In Focus

**Count Bobulescu** · 22-09-2012, 08:27 PM

Once again, National Geographic is holding its annual photo contest, with the deadline for submissions coming up on November 30. Beginning on September 1, the society started gathering and presenting galleries of submissions, encouraging readers to vote for them as well.
National Geographic was kind enough to let me choose among its entries from 2012 for display here on In Focus. Gathered below are 50 images from the three categories of People, Places, and Nature, with captions written by the individual photographers. [50 photos]

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2...t-2012/100373/

**Count Bobulescu** · 27-09-2012, 06:26 PM

Reuters photographer Ilya Naymushin is based in Krasnoyarsk, Russia, the the third largest city in Siberia. He frequently takes photographs of daily life in and around Krasnoyarsk, capturing expansive landscapes, colorful festivals, and intimate moments with equal skill. Below, I've gathered some of my favorite images taken by Ilya over this past Siberian summer. [44 photos]

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2...summer/100375/

On Saturday, the 179th Oktoberfest opened in Munich, Germany, with the traditional tapping of the first keg of beer by Munich's mayor, Christian Ude, as he shouted, "O'zapft is!" ("It's tapped!"). The Bavarian festival is open until October 7, and 6 million people are expected to attend. Last year, visitors drank nearly 8 million one-liter mugs of beer. Attendance is free, but the beer will cost you: This year, the price of a mug at any of the 14 tents comes to €9.50 ($12.30 U.S.). Gathered here are some scenes from Oktoberfest 2012's first few days. [34 photos]

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2...t-2012/100376/

**Count Bobulescu** · 03-10-2012, 06:49 PM

In the month of September 2012, the United States completed its withdrawal of the 33,000 troops deployed to Afghanistan in the "surge" of 2009. However, the U.S. still has 86,000 troops engaged in Operation Enduring Freedom, even as some coalition members are now finishing up their deployments. Also this month, coalition troops have curtailed joint operations with Afghan Army and police forces, due to increased attacks on foreign soldiers by members of the Afghan forces -- and heightened tensions resulting from widespread anger over an anti-Islam movie produced in the U.S. Gathered here are images of those involved in this conflict over the past month, as part of the ongoing series here on Afghanistan. [42 photos]

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2...-surge/100377/

In Nanjie Village, locals still wake to loudspeakers blaring "The East Is Red," the classic anthem of People's Republic of China during the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s. Nanjie, with more than 3,100 residents, is touted as one of the last models of communist China, where the principles of the late Chairman Mao still strictly guide the people's daily lives. In the 1980s, when the rest of China was introducing market reforms, Nanjie went the other direction, collectivizing its farms and industries. Aside from free housing, healthcare, food rations and education, locals working in the village's factories receive an average salary of 2,500 yuan (about $400 USD). Reuters photographer Jason Lee recently traveled to Nanjie, coming back with the photographs below. [20 photos]

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2...-china/100378/

On Monday night, a passenger ferry and a smaller boat collided near Lamma Island, off the southwestern coast of Hong Kong, causing the smaller vessel to partially sink and killing 38 holiday revelers, including five children. The large passenger ferry, called the Sea Smooth, was a company boat taking more than 120 employees of Hongkong Electric Co. and their family members to Victoria Harbor to view fireworks celebrating the mid-autumn festival and China's National Day. Hong Kong police have launched an investigation, arresting six crew members from both vessels today. [22 photos]

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2...g-kong/100379/

**Count Bobulescu** · 04-10-2012, 08:03 PM

Warfare and chaos have come to the ancient streets of Aleppo, Syria's largest city. Rebel groups battling Syrian government forces moved into the metropolis in recent weeks, in an effort to liberate it from the control of Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad. Fierce street battles and air attacks followed, leaving behind a shattered city, strewn with charred rubble and bodies in many places. An estimated 30,000 Syrians have already been killed in the past 18 months of civil war, and as many as 700,000 will have fled the country by the end of 2012, according to the United Nations. [36 photos]

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2...aleppo/100381/

**Count Bobulescu** · 05-10-2012, 09:07 PM

The autumnal equinox took place on September 22, marking the end of summer and the start of fall across the Northern Hemisphere. Autumn is the season of harvests, festivals, migrations, winter preparations, and of course, spectacular foliage. Across the north, people are beginning to feel a crisp chill in the evening air, leaves are reaching peak color, apples and pumpkins are being gathered, and animals are on the move. Collected here are some early images from this year's autumn -- more will come later as the season unfolds. [36 photos]

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2...he-air/100382/

**Count Bobulescu** · 09-10-2012, 09:02 PM

Beginning in the 7th century BC, a series of massive defensive fortifications were constructed along China's northern border. Built to protect China from northern attacks, the walls stretched out for thousands of kilometers, many joining together to become the Great Wall of China. Over several centuries, the wall and thousands of supporting structures were built across mountains, deserts, and rivers, eventually stretching more than 20,000 kilometers in length. Sections of the wall near large cities are well-maintained, but many remote areas are slowly being reclaimed by nature. Gathered here are images of the Great Wall over the years, from its westernmost pass at Jiayuguan to where it meets the sea in Qinhuangdao. [37 photos]

