The National Geographic Photo Ark is a travelling exhibition of photographer Joel Sartore’s quest to create a photo archive of biodiversity around the world. So far, Sartore has captured studio portraits of more than 6,000 species – a number that he hopes to double. On 1 July, the ark will open at Melbourne zoo – the first time it has been exhibited in the southern hemisphere. More than 50 portraits will be on display, including many of Australian endangered animals being protected by programs at the zoo itself. These captions have been edited from text supplied by Melbourne zoo. Here: Barking owl. (Photo by Joel Sartore/National Geographic Photo Ark/The Guardian)

A pregnant woman poses on June 19, 2018 in Vertou, western France. France had an estimated population of 68.4 million by January 1, 2024, representing a further year-on-year increase of 0.3 percent, limited by a marked drop in the birth rate, the INSEE national statistics bureau of France reported on January 16, 2024. In 2023, 678,000 babies were born in France, 6.6 percent fewer than the previous year, the lowest number of births in any year since 1946. Over the same period, there were 631,000 deaths, down 6.5 percent on 2022, a year marked by the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic and episodes of extreme heat. (Photo by Loic Venance/AFP Photo)

“Radicondoli is a comune in the Province of Siena in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 60 km southwest of Florence and about 25 km southwest of Siena”. – Wikipedia. (Photo by Marco Sgarbi)

The selfie is the most popular photography trend of the internet today. It's gotten so popular, in fact, that even our beloved feline friends have started to catch on. I dare you to keep the smile off your face for this one!

Nurse's Home, North Brother Island, New York. Photographer Christopher Payne specializes in the documentation of America’s vanishing architecture and industrial landscape. His new book, North Brother Island: The Last Unknown Place in New York City, explores an uninhabited island of ruins in the East River of New York City. (Photo by Christopher Payne)

Cooperation is key to success. This motto was used by the Government of Denmark when they decided to create a project that bore the name of UN City. This compound was designed to house all nine Copenhagen based UN agencies under a single roof. This embodies the core idea of the United Nations, since this project allows for better efficiency and practicality thanks to joint effort. The first plans for the UN City were hatched in 2002. After 11 years, in 2013 the first stage of the project was finally finished. Presently, Campus 1 of UN City accommodates 1,300 staff member, while Campus 2 is going to become the largest humanitarian warehouse in the whole world.

Adorable creations of Canadian illustrator Hyemi Jeong, based in Toronto, who is having fun with the small everyday objects with cute and creative illustrations.

My name is Jakub and I’m a painter, illustrator & concept artist who lives and work in Poland. My speciality is dark fantasy, character design, concept art and portrait. Since several years I work and paint digitally, but I never gave up traditional drawing and painting. For me the most important in my work, is create unique atmosphere and tell some kind of story through my creations.