美国《国家地理》杂志摄影师们的故事
罗伯特·金凯，一位摄影师，开一辆皮卡车，弹吉他，不吃肉但抽骆驼牌香烟，为国家地理赴爱荷华拍摄麦迪逊县的廊桥，与一位农妇的浪漫故事，爱她，离开她。
罗伯特，虚构的英雄人物，由于为一本挂历拍的一张照片受到国家地理杂志的青睐，当他打电话给杂志社时，他被告知：“我们随时恭候你的到来。”
《国家地理》的工作人员对此十分不满。摄影助理主任Kobersteen说：“单凭一张照片——无论它有多漂亮——也无法一脚踏进这扇门。我们需要看整个组照，我们要的是真实的人在真实的时刻做着真实的事。杂志空间的竞争是异常激烈的，每年我们都收到几百个创作意向，我们只发表其中70篇，甚至是最有希望的稿件，也会在通往国家地理的道路上遭受打击。”
为了考察一个名叫戴维·阿兰·哈维David Alan Harvey的摄影师，一位如今业已退休的摄影主任鲍勃·吉卡Bob Gilka把他派到纽约的COOPERASTOWN实习。三个月后，戴维接到了实习拍摄任务。鲍勃的信这样写道：“戴维，我很高兴你年轻力壮，因为我不得不告诉你，我要让你感到年老体衰。”
对于戴维·杜比利特David Doubilet，一位水下摄影师来说，鲍勃简直就是瘟神。“没什么新意。”在看了杜比利特先前的工作成绩后，鲍勃嘟囔道，杜比利特只好溜之大吉。一年后在拍摄了许多新片子后，杜比利特首次得到任务，24年后，他的报道已经累计到了38次。“工作中总不易得到一项任务就像是你要攀登的大山，而且多数情况下都是孑然一身。”山姆·阿贝尔Sam Abell一位摄影师说。“年龄越长，那座山就好象越往我头上倾斜。它不会变矮小，而是更高峻。一旦任务得到许可，就要忍受着预算、报告研讨、调查、调查再调查、签订合同、日程安排、取得旅行支票、办理旅行许可、胶卷、护照、签证、免疫、票务、列单、打包的夹刑。”就拿1995年对棉花的报道来说，Cary Wolinsky阅读了65本书，进行了160次交涉，旅程上他要在11个国家落脚。日程上要把墨西哥棉花成熟和印度轧棉的日期列为重点。（即便如此，谁能预料Cary的墨西哥司机会把车倒进河里或是在他试图赶加里弗尼亚那班飞机时在机场受困三天。)不管对命运起不起作用，为了以防万一，凯瑞带了一枚“幸运豆”，那是在他执行第一次任务时落入他摄影包的一粒树种，自此他便保留至今。
在出发前，摄影师要备好许多胶卷，1993年《国家地理》的摄影师总共拍摄了46，769卷，大约1，683，600张，那一年，选用了1408张，平均千分之一的采用率。
下一项，相机和其它装备。为了一个1995年关于恐龙的报道，路易Louie Psihoys和他的助手（负责灯光，旅行安排以及搬运设备），携带了42件托运箱子和6件随身行李，行程250，000英里。包括9个机身，15只镜头，25，000瓦特的闪光灯，一匹作为拍摄博物馆藏品幕影的有橄榄球场一般长的天鹅绒，起用的行李费用达到了6位数。但像戴维那样试图跨越智利、西班牙和越南，就必须轻装上阵。他的标准装备，2个机身还有5支镜头，正好放在一只黑色尼龙背包里。 装备的重量级冠军是深水摄影师Emory Kristof，于1992年为了一次报道，把15吨重的器材（价值100万美元）运至西伯利亚的贝加尔湖。这次运输有171只板条箱，包括一面卫星天线，一个完整的冲洗暗房，一只橡皮艇，两辆为湖中深水摄影提供方便的可遥控车辆外加一台柴油发动机，而本次报道只采用了6张照片。
接着，该说穿什么了，对，就是金凯穿的那种有上百万个口袋的茶色背心。但Annie Griffiths Belts不会那么做，很显然“我要的是融合进去，你最不想让人们脑海中存在的念头就是：噢！这儿有个照相的。”鉴于同样的原因，史蒂夫·麦卡里Steve Mccurry脚踏旅游鞋，身穿卡其布短裤蓝色条纹牛津衫。“让自己看上去像个游客。”冬天，他就在旅游鞋外罩个黑色垃圾袋防雨防尘。
