The Atlantic Photo

100 Years Ago in Photos: A Look Back at 1922 (30 photos)

Wed, 14 Sep 2022 14:48:38 -0400

A century ago, the newly established Irish Free State was descending into civil war, Russia was still enduring a terrible famine, construction of the Lincoln Memorial was completed in Washington, D.C., Benito Mussolini’s Fascist Party seized control of the Italian government, and much more. Please take a moment for a look back at some of the events and sights from around the world 100 years ago.

The original caption, dated April 15, 1922, reads: "Speed demons beware. The Los Angeles Motor Corps with their new fleet of Indian motorcycles all ready and waiting to set out after Californian motorists who like to step on the gas." ( Bettmann / Getty)

Winners of the Bird Photographer of the Year 2022 (16 photos)

Mon, 12 Sep 2022 13:21:10 -0400

The winning entries in this year’s Bird Photographer of the Year competition were recently announced, with Erlend Haarberg named as the overall winner for his image of a rock ptarmigan taking flight high on a Norwegian mountain. Contest organizers were kind enough to share some of the other winners here, in eight different categories, selected from a field of more than 20,000 entries.

Rock Ptarmigan Flight. Overall Winner and Gold Winner, Birds in the Environment. High above the tree-line, the wind, snow and cold maintain the iron grip of winter for months on end. This is where rock ptarmigan thrive, small white feather-balls in an endless white landscape. On this particular winter day, I was on my way to a mountaintop by Tysfjorden in Norway to photograph landscapes. I had almost reached the summit when I spotted some ptarmigan tracks criss-crossing between the rocks. From behind a rock, a small head appeared, and seconds later it took to wing with the mountains and fjord landscape in the background, setting the scene perfectly. (© Copyright Erlend Haarberg / Bird Photographer of the Year)

Photos of the Week: Drum Major, Ox Catch, Ferret Race (35 photos)

Fri, 09 Sep 2022 00:30:00 -0400

A scorched forest in France, a crowd of mourners outside Buckingham Palace, an earthquake in China, flooding in Mexico and Bulgaria, a scene from the 79th Venice International Film Festival, a heat wave in California, continued fighting in Ukraine, a runway show at China Fashion Week, and much more

Wind whips embers from a burning tree during a wildfire near Hemet, California, on September 6, 2022. ( Ringo H.W. Chiu / AP)

Photos: The Remarkable Life of Queen Elizabeth II (40 photos)

Thu, 08 Sep 2022 13:37:22 -0400

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning British monarch in history, died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland today. Born to the Duke and Duchess of York in 1926, Elizabeth lived a life in the public eye from a very young age, ascended to the throne at 25, and went on to serve as Queen for more than 70 years. Below, a collection of images of Elizabeth’s remarkable life, from age 5 to 96.

Queen Elizabeth II attends the QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot Racecourse on October 21, 2017, in Ascot, England. ( Max Mumby / Indigo / Getty)

Extreme Drought in Southern China (18 photos)

Tue, 06 Sep 2022 13:15:40 -0400

China just experienced its hottest August ever recorded, going back to 1961, when data compilation began. Parts of southern China have also endured months of drought conditions that have dried up rivers and lakes, including Lake Poyang—the largest freshwater lake in China—which has dwindled to 25 percent of its average size. The unusually long and intense heat wave and drought have dried up crops, forced power cuts, and altered landscapes across a broad region. Collected here are recent images from Wuhan, Chongqing, Lake Poyang, and more.

A view of pagodas on Louxingdun island, normally partially submerged under the water of Poyang Lake, which is experiencing low water levels due to an ongoing drought in Lushan, Jiangxi province, China, on August 24, 2022. The size of the lake normally fluctuates a great deal seasonally, but it has hit lows this year not seen in decades. ( Thomas Peter / Reuters)

Photos of the Week: Pumpkin Boat, Road Locomotive, Museum Battleship (35 photos)

Fri, 02 Sep 2022 00:30:00 -0400

Underground dancing in Beijing, a memorial of flags in Boston, a view of the Milky Way in Chile, beach horse racing in Spain, the Notting Hill Carnival in London, a wildfire in California, destructive flooding in Pakistan, and much more

A young pitch invader is removed after the Southampton–Manchester United match at St. Mary's Stadium in Southampton, England, on August 27, 2022. ( Hannah Mckay / Reuters)

Ukrainian Students Revisit Their Destroyed School (10 photos)

Thu, 01 Sep 2022 12:47:05 -0400

Emilio Morenatti, a photographer with the Associated Press, recently spent time with a group of students in Chernihiv, Ukraine, where the academic year is starting up once again, despite their school building having been destroyed by Russian bombs six months ago. Some of the students, who went to their old school to collect new textbooks, visited the ruins of their former classrooms and shared some of their thoughts with Morenatti.