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2...-china/100383/

**Count Bobulescu** · 10-10-2012, 10:11 PM

Summer is returning to Antarctica and researcher teams from around the world are heading south for the (relatively) warm season. Among them are members of a Russian team that drilled into Lake Vostok last February. Vostok is a subglacial lake some 4,000 meters below the surface of the ice, and the plan is to send a robot down there this summer to collect water samples and sediments from the bottom. Research also continues at the South Pole Telescope, the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, and dozens of other locations around Antarctica. Gathered here are recent images of Antarctica, its environment, and some of the scientific work taking place there. [37 photos]

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2...rctica/100384/

**Count Bobulescu** · 12-10-2012, 07:02 PM

Around the world, people are using light to paint, perform, honor, work, and play. In villages and cities alike, lanterns and candles are used to celebrate and commemorate events. In Berlin, famous landmarks are currently being illuminated for the annual Festival of Lights. In Florida, a private spacecraft climbed into orbit atop a pillar of fire, and around the globe, dozens of buildings were bathed in pink for breast cancer awareness month. Gathered here is a handful of recent images of humans pushing back the dark and lighting up the night. [31 photos]

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2...-night/100385/

**Count Bobulescu** · 14-10-2012, 09:57 PM

The space shuttle Endeavour is on its last mission today, a 12-mile creep through Los Angeles city streets on a 160-wheeled carrier. It is passing through neighborhoods and strip malls, headed toward its final destination, the California Science Center in South Los Angeles. At times, the shuttle has barely cleared trees, houses and and street signs along a course heavily prepared for the trip. The move will cost an estimated $10 million, according to the Exposition Park museum. Gathered here are a few images of Endeavour's last journey. [24 photos]

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2...ngeles/100386/

**Count Bobulescu** · 15-10-2012, 07:32 PM

On October 15, 1962, a group of CIA analysts assigned to review aerial photographs of Cuba identified several newly established Soviet medium-range ballistic missile installations -- bases within 100 miles of the United States. The State Department was notified that night, and President John F. Kennedy was briefed the next morning, setting in motion a crisis that brought the world frighteningly close to nuclear war. The U.S. considered options, deployed troops and weapons to Florida, confronted the Soviets at the UN, and shortly set up a naval blockade of Cuba.

For 13 tense days, the crisis deepened and people around the world feared the very real possibility of a new, horrific worldwide conflict. On October 27, the U.S. and Soviets reached a secret agreement, where Kennedy would order the removal of missiles in southern Italy and Turkey, and Khrushchev would remove all missiles in Cuba. Over the following weeks, U.S. forces monitored the departure of 42 missiles aboard eight Soviet ships, and the crisis was averted. Gathered here are a few glimpses from those tense Cold War days, as the world approached, then retreated from, the brink of destruction. [26 photos]

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2...crisis/100387/

**Count Bobulescu** · 16-10-2012, 08:28 PM

In the North Atlantic, halfway between Norway and Iceland, the Faroe Islands are home to more than 50,000 people. The rugged, treeless archipelago is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, and has been inhabited by humans (and sheep) since the early 8th century. The local economy relies heavily on fishing and maritime industry. The unique landscape and location attracts photographers with its fantastic play of light between sun, cloud, meadow, cliff, and sea. Collected here are images of the Faroes from recent years. [33 photos]

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2...slands/100388/

**Count Bobulescu** · 17-10-2012, 11:25 PM

Advancements in robotics are continually taking place in the fields of space exploration, health care, public safety, entertainment, defense, and more. These machines -- some fully autonomous, some requiring human input -- extend our grasp, enhance our capabilities, and travel as our surrogates to places too dangerous for us to go. NASA currently has dozens of robotic missions underway, with satellites now in orbit around our moon and four planets -- and two more on the way to Ceres and Pluto. Gathered here are recent images of robotic technology at the beginning of the 21st century. [37 photos]

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2...d-play/100389/

**Count Bobulescu** · 19-10-2012, 08:04 PM

Over the past ten years, photographer Andrew Filer has photographed every single named place in the state of North Dakota. From cities and towns to unincorporated places, ghost towns, and the wide, empty spaces between, he visited more than 875 locations across this sparsely populated state. Filer's project is called Everydot, as in "every dot on the map." He's already covered all the named places in North Dakota, and is well on his way through Minnesota, Washington state, and parts of western Canada. He was kind enough to allow me to share some of his North Dakota collection here. Be sure to check out Filer's Kickstarter project, where he's raising funds to continue his trips and publish two books of his photographs. [38 photos]

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2...dakota/100390/

**Count Bobulescu** · 22-10-2012, 08:14 PM

The People's Republic of China, the most populous country, and the second-largest economy, in the world, is a vast, dynamic nation that continues to grow and evolve. In this, the latest entry in a semi-regular series on China, we find a tremendous variety of images, including a military theme park, a rocket launch, a seriously massive shoe, a Pac Man soap-box racer, and a man who invented his own prosthetic arms. This collection offers only a small view of people and places across the country over the past several weeks. [42 photos]

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2...-china/100391/

**Count Bobulescu** · 23-10-2012, 09:58 PM

The Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, founded in 1964, is an annual international showcase for the very best nature photography. Owned by the Natural History Museum and BBC Worldwide, the contest includes 18 individual categories, ranging from birds and mammals to "Creative Visions" and "Nature in Black & White." This year's competition drew more than 48,000 entries from 98 countries. The winning photos will be on exhibit at the Natural History Museum in London until March 3, 2013. The owners and sponsors have been kind enough to share the following 10 images from their group of overall winners. Be sure to visit their website to see all of the winners and find out more about he competition. [10 photos]

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2...r-2012/100392/