From the top of the world to the bottom of the ocean, National Geographic photographers have long been taking readers of the storied magazine to little-known, little-covered and little-understood corners of the earth. In celebration of the magazine's 125th anniversary issue this October, the National Geographic Channel presents an inside look at how many of the magazine's most iconic images came to fruition with National Geographic Photographers: The Best Job in the World, premiering Friday, Oct. 11, at 8 p.m. ET/PT as part of the weekly Night of Exploration programming block, and simulcast on Nat Geo WILD. The one-hour special celebrates the intrepid men and women who often stare down death with one goal in mind: getting the shot.
Trouble in the field is nothing new for National Geographic photographers. They've been on the front lines of the planet, daring the extremes, to bring back images that stop us in our tracks. "We've had photographers lose fingers and toes," says Chris Johns, editor-in-chief of National Geographic magazine. "We've had photographers in helicopter crashes. We've had photographers mugged, beaten, jailed, tortured. We've had photographers who have put not just their career on the line but also their lives on the line to tell a meaningful and memorable story in an
Unforgettable way."
Among the photographers telling their stories in National Geographic Photographers: Best Job in the World are some of the most legendary names in the field, including:
· Steve McCurry, who captured perhaps the magazine's most iconic image, that of the "Afghan Girl." McCurry takes us back to the day he photographed the young Afghan refugee, and again to the day he found her again nearly 20 years later.
· Wildlife specialist Steve Winter, who went to Kaziranga National Park in northeast India to
Capture photographs of the rare one-horned rhino - and found himself under attack from that very creature.
· Emory Kristof, who was part of the 1985 expedition that found the shipwrecked R.M.S. Titanic using camera systems he helped develop.
· Jodi Cobb, whose investigation of the 21st century slavery underworld was personally frightening when she came face-to-face, and shared a meal, with a Bosnian man who was later arrested and convicted of human trafficking an uncountable number of women.
· And Bill Allard, a photographer for the magazine for more than 50 years, whose candid photograph of a young Peruvian boy facing tragedy inspired people around the world to make financial donations that transformed a town.
Also featured are Paul Nicklen, Randy Olson, Jim Stanfield, Ken Garrett, David Alan Harvey, Carsten Peter, Mark Thiessen, David Doubilet, Joel Sartore and Nick Nichols.
But The Best in the World isn't just about past assignments. Throughout the show, viewers will check in on an expedition in progress with up-and-coming photographer Cory Richards, who National Geographic has sent on assignment where no one has gone before - the summit of unclimbed peaks in Antarctica - to bring back first-ever pictures. For nearly 40 days, he and the expedition team are pounded with winds, some as high as nearly 100 mph, battle brutal temperatures, face uncertain and unclimbed rock faces, haul thousands of pounds of equipment and are even forced to dig out their demolished base camp. Will Cory and the team make it out alive and unscathed? And if they do, will the photographs be good enough for National Geographic to publish? If so, he'll become the latest addition to the magazine's legacy of excellence.
The celebration of photography continues off-air with several new National Geographic products and initiatives. Starting Tuesday, Oct. 1, photo enthusiasts can participate in monthly digital assignments for the magazine through a newly designed online photo-sharing community, YourShot (http://yourshot.nationalgeographic.com/). The October YourShot assignment will be loosely organized around the theme of the October 2013 anniversary issue of National Geographic magazine, which focuses on the power of photography to change the world. Richards and his photo editor, Sadie Quarrier, will interact with participants and curate the assignment.
National Geographic has also partnered with TASCHEN Publishing to open the Society's prestigious photographic archives and distill the journey of a lifetime into three collector's volumes using many previously unpublished images. Around the World in 125 Years will be available in December 2013.
National Geographic Photographers: The Best Job in the World is executive produced by Pamela Caragol Wells of National Geographic Television. Maryanne Culpepper is writer/producer and Toby Roberts is editor. For National Geographic Channels, the executive producer is Richard J. Wells, with Charlie Parsons, VP, Development and Production and Noel Siegel, SVP, Development and Production.
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