Alan Taylor

Washington State is home to more than 7.6 million residents, most living on the western side of the Cascade Mountains. I originally published these photos of Washington last year, dedicating them to my mother and father, who loved their home state, and who had passed away the month before. The warm reactions to that photo story were what inspired me to undertake this larger project, “Fifty,” presenting wide-ranging collections of images of each state in the U.S.

Roller skating in New York City, windstorm damage in Utah, wildfire damage in Oregon, a massive canvas painting in Dubai, protests in Colombia and Chile, beach-goers in Rio de Janeiro, a fire in a Greek refugee camp, prison conditions in El Salvador, arrivals at the Venice Film Festival, an early snowstorm in Colorado, and much more.

An unprecedented outbreak of wind-driven wildfires has erupted across parts of California, Oregon, and Washington in recent days, generating enormous clouds of thick smoke that have blanketed much of the Pacific Coast, affecting visibility and air quality. California’s wildfires this year have burned more than 2 million acres, setting a new record, according to the state’s fire department.

Just over 4.6 million people live in the state of Louisiana, a state well known for its music, food, and festivals, many of which take place in its largest city, New Orleans. From the northern uplands to the Mississippi River Delta, here are a few glimpses of the landscape of Louisiana 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.

Hillside grazing in England’s Lake District, the skyline of Shanghai, a full moon over Istanbul, the Ukrainian Fashion Week, theater reopenings in Nicaragua, damage from Hurricane Laura, the Venice Film Festival, the MTV Video Music Awards, and much more.

The mountainous Guizhou province, in southwestern China, is home to more than 34 million people. The steep terrain is challenging to work, and has led to the development of thousands of terraced hillsides over centuries of farming and building. From remote hilltop Buddhist monasteries to ancient villages to the skyline of the capital city, Guiyang, gathered here are a few glimpses of Guizhou and its residents.

New Hampshire is one of the smallest states in the U.S., ranking 46th out of 50. It also has one of the smallest populations, with fewer than 1.4 million residents. From the Great North Woods through the White Mountains and Lakes Region to the cities and the sea coast in the south, here are a few glimpses of the landscape of New Hampshire 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.

A socially-distanced Santa School in London, gold panning in France, heavy metal music in China, gondoliers in Mexico, Hurricane Laura damage in Louisiana, protests in Kenosha, Red Rocks yoga in Colorado, an acrobatic fairy tale in Prague, Senegal’s first female professional surfer, and much more.

Throughout the summer, unusually heavy rainfall has caused a series of devastating floods across parts of central and southwestern China. Tens of thousands of residents have been forced from their homes, hundreds have been killed, and authorities now warn that the Three Gorges Dam is facing the largest flood peak in its history. Gathered here are images of the high water and some of the damage it has caused over the past few months.

North Carolina has the ninth-largest population of any state in the U.S., with about 10.5 million residents. From the shores of the Outer Banks through the farms and cities of the central Piedmont, to the western Appalachian Mountains, here are a few glimpses of the landscape of North Carolina 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.

Retired police dog adoptions in Ecuador, ballet in Brazil, an open-air brass band rehearsal in Wales, the Criterium du Dauphine cycling race in France, record heat in Death Valley and wildfires across California, a cool bear in Kosovo, scenes from the the Democratic National Convention, a sail-in floating cinema in Israel, and much more.

Ronald Marin, age 30, left his home in Venezuela in 2018. He moved to Peru for health reasons. Formerly a teacher, he found work at a Catholic church and was soon asked to help comfort mourning families nearby. Marin later took vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience, becoming a lay worker for his church. As the current pandemic grew, Catholic churches in Peru began closing their doors and restricting services to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Minnesota, also known as the “Land of 10,000 Lakes,” is the 12th-largest state in the union, and is home to more than 5.6 million residents. From the Boundary Waters and shores of Lake Superior in the north through the plains to Buffalo Ridge in the southwest, here are a few glimpses of the landscape of Minnesota 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.

Heavy fog in India, the announcement of a Vice Presidential candidate in Delaware, protests and anger in Beirut, coronavirus precautions in a Thai kindergarten, a Latvian folk/pagan metal band in concert, a funicular in Austria, a volcanic eruption in Indonesia, derecho damage in Iowa, guests at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, the return of the Mayflower II, and much more.

August 12 has been set aside as World Elephant Day since 2011. Supported by numerous conservation agencies, the day is a time to “spread awareness, share knowledge, and provide solutions for better care and management of both captive and wild elephants,” according to the organizer’s website. Elephants continue to face numerous challenges, including poaching, habitat loss, exploitation, abuse, and proximity to human conflict and poverty.

