Epitome of good photography

Mecca at Night during Haj, Saudi Arabia

Photograph by Thomas J. Abercrombie, National Geographic

A quarter million Muslims jam Haram Mosque in the holy city of Mecca to pay homage to Allah. Those in the center (blurred in this time exposure) circle the black-draped Kaaba, most sacred of Islamic shrines. Muslims believe the Prophet Abraham—like Muhammad a messenger of God—and his son Ishmael built the first structure here.

                                                       

Camels Crossing the Sahara

Photograph by Chris Johns, National Geographic

Scorching sun casts long shadows as camels cross the salt flats of Lake Assal, Djibouti, one of the lowest places on Earth at 512 feet below sea level.

Cowboys Branding Cattle, Montana

Photograph by Sam Abell, National Geographic

Montana cowboys brand and castrate their livestock—a familiar yearly ritual in cattle country.

Tail of Plane in Flight

Photograph by Bruce Dale, National Geographic

A 23-second exposure in a camera mounted in the tail of a Lockheed TriStar jet captures the lights of the airport runway and the city beyond.

Lion in the Kalahari Desert

Photograph by Chris Johns, National Geographic

A lion patrols the dry Nossob riverbed, center of a vast refuge for big game. Here South Africa’s Kalahari Gemsbok National Park is joined by a fenceless border with Botswana’s larger Gemsbok National Park, representing an African trend toward transnational parks allowing wildlife free rein in their natural ecosystem.