National Geographic’s famous photos at Venetian
Fifty photographs representing the best of National Geographic magazine are on display at the Imagine Exhibition Gallery in The Venetian.
The exhibit, “50 Greatest Photographs of National Geographic,” features iconic images that represent several major historical events, says Imagine Exhibition’s founder and CEO, Tom Zaller. They will be displayed for the next three months.
Photos of the Titanic, famous archaeological sites, underwater marvels, scientists and animals are among the pictures chosen to represent the best of the magazine for this traveling exhibit.
The famous photo of the green-eyed Afghan girl, taken by photographer Steve McCurry in a Pakistan refugee camp, is in the exhibit. The image ran on the cover of the magazine in 1985; it has become National Geographic’s most famous cover image.
A recent picture of the girl, taken as a woman, was not part of the traveling exhibit. Her name had not been known when McCurry took her photograph shortly after she fled her burning village and traveled with her family to a Pakistan refugee camp. After searching for 17 years, National Geographic found the woman, Sharbat Gula, in 2002. Another photo was taken and published in the magazine. Anticipating that visitors would ask about the before and after photos, Zaller put the 2002 picture on display.
Every year, National Geographic takes thousands of photos, Zaller says. Only a handful end up in the magazine. This exhibit represents a portion of the more than 50,000 images that have been published during National Geographic’s 125-year history.
Besides showcasing those photos, the exhibit also tells the stories through videos and literature of how each image was captured. Many “near frames,” photos that were taken before and after the published shot, are also on display.
“People want to hear the behind-the-scenes stories,” Zaller says. “We all take it for granted that we can pull out our mobile phone and take a picture” but the exhibit illustrates the planning, effort and skill necessary to take a great photo.
The National Geographic exhibit follows “DaVinci — The Genius,” which recently finished a seven-month engagement. Originally, it was supposed to be displayed for only three months but it was so well-received by the public that they extended its stay, Zaller says. More than 70,000 people viewed the DaVinci exhibit.
If the National Geographic exhibit gets a good response, it also could be extended, he says.
The gallery is open from 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. The last ticket is sold at 6 p.m. Tickets are $13 for Nevada residents with a valid ID, military and students. For most others, tickets are $16. Children 12 and younger get in free when accompanied by a paying adult.
For more information or to buy tickets online, visit imagineexhibitions.com.
Contact reporter Sonya Padgett at
spadgett@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4564.
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