National Geographic is known for high-quality photography in both print and digital stories. To celebrate that, each year we publish a special issue to showcase some of the stunning images our photographers have taken around the globe. 

This year, 132 photographers visited 60 countries and submitted 2,238,899 images to document the multifaceted world we live in. Our photo editors selected 118 of their favorite photographs for the December Pictures of the Year issue. We talked with them about the stories behind 9 of these compelling images, which highlight the importance—and challenges—of telling stories through photography.

“Capturing and making pictures is harder and harder because we all have cameras now,” says National Geographic assistant managing editor of photography Anne