20 stunning images from the Nat Geo archives: whales, weddings, and a winter wonderland

A tourist reaching out to a curious cetacean. A joyous marriage celebration in Iraq. A cowboy hugging his daughter as he arrives home. Check out some of the pictures featured in our Photo of the Day.

A hand reaching into the water in front of a large gray whale
Stewards of the SeaA tourist on a boat in Laguna San Ignacio, México reaches into the water in the hope of petting one of many gray whales that frequent the bay. The unusually friendly animals have become a crucial part of the economy, as stated in our September 2017 issue.
Thomas Peschak, Nat Geo Image Collection
Photos curated byAllison Hess
Captions written byYasmine Maggio
Published February 27, 2026

A single National Geographic photograph can create an invisible thread of connection—inviting the viewer into an unforgettable encounter with a moment in time, a stunning snapshot of the natural world, a rich and beautiful human culture.

Within these images from the archives, we feel that thrill of contact—with juvenile golden eagles landing on a photographer in 1940s Wyoming; with a whale approaching a boat in Laguna San Ignacio, Mexico, in 2017. There are moments of joy—like those captured in Lynsey Addario's 2011 photo of a lavish wedding in Baghdad, Iraq—and of quiet longing, such as in John Stanmeyer’s 2013 photo of migrants on Djibouti’s Khorley Beach searching for a cell signal to keep in touch with loved ones back home. Through these frames, we are reminded that we are all one world—animals, people, land, seas—and forever connected.

