Inspiring rangers hand-raise three baby rhinos at Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya. The photo is part of the National Geographic exhibition “@NATGEO: The Most Popular Instagram Photos,” open at the National Geographic Museum in D.C. from Nov. 11, 2016 to April 30, 2017.
(Courtesy Ami Vitale/National Geographic)
Courtesy Ami Vitale/National Geographic
These candy-colored homes in Port-au-Prince exemplify both the vibrancy and poverty of Haiti. The photo is part of the National Geographic exhibition “@NATGEO: The Most Popular Instagram Photos,” open at the National Geographic Museum in D.C. from Nov. 11, 2016 to April 30, 2017.
(Courtesy Ed Kashi/National Geographic)
Courtesy Ed Kashi/National Geographic
A hiker turns a celebratory cartwheel over placid Yellowstone Lake in Yellowstone National Park. The photo is part of the National Geographic exhibition “@NATGEO: The Most Popular Instagram Photos,” open at the National Geographic Museum in D.C. from Nov. 11, 2016 to April 30, 2017.
(Courtesy Keith Ladzinski/National Geographic)
Courtesy Keith Ladzinski/National Geographic
Climbers leave their suspended camp on the Dawn Wall of Yosemite’s El Capitan. The photo is part of the National Geographic exhibition “@NATGEO: The Most Popular Instagram Photos,” open at the National Geographic Museum in D.C. from Nov. 11, 2016 to April 30, 2017.
(Courtesy Corey Rich/National Geographic)
Courtesy Corey Rich/National Geographic
A giant ocean sunfish and a diver perform a blue-water ballet off the coast of British Columbia. The photo is part of the National Geographic exhibition “@NATGEO: The Most Popular Instagram Photos,” open at the National Geographic Museum in D.C. from Nov. 11, 2016 to April 30, 2017.
(Courtesy Paul Nicklen/National Geographic)
Courtesy Paul Nicklen/National Geographic
Divers explore underwater limestone chambers in Australia. The photo is part of the National Geographic exhibition “@NATGEO: The Most Popular Instagram Photos,” open at the National Geographic Museum in D.C. from Nov. 11, 2016 to April 30, 2017.
(Courtesy David Doubilet/National Geographic)
Courtesy David Doubilet/National Geographic
A bounty of little aucks, also known as dovekies, fill the landscape on the shores of Svalbard, Norway. The photo is part of the National Geographic exhibition “@NATGEO: The Most Popular Instagram Photos,” open at the National Geographic Museum in D.C. from Nov. 11, 2016 to April 30, 2017.
(Courtesy Paul Nicklen/National Geographic)
Courtesy Paul Nicklen/National Geographic
Dogs that have been dropped from their teams, either as a result of injury or as part of a musher’s strategy, wait to fly out of Eagle, Alaska, wearing bags that keep the dogs calm during flight. The photo is part of the National Geographic exhibition “@NATGEO: The Most Popular Instagram Photos,” open at the National Geographic Museum in D.C. from Nov. 11, 2016 to April 30, 2017.
(Courtesy Katie Orlinsky/National Geographic)
Courtesy Katie Orlinsky/National Geographic
Campfire embers spark on the elk migration trail in Yellowstone National Park. The photo is part of the National Geographic exhibition “@NATGEO: The Most Popular Instagram Photos,” open at the National Geographic Museum in D.C. from Nov. 11, 2016 to April 30, 2017.
(Courtesy Joe Riis/National Geographic)
Courtesy Joe Riis/National Geographic
Giraffes are famous for long necks, but their 20-inch tongues are impressive. The photo is part of the National Geographic exhibition “@NATGEO: The Most Popular Instagram Photos,” open at the National Geographic Museum in D.C. from Nov. 11, 2016 to April 30, 2017.
