When I think of National Geographic, I first think of the photos. Growing up, my family would receive the magazine subscription in the mail and the beautiful pictures from around the world shined on the glossy pages.
Nat Geo is known for using photos to make their stories incredibly moving. Nat Geo’s work focuses on culture, the environment, nature, and animals around the world rather than breaking news topics. However, during historical moments, such as war or political turmoil, Nat Geo will capture what human life was like during these times. Nat Geo stories are longer, feature articles. The extensive time and research that goes into crafting these stories and capturing the photos constitutes lengthy articles.
One of the most well-known Nat Geo photos is the green-eyed Afghan girl that was on the cover in June 1985. The refugee girl was photographed at age 12 during the war in Afghanistan and has since been identified and located. In 2002, Nat Geo set out looking for her and upon finding her, published an article telling her story. Even more recently, Sharbat Gula was arrested in Pakistan for illegally obtaining a Pakistani identification card. The photo of young Sharbat Gula resurfaced in the years since 1985 around 9/11 and the subsequent war in the Middle East.
One controversy at Nat Geo is from 1982, when a cover photo of the Pyramids of Giza was altered. This is regarded as the first major scandal of the digital photography age.
2002 rediscovery of Afghan girl:
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2002/04/afghan-girl-revealed/
Afghan girl arrested October 2016:
Altered pyramids image: