The Big Picture

Puffin census on the Farne Islands

Fri, 24 May 2013 16:28:54 GMT

Every five years, National Trust rangers carry out a puffin census on the Farne Islands, off the northeast coast of England. The beautiful birds return to their breeding grounds on the islands, which offer excellent sources of food, few ground predators, and good protection for nesting. This count carries particular significance because the last survey in 2008, recording 36,500 pairs, indicated that numbers had fallen by a third from the 2003 census. There is also fear that the extreme weather in the past year could affect the numbers. In March, thousands of birds washed up dead due to severely cold winds, and last summer, many of the birds were flooded out of their homes. Rangers are now faced with the daunting task of counting every burrow-nesting bird, which involves reaching down to each of the underground nests to see if it is occupied. The results will be ready in July. -Leanne Burden Seidel (15 photos total)

Puffins return to their summer breeding grounds on the Farne Islands in Northeast England on May 16, 2013. They are often called "sea parrots" due to their colorful beaks. (Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Tornadoes wreak havoc in US

Thu, 23 May 2013 01:20:49 GMT

Tornadoes can form anytime of year, but occur most frequently in April, May, and June, due to favorable weather conditions. Earlier this week a massive 200-mile-per-hour EF5 tornado hit Moore, Okla., killing some two dozen people, damaging thousands of structures, and causing an estimated $2 billion in damage. This year, twisters have already touched down in Kansas, Texas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Missouri, and Alabama. ( 46 photos total)

A woman carries a child through a field near the collapsed Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, Okla., on May 20. A tornado as much as half a mile wide with winds up to 200 mph roared through the Oklahoma City suburbs Monday, flattening entire neighborhoods, setting buildings on fire and landing a direct blow on an elementary school. (Sue Ogrocki/Associated Press)

Afghanistan civilians: April 2013

Mon, 20 May 2013 18:50:06 GMT

One of the most desperately poor, war-torn nations on earth, Afghanistan attracts our attention mostly for the wrong reasons. Well over 30 percent of the population lives in absolute poverty, with as many clinging to their places just barely above the poverty line. While Afghanistan is the world's leader in opium exports, domestic consumption afflicts almost a quarter of a million, with an additional 150,000 addicted to heroin, triple the number from 2005. Violence against women and girls continues. But rich cultural traditions abound, and Afghan society is making progress. Gathered here are images of the colorful yet troubled lives of Afghan civilians. -- Lane Turner (29 photos total)

A boy tries to catch a falling kite on a hilltop in Kabul on April 28, 2013. (Omar Sobhani/Reuters)

Deadly crossing

Fri, 17 May 2013 18:46:18 GMT

In 2012, sheriff's deputies in Brooks County found 129 bodies, around double the amount from the year before and six times the number recorded in 2010. Most of those who die succumb to the punishing heat and rough terrain that comprise the ranch lands of south Texas. Reuters photographer, Eric Thayer, traveled to Brooks County, Texas and Reynosa, Mexico to investigate the rising rates of immigrant deaths along the border there, spending time at a migrant's hostel in Mexico and with U.S. Border Patrol in Brooks County. Many migrants, after spending several weeks traveling through Mexico and past the Rio Grande, spend a few days in a "stash house," such as Casa del Migrante, in Reynosa, Mexico, and many are ignorant of the treacherous journey ahead. -- Paula Nelson ( 28 photos total)

A U.S. Border Patrol agent from the Rio Grande Valley Sector searches for a group of undocumented immigrants who crossed the Rio Grande River in Mission, Texas March 28, 2013. Brooks County has become an epicenter for illegal immigrant deaths in Texas. (Eric Thayer/Reuters)

Chechnya: daily life

Wed, 15 May 2013 19:31:46 GMT

After two Chechen brothers were named in connection with the Boston Marathon bombings, Reuters photographer Maxim Shemetov took this collection of images titled "Inside Modern Chechnya" showing daily life in the semi-autonomous Russian region known for a centuries-old tradition of defying Moscows rule. Shemetov focused on the area in and around the capital of Grozny. -- Lloyd Young ( 28 photos total)

Members of a Chechen dance group pose for photographers at a government-organized event marking Chechen language day in the center of the Chechen capital Grozny on April 25. (Maxim Shemetov/Reuters)

