This image was one of 23 photos selected from 6,573 images submitted for the National Geographic Your Shot community online story "How We Celebrate."
The photo shows parents helping their two daughters blow out candles during a joint birthday celebration. The oldest daughter, held by the father, has been fighting cancer and rare brain tumors for several years. In this photo, her leg is in a cast due to brittle bones caused by the chemotherapy.
This image was one of 25 photos selected out of 5,033 submitted for the National Geographic Your Shot community online story, "Rites of Passage."
Here, a mom tries to convince her daughter to hold a sparkler during a fireworks celebration. This image is especially meaningful to me because the mother is my husband's newfound sibling after an Ancestry DNA test brought them together.
This image was one of 31 images selected from 13,000 submitted for the National Geographic Your Shot community online story, "Inside Access."
It was my first and only water birth to photograph and the family's second child born this way. Their toddler son, whose head is in the bottom right corner of the image, was there for the birth and played in the water beforehand with his toys. The inflatable pool was set up in the family's rental home.
This image was one of 26 photos selected from 6,475 submitted for the National Geographic Your Shot community online story, "Why We Love Pets."
Here, my two sons and their friends play computer games on the couch during a trip to the beach. Our Standard Poodle Patrick, who is always around the family, squeezed the boys in what little space was left.
This image was selected as part of the Daily Dozen on the National Geographic Your Shot website. Each day, editors select their favorite 12 images uploaded to the site.
The photo was taken the last night on the last stop of a two-week RV adventure my family took from North Carolina to Maine. My son was quietly wading into a West Virginia lake at sunset.
This image was selected as part of the Daily Dozen on the National Geographic Your Shot website. Each day, editors select their favorite 12 images uploaded to the site.
I took this photo at "center field" during a NASCAR race at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. I thought it was funny that these girls had one of the best seats in town and they couldn't care less. They yawned, looked bored, and tried to keep their eyes open as cars sped around them.
This image was selected as part of the Daily Dozen on the National Geographic Your Shot website. Each day, editors select their favorite 12 images uploaded to the site.
The man with his fist raised had just landed after being shot from a cannonball at the Mountain State Fair in Asheville, North Carolina.