手臂擦伤？跟史蒂夫说说吧，他乘坐的小飞机一头扎入南斯拉夫境内一个阿尔卑斯湖泊。飞行员毫发无损地游走了，史蒂夫倒立着浸在冰冷的湖水中，尝试挣脱安全带，今天他还忍受着视网膜脱落的痛苦。有那么一次，Joe Scherschel在尼罗河用船桨挡开河马；Loren Mcintye在委内瑞拉被投入大狱；Dean Conger在大马士革受到监禁；在约旦一位贝多因人（译者注：阿拉伯游牧民族）的酋长几乎将Jodi Cobb绑架（同事Tom Aber Crombie用一大把第纳尔将她赎回）；在卢旺达，一只大猩猩将Michael Nichols推下一座山丘（我感到一双大手在我的肩膀上……）。还有，Chris Johns在扎伊尔被火山熔岩烧伤；Sam Abell在都柏林遭抢劫，George Steinmetz在中非受到一种叫LOALA的蠕虫感染眼睛几乎失明（大动物并不惹麻烦，可怕的是那些小东西，几乎死于脑膜炎的Frans Lanting补充道）；David Doubilet曾被大白鲨追赶；Bill Curtsinger曾遭灰礁鲨猛撞；Gorge Mobley被企鹅咬了一口。
在俄勒冈州，Joel Sartore被一名伐木工人揍了一顿。那是1994年，当他即将完成关于联邦土地的部分报道时，有人问他是否在为国家地理工作，当Sartore回答“是”时，那家伙大吼着1990年一则关于森林的报道（由其他人拍摄）“纯属谣言”，然后开始攻击他。
“洪水，火灾，地震，战争，寄生虫，毒蛇，闪电，火山喷发，暴徒，骚乱，恐怖分子的炸弹，大象，犀牛，杀人蜂，海关人员（比大白鲨还糟）——我们都经历过。”Sisse Brimberg指出，“当然，即便是等待光线改善也是危险的。”她回忆起那天坐在墨西哥一座村庄的空地上，一位长者突然与一位年轻的酗酒者发生争吵,长者跑去拿着一支手枪返回来，那位年轻的敌手躲在Sisse身后，拿她作挡箭牌，Sisse吓呆了，直至旁观者说服长者放下手枪。 但更危险的，所有的摄影师都一致赞同的，是缺乏自信。沮丧是黑色的裹尸布。像Bill Allard这样的老手也会在小睡时嘟囔道:“会很不错，Allard——假如你不把事情弄糟的话。”就因为你把事情弄砸了，机身出错，镜头出错，灯光出错，胶卷出错（有时甚至没上卷），在那不可期遇的瞬间，照片溜走了。随即，这世界突然来了大转弯，幸运之星排列成行，不可思议的事情接连发生，奇迹不断出现。
“月亮升起来了,”Sam Abell说。“鲜花在盛开，孔雀在开屏”。摄影超脱了自身。
在现实世界中你无法理喻的东西，但它确实发生了。
“我站在一座教堂的台阶上，看到擦身而过的一位妇女有张迷人的脸。”Bill Allard，正在做1982年出版的秘鲁报道。“我43岁，刚与老婆分居，我最需要的就是一种严肃的关系。这事首次发生了，我去了一个国家，与一位语言不通相隔万里的女子坠入爱河。”他最终说服了她，Ani和Bill两年后成婚目前与他们7岁的儿子Anthony一起住在弗吉尼亚。 旅途中的浪漫故事在不断地上演。Sam Abell在关于太平洋潮汐的报道中遇见了他的爱人；Steve Raymer在执行任务时遇到了第二任和第三任妻子；Chris Tohus在埃塞俄比亚进行大裂谷的报道时遇到日后成为其夫人的Elizabeth。
但最令人痛苦也是最典型的现实是长期出门在外（摄影师通常每年要花费大约4个月时间在某个地区拍片），使得婚姻处于崩溃的边缘。“1964年我第一次来国家地理时，”Bruce Dale回忆道，“12个摄影工作人员中有8位离异。”B Anthony在其退休之日把Dale拉到一旁，说：“Bruce……这是不同凡响的42年……但假如我有重新选择的机会，我不会……我有一个自己并非不知道的儿子……我甚至没见过他的面。”到处都是警示的故事，有些很好笑，有些不是。