Sugar and salt

Mon, 13 May 2013 17:18:52 GMT

Although modern techniques often bring sugar and salt to our tables, these two simple treats for the palate are still harvested and processed in traditional, if not ancient methods the world over. Over 160 million tons of sugar is produced annually in well over 100 countries, most of it processed from cane in tropical countries. The world uses 240 million tons of salt every year in everything from food to industrial applications. Gathered here are images of the toils that result in two of our favorite flavors. -- Lane Turner (32 photos total)

A cut stem of sugar cane stands in a field in Saraburi province, Thailand on May 9, 2012. Thailand is the world's second-biggest exporter. (Dario Pignatelli/Bloomberg)

National Geographic Traveler Magazine: 2013 Photo Contest

Fri, 10 May 2013 18:13:25 GMT

The National Geographic Traveler Magazine photo contest, now in its 25th year, has begun. There is still plenty of time to enter. The entry deadline is Sunday, June 30, at 11:59 p.m. Entrants may submit their photographs in any or all of the four categories: Travel Portraits, Outdoor Scenes, Sense of Place and Spontaneous Moments. The magazine's photo editors showcase their favorite entries each week in galleries. You can also vote for your favorites. "The pictures increasingly reflect a more sophisticated way of seeing and interpreting the world, making the judging process more difficult," says Keith Bellows, magazine editor in chief. (The captions are written by the entrants, some slightly edited for readability.) As always, you can take a look at some of last year's entries and winners.. -- Paula Nelson ( 40 photos total)

OUTDOOR SCENES - Portrait of an Eastern Screech Owl - Masters of disguise. The Eastern Screech Owl is seen here doing what they do best. You better have a sharp eye to spot these little birds of prey. Okeefenokee Swamp, Georgia, USA. (Photo and caption by Graham McGeorge/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

Wildfires in California

Wed, 08 May 2013 16:27:21 GMT

California Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. yesterday declared this week as "Wildfire Awareness Week" in recognition of last week's devastating fires northwest of Los Angeles. His proclamation noted, "In an average year, wildfires burn 900,000 acres of California's timber and grasslands." Rains that moved into the area on Monday helped extinguish the fires that started last Thursday along US Route 101 near Camarillo Springs and Thousand Oaks, endangering some 4,000 homes. -- Lloyd Young ( 31 photos total)

A man on a rooftop looks at approaching flames as the Springs Fire continues to grow on May 3 near Camarillo, Calif. The wildfire has spread to more than 18,000 acres on day two and is 20 percent contained. (David Mcnew/Getty Images)

By rail

Mon, 06 May 2013 18:42:01 GMT

Simple and efficient, rail travel nonetheless inspires a sense of romance. By train, subway, and a seemingly endless variety of trams, trolleys, and coal shaft cars, we've moved on rails for hundreds of years. Industry too relies on the billions of tons of freight moved annually by rolling stock. Gathered here are images of rails in our lives, the third post in an occasional series on transport, following Automobiles and Pedal power. -- Lane Turner (47 photos total)

An employee adjusts a CRH380B high-speed Harmony bullet train as it stops for an examination during a test run at a bullet train exam and repair center in Shenyang, China on October 23, 2012. (Stringer/Reuters)

Daily Life: April 2013

Fri, 03 May 2013 19:56:28 GMT

I look forward each month to browsing the compilation of "slice of life" images from around the world. They offer us a visual break, if you will, from the tragedies, disasters, wars and violence seemingly so pervasive in our world. Through these images, we can immerse ourselves in the simplicity of everyday life. Daily Life: April 2013 takes us to North and South Korea, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Spain, Indonesia, China, Russia; and around the United States to California, Texas, Maine, Florida, Kansas, Washington state, and more. Enjoy.--- Paula Nelson ( 49 photos total)

A village boy holds a traditional handmade umbrella as he keeps watch over cattle grazing in the field on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar, India, April 20, 2013. (Biswaranjan Rout/Associated Press)

Hurricane Sandy: 6 months later

Wed, 01 May 2013 21:49:38 GMT

Damage left behind by Hurricane Sandy's landfall last October can still be seen along the US East Coast, especially the hard hit beachfront areas in New Jersey, as many communities work to move forward. Dubbed "The Superstorm" and reaching 1,000 miles wide at times, Sandy caused some $50 billion in damage and killed 159 people. ( 27 photos total)

Ken Flynn of Ship Bottom does some carpentry work for a home that was damaged by Hurricane Sandy in Long Beach, N.J., on April 30. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie came to Long Beach Island for a town hall meeting, six months after the island was hit hard by Hurricane Sandy. (Chris Pedota/The Record of Bergen County via Associated Press)

