Some photographs capture a feeling. Different feelings. A feeling of being awestruck, sublime, calm, scream, love, love for nature, and there’s much more. They become landmarks in our collective memory. In this blog, we’ll visit some of the most significant nature photographs ever taken. We’ll look at what makes them endure, the stories behind them, and the evergreen beauty they hold.
1. Earthrise (1968)
Photographer: William Anders, NASA Apollo 8 mission.
In this popular photograph, our planet is being portrayed as a fragile blue marble rising over the barren lunar horizon. This image is acknowledged for launching the modern environmental movement, and giving humanity its first full view of home from deep space.
2. The Blue Marble (1972)
Photographer: Crew of Apollo 17 (often attributed to Harrison Schmitt).
The first fully illuminated photograph of Earth which was taken 18,000 miles away. Its magnificent clarity and perspective made it a universal symbol of global unity and ecological vulnerability.
3. Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico (1941)
Photographer: Ansel Adams.
This is the exemplary Ansel Adams photo. It is famous for its extreme contrast and luminous quality, which was captured by Adams as he calculated the moonlight in a moment of brilliant improvisation.
4. The Tetons and the Snake River (1942)
Photographer: Ansel Adams.
The Tetons and the Snake River is another Adams classic. This grand landscape of the Grand Teton National Park is a gold standard in depth, detail, and the zone system. It is one of the most reproduced American landscape photographs.
5. Afghan Girl (1984)
Photographer: Steve McCurry for National Geographic.
It might be a portrait, but its subject is inseparable from her environment. The piercing green eyes of the refugee girl made it National Geographic’s most recognized cover. It’s a hauntingly beautiful icon of human resilience.
6. Catch of the Day (1987)
Photographer: Thomas D. Mangelsen.
A perfect, dynamic moment of a brown bear catching a salmon at Brooks Falls in Alaska. It captures the raw power and timing of wildlife photography, and becomes a staple poster in homes worldwide.
7. The Pond-Moonlight (1904)
Photographer: Edward Steichen.
The Pond-Moonlight is one of the most expensive photographs ever sold. This dreamy, hand-coloured gum bichromate print of a forest pond at night is a turning-point that established photography as fine art.
8. Starving Polar Bear, Svalbard (2017)
Photographer: Kerstin Langenberger.
A devastatingly powerful and viral image of a weak and wasted polar bear on a bare ice field. It became the intense, heart-breaking face of the climate crisis for millions.
9. The Wave (Multiple photographers)
Location: Coyote Buttes, Arizona/USA.
This magical sandstone formation is one of the most photographed landscapes on Earth. It’s not a single photo though. Its flowing, wave-like patterns of red and orange rock give an impression of a metaphysical scene.
10. Lion's Paw, Serengeti (Various)
Location: Tanzania
The extreme close-up of a lion’s paw, typically with claws extended, is one of the most iconic and imitated frames in wildlife photography. It symbolizes raw, untamed power and beauty of the fierce creature.
11. Palouse in Spring (Various)
Location: Palouse, Washington, USA.
The rolling, vibrant green or golden hills of this farming region have become a quintessential landscape subject. It is celebrated for their pain. It has almost abstract patterns of light and agriculture.
12. Misty Forest of Zhangjiajie (Various)
Location: Hunan, China.
The towering, mist-shrouded quartzite sandstone pillars of this national park look like a classical Chinese painting that has come to life. This landscape famously inspired the floating Hallelujah Mountains in the film Avatar.
13. The Great Migration Crossing (Various)
Location: Mara River, Kenya/Tanzania.
There’s a dramatic moment during the annual migration of wildebeest. Thousands of wildebeest fell into crocodile-infested waters. This is one of wildlife photography’s most sought-after and powerful scenes of survival.
14. Lava Flow into the Ocean (Various)
Location: Big Island, Hawaii, USA.
The ferocious collision of Kīlauea‘s molten rock with the Pacific Ocean forms explosive, steamy plumes. It’s a spectacular image of our planet’s raw, enigmatic, and destructive forces.
15. Antarctic Iceberg (By Sebastian Copeland/Alex Cornell)
Location: The Antarctica Peninsula
Photographs of surreal, electric-blue icebergs or massive, sculptural ice formations in Antarctica have become icons. They highlight the sublime beauty and the fragility of Earth’s polar regions.
16. Sagano Bamboo Forest Path (Various)
Location: Kyoto, Japan.
The towering, densely packed bamboo groves make a corridor of stunning green light and vertical lines. It is a globally recognized image of serene, structured natural beauty.
17. The Snow Monkey in Hot Spring (By Marsel van Oosten)
Location: Nagano Prefecture, Japan
In this photograph, a Japanese macaque (snow monkey) is sitting peacefully in a steaming Onsen, with snow dusting its fur. It is a long-lasting and beloved image of wildlife adaptation.
18. Milky Way over a Landmark (Various)
There are photos that combine multiple shots to show the Milky Way glowing above famous places like Mount Fuji, the Dead Sea, or Monument Valley. These kinds of images are what people now call astro-landscape photography.
19. Tunnel of Love (Various)
Location: Klevan, Ukraine.
This lush, green railway tunnel is a romantic and fantastical natural scene. It is formed by arching trees. It has become a viral sensation and a symbol of nature reclaiming human structures.
20. Fairy Pools (Various)
Location: Isle of Skye, Scotland.
The crystal-clear, brilliantly blue pools and waterfalls cascading through the Cuillin Mountains represent the idealized, magical beauty of wild, untouched landscapes.
21. Cheetah on a Vehicle (Mitsuaki Iwago)
Location: Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya
This is the striking image of a wild cheetah which is using a safari vehicle as a vantage point. It is a celebrated symbol of the complex, sometimes tolerant, interaction between wildlife and humans.
22. Matterhorn Reflected (Various)
Location: Riffelsee, Switzerland.
Matterhorn Reflected is the natural photograph which is a near-perfect reflection of the iconic, pyramid-shaped Matterhorn Mountain in a small alpine lake. It is a postcard-perfect representation of the serene majesty of the Alps.
23. Tulip Fields of the Netherlands (Various)
The breath-taking, colourful stripes of blooming tulip fields are stretching to the horizon in this famously known photograph. These are a globally recognized celebration of cultivated natural beauty and geometric patterns.
24. Spirit Bears of the Great Bear Rainforest (By Paul Nicklen)
Location: Great Bear Rainforest, British Columbia, Canada
These are the photographs of the rare, white Kermode (“Spirit”) bear. They are a subspecies of black bear found only in British Columbia, Canada, and are powerful emblems of rare and sacred wildlife.
25. Salar de Uyuni Reflections (Various)
Location: Bolivia.
During the rainy season, the world’s largest salt flat becomes a perfect, shallow mirror. And this way, it creates surreal images where the sky and ground are indistinguishable, a true natural wonder. Salar de Uyuni Reflections is the representation of the same.
Keep Exploring
This list is just the beginning. To keep discovering breath-taking nature photography, you can follow the annual winners of major international contests like Nature Photographer of the Year (NPOTY), Bird Photographer of the Year, and Underwater Photographer of the Year. These platforms are continually refreshing the global catalogue of iconic imagery with fresh perspectives and stunning new work.