“我出门很长时间，回来后我的狗直冲我狂吠。”Joel Sartore。“假如那些照片对你那么重要的话，”Dave Harvery的前任女友反唇相讥，“你临终时我就让你都带着。” 一次次地踏上旅程，兴奋，是的，充满诱惑力，没有。在经历了第一次婚姻失败后，Cary Wolinsky如此解决第二次，他与妻子还有儿子Yari一同旅行—— 一个很好的安排，除了有一次在秘鲁，一只沼泽鳄鱼在Yari骑在它肩膀上时把他击倒在地。当他听到儿子的头颅撞击在石头上轻微的破裂声时，他想，“我必须辞去这份工作。”Yari幸运地逃脱劫难，Wolinsky继续为杂志工作并同家人一起旅行。
对其他人来说，玩这把戏太复杂了。
大多数时候，Karen Kasmauski都会把两个孩子留在家中。“我所处的环境太危险，医疗条件简陋，水可能无法饮用。”Kasmauski说。最近他刚做了关于病毒的所有威胁方式的报道。即便一切都结束时，压力还在持续，回家解决一些问题再制造一些问题。
快门速度，快门速度，假如那只是设置转盘的活儿，那么你我为什么不能为《国家地理》拍照呢？一张照片的美丽取决于各个方面，但主要在于观察的能力，真正的观察，它是以如何处理物体与光线和如何预期在你眼前闪烁千分之一秒便消失的短暂瞬间之间微妙关系为转移的。
对山姆来说，影像就是魔术，他的工作就是冥想、抒情，拍摄漂浮在浓雾中的村庄和月光下闪烁的悬崖。 对哈维来说，摄影就是设计舞蹈动作。他试图感受城市生活的芭蕾，让自己处于旋涡的中心，无论是智利的一次抗议示威，还是西班牙的一场迪斯科。
对Jim Stanfield来说，摄影是强制性的,是对完美的追求。
“你不想失败。”他说，眼神随即黯淡下来。一位同事评论说：“Stanfield担心报道流产。”关于梵蒂冈的报道，他重复拍摄了44次圣彼得雕像的朝圣（最后一次获得成功），在针对伊斯坦布尔空气的研究中，他15次攀上一座有200级台阶的尖塔，最后，他们给了他一把钥匙。
水下摄影师杜比利特幻想着他的照片，它们起因于一套淌过他心灵深处的诗歌组句。在开曼群岛潜水期间，那“黄貂鱼与云”的词句闪入他的脑海。“我俯看着白沙，飞游的黄貂鱼和清澈的海水，我仰望蓝天白云。”他回忆着。照片的效果有着梦幻般的感觉。
Flip Nicklin，专门拍摄海洋哺乳动物，把自己想做一名猎人，为了一张独角鲸的照片花费了三天的时间，开着雪地汽车跨越冰天雪地。“不光要找到它们，”Filp说，“先是观察，理解，然后尽可能靠近以完成报道。” 技术因素——胶片速度，曝光，相机镜头——是最起码的。
“人们总是问我片子的光圈和快门速度，”自然历史摄影师Frans Lanting说。“我告诉他们：那张照片的曝光是43年又三十分之一秒。”
“是的，旅行很好，但生活并非总是那么轻松。当人们告诉我说想拥有我这样的工作时，”Louie Psihoyos说，“假如你知道的话。” 那么，动机是什么？
“为了让人们关注——关于正在消逝的雨林和大猩猩，我有种使命感。”Nick Nicolas说道。
“为了感受好奇，睁大你的眼睛，世界没有止境。”Gary Wolinsky说。“为了经历，”Robert Madden说，“比如说当他们把阿波罗登月舱打捞上来时，你正在那架运输机上。丘吉尔的葬礼，玛雅陵墓的开启，智利皮诺切特的垮台，叶利钦在苏联的崛起，你就在那儿，作为一名目击者。
“为了揭开一扇面纱，为了表现这些痛苦，生命将延续下去，”Dave Harvey说.
