Rust on the Eiffel Tower in Paris, spring blossoms in China, International Women’s Day demonstrations in Mexico, a memorial for the 2011 earthquake in Japan, a moonrise over New York City, ski jumping in Germany, a sinkhole in Croatia, pet laser therapy in China, and much more.
Ten years ago, on March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck off Japan’s northeastern shore—the most powerful earthquake ever recorded to have hit Japan—generating enormous tsunami waves that spread across miles of shoreline, climbing as high as 130 feet. The powerful inundation of seawater tore apart coastal towns and villages, carrying ships inland as thousands of homes were flattened, then washed tons of debris and vehicles back out to sea.
The submissions to this year’s World Nature Photography Awards have been judged, and the winning images and photographers have just been announced. Thomas Vijayan was the Grand Prize winner, with his image of an orangutan climbing a tree. The contest organizers have shared with us some of the winning images, shown below, from their 13 categories. Captions were provided by the photographers and have been lightly edited for clarity.
Earlier this week, the photographer Maria Passer visited some of the ice-covered abandoned buildings of Vorkuta, a dwindling coal-mining city north of the Arctic Circle, in Russia’s Komi Republic. Temperatures in Vorkuta can drop as low as -58 degrees Fahrenheit in the coldest winter months.
Moving a home through the streets of San Francisco, ski jumping in Germany, hiking the Great Wall in China, visiting a ski resort in Tehran, opening a “hug room” in Rome, taking a vaccination selfie in Spain, surfing in front of Mount Fuji, walking a snow maze in Manitoba, and much more.
A century ago, Russia was enduring a terrible famine, the Irish Free State was created, U.S. President Warren Harding was inaugurated, the Tulsa race massacre took place in Oklahoma, a new machine called a “dishwasher” was introduced, New York’s Madison Square Garden was home to “the world’s largest indoor swimming pool,” and much more. Please take a moment to look back at some of the events and sights from around the world 100 years ago.
Mount Etna has erupted four times in the past six days, sending lava down its slopes and showering nearby villages with ash. Etna, on the Italian island of Sicily, is one of the most active volcanoes in the world. No significant damage or injuries have been reported during this recent outburst, and officials have said they do not think there is immediate danger of escalation, but the views have been spectacular.
Lava flows on Mount Etna, ski championships in Italy, scenes from the Australian Open, ice skating in the Netherlands, an image from New York Fashion Week, freezing conditions in Texas, a monument to cosmonaut Yury Gagarin, snowy scenes in Greece, and much more.
The state of Texas was hit hard, as was much of the central United States, when frigid Arctic air pushed southward and a winter storm blew through. Millions of Texas residents have been without electricity for days amid record-setting cold temperatures and widespread blackouts. The power situation is improving now, but officials warn there may be further rotating power outages as systems come back online.
The judging for the ninth annual Ocean Art Underwater Photo Contest, organized by the Underwater Photography Guide, has wrapped up, and the winning images and photographers have been announced. Gaetano Dario Gargiulo took Best in Show with his image of an octopus in a tide pool. The organizers of the contest have once again shared with us some of the winners and honorable mentions, shown below, from the 12 categories of underwater photography.
The 109th edition of the Australian Open tennis tournament is currently underway in Melbourne—despite a five-day COVID-19 lockdown put in place by the state government. Players from all over the world have been competing in empty arenas in the heat of the Australian summer. This week, matches are progressing into the semifinals, with the final day of the tournament coming on February 21. Collected here are some colorful glimpses of the 2021 Australian Open.
Protests against police violence in Chile, COVID-19 patient care in Portugal, wintry weather in northern Europe, Fashion Week in Kyrgyzstan, scenes from Super Bowl LV, an ice cave in Alaska, Skywhale and Skywhalepapa in Australia, Zoom goats in England, and much more.
Most of the traditional Mardi Gras activities in New Orleans have been canceled this year because of the ongoing pandemic. But locals have spent their time and effort working on safe alternative celebrations to keep the spirit of Carnival alive—including the decoration of hundreds of houses in the style of Mardi Gras floats. The Krewe of House Floats has worked with people across the city and is listing participants on a map.
A special Sunday event: our fifth annual photographic essay celebrating these magnificent birds of prey. These nocturnal hunters hail from Europe, Asia, North America, and South America, and are captured here in photos from recent years. If you have some time today before the big game (or are skipping the event entirely), I invite you to take a look; as always, it was a hoot to put this together.
A visit with Punxsutawney Phil, preparations for the Year of the Ox in China, a funambulist in Italy, a rocket explosion in Texas, a farmers’ protest in India, flooding in France, dogs at play on a frozen lake in Turkey, a crowded beach in Brazil, and much more.
