Photographs in National Geographic are fantastic!  Few would argue that statement and many years of history substantiate it.  Formed in 1888, the National Geographic Society has become synonymous with excellent photography and some even use an abbreviated version of their name when remarking about a great photo...'That's so Nat Geo'.  It is with that background that I introduce Nat Geo's 'Your Shot' in my first 'Impressive Images' post.

Members of their photographic community learn about photo assignments and are able to submit work for consideration.  One or more curators reviews the submissions, chooses a select few, and composes a story featuring the images.  I've submitted my work into five assignments and have thoroughly enjoyed the process.  One of my favorites was "Through the Eyes of a Child."

Out of over 10,000 submissions, Gabby Salazar, National Geographic Photographer and Nat Geo Young Explorer looked for images depicting how children might see nature, as that was a key component of the assignment and if you check out the impressive images she selected, I think you'll agree that she did a great job.

Hand's FreeMany an insect can get away being on a child's hand. My bug of choice were caterpillars and I held them, stuffed them in my shirt pocket and even took them to school. When my wife and I took our daughter and her husband to the butterfly exhibit at the Conservatory of Flowers in 2013, we were thrilled to be children once again, especially when our baby girl reached out and let a butterfly crawl onto her hand.	A Beached WhaleKids often see shapes that adults miss. I consider myself fortunate because many times when I'm out and about, I'll see a shape in the scene that makes me think of something entirely different. The moment I saw this rocky point, I also saw a whale. Guess that's the kid in me.	Hidey Cat
Hand's Free	Beached Whale	Hidey Cat

These three images are what I submitted for this assignment and I'd love to also have you check out the rest of my Your Shot portfolio.  As part of the process of submitting images for consideration, I reviewed a number of photos for each assignment and have placed some of those in special galleries in my store.