“我喜欢闭塞世界的隐秘报道，不管是日本歌舞妓或是沙特妇女。”Jodi Cobb说。
“为了表现人们都有的同样的需求，共同的乐趣，伤感，恐惧。旅行得越多，就越看清其实我们都一样，无论是孟买还是波士顿。”Karen Kasmaqusdui说，“我们发现了他们是谁，他们就是我们。当然，这是物种的大一统，一个多姿多彩的世界——野兽，鱼类，鸟类，人类。”
寻找照亮它们的光芒，就是乐趣所在。
“我记得与500头骆驼在撒哈拉14天艰苦跋涉的旅行中，”Jin Stanfield沉思着，“500头骆驼，一直延伸至地平线，”甚至在他制作的关于探险家Ibn Battuta的故事发表四年之后，Stanfield还惊叹道：“那是我一生中最快乐的时光。”
为了完成诗人怀特·惠特曼的报道，Maria Sternel把自己沉溺于诗情画意之中，找寻创作照片的灵感——在拍摄现场，她携带着惠特曼的草叶集，从一个电话亭把图片编辑招回总部，“听着。”她说，然后开始念诗句，她的语气热烈。
“当我拍照片时，我发现自己大笑起来,”Jodi Cobb说，“有时我发现自己欢呼雀跃。”Annie Griffiths说。也有哭泣，“有些事物你甚至没法拍摄下去，”Robert Caputo说，他回忆起索马里饥荒中躺在母亲臂弯里的儿童，每一次呼吸都变得更刺耳更迟缓。那天 ，他把相机放置在一旁。 痛苦与欢乐，在拍摄报道工作开始时，“它开始统治你的生活。”Frans Lanting说。
一个行业，一种生活方式，一次激情。
当金凯的故事早已沉寂于脑海之时，激情还在上演。
“这里，真正的浪漫，”Bill Allard说，“就是工作。”
大象的题外话：
《国家地理》是本优秀的杂志，虽然也有人批评它保守得老气横秋，许多篇文章的题目都很大，比如柏林、亚马逊甚至非洲，这就无形中增加的报道的难度，对摄影师的挑战就是用几幅图片来充分地表现主题。那么胜任这一工作一定要有深厚的功底，看他们的片子，有非常大器的感觉，呈现在我们面前的是活生生的一幕幕自然、社会和历史的戏剧，所以这些片子很容易引起读者深层次的思考，这也许就是摄影的震撼力吧。
这是一个五色缤纷的世界，就看你怎样以独特的视角和方法揭示它、创造它。 1.Blackpool beach, England 1996
photographer: Tomasz, Tomaszewski
"Dear Prudence, Walked along the seaside. Saw the Eiffel Tower (Ha). Chilly on England" west coast. Marvelously tacky here. Gaudy arcades, silly T-shirts. Would you believe 17 million visitors a year? Hitting a disco tonight; Cheers, Cliff.
—From "A Jolly Good Time in Blackpool, England," January 1998, National Geographic magazine
2.Naples, Italy, 1996
photographer: David Alan Harvey
"[Mount Vesuvius rises above Naples Harbor.] Famous for burying nearby Pompeii in A.D. 79, Vesuvius last exploded in 1944. Some three million people live within an eight-mile [13-kilometer] radius of the temperamental crater."
—Text from "Naples Unabashed," March 1998, National Geographic magazine
3.Timor, Indonesia，1994
photographer:James L. Stanfield
Boys cavort with horses during a fiery sunset.
(Photographed on assignment for, but not published in, "The Vimy Flies Again," May 1995, National Geographic magazine)
4.Lake Onega, Russia, 1992
photographer:James P. Blair
"On a wind and a prayer, the . . . cutter Wild Goose sails by the churches of Kizhi Island, bound for the Black Sea."
—From "A Russian Voyage," June 1994, National Geographic magazine
5.Cape Finisterre, Spain 1976
photographer: James P. Blair
"At their height, around the third century B.C., [the Celts'] sway extended from the 'end of earth,' Cape Finisterre [pictured] in Spain, all the way to the Black Sea, and from the North Sea to the Mediterranean."
(Photographed on assignment for, but not published in, "The Celts," May 1977, National Geographic magazine)
6. Birkat al Mawz, Oman 1994
photographer: James L. Stanfield
"At Birkat al Mawz boxy concrete homes have replaced the old mud-brick housing beyond. Mountain runoff irrigates dense groves of date palms, source of a staple food."
—From "Oman," May 1995, National Geographic magazine
7.Trinidad and Tobago 1998
photographer: David Alan Harvey
"In the dual-island republic, Trinidad is often seen as the mother island. Stepmother [of Trinidad and Tobago], actually. In 1889, the British attached Tobago to nearby Trinidad as a way to cope with a particularly messy bankruptcy: A London financial company had failed, putting most of Tobago's sugar plantations out of business and destroying the local economy. Since joint independence in 1962, Tobago has been unified with Trinidad."
—From "Limin' Time," January/February 1999, Traveler magazine
8. Western Thebes, Egypt 1998
photographer: Richard T. Nowitz
"Dedicated to the Egyptian god Amun, the mortuary temple of Ramses III, Madinet Habu, towers on the west bank of the Nile. Its elaborate hieroglyphs describe battles with Libyans and invaders called Sea Peoples."
—Text from "The Power of Writing," August 1999, National Geographic magazine
9. Monument Valley, Utah 1995
photographer: James P. Blair
Buttes and mesas rise from the Utah desert—a landscape made legendary by countless Westerns.
(Photographed on assignment for, but not published in, "Utah: Land of Promise Kingdom of Stone," January 1996, National Geographic magazine)
10. Kaleidoscope Ridge, Arizona 1982
photographer: James P. Blair
"Rising and falling in sinuous curves, sandstone formations epitomize the beauty and solitude of the Southwest's unspoiled lands."
—From the National Geographic book Our Threatened Inheritance,1984
11.Somerset, England 1992
photographer: Sam Abell
"For well over a thousand years, hedgerows [shown in background] have been a defining attribute of rural Britain, the stitching that holds the fabric of the countryside together. ... Yet they have been disappearing at a rate that many find alarming."
