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Nature Photography

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Best Spots to Explore Along the Great Calusa Blueway

Photographer, Ben Hicks, takes a journey along the stunning waters of Matlacha Pass and Bunche Beach Preserve

Marble Canyon, Grand Canyon, Arizona, U.S. Down on the mile-deep floor of the Grand Canyon, the stillness allows the subtlest natural sounds to emerge, from the call of a peregrine falcon overhead to the scamper of a scorpion underfoot. Rock layers tell their own story, revealing nearly two billion years of geology. But the serenity is no longer guaranteed. It is frequently broken by air tours. In 1999, Senator John McCain of Arizona introduced a law that helped cut down on this persistent source of human noise. But up to 400 flights still cross the canyon or fly below the rim each day.

Photographs From the Last Quiet Places on Earth

Little can compare to the healing power of silence

A double-crested cormorant dives into blue-green water.

See Birds Dive, Splash and Play in These Prize-Winning Photos

Stunning images by amateurs and professionals took center stage in the 2020 Audubon Photography Awards

A camera trap image of a Cross River gorilla with multiple babies, taken in the Mbe mountain region of Nigeria on June 22, 2020

Images Offer a Rare Glimpse of Cross River Gorillas With Their Babies

The photos show a group of the animals, which were once presumed extinct, with infants of varying ages—a promising sign for the subspecies

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Find Balance in Costa Rica’s Natural Treasures

Get inspired by Costa Rica’s abundant treasures and learn how this forward-thinking nation gave rise to the ecotourism movement

Presenting the winners of Smithsonian magazine's 17th annual photo contest

These Are the Winning Photos of Smithsonian Magazine’s 17th Annual Photo Contest

From Vietnam to Antarctica, this year’s winners bring you amazing glimpses of a changing world—and the indefatigable human spirit

A grain storage facility in Wisconsin, from “The Hand of Man on America,” a photo essay by David Plowden, 1971.

These Photos From the First Decade of Smithsonian Magazine Show Where Art and Science Meet

How do you select one image to represent half a century of photography and art? You don’t

Greg Lecoeur won the title of Underwater Photographer of the Year 2020 for his Frozen Mobile Home, a playful snapshot of seals circling an iceberg.

Dazzling Display of Seals Wins Underwater Photographer of the Year Award

French photographer Greg Lecoeur triumphed over more than 5,500 submissions from hundreds of artists around the world

A female wolverine roams the Arctic tundra at the edge of the Brooks Range, on Alaska’s North Slope. 

Why Wolverines Are the Arctic Animal We Love to Hate

Scientists brave the deep snows and frigid cold of Arctic Alaska to study one of its most furtive and ferocious denizens

Station Squabble by Sam Rowley

See Squabbling Subway Mice and Other Top Wildlife Photos

The Natural History Museum in London has announced the top five honorees in its LUMIX People’s Choice Award competition

Bear Family of Kamchatka

This Photographer Goes to the Ends of the Earth to Capture Rarely Viewed Animals

Roie Galitz considers himself an ambassador for the creatures he photographs, capturing their intimate moments in hopes of inspiring conservation

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Inspire Your Inner Artist on Florida’s Paradise Coast

From galleries and cultural centers to festivals and performing arts events, this region of Southwest Florida is a haven for the arts

Coney Island Boardwalk, Day to Night, 2011

How Photographer Stephen Wilkes Captures a Full Day in a Single Image

In his new book ‘Day to Night,’ the photographer uses technology to play tricks on the eye

Deciduous leaves change color as pigments degrade and synthesize before falling off their trees.

Watch Leaves Change Color in a Matter of Seconds

A new time-lapse video of over 6,000 leaf photos reveals the biology behind fall foliage

Marine species with fluorescent proteins absorb, transform and reemit light, generating a spectacular display of color in the process.

Amazing Photos Reveal the Hidden Light of Undersea Life

Photographer Louise Murray dips into the dark ocean to capture the spectacle of marine fluorescence

Great Blue Heron

Audubon Photography Award Winners Show the Breathtaking Beauty of Wild Birds

The 10th installment of the competition featured two new categories

The family of Jaidyn MacCorison, 11 (at a New Hampshire gas station), goes back generations in the region.

The Mysterious Beauty of Robert Frost’s New England

These stark yet stunning landscapes inspired the lyricism of the American titan of poetry

Driftwood rises out of the sand at Lovers Key.

Why The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel Is a Photographer’s Paradise

Photographer Britt Maxwell highlights four of his favorite places to witness the ever changing nature of the tropical paradise he calls home

Bermuda

A Diver Captures Bermuda Below the Surface

Weldon Wade curates a refreshing Instagram feed focused on ocean conservation and the sport of free diving

The squirrels measure up to 36 inches from head to tail

Yes, Giant Technicolor Squirrels Actually Roam the Forests of Southern India

The colorful creatures can measure up to three feet long from head to tail and weigh in at around four pounds

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