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On Proof: 10 National Geographic Photographers Give Thanks For The Photos That Changed Them

Beautiful and inspiring stories from National Geographic Photographers, collected by Senior Photo Editor Jessie Wender. Read about this photo and nine others on Proof.

Photograph by John Stanmeyer

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Trending: View From Above

The editors have noticed some images that truly soar above the rest recently. We love to see a new perspective, and these views from aircrafts are a stunning reminder of the beautiful landscapes across our world.

Photographs by: Stephane Scotto, Gordon Campbell, Joseph Convertino, Juan Osorio, Victor A Mirontschuk, Patti Hobbs, John Matzick

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On Photographing Your Child

We have many photographers with niche specialties around Your Shot: underwater, wildlife, astrophotography, to name a few. One of my favorite groups are the parents. We have many parents on Your Shot that bring us sweet, heart-wrenching, funny, raw moments from their children’s lives. With The World Next Door assignment running this month, I thought it would be a good time to feature some of our incredible parent photographers. I’ll let them share some of their thoughts on these intimate, beautiful images they make. 

  Photographs by Rita Thompson, Mike Melnotte, Tytia Habing, Sorin Costache, Karine Puret. Please visit their galleries to see more of their work.

-Marie McGrory, Assistant Photo Editor

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Baker's Dozen: Rene K

In our Baker's Dozen feature we highlight photographs we love that didn't quite make the Daily Dozen.

There are a few ways that certain photos immediately pop when I am doing an edit; bright colors, strong composition, high contrast and this: a blank, beautiful, dreamy mystery. Glancing at the thumbnail, I knew I had to see it bigger to better unravel what was going on. Once I got to the photo on the page, I scrolled down to the top through the empty sky which built anticipation. This image pulled me into a dream. I am not sure if the air is harsh and sandy or a nice moist fog, but I am dreaming of it as the latter. Knowing that people are out enjoying it in their bright, but muted striped chairs gives me hope that it is an enjoyable fog.

I look at this photo and I hear a pleasant silence. Visually, the photo is lovely, but to have other senses stimulated, to look at an image and feel the fog, hear the silence...that is really something special.

-Marie McGrory, assistant photo editor

See more of Rene's photos in his Your Shot gallery. 

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Long Lens: Takashi on Storehouse

In our Long Lens feature, we ask our members about a long-term project or photo essay they are working on. We want to discover and encourage the passion behind a portrait series or essay that tells a story or highlights a social issue.

Your Shot photographer Takashi visits Mt. Fuji often and shares his stunning images with us year round. His dedication to showing the beauty of this mountain is beautiful and inspiring. See his story on Storehouse.

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Top Shot: Crane Dance

Top Shot features the photo with the most votes from the previous day’s Daily Dozen. The Daily Dozen is 12 photos chosen by the Your Shot editors each day from thousands of recent uploads. Our community has the chance to vote for their favorite from the selection.

Sandhill Cranes at dusk in Wisonsin, United States. Photograph by Michael Knapstein.

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Baker's Dozen: Swarat Dey

 In our Baker’s Dozen feature we highlight photographs we love that didn’t quite make the Daily Dozen.

Photograph by Swarat Dey

The chaos caught my eye first. The soft light, dark but bold blocks of color, the three figures that pleasantly divide the frame. As I paused to take the image in and breakdown the many layers, my eyes swirled and darted back and forth. Quickly, I realized I was not looking at three men but rather statues, each frozen in time.

The uniformity in a group of statues usually leads you to this conclusion much quicker, but these three inanimate objects are all seen in a different light, which brings each one alive in their own way.

The real mystery is whether the figure to the far left is real. 

-Marie McGrory, assistant photo editor

See more of Swarat's photos in his Your Shot gallery. 

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Baker’s Dozen: Hakan Simsek

 In our Baker’s Dozen feature we highlight photographs we love that didn’t quite make the Daily Dozen.

Photograph by Hakan Simsek

This image drew me in because it is full of contrasts. Most of the image is shrouded in total darkness, but there is bright light streaking in from the side that beautifully illuminates the subjects. The people in the foreground are walking, as are the images of people in the background, but in opposing directions. The moment is tranquil but the composition and light create movement within the frame along with the pops of yellow and blues against an almost monochromatic background. 

I like that the subjects are obscured by darkness, because the image is not about them. It is about their interaction with their environment; the perfect mimicry of their silhouettes against the illustrations behind them. 

—Anne Wernikoff, assistant photo editor

See more of Hakan’s photos in his Your Shot gallery.