—Text from "Britain's Hedgerows," September 1993, National Geographic magazine
12.Luxor, Egypt 1998
photographer: Richard T. Nowitz
"The mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut, near Luxor, commemorates Egypt's first female pharaoh. A 1997 terrorist attack here shattered the temple's sanctity."
—Text from "Into an Antique Land: Egypt's Greatest Hits," March 1999, National Geographic Traveler magazine
13. Cape York Peninsula 1996
photographer: Sam Abell
"Evoking tombstones on a charred battlefield, termite mounds are in fact pillars of life in the ecology of the peninsula. No earthworms live in this seasonally arid region, so termites assume the vital role of enriching the soil by recycling dead wood and grass. Likewise, dry-season fires release nutrients, sparking a conflagration of green when rains return. 'It's magic when it rains,' says a cattleman. 'You can almost hear the grass growing.'"
—From "The Uneasy Magic of Australia's Cape York Peninsula," June 1996, National Geographic magazine
14.Mozambique, Africa 2000
photographer: Chris Johns
"Leaving a wake like a skipped rock, an antelope speeds through water in Mozambique's Maputo Elephant Reserve."
—From "Without Borders: Uniting Africa's Wildlife Reserves," September 2001, National Geographic magazine
15. Yasawa island, Fiji 1993
photographer: James L. Stanfield
"Beneath the serene surface of lazy sunshine and warm rain, life in Fiji is laced with conflict and uncertainty—but under that is more serenity. And under that . . . well, nothing is simple in Fiji.
"Fiji is a nation of islands. Many of them are low coral or limestone hideaways of palm trees, trade winds, and white sand. The rest are volcanic towers cloaked with rain forests and sugarcane fields."
—Text from "The Two Worlds of Fiji," October 1995, National Geographic magazine
16. Jerusalem, Israel 1984
photographer: James L. Stanfield
A Muslim woman walks up a flight of stairs near the Dome of the Rock mosque (not in picture). Muslims believe that the Prophet Muhammad rose to heaven from the rock inside the mosque.
(Photographed on assignment for, but not published in, "Israel: Searching for the Center," July 1985, National Geographic magazine)
17. Montana 1997
photographer: Sam Abell
"'The water runs with great violence from one rock to the other, so as to render the passage of any thing impossible,' [William] Clark wrote of the river he named for [Meriwether] Lewis. Now known as the Salmon, or the River of No Return, it still plows a daunting course through the mountains. Clark's reconnoiter of the river was halted by a boulder field, and he was forced to turn back. With no river route open to them, the captains readied themselves for the treacherous terrain of the Bitteroots."
—From the National Geographic book Lewis & Clark: Voyage of Discovery, 1998
18.Flathead Lake, Montana, Early 1900s
photographer: Edward S. Curtis
"A Kutenai Indian gathers reeds to be woven into mats, cushions, lodgecovers, and mattresses."
—From the National Geographic book Edward S. Curtis: Coming to Light, 2001
19.Tolga, Russia 1993
photographer: James P. Blair
After decades of repression, religion flowered again in post-Soviet Russia. The Tolga Convent is just one symbol of a rejuvenated Russian Orthodox Church.
(Photographed on assignment for, but not published in, "A Russian Voyage," June 1994, National Geographic magazine)
20. Mozambique, Africa 2000
photographer: Chris Johns
Pastel flamingos flock over the plush green of Mozambique's coastal mangrove swamps.
—Photograph from "Final Edit," September 2001, National Geographic magazine
21.Petra, Jordan 1996
photographer: Annie Griffiths Belt
Poppies, daisies, and other wildflowers color a field in Petra, Jordan's ancient city of stone.
(Photographed on assignment for, but not published in, "Petra: Ancient City of Stone," December 1998, National Geographic magazine)
22.Queen Maud Land, Antarctica 1996
photographer: Gordon Wiltsie
"Explorers may have sighted Queen Maud Land's coast in 1820, but its grand mountains ... remained unknown until 1939, when Germans made aerial photos. Today the region's virgin peaks and otherworldly terrain exert a magnetic pull on the top climbers [such as this man shown skiing during a 1996 expedition to climb Rakekniven]."
—Text from "Queen Maud Land," February 1998, National Geographic magazine
23.Okavango Delta 2000
photographer: Chris Johns
"On the move across the Okavango Delta, Cape buffalo herds (here with an egret aerial escort) number as many as 2,000 animals. One of the hunter-prized 'big five'—lions, rhinos, leopards, and elephants are the others—Cape buffalo play a key role in the delta ecosystem. Feeding on tall, coarse grasses, they make smaller tender plants accessible to other grazers."
