inspirational video above, which Neistat created a couple of months ago for National Geographic and their $50,000 dream expedition giveaway called Expedition Granted.

National Geographic's Vincent J Musi will quite literally do whatever it takes to get the animal portrait he's looking for, including kneeling in urine while singing Tom Jones' "What's New Pussycat?" to a growling Snow Leopard... hand gestures included.

Fortunately, the trick works (was it the hand gestures? he wonders), "mesmerized and captivated by [his] theatrical prowess and virtuosit," the Snow Leoppard stops and stares at the yummi, camera-wielding steak. One down, seven to go.

The Photo Society, a website run by a collection of National Geographic photographers, took the time a while back to put together a wonderful little tribute to photographer Wes Skiles, who passed away doing the work that he loved.

In tribute, the photographers compiled a 'Reality Check' list of all the crazy, strange and sometimes horrifying things that have happened to them on the job.

Drone photography is still new enough that we haven't really seen the true potential of this new media unlocked -- yet.

While the FAA and others bicker about privacy and regulation, some photographers are out there exploring the boundaries of this new technology... and all of them seem to have shown up for the first Drone Photography Competition put together by Dronestagram with help from Nat Geo France, GoPro and a few others.

Here’s a short jealousy-inducing behind the scenes look at some of what storied underwater photographer …

National Geographic photographer William Albert Allard has spent the past five decades of his life capturing photographs and authoring articles for the storied magazine.

Over the course of fifty years, one would think the narratives behind individual photographs would begin to blur together, but that's not the case. At least not for Allard and a photograph of a buckaroo named Stan.

National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore has been capturing life across the globe for over 22 years. And it was these travels across our Blue Marble that lead him to take on a personal project that he hopes will bring awareness to a subject he’s held dear since he was a child.

Called Photo Ark, Sartore has teamed up with zoos and rescue facilities across the globe to document the last of some of the most endangered animals on our planet, and in the TEDx talk above, he tells you all about this moving endeavor.

We all know what those stacks of iconic yellow-bordered magazines are when we see them lying around your local doctor or dentist's office. They’re National Geographic Magazines, and inside of these magazines are hundreds upon hundreds of wonderful photographs that may never be seen by the next generation.

It's a sad state of affairs, but one that Tumblr blog Vintage National Geographic is trying to remedy by sharing hundreds of scans of old Nat Geo photos you probably forgot existed.

It’s been just over three decades since the passing of Ansel Adams, but his legacy lives on in the hearts and minds (and on many of the walls) of those he inspired. One of those people, noted National Geographic photographer Peter Essick, decided to pay tribute to the renowned Group f/64 master.

Digital media company Blue Chalk recently teamed up with National Geographic photographer and North Face athlete Cory Richards to create the deeply inspirational video you see above.

This piece originally appeared in PhotoShelter's guide Building Your Outdoor & Adventure Photography Business – for the full article download the guide here.

Elizabeth Krist, Senior Photo Editor at National Geographic, and the rest of the Nat Geo team seek photographers who have an eye for composing striking and electrifying images. But perhaps even more importantly, they want photographers who have a real curiosity about the world around them -- those who aren’t afraid to delve into the intellectual and research aspects of an assignment.

To give photographers a better sense of what goes on behind the scenes at National Geographic, Elizabeth provided some insight into what type of work the magazine commissions, how photographers can pitch Nat Geo, and what you can do to get noticed.

GoPros seem to have captured every activity known to man, but this is the first time we've ever seen a dog fly. The footage is part of a National Geographic feature on adrenaline junkie Dean Potter, who brings his dog Whisper along for every crazy ride.

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Acclaimed photographer Amy Toensing recently sat down with National Geographic, for whom she is a frequent contributor, to talk about her craft and offer insights into the world of photojournalism.

Brazilian stock photo agency Diomedia recently found themselves in need of a creative advertising campaign. They were debuting a National Geographic Collection, and they needed to share this news in a way that would resonate with today's culture.

What they came up with is a creative and fun campaign featuring (what else?) the almighty selfie.

Who knew a dipperful of seawater contained so much life? Well, photographer David Liittschwager, that's who, because in 2006 he captured this eye-opening photograph for National Geographic.

Outdoor-apparel company Filson has teamed up with two of the most notable Magnum photographers, Steve McCurry and David Alan Harvey, to create the ultimate set of camera bags. From simple totes to full-fledged backpacks, the line-up is impressive across the board.

