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Pictures We Love: Best of January 2012


Suspiciously Quiet

Photograph by Dean Lewins, European Pressphoto Agency

A plush penguin toy gets a genuine penguin grooming in Antarctica on January 13—just one of the National Geographic Digital Media photo editors' favorite pictures from January.


Rings of Fire

Photograph by Gemunu Amarasinghe, AP

A fire dancer performs in an annual Buddhist procession in Kelaniya-near Colombo, Sri Lanka-on January 8. Hundreds of traditional dancers, drummers, and monks take part in the Duruthu Perahera, or Kelani Procession, one of the country's biggest festivals. Commemorating a visit by the Buddha to Kelaniya Temple, the event takes place before the full moon each January. (See more Sri Lanka pictures.)

Buddhism is the dominant religion in Sri Lanka. The tropical island, formerly known as Ceylon, lies close to the southern tip of India.


Capsized Concordia

Photograph by Gregorio Borgia, AP

Italian navy divers approach the cruise ship Costa Concordia on January 17—four days after the luxury liner ran aground near the Italian island of Giglio. Capt. Francesco Schettino is accused of causing the wreck after navigating the ship dangerously close to the island, where contact with the reef tore its hull.

Seventeen people are confirmed dead, according to the Associated Press, which reported that Italian officials have now called off the search in the submerged part of the ship for 16 people who remain missing, citing safety concerns.


Wish U Were Here

Photograph by Brandon Smith, Your Shot

New Year's revelers welcome 2012 with kisses—and mobile devices—in a picture taken in Los Angeles.


The Red and the Black

Photograph by Ben Bronselaer, Your Shot

A southern ground hornbill glowers from this picture submitted to National Geographic's Your Shot in January. Native to sub-Saharan Africa, the species can climb trees in pursuit of prey. In flight, it can reach up to 18 miles (29 kilometers) an hour.


Watertight

Photograph by Robin Utrecht, European Pressphoto Agency

A man keeps an eye on rising water from inside his home in Dordrecht in the Netherlands on January 5, 2012.

Heavy rains in early January threatened dikes and forced the evacuation of hundreds, according to Reuters. More than 1,491 miles (2,400 kilometers) of dikes shield the low, flat land of the country—almost half of which lies below sea level.


Through the Fire

Photograph by Daniel Ochoa de Olza, AP

A man rides a horse through a bonfire in San Bartolome de Pinares, Spain, on January 16, 2012. On the eve of each St. Anthony's Day, hundreds in the small village ride horses through the streets in honor of the patron saint of domestic animals.

Called the Luminarias, the tradition dates back 500 years. Riding a horse through a bonfire is believed to purify the animal and protect it in the year to come.


In Stitches

Photograph by Kevin Frayer, AP

The services of a streetside tailor prove useful to a man with damaged pants in New Delhi, India, on January 19, 2012.


Cry of Protest

Photograph by Sarah Rice, Getty Images

Black material stretched over their faces, a group of performers makes its way among the Occupy Wall Street West protests in San Francisco's financial district on January 20, 2012. Protesters were rallying at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, where they delivered a proposed 28th amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would outlaw "corporate personhood."


Train of Thought

Photograph from AFP/Getty Images

Train passengers in Beijing wait to return home for the Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, on January 8. Train service is provided to migrant workers by the local government.

The world's largest annual migration of people takes place in China each January, when more than 200 million people travel home for New Year's celebrations.


Photograph by Rahul Talukder, My Shot

Published February 1, 2012