—From "Without Borders: Uniting Africa's Wildlife Reserves," September 2001, National Geographic magazine
24.Taipei, Taiwan 1992
photographer: Jodi Cobb
"Umbrella-toting Taiwanese crowd the street in celebration of National Day, October 10. The holiday honors the 1911 revolution that toppled the last dynasty of China."
(Photographed on assignment for, but not published in, "Taiwan," November 1993, National Geographic magazine)
25.Valley of the Kings, Egypt 1997
photographer: Kenneth Garrett
"Eroding for thousands of years, the Colossi of Memnon—made in the image of Amenonphis III—have fared better than the beliefs that helped shape them."
—From "Valley of the Kings," September 1998, National Geographic magazine
26.Montana 1997
photographer: Sam Abell
"Fog banked into crevices amid the Bitterroots softens the edges of these 'most terrible mountains.' The scant Indian path through this range filled with snow as the Corps of Discovery struggled through the treacherous terrain, and small avalanches fell on the men as they brushed against snow-laden pines. The men's abbreviated journal entries only hint at the Corps' desperate, week-and-a-half trek over the mountains: 'The Mountains which we passed to day much worst than yesterday....' 'verry cold Snow Storm....' 'nothing to eate.'"
—From the National Geographic book Lewis & Clark: Voyage of Discovery, 1998
27.Near Salt Lake City, Utah 1995
photographer: James P. Blair
Bringham Canyon Mine is the largest open pit copper mine in the world—deeper than twice the height of Chicago's Sears Tower.
(Photographed on assignment for, but not published in, "Utah: Land of Promise, Kingdom of Stone," January 1996, National Geographic magazine)
28.Sicily, Italy 1994
photographer: William Albert Allard
"Stately ruins of the Greek Temple of Hera keep company with the wildflowers at Selinus more than two millennia after its dedication. At least seven temples once stood here, the westernmost outpost of Greece's presence in Sicily. Attacked in warfare and toppled by earthquakes, two of the temples were partly reconstructed earlier this century."
—From "Italy Apart: Sicily," August 1995, National Geographic magazine
29.Matrah, Oman 1993
photographer: James L. Stanfield
"Glittering crescent on the Gulf of Oman, Matrah beckons west of Muscat, the capital. Most places are now reachable by motor vehicle; as recently as 1970 the nation had only six miles [9.7 kilometers] of paved road."
—From "Oman," May 1995, National Geographic magazine
31. Viti Levu island, Fiji 1993
photographer: James L. Stanfield
"Most of the landmass of Fiji—about as much acreage as New Jersey—is made up of two volcanic heaps: Vanua Levu and Viti Levu, the biggest island [pictured]. . . . Viti Levu is strikingly two sided: On the wet eastern slopes rain forest fills the hills deep with green mystery and mist, while just 50 miles [80 kilometers] to leeward, grassy slopes and rock outcrops create a landscape that looks like southern California." [as shown here]
—Text from "The Two Worlds of Fiji," October 1995, National Geographic magazine
32.Vanua Levu island, Fiji 1993
photographer: James L. Stanfield
Evening calm ushers a fishing boat past the distant shores of Vanua Levu island, one of 300-plus Fijian islands.
(Photographed on assignment for, but not published in, "The Two Worlds of Fiji," October 1995, National Geographic magazine)
[img]http://www.dd81.com/club/attachments/month_0409/32_So2GTADfBkd0.jpg[/img]
33.Ladakh region, China-India 1996
photographer: Steve McCurry
"Magnificent wreckage of continents in collision: Fifty million years ago an immense island collided with mainland Asia to create the Indian subcontinent and push the Himalaya skyward. Those peaks rise to 20,000 feet [6,096 meters] in the Ladakh region, where India and China are now close to resolving territorial disputes."
—From "India: Fifty Years of Independence," May 1997, National Geographic magazine
[img]http://www.dd81.com/club/attachments/month_0409/33_bBx7Sk0fvBko.jpg[/img]
34.Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, Virginia 1983
photographer: James P. Blair
"[Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge's] 9,460 acres [3,828 hectares] of forest, marsh, and beach support a mix of wildlife, including some 260 species of birds. . . . Attracted by the promise of wilderness still intact, some of Chincoteague's million visitors a year seek out such secluded spots."
—Text from the National Geographic book Our Threatened Inheritance, 1984
[img]http://www.dd81.com/club/attachments/month_0409/34_A0KNu0kEFIQG.jpg[/img]
35.Redwood National Park, California 1983
photographer: James P. Blair
"Ancient redwoods 1,500 years old tower more than 250 feet [76 meters] in Lady Bird Johnson Grove, part of California's Redwood National Park. Morning fog regularly envelops the trees, providing them with life-sustaining moisture, especially during dry summer months. Congress established the park in 1968, after a study funded by the National Geographic Society revealed that logging had destroyed all but 15 percent of the original two-million-acre [809,400 hectare] forest. Without federal protection, redwoods such as these looming above a visitor probably would not exist today."
