I’m photo editor @mallorybenedict, sharing photos and reflections from photographers who documented stories of Covid-19. I asked the photographers to choose the image that most spoke to them from their story, instead of choosing them myself. on.natgeo.com/3chNUNU
During the pandemic, @InsideNatGeo launched an emergency fund for journalists to cover #COVID19 within their own communities. From resilience, to isolation, to reconnection, I looked for themes that highlighted the multitude of ways it changed our lives. on.natgeo.com/3bzOMhE
I noticed photographers connecting to stories on a more personal level. Florence Goupil covered the importance of healing plants in the Shipibo-Konibo community in Peru. “I saw them take refuge in their origin, in their forest. And I let myself take refuge with them,” she said.
Despite a year of immense loss, new life felt even more precious. This self-portrait by Bethany Mollenkof is one of my favorites. “To grow a life in such dark times of death felt powerful and I wanted to document it for my daughter,” she said.
I saw themes of resilience amidst tragedy. Kataleya (center) is a transgender Honduran woman stuck in Mexico after the border closed due to #COVID19. Photographer Danielle Villasana said, “this image… reminds me of the joyous moments that bring light to the pandemic's darkness.”
This year was also a time to reconnect with tradition, nature, and community. For First Nations photographer Pat Kane, “There seems to be a collective rallying cry to band together, support neighbors, have patience and enjoy what we have while we have it.”
The disproportionate impact of #COVID19 on Black Americans revealed deeper systemic issues for photographer Rita Harper. “This project brought to my attention the dire need for radical change in providing fresh and healthy foods to our communities,” she said.
Humans weren’t the only ones affected by the virus. Gab Mejia documented the impact on wildlife and their guardians, as a ranger says goodbye to the lone captive bred Tamaraw, an icon in the Philippinens. “Wildlife rangers…have dedicated their lives in saving this rare species.”
For many refugees, a life in transit ground to a screeching halt. Photographer Ziyah Gafic documented migrants stuck in Bosnia en route to Europe. “They all share the same unbreakable hope that whenever they reach their final destination the life will be better.”
There were also those for whom quarantine was dangerous. Irina Unruh documented the increase in domestic violence in Germany during #COVID19. “This picture reminds me that domestic violence doesn’t start with bruises on the skin. [It] begins with words and takes many forms.”
Finally, I loved seeing photographers share their own stories. Esther Ruth Mbabazi explored memories of her late father. “I had a lot of time to look inwards, to sit with the quiet and be present. I missed my father. This is my way of preserving the memories I have of him.”
Thank you for following along. See more from these projects and others reflecting on one year of the pandemic here: on.natgeo.com/3chNUNU

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More from @NatGeo

11 Mar
Hi I'm @dabeard, and after a year of helping curate @natgeo's editorial newsletters, I'm taking you through some defining moments in journalistic coverage of the pandemic—and the reactions it sparked on.natgeo.com/2OfbR0v
"I was nervous. ... No one quarantines whole cities if they don’t think they have to." That's what infectious disease reporter @helenbranswell was thinking when she wrote her first #COVID19 stories in early January 2020. on.natgeo.com/3cfZlpa
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Greetings! I’m @vmjaggard99, the executive editor for science @NatGeo, and I’m here to talk about your brain. Here’s mine, which I can attest is feeling some strain after a year of COVID-19:
Grief. Anxiety. Anger. Boredom. Fear. We’ve been grappling with a cornucopia of difficult emotions triggered by the pandemic. In a December 2020 Gallup poll, people in the U.S. rated their mental health as worse now than at any point in the last 20 years. on.natgeo.com/30zeBbp
As my colleague @CraigAWelch noted back in April 2020, social scientists were worried from the start that stay-at-home orders would take a toll. Not even a month in, people were buying more cigarettes, alcohol, and guns—signs of coping mechanisms at work. on.natgeo.com/38vRvGS
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11 Mar
I'm @BijalPTrivedi senior science editor @NatGeo. When the #pandemic hit a year ago I assumed the virus was an equal opportunity killer. None of us knew it would ravage some communities more than others, laying bare ugly inequities and racism. on.natgeo.com/3qAMaEr
Black and Latinx communities––with greater underlying health conditions, like diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity, large households, urban neighborhoods and many essential workers––have battled large numbers of seriously ill people and many deaths.
Black Americans have died at 1.4 times the rate of whites: as of March 7, at least 73,462 Black lives have been lost. covidtracking.com/race
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11 Mar
In the year since the WHO declared a global pandemic, our society was forced to adapt to new ways of living, working, learning, and grieving.

Millions are still coming to terms with loss as the death toll climbs.
Today, we invite you to join us for a retrospective look at the challenges brought by the pandemic. Follow along as our staff shares takeaways and highlights from one year of #COVID19 coverage at National Geographic
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10 Mar
Today Japan marks the 10th anniversary of the 2011 earthquake, tsunami, and triple nuclear meltdown in Fukushima on.natgeo.com/3choUGw
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These five images were among the hundreds found in the debris by Chaskielberg and an aid group on.natgeo.com/3qIudEl
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17 Feb
By now, you've likely heard of this rover's mission, seen the hashtag #CountdownToMars, and may even be planning to pick up a red donut in its honor. Follow along as we chronicle the @NASAPersevere mission—and humanity's obsession with Mars—in the days ahead
Rover Name: Perseverance

Purpose: Collect rock and soil samples for possible return to Earth

Expected Landing: Feb. 18, 2021

Landing Site: Jezero Crater, Mars

Mission Duration: At least one Mars year (about 687 Earth days)
Scientists and engineers, working through the COVID-19 crisis on Earth, have prepared it for tasks ranging from trying to generate oxygen on Mars to searching for evidence of past life on.natgeo.com/3qu3Z92
Read 27 tweets

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