Sofia Klyshnia, 12, stands in the rubble of her former classroom, in the same position where her desk sat, before Chernihiv School No. 21 was bombed by Russian forces on March 4, in Chernihiv, Ukraine, on August 30, 2022. "I'm scared to stand in the destroyed part of the class I once studied," Klyshnia said. ( Emilio Morenatti / AP)

The Return of La Tomatina (18 photos)

Wed, 31 Aug 2022 13:05:50 -0400

After a two-year suspension due to the coronavirus pandemic, La Tomatina returned to the town of Buñol, Spain, attracting approximately 20,000 people to take part in what is billed as “the world’s biggest tomato fight.” About 130 tons of overripe tomatoes were brought by seven trucks, then dumped and thrown among the crowd. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the messy fiesta.

Revelers throw tomatoes at one another during the annual Tomatina fiesta in the village of Buñol, near Valencia, Spain, on August 31, 2022. ( Alberto Saiz / AP)

Devastating Monsoon Flooding in Pakistan (25 photos)

Mon, 29 Aug 2022 14:17:00 -0400

Some of the heaviest monsoon rains in a decade have caused widespread flooding in Pakistan since mid-June, affecting millions, and killing more than 1,100 people as of today, according to the country’s National Disaster Management Authority. Nearly 500,000 people have been displaced by weeks of torrential rainfall. Pakistani officials are seeking assistance from the international community after thousands of houses, farms, roads, and bridges have been damaged or destroyed across the country.

Rescue workers help villagers evacuate from a flooded area after heavy rains fell in Lasbella, a district in Pakistan's southwest Balochistan province, on July 26, 2022. ( Hamdan Khan / AP)

Photos of the Week: Curious Camel, Super Bull, Giant Hand (35 photos)

Fri, 26 Aug 2022 00:30:00 -0400

A new view of the planet Jupiter, hot-air ballooning in Turkey’s Cappadocia, a mass wedding ceremony in Peru, a mountain goat in Alaska, severe drought in China and Europe, monsoon flooding in Pakistan and India, scenes from the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, a human pyramid in India, and much more

A langur bounds across a meadow in Yala National Park in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on August 21, 2022. ( Ishara S. Kodikara / AFP / Getty)

Preparing for the Launch of Artemis I (27 photos)

Wed, 24 Aug 2022 13:36:58 -0400

NASA’s Artemis I moon mission is scheduled to launch on August 29, providing the first integrated test of its new deep-space exploration systems: the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, the Orion spacecraft, and supporting ground systems. At launch, the SLS will become the most powerful rocket ever, producing 15 percent more thrust than the Apollo-era Saturn V rocket. Though uncrewed, the Artemis I mission will carry three test mannequins in the Orion crew module to measure stresses and the effects of radiation during its trip to lunar orbit, returning to Earth 42 days later. The next mission will be Artemis II, a crewed mission to lunar orbit, planned for May of 2024—and Artemis III is scheduled to land humans on the lunar surface once again in 2025. Gathered here, photographs of some of the work put into SLS, Orion, and supporting programs in recent years, as launch day approaches.

The SLS rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard stands atop the mobile launcher as it moves up the ramp at Launch Pad 39B on August 17, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. ( Joel Kowsky / NASA)

Belugas in Hudson Bay (18 photos)

Mon, 22 Aug 2022 13:09:44 -0400

Earlier this month, Olivier Morin, a photographer with Agence France-Presse, traveled to the town of Churchill in northern Manitoba, Canada, to observe beluga whales. An estimated 55,000 belugas migrate to Hudson Bay from the Arctic every summer. Each year, thousands of tourists visit to watch the white whales swim and feed where the Churchill River meets the bay—and, in some cases, visitors might spot polar bears hunting those same whales.