Women and children smiling and laughing together.
Happy DayA wedding celebration in the Chapursan Valley, located in the far north of Pakistan, shows women and children smiling and laughing together. For years, marriages in this region had been arranged by the bride's and groom's parents. Today, many couples meet on social media sites and refer with pride to their bonds as "arranged love marriages."
Matthieu Paley, Nat Geo Image Collection
A handful of people hold their phones up to the night sky by the ocean
Search for a SignalMigrants in the Horn of Africa gather in darkness on Djibouti city's Khorley Beach, hoping to capture a cell signal from neighboring Somalia to keep in touch with loved ones they've left behind. More than 100,00 migrants a year leave the Horn of Africa to look for work.
John Stanmeyer, Nat Geo Image Collection
A little boy's hand resting on top of an older man's hand
Hand in HandA nomadic herder in Ayvacik Yayla, Turkey with his grandson at their summer grazing home.
Vincent J. Musi, Nat Geo Image Collection
A couple getting married surrounded by happy children and adults.
Baghdad After the StormThis image of a lavish wedding celebration, published in our July 2011 issue, depicted how life had changed for Iraqis in Baghdad years after war divided their city. Some 300 guests celebrated for two days when bride Heelan Muhammad, 23, married Husham Raad, 30. The groom's cousin and matchmaker, Raad Ezat-Khalil (with baby), said that daily life isn't always easy, but "the most important thing is how strong and determined people are."
Lynsey Addario, Nat Geo Image Collection
Black and white people holding hands and singing in front of the Washington monument.
Together in UnityA crowd of people hold hands and sing during the "March on Washington." The civil rights march, which took place on August 28, 1963, brought more than a quarter million people to the National Mall in Washington, D.C. National Geographic photographer James P. Blair was among those who witnessed the event where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his historic "I Have a Dream" speech.
James P. Blair, Nat Geo Image Collection
Two children ride their bikes past a building while two older folks and a dog observe.
Onlookers and PassersbyUnder the watchful eye of elders, children ride bicycles on a sidewalk in Chartres, France. The city is home to the iconic Notre-Dame de Chartres Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage site. This cathedral features 12th- and 13th-century stained-glass windows, which represent the height of Gothic art in France.
Dean Conger, Nat Geo Image Collection
A bonobo holds a green frog and kisses it on the head.
Love From a BonoboA bonobo holds a frog in Lola ya Bonobo sanctuary in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The bonobo is a unique species of ape, native only to forests on the left bank of the Congo River. Along with chimps, the DNA of bonobos most closely resembles that of humans, and they feel emotions like empathy just as deeply.
Christian Ziegler, Nat Geo Image Collection
A man in a cowboy hat, surrounded by a dog and a mule, hugging a little girl.
A Familiar GreetingEleonary "Nary" Arce Aguilar—a vaquero, or cowboy—gets a hug from his daughter, Guadalupe, at Rancho Mesa San Esteban in Baja California, México. Due to changed economics and the effects of climate change over the past half-century, the off-grid lifestyle these vaqueros live is becoming more difficult to sustain as National Geographic documented in a 2021 story.
Balazs Gardi, Nat Geo Image Collection
People throwing water on monks walking in single file.
Community RitualOnlookers splash water on the feet and bodies of passing Buddhist monks in Luang Prabang, Laos to celebrate the New Year. Known as Boun Pi Mai Lao, the mid-April celebration lasts for days and includes dancing, parades, and water throwing. In Buddhism, an offering of water is a symbol of purity, compassion, and impermanence.
John Stanmeyer, Nat Geo Image Collection
A man and woman hold hands at the water's edge.
Together in PeaceAlexander Graham Bell and his wife, Mabel, hold hands at the water's edge at Sable Island in Nova Scotia, Canada. Bell, the inventor of the telephone, served as the National Geographic Society's second president from 1898 to 1903. In 1898, Bell visited Sable Island to search, in vain, for friends lost to a shipwreck. The story was recounted by his grandson, Melville Bell Grosvenor, in a September 1965 magazine story.
Arthur W. McCurdy, Nat Geo Image Collection
A woman wearing a blue sweater holds a colorful bird on her finger.
Beauty and a BirdA shopper holds a Senegal parrot at the local bird market, in Île de la Cité, Paris, France. On Sundays in the 1960s, the city's flower market turned into a bird market. While this particular bird, the pet of a sailor, was not for sale, dozens of canaries, lovebirds, parakeets, and finches awaited buyers.
Bruce Dale, Nat Geo Image Collection
An elderly woman reads a newspaper on a bench using a monocle.
A Keen EyeA monocled matron reads her newspaper on a bench in St. Petersburg, Russia. The image was published in a May 1971 story about life in the city, which was originally founded as St. Petersburg, but changed to Petrograd and later Leningrad, before returning to its original name is 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union. St. Petersburg spills across the banks and islets of the Neva River delta on the Gulf of Finland and is laced together by nearly 600 bridges.
Dick Durrance II, Nat Geo Image Collection
Two boys wearing hats lay down in the grass in a wooded area.
Together in NatureStudents from St. Benedict's Preparatory School in Newark, New Jersey, rest while on a backpacking expedition along the Appalachian Trail. The all-male high school teaches a conscientious view of masculinity, with the school's motto being, "Whatever hurts my brother hurts me; whatever helps my brother helps me." The photo is an outtake from a story featured in our January 2017 issue titled "Making a Man," which highlights the transition from boyhood to manhood in the 21st century across cultures around the globe.
Pete Muller, Nat Geo Image Collection
A suited beekeeper opening a hive at dawn.
A Moment with the BeesA commercial beekeeper opens one of his 72,000 hives in Lost Hills, California. The bees at this site have been trucked from all over the West to pollinate fruit trees, a practice both critical to agriculture and stressful for bees. Honeybees pollinate plants that account for over a third of the world's food supply, but their population is rapidly declining due to factors like climate change and pesticide poisoning.
Anand Varma, Nat Geo Image Collection
Two golden eagles land on a man with their wings spread.
Quest for the Golden EagleJuvenile golden eagles land on photographer Frank Craighead in Laramie, Wyoming. The golden eagle has been able to survive in the Rocky Mountain region chiefly because of its wariness. This photo was featured in a May 1940 issue where Frank and his twin brother, John, embarked on a quest to find these rare birds.
Frank & John Craighead, Nat Geo Image Collection
Children laughing and playing with wooden sleds in the snow.
Winter WonderlandChildren enjoy Maslenitsa, a traditional Eastern Slavic event to celebrate the end of winter, in Siberia, Russia. The religious and folk holiday dates back to pagan times. However, it now has ties to Christianity and occurs the week before Russian Orthodox Lent.
Wiliam Daniels, Nat Geo Image Collection
A red ant bites the antenna of a blue ground beetle.
Keepers of the ForestWhile red wood ants prey on insects, including other ant species, they also scavenge for food. In this photo from Hessen, Germany, workers band together to dismember a blue ground beetle, a source of protein, with one ant using its sharp pair of jaws, called mandibles, to break apart an antenna. The red wood ant is the smallest known keystone species, which is an animal that holds the ecosystem together.
Ingo Arndt, Nat Geo Image Collection
A girl hugs a horse.
Tender EmbraceThis photo, featured in a December 1992 story about the experience of riding down Highway 93, was taken by Chris Johns, former editor-in-chief of National Geographic magazine. Before holding the position, Johns worked as a field photographer for over 20 years. His passion for adventure, exploration, and the outdoors has fueled his decades-long career.
Chris Johns, Nat Geo Image Collection
Four spotted hyenas looking in the distance.
Dawn PatrolIn this close-up photo captured with the help of a remote-controlled robot, spotted hyenas are seen arriving at the edge of a pond to drink at Kenya's Masai Mara National Reserve. The predators thrive in a range of habitats, from deserts to forests to cities. The animals hunt day or night and eat almost anything—two of the many reasons they are Africa's most successful large predators.
Jen Guyton, Nat Geo Image Collection
Allison Hess curated this selection of images for Photo of the Day, a daily look at photography from National Geographic's archives. Yasmine Maggio writes and researches the captions. Check out today's photo here.