304 Dead in Building Collapse, Bangladesh

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 14:29:51 GMT

The search for survivors continues in one of the worst manufacturing disasters in history. Fifty survivors were found today; the death toll stands at 304. Terrified workers notified the police, government officials and a powerful garment industry group about cracks in the walls, discovered just days before the collapse. The owner of the eight-story Rana Plaza assured 3,000 workers that the structure was safe and they returned to their jobs. The death toll nears 300 with more workers trapped under the massive concrete and wire. A small collection of the hundreds of images made over the last three days, follows. -- Paula Nelson ( 30 photos total)

A Bangladeshi woman weeps holding a picture of her missing husband as she waits at the site of a building that collapsed April 24, in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh, April 26, 2013. (Kevin Frayer/Associated Press)

China earthquake: Sichuan province 2013

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 20:53:42 GMT

A powerful earthquake hit the Sichuan province of China near Ya'an city over the weekend reportedly killing some 200 people. Thousands of rescue workers have been deployed to help feed, treat, and house the displaced residents and help clear roads blocked by landslides in the remote area. The quake comes just short of five years after a massive quake in the same region killed some 70,000 people. -- Lloyd Young ( 46 photos total)

A woman whose relatives were killed in Saturday's earthquake cries while sitting on a pile of rubble in Lingguan township in Baoxing county of southwest China's Sichuan province on April 22. The earthquake in Sichuan province killed some 200 people, injured more than 11,000 and left nearly two dozen missing, mostly in the rural communities around Ya'an city, along the same fault line where a devastating quake to the north killed more than 70,000 people in Sichuan and neighboring areas five years ago in one of China's worst natural disasters. (Associated Press)

Terror at the Boston Marathon

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 03:18:18 GMT

With thousands of runners still on the course at the Boston Marathon, two explosions rocked Boylston Street just yards from the finish line. The blasts ripped through crowded spectator viewing stands. The death toll as we publish stands at three and is expected to rise, with over 140 others injured and transported to local hospitals. No arrests have been made. Please follow Boston.com for further updates. (WARNING: Some images are graphic.) (32 photos total)

The scene at the finish line of the 117th Boston Marathon when one of the two bombs exploded. (David L. Ryan/Globe Staff)

Guns

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 18:12:54 GMT

Guns. That single word evokes a strong reaction, no matter what side of the debate you fall on. Certainly, the massacre of innocents at Sandy Hook Elementary School was a national tipping point, but one that seems only to have brought back into the public consciousness, a long-simmering debate. A debate for which there is no resolution at the moment. Congress is still proposing and voting, states are taking independent action. Individuals rally and protest and fight, expressing their beliefs. This post is a collection of images - supporters of gun control, those against; victims and families of victims, gun enthusiasts. -- Paula Nelson( 53 photos total)

A 9 mm bullet in a box on the counter at Duke's Sport Shop in New Castle, Pa., April 5, 2013. Gun enthusiasts fearful of new weapon controls and alarmed by rumors of government hoarding are buying bullets practically by the bushel, making it hard for stores nationwide to keep shelves stocked. (Keith Srakocic/Associated Press)

Syrian refugees update 2013

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 19:05:21 GMT

Another refugee camp opened today in Mrajeeb al-Fhood, Jordan, to accommodate the reported 1,500 to 2,000 Syrians fleeing to Jordan daily. Just over a year ago the Big Picture posted an entry of the growing number of people displaced due to the conflict that now has lasted over two years. The United Nations recently said a total of around 7,000 to 8,000 Syrians are leaving their country daily; there are 1.3 million Syrian refugees and almost 4 million more have been displaced inside Syria since the start of the conflict. Posted here is another glimpse of daily life for those displaced since the beginning of this year. -- Lloyd Young ( 37 photos total)

A Syrian internally displaced boy stands at the window of a tent in the Bab al-Hawa camp along the Turkish border in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib on March 18. The conflict in Syria between rebel forces and pro-government troops has killed at least 70,000 people, and forced more than one million Syrians to seek refuge abroad. (Bulent Kilic/AFP/Getty Images)