(Courtesy Beverly Joubert/National Geographic)
Courtesy Beverly Joubert/National Geographic
A 17th-century storm drain built under Sheffield, England, is dubbed Megatron by urban explorers. The photo is part of the National Geographic exhibition “@NATGEO: The Most Popular Instagram Photos,” open at the National Geographic Museum in D.C. from Nov. 11, 2016 to April 30, 2017.
(Courtesy Robbie Shone/National Geographic)
Courtesy Robbie Shone/National Geographic
The International Animal Rescue center in Ketapang, Indonesia, transports baby orangutans by wheelbarrow from their night cages to a forest play area, where they spend the day learning skills to survive in the world. The photo is part of the National Geographic exhibition “@NATGEO: The Most Popular Instagram Photos,” open at the National Geographic Museum in D.C. from Nov. 11, 2016 to April 30, 2017.
(Courtesy Tim Laman/National Geographic)
Courtesy Tim Laman/National Geographic
An inquisitive polar bear inspects the photographer’s gear as he retreats to a safe distance. The photo is part of the National Geographic exhibition “@NATGEO: The Most Popular Instagram Photos,” open at the National Geographic Museum in D.C. from Nov. 11, 2016 to April 30, 2017.
(Courtesy Paul Nicklen/National Geographic)
Courtesy Paul Nicklen/National Geographic
Walruses swim off Hooker Island in Franz Josef Land, Russia. The photo is part of the National Geographic exhibition “@NATGEO: The Most Popular Instagram Photos,” open at the National Geographic Museum in D.C. from Nov. 11, 2016 to April 30, 2017.
(Courtesy Cory Richards/National Geographic)
Courtesy Cory Richards/National Geographic
Spring brings cherry blossoms to New York City. The photo is part of the National Geographic exhibition “@NATGEO: The Most Popular Instagram Photos,” open at the National Geographic Museum in D.C. from Nov. 11, 2016 to April 30, 2017.
(Courtesy Ira Block/National Geographic)
Courtesy Ira Block/National Geographic
Stars trail over the temples in Tsarang, Nepal, a center of Buddhist scholarship and art. The photo is part of the National Geographic exhibition “@NATGEO: The Most Popular Instagram Photos,” open at the National Geographic Museum in D.C. from Nov. 11, 2016 to April 30, 2017.
(Courtesy Cory Richards/National Geographic)
Courtesy Cory Richards/National Geographic
Nat Geo’s Instagram exhibit is seen here.
(WTOP/Maggie Bartolomeo)
WTOP/Maggie Bartolomeo
Nat Geo’s Instagram exhibit is seen here.
(WTOP/Maggie Bartolomeo)
WTOP/Maggie Bartolomeo
Nat Geo’s Instagram exhibit features some of its best photography.
(WTOP/Maggie Bartolomeo)
WTOP/Maggie Bartolomeo
Nat Geo’s Instagram exhibit will be open until April.
(WTOP/Maggie Bartolomeo)
WTOP/Maggie Bartolomeo
Nat Geo’s Instagram exhibit shows off some of its best photos.
(WTOP/Maggie Bartolomeo)
WTOP/Maggie Bartolomeo
Nat Geo’s Instagram exhibit runs now through April 30, 2017.
(WTOP/Maggie Bartolomeo)
WTOP/Maggie Bartolomeo
Nat Geo’s Instagram exhibit runs now through April 30, 2017.
(WTOP/Maggie Bartolomeo)
WTOP/Maggie Bartolomeo
Nat Geo’s Instagram exhibit includes some awe-inspiring photos.
(WTOP/Maggie Bartolomeo)
WTOP/Maggie Bartolomeo
Elephants are part of the Nat Geo’s Instagram exhibit.
(WTOP/Maggie Bartolomeo)
WTOP/Maggie Bartolomeo
People take in the exhibit that is part of FotoWeek DC.
(WTOP/Maggie Bartolomeo)
WTOP/Maggie Bartolomeo
The photos aren’t only of nature at FotoWeek DC.
(WTOP/Maggie Bartolomeo)
WTOP/Maggie Bartolomeo
The photos at FotoWeek DC may inspire you to take a few more shots.