A beluga whale looks toward the camera, photographed in the murky waters of the Churchill River, near Hudson Bay, outside Churchill, in Manitoba, Canada, on August 5, 2022. ( Olivier Morin / AFP / Getty)

Photos of the Week: Therapy Dog, Sunflower Trail, Mediterranean Swim (35 photos)

Fri, 19 Aug 2022 00:30:00 -0400

The rollout of NASA’s new rocket in Florida, drought and wildfires in Southern Europe, a view of the Grand Canyon in Arizona, a bridge collapse in Norway, the aftermath of missile attacks in Ukraine, Independence Day in Indonesia, a presidential election in Kenya, a surf competition in Panama, and much more

Members of Greece's team compete in the Artistic Swimming Team Technical Final event during the LEN European Aquatics Championships in Rome on August 11, 2022. ( Alberto Pizzoli / AFP / Getty)

The Views From the Top (20 photos)

Wed, 17 Aug 2022 15:45:50 -0400

Today I have for you a collection of photos of structures around the world that were built high atop mountains, cliffs, and stone pillars. These remote buildings range in age from palace complexes thousands of years old to tourist destinations built mere decades ago. These observatories, monasteries, castles, towers, forts, and palaces were all built for different reasons—as defensive measures, or to make the most of a grand view, or maybe just to take advantage of a remote location’s tranquil setting.

A Buddhist monastery sits high atop Taung Kalat, a rocky outcrop on Mount Popa in Myanmar's Mandalay region. ( Sean Pavone Photo / iStockphoto / Getty)

Photos: Severe Drought in Europe (30 photos)

Mon, 15 Aug 2022 13:40:11 -0400

Record-setting high temperatures and dry weather have affected nearly half of Europe in recent weeks, drying up bodies of water, damaging crops, prompting water restrictions, sparking wildfires, and more. Reservoir and river levels have dropped to record lows, affecting navigation and exposing long-submerged structures. July was the driest month on record for France and the hottest month in Spain since 1961. Gathered below are recent images from England, France, Spain, Germany, and other European countries hit by a series of heat waves this summer.

Visitors walk past an 11th-century church that is completely visible due to the drought in the Sau reservoir, currently at 37 percent capacity, on August 13, 2022, in Vilanova de Sau, Spain. Spain's water resources, which are largely devoted to the irrigation of agricultural land, face an uncertain future as 75 percent of the country is at risk of desertification. ( Manuel Medir / Getty)

Photos of the Week: Airplane House, Mayfly Swarm, Cool Buffalo (35 photos)

Fri, 12 Aug 2022 00:30:00 -0400

Historic-battle reenactments in England, ruins of war in Ukraine, the reemergence of a flooded village in Portugal, a beagle-rescue operation in Virginia, sledding at a mountain ski resort in Lesotho, scenes from the Commonwealth Games in England, a fashion carnival in Indonesia, a general election in Kenya, a rave at a former missile base in Germany, and much more

Melissa Guerrero, a U.S. citizen of Mexican origin, wearing traditional wedding makeup and clothing, is prepared for her wedding ceremony in the village of Donje Ljubinje, near Prizren, Kosovo, on August 5, 2022. ( Fatos Bytyci / Reuters)

Winners of the Nature TTL Photographer of the Year 2022 (14 photos)

Thu, 11 Aug 2022 13:11:38 -0400

This year’s photography competition attracted more than 8,000 entries in eight different categories celebrating the natural world: Animal Behavior, Camera Traps, Landscapes, Small World, The Night Sky, Underwater, Urban Wildlife, and Wild Portraits. Contest organizers at Nature TTL were kind enough to share some of the winners and runners-up below. The captions were written by the photographers and lightly edited for style.

I See You. Wild Portraits winner. When a huge lion looks you right in the eyes, you immediately forget that you are sitting safely in a car. Instinctively, you cower and slowly retreat deeper inside the car so as not to provoke a predator. Fortunately, he and his brothers were busy consuming a young buffalo that had been hunted several minutes earlier. (© Copyright Tomasz Szpila / Nature TTL)

A New Eruption of Iceland’s Fagradalsfjall Volcano (16 photos)

Mon, 08 Aug 2022 13:10:13 -0400

About eight months have passed since the last eruption of Fagradalsfjall volcano, located about 25 miles from Reykjavik, Iceland. On August 3, following thousands of local earthquakes, a fissure opened in the Meradalir valley, and lava began flowing across the valley floor. Thousands of locals and tourists have since made the hike to the site—about a four-hour round trip—to witness the new eruption.

