“He put a camera in a carcass and waited for the wolves to come.”

That, says Whitney Johnson, director of visuals and immersive experiences, is the kind of effort that makes for a standout National Geographic photo.

How does she choose 100 photos from 106 photographers, 121 stories, and more than two million images taken over the course of a year?

“I count on my great photo editors,” says Johnson.

One of her favorite images is the lead photo of the “Mona Lisa” because it reflects what Johnson calls “the magic of what makes photography hard—showing something familiar in a new way.” It also speaks to what happens behind the scenes—the photo editor getting access while the museum was closed—and behind the lens,