The MV Wakashio, a bulk carrier ship loaded with about 4,000 tons of fuel oil, ran aground off the coast of Mauritius, in the Indian Ocean, on July 25. After sitting on a reef for days, battered by waves while awaiting salvage workers, the vessel has leaked an increasing amount of oil near a marine park and populated beaches. Mauritius has declared a “state of environmental emergency,” as the growing spill threatens nearby reefs and lagoons.

In 1836, Arkansas became the 25th state in the United States. Today, more than 3 million residents live in the state’s diverse terrain, from the rugged Ozark mountains to the plains along the Mississippi River. Here are a few glimpses of the landscape of Arkansas 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.

Back to school in Georgia, a raccoon on the mike in California, Highland cattle in Scotland, damage after the explosion in Beirut, a pyrocumulus cloud in California, a bunker shot in England, rafts in a Chinese water park, flooding in Sudan, huge walls in Croatia, cooling in a pool in Spain, and much more.

Lebanese officials have now said that the August 4 explosion that devastated much of Beirut’s port area was caused by a fire in a warehouse that had been storing explosive materials, reportedly including 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate. As of today, more than 100 deaths and over 4,000 injuries have been reported. Gathered below are images of the widespread damage in Beirut, a day after the devastating blast.

On August 4, a fire in a structure near the port area of Beirut, Lebanon, led to an enormous explosion that shook the city. The shockwave from the blast destroyed buildings close by and shattered glass for miles around, causing at least 10 deaths and hundreds of injuries, according to reporting from Reuters. The exact cause of the fire and explosion has yet to be determined. Below are some early images from the aftermath in Beirut.

New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the nation, with 8.9 million residents living in the fourth-smallest state in the U.S. From the Skylands, to the Palisades, to the farms and cranberry bogs, and down the Jersey Shore to Cape May, here are a few glimpses of the landscape of New Jersey 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.

An open-air school in Kashmir, preparing for Eid al-Adha in Bangladesh, a Comic-Con blood drive in California, idle fishing boats in China, a Navy Day parade in Russia, wildfires in Portugal, a successful Mars rover launch, a sparsely-attended Hajj in Saudi Arabia, outdoor opera in Greece, a farewell to the late U.S. Representative John Lewis, and much more.

On July 30, NASA is set to launch a car-sized rover named Perseverance and a robotic helicopter named Ingenuity to the planet Mars, to search for signs of past microbial life and examine the Martian climate and geology in an area known as Jezero crater. If all goes according to schedule, the Mars 2020 mission will land its robotic explorers on Mars on February 18, 2021, after six and a half months of travel time.

As professional sports leagues continue to grapple with coronavirus restrictions on both players and fans, teams are playing to empty, or near-empty, stadiums, and broadcasting the games live. Team mascots, who normally thrive on interaction with a live audience, are left to play to the cameras, interacting with empty bleachers and cardboard cutouts of fans. Below is a collection of images from recent months of various mascots, still hard at work during trying times.

South Dakota is the fifth-smallest state by population in the U.S., with approximately 885,000 residents living in its 77,000 square miles. From the Black Hills and the Badlands, across the plains to Sioux Falls, here are a few glimpses of the landscape of South Dakota 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.

A cheetah at rest in Kenya, flamenco dancing in Spain, tennis at a Berlin airport, a giant spoon on an English trail, a baby hippo in Mexico, an online mud festival in South Korea, the night sky above Syria, wildfires in Greece, concerts in Australia and Germany, a Chinese mission to Mars, and much more.

Today, rather than presenting a collection of images from the (often stressful) news of the day, I thought it would be fun to put together a group of photos of some canine companions having a great time in the water—splashing in a mountain lake, diving or surfing in competitions, playing in pools, or just cooling off in a puddle or trough.

With the nation’s sixth-largest population, Illinois is home to more than 12.6 million residents—about 9.5 million of them living in the Chicago metropolitan area. Outside of Chicagoland, most of the state is dedicated to agricultural use, producing some of the largest crops of soybeans and corn in the U.S. Here are a few glimpses of the landscape of Illinois and some of the wildlife and people calling it home.

The civil-rights icon and longtime U.S. representative John Lewis died yesterday at the age of 80. Lewis began his life as the son of an Alabama sharecropper, and became active in the civil-rights movement while he was a student in Nashville, Tennessee. Lewis became nationally known after the March 7, 1965, “Bloody Sunday” march to Montgomery, Alabama, when he and dozens of other marchers were brutally beaten after crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge, in Selma, Alabama.

Phase 3 re-openings in Europe and North America, locust swarms in India, sunset soccer in Indonesia, a seawater pool in France, in-stream dining in Kuala Lumpur, flooding on the Yangtze river, Sammy the Seal in England, Godzilla in Yokosuka, Bastille Day fireworks in Paris, and much more.