If you have ever thought that a photo editor is someone who Photoshops pictures, you are not alone. Few people outside of the media industry realize that, much like editors help writers tell their stories, photo editors help photographers visualize theirs. When you come across photo spreads in magazines, newspapers, books, or online that transport you inside the story or elicit an emotion that only images can convey, you are benefitting from the fruits of that relationship.

This is especially true at National Geographic. Whenever a photographer goes out into the field, sometimes multiple times over several months, the photo editor is their dedicated partner, offering moral support, direction, honesty, and sometimes tough love.

Each photographer is required to deliver every