New NG Book- NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC STUNNING PHOTOGRAPHS

In the tradition of National Geographic’s highly praised “Simply Beautiful Photographs” comes NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC STUNNING PHOTOGRAPHS (National Geographic Books; ISBN: 978-1-4262-1392-2; on sale Oct. 28, 2014; $40 hardcover), this holiday season’s must-have, large-format photo book. Curated by acclaimed photographer Annie Griffiths, the volume is a testament to the power of photography to witness, reveal, persuade, explore and change the way we see the world. “A stunning image is one that makes the viewer halt, look again, and connect on an emotional level,” writes Griffiths. “This connection can vary from jaw-dropping amazement to amused surprise or sudden empathy at the new vision of a universal truth.”

Organized around the themes of Mystery, Harmony, Wit, Discovery, Energy and Intimacy, each photograph captures precise, exquisitely tuned moments and the reactions they elicit, complemented by inspiring quotations that bring depth and nuance to each image. Cesare Naldi’s dazzling photograph of an elephant swimming underwater showcases the mysteries of nature; Griffiths’ own image of sunlight burning through the fog over a Minnesota forest illuminates the magic of harmony. Wit and whimsy are exemplified in Tino Soriano’s humorous composition of a soccer player heading the ball and in Melissa Farlow’s cheeky photo from a wedding in Alaska. Discovery —- one part curiosity, one part genius and two parts tenacity —- comes to life in such works as Cary Wolinsky’s morpho butterfly spreading its iridescent blue wings and Paul Souders’ submerged polar bear peering from the edge of a melting ice floe. Many photographs explode with energy, from Chris Schmid’s shot of powerful Criollo horses thundering across a field to Mitch Dobrowner’s ropelike tornado over a North Dakota plain. And intimacy is movingly defined in the works of Cheryl Molennor, Tomasz Tomaszewski, Lynn Johnson and Maggie Steber.

French photojournalist Henri Cartier-Bresson once said, “There is nothing in this world that doesn’t have a decisive moment.” An event’s significance — its intimacy, its raw energy, its inherent emotion — happens in a fraction of a second. The 400 pages of images, culled from the National Geographic archives and collected in STUNNING PHOTOGRAPHS, address and explore Cartier-Bresson’s iconic principle. The result is a visual smorgasbord of colors, textures and sensations that capture the fabric of everyday life — transforming the ordinary into extraordinary.

About the Author

National Geographic photographer Annie Griffiths earned a degree in photojournalism from the University of Minnesota. Since then, she has photographed dozens of magazine and book projects for the National Geographic Society. Her work has also appeared in Life, Geo, Smithsonian, Merian, Paris Match, Stern and many other national and international publications. She devotes a portion of each year to producing fundraising images for aid organizations.

About National Geographic Books

National Geographic Books & Home Entertainment creates and distributes books, videos and other print and digital media that inform, engage and entertain diverse audiences about our world. Annually, the group publishes more than 150 new books for adults, families and kids and releases 250+ new DVDs and digital downloads of the Society’s films and TV shows, and these National Geographic titles are available in more than 35 local-language editions. While special photographic and film collections, travel books, nature shows, birding guides and atlases are a core focus of the Society’s products, books and videos dealing with subjects as diverse as animals, the human mind, history, world cultures and the cosmos are also produced. For more information, visit facebook.com/NatGeoBooks and nationalgeographic.com/books.