Remembering National Geographic's Iconic Grand Prismatic Spring Cover

Located in Niwot, Colorado, Atlantic Publishers Group handles a line of well-read magazine titles and periodicals. The Colorado magazine distributor is committed to excellence in the content of the titles it carries and the experience of its subscribers. Atlantic Publishers Group (APG) magazines include Better Homes and Gardens, Backpacker, and National Geographic.

Over nearly 130 years, National Geographic has published some of the world’s most iconic magazine images and covers. One of the magazine’s most popular covers came out in August 2009, when National Geographic used photographer George Steinmetz’s aerial picture of the Grand Prismatic Spring at Yellowstone National Park. The magazine had long sought a way to capture the springs, and an article about the super volcano beneath the park provided National Geographic the opportunity to go after the shot once more.

Heading into the shoot, Steinmetz had grown accustomed to taking pictures from the air using a motorized paraglider, but Yellowstone officials prohibited the use of such a vehicle. Instead, he ventured over the park in a helicopter. To capture the perfect image, however, Steinmetz would need to go one step further, literally: He stood on one of the skids of the helicopter to capture the perfect image over the course of a shoot he described as “fearless.”

An Audubon Magazine on Scattering Braniac Crows

Atlantic Publishers Group is based in Niwot, Colorado, and offers an extensive magazine subscription service spanning a variety of categories, from cooking to sports. Among the travel-focused magazines available through Atlantic Publishers Group (APG) are Coastal Living and Cruise World. 

APG customers also have access to Audubon Magazine, which offers avian lovers insight on the full range of areas of interest. Recent cover articles range from the basics of photographing birds from boats to the common raven as a bird braniac. 

According to the latter article, ravens are within the same family as crows, who are considered among the world’s smartest, as they can play tricks and employ tools and have ways of training their fellow crows in new skills. Unfortunately, they can also be relentless predators and have posed a threat to endangered Mojave tortoises that are already decimated by habitat loss and disease.

With attempts involving drones and propane bombs unsuccessful, a non-lethal laser solution turned out to be useful in convincing ravens to turn down calories. With the exact reasons unknown, it appears as if the crows perceive the mildly warm beam of laser light, emitted without warning, as a threat.