One of the most humbling experiences as a photo editor is when a photograph forces you to pause and take a second look. This might happen while looking through a photographer’s whole take on assignment, or in my case, the daily uploads of the Your Shot community. Photos that make me pause could be anything from an unexpected underwater photo exhibit to a carefully layered and timed picture made on the street. Thanks to the breadth of creativity in the Your Shot photo community, I was captivated by both of these images this week.

Photos that make the audience stop in their tracks strike a balance between technical ability and crafting a visual narrative that tells the entire story