National Geographic Simply Beautiful Photographs

In the tradition of such hits as Through the Lens and National Geographic Image Collection, this gorgeous photography collection carries on the Society's popular line of holiday gift books that appeal to photography lovers and National Geographic fans everywhere.National Geographic Simply Beautiful Photographs takes readers on a spectacular visual journey through some of the most stunning photographs to be found in National Geographic's famed Image Collection. Award-winning photographer Annie Griffiths culled the images to reflect the many variations on the universal theme of beauty. Chapters are organized around the aesthetic concepts that create beauty in a photograph- Light, Composition, Moment (Gesture and Emotion), Motion, Palette, and Wonder.Beyond the introduction and brief essays about each featured concept, the text is light. The photographs speak for themselves, enhanced by lyrical quotes from scholars and poets. In the chapter on Light, for example, we read these words of whimsical wisdom from songwriter Leonard Cohen- "Ring the bells that still can ring. Forget your perfect offering. There is a crack in everything. That's how the lights get in." And then the images flow, of light entering scenes through windows, clouds, and spotlights, from above, alongside, and behind, casting radiance upon young ballerinas and weathered men, into groves of autumn trees and island-dotted seas, revealing everything it touches to be beautiful beyond expectation.To illuminate the theme of Wonder, Griffiths chose a wish from Andre Bazin- "If I had influence with the good fairy...I should ask that her gift to each child in the world be a sense of wonder so indestructible that it would last throughout life." This thought is juxtaposed with an exquisite vision in white, a frame filled with the snowy-pure dots and rays of a bird's fan tail. And on it goes, picture after tantalizing picture, alive with wondrous beauty.When she created National Geographic Simply Beautiful Photographs, Annie Griffiths set two goals- to maximize visual delight, and to create a book unique in the world of publishing-one in which many of the photographs could be purchased as prints. She has succeeded on both counts. Many of these stunning images are available for order, and there can be no doubt as to the visual delight. You must open this book for yourself, and take in its radiant beauty.

Winner of Nautilus Award (Photography/Visual Arts) 2011

“"As the title suggests, this giant, colorful tome is filled with famed imagery from the National Geographic Image Collection, one of the richest photo archives on Earth. As an added bonus, it comes with a framable print of the photograph that adorns the cover." Metro New York "For once, a book that does what it says on the cover. Here is a collection of spectacular shots of nature, ranging from grand landscape scenes to swans in flight…Simply sensational." The Express”

“As the title suggests, this giant, colorful tome is filled with famed imagery from the National Geographic Image Collection, one of the richest photo archives on Earth. As an added bonus, it comes with a framable print of the photograph that adorns the cover.”
–Metro New York

“For once, a book that does what it says on the cover. Here is a collection of spectacular shots of nature, ranging from grand landscape scenes to swans in flight…Simply sensational." –The Express

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

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