Nature’s Best Photography

Part adventurer, part artist, and part engineer, nature photographers travel the globe to document the beauty and mystery of its farthest reaches. The images they bring home help to broaden our awareness and appreciation of the natural world.

Ed note: The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History has more photos and information on the exhibit.

Otter Family Makes a Splash at the National Zoo

As the U.S. Olympic Swim Team prepares to go for the gold in London, a new family of Asian small-clawed otters (Amblonyx cinereus) is making quite a splash of their own at the National Zoo. Eleven otters—two parents and nine offspring—will dive into their new digs this Saturday.

Ed note: Need more otter photos? Check out our article on California sea otters.

Photo of the Day: Marooned fish.

Photograph by Austin Didio (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), October 2010, Glens Falls, New York

Photo of the Day: Rainy afternoon.

Photograph by Christine Chisholm (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), September 2011, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Photo of the Day: Two barbers at South End Barber Shop cut hair. Everyone talks about high school football and local hunting spots.

Photograph by Aaron Cress (Salisbury, North Carolina), January 2011, China Grove, North Carolina

theatlantic:

In Focus: 75 Years Since The Hindenburg Disaster

Last Sunday, May 6, marked the 75th anniversary of the 1937 Hindenburg disaster. The massive German airship caught fire while attempting to land near Lakehurst, New Jersey, killing 35 people aboard, plus one ground crew member. Of the 97 passengers and crew members on board, 62 managed to survive. The horrifying incident was captured by reporters and photographers and replayed on radio broadcasts, in newsprint, and on newsreels. News of the disaster led to a public loss of confidence in airship travel, ending an era.

Top: The Hindenburg floats past the Empire State Building over Manhattan on August 8, 1936, en route to Lakehurst, New Jersey, from Germany. 

Bottom: As the lifting Hydrogen gas burned and escaped from the rear of the Hindenburg, the tail dropped to the ground, sending a burst of flame punching through the nose. Ground crew below scatter to flee the inferno.

See the rest. [Images: AP]

Photographs of the Rarest Bird

James T. Tanner’s photographs of the ivory-billed woodpecker were believed to be the only pictures of a living nestling. Check out Smithsonian.com for the story and more photos.

Photo: James T. Tanner

Ed note: Now that you have seen the rarest bird, meet the most common bird in the world.

Photo of the Day: The rolling fog over the North Tower of the Golden Gate Bridge

Photograph by Javier Acosta (San Jose, California), January 2010, Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California

An Aerial View of D-Day

A panoramic view of the Omaha beachhead after it was secured, sometime around mid-June 1944, at low tide.

Photo: U.S. Coast Guard Collection in the U.S. National Archives

Ed note: Have you heard of the monocled World War II interrogator?

From the Archives: Weegee’s Day at the Beach

Weegee danced and screamed to get the beach crowd’s attention. The masked man called himself Spider. Continue reading at Smithsonian.com

Photo: Weegee (Arthur Fellig) / International Centre of Photography / Getty Images

Ed note: “From the Archives” is a new category here on Retina. We’ll be posting past content with fascinating imagery that you may have missed.