In 21 years as a photo editor at National Geographic, Elizabeth Krist has worked on more than 108 stories and edited at least four million photographs. She has been an inspiring mentor to me. Elizabeth is calm, encouraging, and unfailingly kind but also incredibly direct and honest. She is a true champion of photographers, both veteran and emerging. And this year she’s leaving.

I asked Elizabeth to pick ten of her favorite stories from her time at the magazine, then asked the photographers to reflect on their experiences working with her. Beyond being an incredible photo editor, I’d like to remember Elizabeth as photographer Matthieu Paley does: always first on the dance floor!

Below is a selection of these stories