—Text and photograph from the National Geographic book Our Threatened Inheritance, 1984
[img]http://www.dd81.com/club/attachments/month_0409/35_Oj6xQn2INMkV.jpg[/img]
36.St. Louis, Missouri 1988
photographer: James P. Blair
Lily pads float in a reflecting pool in the Missouri Botanical Garden.
(Photographed on assignment for, but not published in, "Plant Hunters: Missouri Botanical Gardens," August 1990, National Geographic magazine)
Get a year of outstanding photos like this—order National Geographic magazine and get a free gift.
[img]http://www.dd81.com/club/attachments/month_0409/36_V3up7VBUyYIc.jpg[/img]
37.Roussillon, France 1995
photographer: William Albert Allard
"Like a painting stirred to life by summer wind, Provence is where the simplest of landscapes—poppies dancing in a field outside Roussillon—can turn suddenly sublime. No wonder artists are drawn to this corner of southern France, and why everyone from Roman emperors to movie stars has wanted to claim a piece of it. But as much as it gives up to those just passing through, Provence reserves its sweetest self for those who call it home."
—From "Essence of Provence," September 1995, National Geographic magazine
[img]http://www.dd81.com/club/attachments/month_0409/37_OG84GKM4WPPk.jpg[/img]
38.Near the Altamaha River, Georgia 1997
photographer: Peter Essick
A light fog floats through the live oak trees on Sapelo Island, a plantation site during the Altamaha River's 19th-century heyday.
According to a 1998 National Geographic magazine article, "The Altamaha pumps 100,000 gallons [328,000 liters] of fresh water into the Atlantic Ocean every second, more than three trillion gallons annually. Its watershed, the third largest on the East Coast, shelters more than 125 rare species of flora and fauna."
(Photographed on assignment for, but not published in, "The Easy Ways of the Altamaha," January 1998, National Geographic magazine)
[img]http://www.dd81.com/club/attachments/month_0409/38_MM0PZK71PDHE.jpg[/img]
39.Roussillon, France 1995
photographer: William Albert Allard
"A symphony of earth tones, the old ocher quarry at Roussillon was once mined for 17 different tints of the mineral, which artists worldwide used to color paints and pottery. When ocher was made obsolete by cheaper, synthetic pigments, the quarry suffered losses and finally closed in 1958. Eroded and fragile, it has been declared a historical preserve; today tourist trails wind past walls of the chalk-soft rock."
—From "Essence of Provence," September 1995, National Geographic magazine
[img]http://www.dd81.com/club/attachments/month_0409/39_rH78V5wXbhnk.jpg[/img]
40.Amiens, France 1987
photographer: Victor R. Boswell
"Tallest nave in a French Gothic cathedral, the vaults of Amiens rise 139 feet [42 meters]. Commenced in A.D. 1220 by Robert de Luzarches, the nave took 16 years to complete. ...
"The Gothic building boom reflected an era of growing power for the monarchy, the cities, and the bourgeoisie, and the cathedrals expressed civic pride fully as much as ecclesiastical glory."
[img]http://www.dd81.com/club/attachments/month_0409/40_wZAzxtJf2YNM.jpg[/img]
41.Khaling, Bhutan 1989
photographer: James L. Stanfield
A stone farmhouse in a Bhutan valley sits in the shadow of the Himalaya. Wedged between China and India, Bhutan covers only 18,000 square miles (46,620 square kilometers), about the size of Switzerland. Like Switzerland, most of Bhutan is wrapped in mountains, but this sparsely settled country of about 700,000 people is scarcely touched by the modern age.
(Photographed on assignment for, but not published in, “Bhutan, Kingdom in the Clouds,” May 1991, National Geographic magazine)
[img]http://www.dd81.com/club/attachments/month_0409/41_iKfBqXAKWj8I.jpg[/img]
42.Algiers, Algeria 1972
photographer: Thomas J. Abercrombie
"'Algiers, the white,' Algerians call their capital, here awakening under a pale winter sun. The city's arcaded quay was built by the French, whose 132-year rule of this North African land ended in 1962. Beyond Algiers, on opposite sides of a rugged mountain range, lie fertile coastal plains and the vast oil-rich desert."
