125th Anniversary Issue of National Geographic Magazine

The Power of Photography is a central theme in the 125th anniversary issue of National Geographic Magazine. Captivating photographs from 1888-2013 with Photographers that use their cameras as tools of exploration, passports to inner sanctums, instruments for change. Their images are proof that photography matters—now more than ever.

1984 | Pakistan | photo by Steve McCurry/National Geographic

Steve McCurry’s iconic photograph of a young Afghan girl in a Pakistan refugee camp appeared on the cover of National Geographic magazine’s June 1985 issue and became the most famous cover image in the magazine’s history.

Photo by Michael Nichols/National Geographic

1990 | Brazzaville Zoo, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo

Jou Jou, captive chimpanzee reaches out it’s hand to Dr. Jane Goodall.

2004 | Canada | Photo by Paul Nicklen/National Geographic

Its image mirrored in icy water, a polar bear travels submerged—a tactic often used to surprise prey. Scientists fear global warming could drive bears to extinction sometime this century.

1996 | South Africa | Photo by Chris Johns/National Geographic

A lion pushes through a dust storm in Kalahari Gemsbok National Park, South Africa. The weather had worsened to the point that it didn’t notice the photographer’s approach. “I shot three rolls of him and just one picture turned out—serendipity,” says Johns

2010 | Dzitnup, Mexico | Photo by John Stanmeyer/National Geographic

A single frame can transport us to one of our planet’s far-flung and beautiful places. In this one, stalactites and a sunbeam spotlight a swimmer in the Xkeken cenote, a natural well in the Yucatán thought by the Maya to lead to the underworld.

2011 | Mumbai, India | Photo by Randy Olson/National Geographic

Seeking to capture the throng in Churchgate Station, Olson coached a local assistant through the laborious process needed to get this shot, because the perfect vantage point was closed to foreigners. “After four hours we had this picture—and a small victory over Indian bureaucracy.”

2011 | Gulf of California, Mexico | Photo by Brian Skerry/National Geographic

Snared and doomed by a gill net, a thresher shark is among an estimated 40 million sharks killed each year just for their fins. Drawing attention to this unsustainable practice has led some countries to ban the trade of shark fins, considered a delicacy in Asia.

2012 | Sequoia National Park, California | Mosaic composed of 126 images

Cloaked in the snows of California’s Sierra Nevada, the 3,200-year-old giant sequoia called the President rises 247 feet. Two other sequoias have wider trunks, but none has a larger crown, say the scientists who climbed it. The figure at top seems taller than the other climbers because he’s standing forward on one of the great limbs.

1991 | Kuwait | Photo by Steve McCurry/National Geographic

Under the black clouds of burning oil fields during the Gulf War, camels forage desperately for shrubs and water in southern Kuwait. Front-line photographs of regions ravaged by human strife can also illuminate war’s environmental cost.

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Via MyModernMet | More info via National Geographic Magazine