In an effort to combat the ongoing belief amongst a great deal of the general public that pit bulls are an aggressive breed of dog, bred only to fight and hurt people, photographer Douglas Sonders has put together a PR campaign called Not a Bully -- and it is already helping to change people's perception of this lovely breed.

In the short video above Senior National Geographic Editor Pamela Chen gives us …

At an estimated 60,000 years old, the indigenous culture of Australia, the Aboriginals, are estimated to be the oldest still-surviving culture on the planet. And in the above video world-renown photographer Amy Toensing shares her experience photographing this incredibly unique culture for National Geographic, delivering an extremely heartfelt talk about the hardships the Aboriginal culture has continually faced since their land was colonized in 1788.

Behold the work of South Carolina-based photographer Vincent J Musi and one of the most unusual photo sets you're likely to run across today. As part of an April cover story for National Geographic on “exotic” pet owners, Musi went out and photographed the owners of an animal most of us wouldn't dare bringing into our homes: skunks.

National Geographic photographer Aaron Huey made $10K selling prints on Instagram earlier this week, but it wasn't because he needed the money. The incredibly talented photog wants to bring the joy of prints to a whole new generation because, in his own words, "Prints make the world a better place. Period."

We never thought we'd write that headline, but thanks to Magnum photographer David Alan Harvey you can now learn how to best pack your bags for an assignment from the one and only Steve McCurry -- the iconic Nat Geo photographer behind the Afghan Girl photograph.

Marine biologist turned photographer Thomas Peschak spent some time documenting the remote atolls of Bassas de India and Europa, known to be home of some of the most beautiful seascapes in the world.

While doing so, cameraman Dan Beecham and writer Sunnye Collins created a behind the scenes video showing how Peschak went about capturing the beautiful scenery.

James Balog, the photographer behind the award-winning documentary Chasing Ice, is back at it again, capturing the ever-changing landscape of glaciers. This time though, he's headed to the southern hemisphere, taking his passion and ambition to Antarctica for the project Extreme Ice Survey.

These short interviews that National Geographic has been putting together for its PROOF blog are quickly becoming some of our favorites. Quick, to the point and always very inspirational, they feature masters of their craft who have reached great heights in their photographic careers.

This latest video features renowned climber and adventure/travel photographer Jimmy Chin talking about both the good and the bad of what he does.

Nat Geo photographer Steve Winter is one of those rare people who is …

If you've ever dreamed of being published in National Geographic -- and let's be honest, a good number of us have fantasized about that career path -- then you're going to want to pay special attention to the short video above.

At the request of Nat Geo photographer and burn magazine editor David Alan Harvey, Nat Geo photo editor Susan Welchman gives you some concise advice on what she's looking for from her photographers.

Controversy over the World Press Photo organization and the way they handle their judging aside, most people were in agreement that photographer John Stanmeyer deserved the award he received this year. In the above video, the World Press Photo winner shares some insight as to how his widely-praised photograph came to be.

A couple of days ago, National Geographic released this fascinating look inside the magazine's vintage photo archive and introduced us to the dedicated man who runs the whole thing, Bill Bonner.

Last year's World Press Photo of the Year award went to a controversial image of a funeral procession in Gaza, City. This year's winning photo doesn't strike the same tragic nerve as last year's, and yet it makes such a powerful statement about technology and our global community that we immediately understood why it took home the top prize.

William Albert Allard has shot over 40 stories for National Geographic, and in the short video above he shares some of what he's learned since starting his career for the magazine as an intern in 1964.

If you've followed PetaPixel for any significant amount of time, you've seen Martin Schoeller's work. Heck, even if you haven't, chances are good you've picked up a magazine and seen at least one of his striking portraits, all done in the same beautiful and immediately recognizable style.

In 2011, former AP president Tom Curly had the ambitious idea that the AP should establish a bureau in North Korea, and the photographer the agency ended up sending to the country is a man you should, by now, be very familiar with: David Guttenfelder.

Guttenfelder's images, both in newspapers and on Instagram, have given the whole world a peek behind North Korea's own Iron Curtain, and in the video above he explains the power of photography as if pertains to this secretive and isolated world.

When National Geographic not only picks up your time-lapse, but also insists on interviewing you about it, you know you're doing something right. Then again, when you're time-lapse master Michael Shainblum, you probably don't need reminding.

National Geographic photographer Steve Winter is a big on the big cats. After all, he was willing to spend 12 months chasing after the perfect mountain lion shot. In the video above, he didn't have to exhibit that sort of patience, instead he had to control a finicky robotic camera rig as best he could and try to snap some awesome photos of a curious tiger.