Most dangerous city: San Pedro Sula, Honduras

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 18:08:21 GMT

San Pedro Sula, Honduras, has been given the unfortunate title of the most dangerous city in the world. The data was compiled by Citizen Council for Public Security, Justice, and Peace, a Mexican think tank focusing on crime statistics from the Western Hemisphere. The city tops the list for the second year in a row. Photographers Jorge Cabrera of Reuters and Esteban Felix of Associated Press spent time with with local police and in emergency rooms documenting the violence at the end of March 2013. They captured arresting scenes of death, fear, pain, and grief. San Pedro Sula has a homicide rate of 169 per 100,000 people. Laws allow civilians to own up to five personal guns. Arms trafficking has flooded the country with nearly 70 percent illegal firearms; 83.4 percent of homicides are by firearms, compared to 60 percent in the United States. (Information gathered from Reuters and Associated Press)- Leanne Burden Seidel(26 photos total)

Police tape cordons off a crime scene near the body of a victim in the city of San Pedro Sula on March 22, 2013. Unknown assailants killed three men and one woman in a working class neighborhood, local media reported. (Jorge Cabrera/Reuters)

Last of the Trawler Men

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 19:01:27 GMT

Reuters photographer, Dylan Martinez, recently spent a few days in the once-busy fishing port of Whitby. Now just 200 people are employed in fishing; the fleet is down to only a few boats. Things aren't looking good for Locker - one of the last remaining trawler men in the area. A combination of crippling fishing quotas, climate change and overfishing has all but crushed the local fishing industry. Global warming has expanded fish habitats northward, causing fish stocks to sometimes disappear for weeks on end. Boats return from sea with largely empty nets, and the atmosphere, dour. Often schools of fish then reappear unpredictably, resulting in bumper catches and jubilation - then E.U. quotas take effect and force fishermen to dump excess catch in the sea to avoid hefty E.U. fines. This scenario is echoed in other historic fishing areas across the globe, including New England. -- Paula Nelson( 30 photos total)

A seagull flies off the coast of Whitby, seen from aboard the Whitby Rose in the North Sea, northern England, February 28, 2013. Whitby was once a busy fishing port, but now only 200 people are employed in the fishing industry. (Dylan Martinez/Reuters)

Daily Life: March 2013

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 00:29:22 GMT

For this edition of our look at daily life we share images from India, Nigeria, Spain, Venezuela, Italy, Nepal, South Africa and a few others from around the world. -- Lloyd Young ( 39 photos total)

Indians pray at the statue of Hindu god Shiva during sunset near Sangam, the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati in Allahabad, India on March 17. (Rajesh Kumar Singh/Associated Press)

Holi celebrations 2013

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 17:28:27 GMT

The Hindu festival of Holi celebrates the beginning of spring. As a festival of colors that marks events in Hindu mythology, it provides photographers with a visual feast. Holi falls on the last full moon day of the lunar month Phalguna, which was on March 27 this year. It is a joyous ritual when intense colors, light, emotion, and energy combine in a surreal vision of spirituality. Enjoy! -Leanne Burden Seidel (36 photos total)

Boys spray colored foam during Holi celebrations at a lane near the Bankey Bihari temple in Vrindavan, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh March 26, 2013. (Adnan Abidi/Reuters)

Syria: A collection of images

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 20:23:02 GMT

The Associated Press recently re-transmitted a collection of images from the Syrian conflict. It remains an incredibly dangerous situation for working journalists who document the ongoing conflict and the conditions of those living in constant danger and with constant risk. Many continue to die for their beliefs, hoping that peace will come to their country eventually. The images that follow are storytelling, intimate and worth seeing again and again. -- Paula Nelson ( 32 photos total)

Syrian rebel fighters belonging to the Liwa Al Tawhid unit in the Karmal Jabl neighborhood after several days of intense clashes between rebel fighters and the Syrian army in Aleppo, Syria, Oct. 25, 2012. (Narciso Contreras/Associated Press)

Simulating Mars on Earth

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 22:00:27 GMT

Scientists in both the United States and Morocco are studying what it would be like for human beings to live on Mars. Reuters photographer Jim Urquhart spent time in the Utah desert at the Mars Desert Research Station observing a crew simulate what conditions would be like on the red planet. Researchers with the Austrian Space Forum in partnership with the Ibn Battuta Center spent time in the northern Sahara conducting experiments in engineering, planetary surface operations, astrobiology, and geophysics. -- Lloyd Young ( 27 photos total)