A close-up view of lava flowing from Fagradalsfjall volcano in Iceland on August 3, 2022 ( Marco Di Marco / AP)

Photos of the Week: Knife Angel, Paris Henge, Flamingo Tagging (35 photos)

Fri, 05 Aug 2022 00:30:00 -0400

Scenes from the Commonwealth Games in England, flooding in the U.S. and Japan, continued fighting in Ukraine, a new sinkhole in Chile, Beluga whales near Svalbard, an orphaned dolphin in Thailand, the McKinney Fire in California, an air show above the Giza Pyramids, a performance at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and much more

A new view of the Cartwheel Galaxy, seen by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. The wheel-like structure of the galaxy is the result of a high-speed collision between a large spiral galaxy and a smaller galaxy not visible in this image. The Cartwheel Galaxy lies about 500 million light-years away from Earth. ( NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI)

After the Floods: Recovery in Kentucky (24 photos)

Wed, 03 Aug 2022 14:31:40 -0400

The record-setting rainfall that caused devastating floods across eastern Kentucky at the end of last week left at least 37 people dead and caused heavy damage across 13 counties. Rescue workers are still attempting to find a number of people listed as missing. The difficult work of rescue and recovery was made even harder this week as temperatures soared across the flood-hit region and power outages remained widespread. Gathered below are images from Kentucky in the days after the flooding.

Old photographs, among the archives being kept in a basement of the Settlement School that were damaged in flooding, hang from a clothesline to help them dry after being cleaned, in Hindman, Kentucky, on August 1, 2022. ( Amanda Rossman / USA Today Network / Reuters)

Photos of the Week: Nail House, Scorched Forest, Raging Bull (35 photos)

Fri, 29 Jul 2022 00:30:00 -0400

A lake dive in Bosnia, a giant chessboard in India, racing on the Senegal River, an earthquake in the Philippines, a rocket attack in Ukraine, the winner of the Tour de France in Paris, NASCAR in Pennsylvania, celebrations for the founding of the Aztec empire in Mexico, wildfires in Greece and France, and much more

Marina White and her dog, Coco, share a kiss during warm-up before a race in Bournemouth, England, on July 23, 2022. The U.K. Dog Surfing Championship is being held for its fourth year at Branksome Dene Chine Beach. ( Finnbarr Webster / Getty)

Photos: Five Months of War in Ukraine (30 photos)

Wed, 27 Jul 2022 13:52:11 -0400

On day 154 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, fighting continues, most of it concentrated in the east and south. Russian forces are currently launching missile strikes near the southern cities of Odesa and Mykolaiv as part of a battle for control of crucial ports along the Black Sea. Russian air and missile attacks continued across the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions, killing and wounding many civilians. Gathered below are images from the past month of warfare in Ukraine, which show scenes from Kharkiv, Vinnytsia, Kyiv, Donetsk, Mariupol, and more.

Ukrainian service members fire a shell from a M777 Howitzer at a front line in Kharkiv Region, Ukraine, on July 21, 2022, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues. ( Gleb Garanich / Reuters)

Scenes From California’s Fast-Moving Oak Fire (23 photos)

Mon, 25 Jul 2022 13:29:09 -0400

A wildfire that erupted in California on Friday expanded ferociously over the weekend, amid scorching temperatures and tinder-dry conditions, consuming nearly 17,000 acres by Monday. The fast-moving Oak Fire, burning west of Yosemite National Park, has forced thousands of residents to evacuate the area. The blaze, California’s biggest wildfire this year, remains only 10 percent contained, as more than 2,500 firefighters work to slow its progress.

Flames engulf a chair and table inside a burning home as the Oak Fire burns in Mariposa County, California, on July 23, 2022. ( Noah Berger / AP)

Photos of the Week: Swan Upping, Worm Charming, Living Bridge (35 photos)

Fri, 22 Jul 2022 00:30:00 -0400

A bird market in Afghanistan, wildfires in several European countries, river surfing in Germany, record-setting heat in England, heavy snow in Argentina, a huge water fight in Spain, an abandoned theme park in Turkey, scenes from the World Athletics Championships in Oregon, and much more

A train moves through shallow water near a salt-harvesting site in Burlinskoye salt lake in Russia's Altai Region, on July 20, 2022. ( Alexey Malgavko / Reuters)

Photos: The U.K. Reaches Its Highest Temperature Ever (25 photos)

Tue, 19 Jul 2022 13:33:50 -0400

Britain’s weather service recently issued its first-ever “red warning,” predicting extreme temperatures for early in the week, and today, measurements at Heathrow Airport climbed above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) for the first time ever. Residents were urged to stay indoors and not to travel unnecessarily during the hottest times of day. Several fires have broken out, and the extreme heat has affected travel—buckling rails, and damaging roads and runways. Gathered below are images of some of the effects of this heat wave, and some of the ways people are coping with it.

A police officer gives water to a British soldier wearing a traditional bearskin hat, on guard duty outside Buckingham Palace, during hot weather in London, England, on July 18, 2022. ( Matt Dunham / AP)