(WTOP/Maggie Bartolomeo)
WTOP/Maggie Bartolomeo
If the photo strikes an emotional chord, visitors can actually record their own thoughts and feelings on the photo.
(WTOP/Maggie Bartolomeo)
WTOP/Maggie Bartolomeo
Nat Geo photos at FotoWeek DC have also been put into a commemorative book.
(WTOP/Maggie Bartolomeo)
WTOP/Maggie Bartolomeo
The exhibit at FotoWeek DC includes eight little nooks where visitors can sit and look at each Instagram photo and hear the photographer’s description.
(WTOP/Maggie Bartolomeo)
August 14, 2024 | WTOP's Jason Fraley previews Nat Geo's new Instagram exhibit (Jason Fraley)
WASHINGTON — Photographs allow us to capture memories as they unfold and have the power to open our eyes to parts of the world that we have never imagined.
As a tribute to this powerful work, the folks at the National Geographic Museum in Northwest D.C. have teamed up with FotoWeekDC to host this year’s FotoWeekCentral (Nov. 12-20), a hub dedicated to celebrating art and photography, providing exposure for photographers worldwide.
One of the most anticipated exhibits is “@NatGeo: The Most Popular Instagram Photos,” which runs now through April 30, 2017, highlighting the best Instagram photos by Nat Geo photographers.
Since the founding of the organization, the National Geographic Society’s photographs have brought awe and inspiration to many. Now, with the rising popularity of the media-sharing app Instagram, more and more people are capturing, viewing and sharing global moments than ever before.
National Geographic’s Instagram account, @NatGeo, was opened in 2012, and is now one of the app’s top-followed accounts, with more than 63 million followers and more than 1 billion likes on its 12,300 posts.
The @NatGeo exhibit displays more than 200 of the account’s most popular photographs, ranging from competitive water skiers to a glorious and haunting supermoon.
When visitors first walk into the @NatGeo exhibit, they are welcomed by a man-sized iPhone, displaying a magnified view of the @NatGeo Instagram account.
Alan Parente, creative director for exhibitions and global experiences at the National Geographic Society and curator of the @NatGeo exhibition, says that the layout of the exhibit’s design symbolizes how we get “lost” in social media.
“We created a maze,” Parente told WTOP. “We decided to shrink everyone down so that you’re actually entering the feed.”
The @NatGeo exhibit is a colorful, dazzling playground, featuring 30-foot-by-30-foot boxes stacked on top of each other in various themes around the room, displaying the Instagram photos and their corresponding descriptions in larger-than-life view.
The exhibit also offers eight little nooks where visitors can sit and look at each Instagram photo and hear the photographer’s description. If the photo strikes an emotional chord, visitors can actually record their own thoughts and feelings on the photo. Selected visitor recordings will be placed at the end of the original photographer’s recording, allowing visitors to become a part of the exhibit.
Kathryn Keane, vice president for exhibitions at the National Geographic Society, said the organization has also published a commemorative @NatGeo book as a hardback collection of all of the photographs displayed in the @NatGeo exhibit. Keane says the book “provides a photo show of the terrific and intrepid photographers who have defined this institution for so many years.”
National Geographic photographer fellow Cory Richards is the official spokesperson for the book and his work is prominently featured in the exhibit. He’s been working with the National Geographic Society since 2009. He became a photographer after overcoming a tumultuous adolescence and found that rock climbing and photography gave him a visual tool to document the human struggle.
Richards is enthusiastic about technology allowing people to instantly become photographers.
“Bring it on,” he said. “We need to see this exhibit as a fun, interesting, new way to engage … with social media, but also take it as a real time to stop, pause and think about the impacts these images have. They literally can change the planet, and I think this is a very beautiful reminder of exactly that.”
The @NatGeo book is on sale everywhere books are sold, including at the exhibit.
Tickets for the exhibits start at $15 and can be bought at FotoWeekCentral.