As more vaccines against COVID-19 become available and distribution keeps ramping up, governments and health-care institutions worldwide have set up centers to deliver as many vaccinations as possible. Gymnasiums, sports venues, and existing clinics have been readied, and early candidates are now passing through. Efforts are already under way in some areas to reach vulnerable populations living in remote regions as well.
For a second weekend, tens of thousands of people in cities across Russia protested the jailing of the opposition leader, Alexei Navalny. An outspoken critic of President Vladimir Putin, Navalny was detained on January 17, after returning from Germany, where he had been recovering from a near-fatal poisoning that he blames on the Kremlin. According to the Associated Press, more than 5,100 protesters were arrested yesterday—1,000 more than had been detained the previous week.
Giraffes in the Netherlands, bison in the United Kingdom, a beach day in Australia, flowers for International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the arrival of President Biden’s dogs at the White House, tug of war practice in Ireland, scenes from Paris Fashion Week, and much more.
Promising early results from several studies have encouraged researchers around the world to develop and expand canine programs that may screen people for COVID-19 infection at places like airports, hospitals, or sports venues. While these early experiments appear to demonstrate high levels of accuracy by the sniffer dogs, researchers also caution that peer-review processes and larger-scale studies are still needed.
On January 3, a group of more than 300 competitors departed from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to begin the 43rd annual Dakar Rally: a 14-day, 4,751-mile off-roading adventure held entirely in Saudi Arabia once again. The race used to be held in Africa, until 2008, when unrest in Mauritania forced organizers to move to South America, where it was hosted until last year.
Fashion Week in Berlin, the departure of former President Donald Trump, the swearing-in of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, COVID-19 burials in Turkey and Mexico, an earthquake in Indonesia, bull-taming in India, a snow-covered Great Wall in China, National Guard soldiers in the U.S. Capitol, diploma artwork in New York City, and much more.
As the final day of the Trump presidency passes, rehearsals and preparations are underway for the upcoming inaugural ceremony of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President–elect Kamala Harris, set to take place on January 20. Amid unprecedented security concerns and an ongoing pandemic, the visual landscape of Washington is different from any previous inaugural ceremony.
Justin Sullivan has been a staff photographer with Getty Images since 2003. Primarily working out of California, Sullivan covered nearly the full spectrum of U.S. news stories in 2020, from the New Hampshire primaries to the early days of the pandemic, through a summer of lockdowns, protests, social distancing, and wildfires, to the November election, and much more.
Alaska is, by far, the largest state in the U.S. It is also one of the least-populated states, with vast, protected open spaces. From the North Slope through Denali Park to the Aleutian Islands, the Kenai Peninsula, the Inside Passage, and much more, here are a few glimpses of the landscape of Alaska, and some of the wildlife and people calling it home.This photo story is part of Fifty, a collection of images from each of the United States.
Images from the past two weeks, including a robot assistant in an Indian hospital, Santa in a snow globe in Seattle, an orangutan returned to Indonesia, Fashion Week in Senegal, a snowstorm in the northeastern U.S., a gingerbread town in Norway, a health-care worker in a nativity scene in Italy, and much more.
This has been a relatively average year for the world’s active volcanoes. Out of an estimated 1,500 active volcanoes, about 50 erupt every year, spewing steam, ash, toxic gases, and lava. In 2020, erupting volcanoes included Taal Volcano in the Philippines, La Cumbre in the Galapagos, Mount Shishaldin in Alaska, Pacaya Volcano in Guatemala, Mount Semeru and Mount Sinabung in Indonesia, Piton de la Fournaise on Réunion Island, Mount Etna in Sicily, and more.
More than 8.5 million people live across Virginia, the 35th-largest state by area. From the Blue Ridge Mountains, through the Shenandoah National Park, and from the Potomac River to Virginia Beach, here are a few glimpses of the landscape of Virginia, and some of the wildlife and people calling it home.This photo story is part of Fifty, a collection of images from each of the United States.
This has been a year like no other, and moments of joy were difficult to come by. The few happy events that took place did so despite harrowing circumstances—or, in many cases, as a response to overwhelming adversity. Health-care workers took on enormous burdens, saved countless lives, and earned the gratitude and admiration of millions. Celebrations and public events were modified for safety, but many still took place. And new vaccines against COVID-19 are starting to roll out.
As the year comes to a close, it’s time to take a look at some of the most memorable events and images of 2020. Events covered in this essay (the last of a three-part photo summary of the year) include the devastating wildfires in California, the passing of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the Nagorno-Karabakh War, the U.S. presidential election, the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and much more.
As the year comes to a close, it’s time to revisit some of the most memorable events and images of 2020. Events covered in this essay (the second of a three-part photo summary of the year) include the widespread protests against the killing of George Floyd, the realities of the growing coronavirus pandemic, historic flooding across China, locust swarms in Africa, a terrifying explosion in Beirut, and much more.