博客來這本精采絕倫的攝影集在 1994 年首次出版時，就榮登美國的年度最暢銷禮物書榜；到了今天，書中的影像依然經典。在《國家地理雜誌百年攝影經典》中，讀者除了可以飽覽《國家地理》雜誌的得獎照片之外，還能一窺照片背後的故事，以及攝影師拍攝時的工作點滴。
書中的照片捕捉到自然界動植物難得一見的瞬間，記錄下世界各地民族生活中的重要時刻。許多較早期的照片使新照片的重要意義得以確立，也說明了《國家地理》雜誌如何建立起一套獨特的拍攝手法，成為維持了數十年的傳統，同時又能在歷史的變遷之中與時俱進。
導言〈百年遞嬗〉，述說國家地理學會早年再三突破技術上的困境，建立獨樹一幟的影像風格，之後的五大章，分別就陸地與海洋的野生動物，美國與世界各地的文化，以及科學，這五個國家地理學會向來關注的主題領域，以一幅幅驚人的影像，展現國家地理攝影師的拍攝技巧和想像力。
各章末附有一篇〈採訪第一線〉，由攝影師的角度敘述他們實地拍攝時的冒險歷程——時而幽默詼諧、時而險象環生，但總是引人入勝。作者賓達威瓦從技術、美學和紀實三個層面，介紹攝影師的可貴成就。
This stunning volume was the gift book of the year when it first published, and the images that grace its pages remain iconic. From the famous Afghan girl whose haunting green eyes stare out from the book’s cover, and her poignant story that captured the world’s interest, to award-winning photography culled from the Society’s vast archives, The Photographs offers readers an inside look at National Geographic and a sharp-eyed view of the world. The book showcases the skill and imagination of such notable Geographic photographers as David Doubilet, William Albert Allard, Sam Abell, Jim Stanfield, Jodi Cobb, Jim Brandenburg, David Alan Harvey, and many more. They share their techniques, as well as personal and colorful anecdotes about individual images and their adventures in the field—sometimes humorous, sometimes terrifying, always vividly compelling. Author Leah Bendavid-Val writes about the photographers’ achievements from technical, journalistic, and artistic perspectives.
Five chapters cover core National Geographic themes—wildlife on land and water; cultures in the United States and around the world; and science, from astronomy to archaeology to the human senses. The photographs in each chapter capture rare moments in nature and the lives of animals, along with defining events in the lives of people everywhere. This exquisite collection is as elegant as it is timeless.
★本書中譯版《國家地理雜誌百年攝影經典》由大石國際文化出版。
作者簡介
莉雅．賓達威瓦（Leah Bendavid-Val）
現任國家地理學會叢書部攝影出版主任，著有《宣傳與夢想：拍攝1930年代的蘇聯與美國》、《變動中的現實：蘇聯近代攝影》、《國家地理雜誌百年攝影經典》、《紙與玻璃的故事：國家地理攝影先驅》，以及最近的《無言歌：蘇菲亞．托爾斯泰伯爵夫人的相片與日記》。在世界各地博物館策畫過多場攝影展。
Leah Bendavid-Val , Director of Photography Publishing for National Geographic Books, is the author of Propaganda & Dreams; Changing Reality; National Geographic: The Photographs; Stories on Paper & Glass, and most recently Song Without Words: The Photographs and Diaries of Countess Sophia Tolstoy. She has curated photography exhibitions for museums worldwide.