Matt Cross, left, rover engineer, Hans van 't Woud, center, mapping researcher and health and safety officer, and Melissa Battler, geologist and commander of Crew 125 EuroMoonMars B mission of the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS), wait in an airlock in their simulated spacesuits before venturing out to collect geologic samples in the Utah desert on March 2. The MDRS aims to investigate the feasibility of a human exploration of Mars and uses the Utah desert's Mars-like terrain to simulate working conditions on the red planet. Scientists, students and enthusiasts work together developing field tactics and studying the terrain. All outdoor exploration is done wearing simulated spacesuits and carrying air supply packs and crews live together in a small communication base with limited amounts of electricity, food, oxygen and water. Everything needed to survive must be produced, fixed and replaced on site. (Jim Urquhart/Reuters)

A soldier's eye: rediscovered pictures from Vietnam

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 16:50:50 GMT

Charlie Haughey was drafted into the US Army in October of 1967. He was 24, and had been in college in Michigan before running out of money and quitting school to work in a sheet metal factory. The draft notice meant that he was to serve a tour of duty in Vietnam, designated a rifleman, the basic field position in the Army. After 63 days in Vietnam, he was made a photographer, shooting photographs for the Army and US newspapers, with these instructions from the Colonel: You are not a combat photographer. This is a morale operation. If I see pictures of my guys in papers, doing their jobs with honor, then you can do what you like in Vietnam. He shot nearly 2,000 images between March 1968 and May 1969 before taking the negatives home. And there they sat, out of sight, but not out of mind, for 45 years, until a chance meeting brought them out of dormancy and into a digital scanner. At first, it was very difficult for Haughey to view the images and talk about them, especially not knowing the fates of many of the subjects of his photos. When the digitization hit 1,700 negative scans, Haughey put them on a slideshow and viewed them all at once, and didnt sleep for three days after. Hes slowly getting better at dealing with the emotional impact of seeing the images for the first time in decades. A team of volunteers has worked with Haughey to plan a 28-image show, titled A Weather Walked In, which opens April 5th in the ADX art gallery in Portland, Oregon. The difficulty of keeping notes in a war zone along with the passage of decades has faded the details behind many of the images, and the captions reflect this fact, with many shots of unknown people in forgotten locations at unspecified times. It is hoped that publication of the pictures can yield more information. More images from the collection will be released as the project progresses. You can follow the progress on facebook and Tumblr. Thanks to Chieu Hoi project volunteer Kris Regentin for preparing much of this introduction and the accompanying captions. -- Lane Turner (46 photos total)

Bowed head in truck: Soldier and location unidentified. Charlie's first response to this photo: "It was not uncommon to find anyone with a head bowed for a moment, more often when we were heading out than when we were coming back. Interesting that he has a flak jacket, he's taking precautions on both sides of the fence. M16, a steel pot, a flak jacket, and a prayer."

Smithsonian Magazine 2012 Photography Contest: 50 Finalists

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 18:38:54 GMT

The Smithsonian magazine's 10th annual photo contest's 50 finalists have been chosen, but there's still time for you to vote for the Readers Choice winner! This year's competition has drawn over 37,600 entries from photographers in 112 countries around the world. Editors will choose a Grand Prize Winner and the winners in each of five categories which include The Natural World, Americana, People, Travel and Altered Images. Voting will be open through March 29, 2013. -- Paula Nelson ( 22 photos total)

THE NATURAL WORLD - An Onlooker Witnesses the Annular Solar Eclipse as the Sun Sets on May 20, 2012. Albuquerque, New Mexico, May 2012. (Colleen Pinski/Peyton, Colorado/Smithsonian.com)

Pope Francis Inaugural Mass

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 18:55:08 GMT

Pope Francis officially became the 266th leader of the Roman Catholic Church's 1.2 billion worldwide followers yesterday during his formal installation Mass in St. Peter's Square. Formally known as Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the 76-year-old Argentinean is the first non-European pope in more than 1,200 years and the first from South America. During the Mass, which was attended by an estimated 150,000 to 200,000 people, Francis pledged to serve the poorest, the weakest, the least important, striking the same tones of humility that have marked the days since his election. -- Lloyd Young ( 24 photos total)

Pope Francis waves to the crowd as he arrives in the popemobile for his inauguration Mass in St. Peter's Square on March 19 in Vatican City, Vatican. The Mass is being held in front of an expected crowd of up to 200,000 pilgrims and faithful who filled the square to see the former Cardinal of Buenos Aires officially take up his role as pontiff. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)