—From "Algeria: Learning to Live With Independence," August 1973, National Geographic magazine
[img]http://www.dd81.com/club/attachments/month_0409/42_hCmvTzQnZDam.jpg[/img]
43.Le Mans, France 1988
photographer: James L. Stanfield
"Flying buttresses were constructed of vertical masonry piers with arches curving out from them like fingers. The fingers pressed against remnant wall sections between the great windows. The function of buttresses was to absorb thrust from the main body of the church, a serious threat to the structure during high winds. ...
With time, systems tended to become less massive and more fanciful. At the Cathedral of Saint-Julien in Le Mans, buttresses came in clusters of three, interlocked in a Y shape when seen from above."
—From "The Gothic Revolution," July 1989, National Geographic magazine
[img]http://www.dd81.com/club/attachments/month_0409/43_Fz68G4uOHigP.jpg[/img]
44.Grebeni, Russia 1992
photographer: James P. Blair
"Childhood secrets sprout in a weedy garden in Grebeni, one of hundreds of villages lining the banks of Volga Mutushka, or Mother Volga. Though mechanized farming has transformed rural life throughout the Volga's heartland, echoes of Russia's past still linger in the sounds of laughter skipping across the river, the sunset barking of dogs, and the distant splashing of fishermen's oars."
—From "A Russian Voyage: From the White to Black Sea," June 1994, National Geographic magazine
[img]http://www.dd81.com/club/attachments/month_0409/44_Qt7X7WYtUNWp.jpg[/img]
45.Alaska Range, Alaska 1996
photographer: Bill Hatcher
The team of Carl Tobin, Paul Adkins, and Roman Dial completed a 775-mile (1250-kilometer) bike trip across the Alaska Range in seven weeks. Their aim was to travel light, with feather-light titanium bikes and less than 20 pounds (8 kilograms) each in food, clothing, and gear.
(Photograph taken on assignment for, but not published in, "Biking Across the Alaska Range: A Wild Ride," May 1997, National Geographic magazine)
[img]http://www.dd81.com/club/attachments/month_0409/45_y2JiNGxvDkyb.jpg[/img]
46.L'Escalier Tête-Chien, Dominica 1996
photographer: Michael Melford
Caribbean water turns to steam as lava meets ocean.
(Photographed on assignment for, but not published in, "Dominica: The 'Nature Island,'" November/December 1996, National Geographic Traveler magazine)
[img]http://www.dd81.com/club/attachments/month_0409/46_0YXz304492nZ.jpg[/img]
47.Wadi Rum, Jordan 1996
photographer: Annie Griffiths Belt
Lawrence of Arabia on the Wadi Rum desert: "Our little caravan grew self-conscious, and fell dead quiet, afraid and ashamed to flaunt its smallness in the presence of the stupendous hills."
—From "Lawrence of Arabia," January 1999, National Geographic magazine
[img]http://www.dd81.com/club/attachments/month_0409/47_1UIslmmLAZqa.jpg[/img]
48.Jhomolhari, Bhutan 1989
photographer: James L. Stanfield
“This mountain is Jhomolhari, at 23,996 feet Bhutan's second highest peak. In the foreground a fortress built to repel Tibetan invaders crumbles to the ground.”
—From “Bhutan: Kingdom In The Clouds,” May 1991, National Geographic magazine
[img]http://www.dd81.com/club/attachments/month_0409/48_ZWeyXtoxoNbJ.jpg[/img]
49.Istanbul, Turkey 1986
photographer: James L. Stanfield
“Monument to a mighty ruler, Istanbul's many-domed Süleymaniye complex looks over the Golden Horn, Bosporus, and Sea of Marmara to Asia. Built in the 1550s by court architect Sinan, the mosque was surrounded by colleges, a hospital, a soup kitchen, baths, and the tombs of [Ottoman sultan] Süleyman and his wife, Roxelana. Istanbul—then known as Constantinople—became the seat of Ottoman power in 1453, when Süleyman's great-grandfather Mehmed II seized the Byzantine capital.”
—From “The World of Süleyman the Magnificent,” November 1987, National Geographic magazine
[img]http://www.dd81.com/club/attachments/month_0409/49_2yUlYjojLlYJ.jpg[/img]
50.Cairo, Egypt 1990
photographer: James L. Stanfield
"Built inside the Citadel, the former headquarters of Egypt's rulers, the Turkish-style [Muhammad Ali mosque] honors the early 19th-century leader credited with bringing the nation and Cairo out of a medieval past—and into vexing modern times."
—Text from "Cairo—Clamorous Heart of Egypt," April 1993, National Geographic magazine
(Photographed on assignment for, but not published in, "Ibn Battuta: Prince of Travelers," December 1991, National Geographic magazine)
[img]http://www.dd81.com/club/attachments/month_0409/50_EMJFRz8EJ4EP.jpg[/img]
[ 此贴被孤单芭蕾在2006-07-12 13:59重新编辑 ]
