What is it?
National Geographic’s daily news site has photo essays and articles about the latest in science, animals, and photography.
What problem does it solve?
As a reader of news, I want to learn about surprising new developments without being depressed.
What was my role in it?
I was the photo editor of National Geographic News from January 2009 to October 2013.
My main responsibility was to choose photographs for articles and to make photo galleries. I had to find photographs or illustrations that conveyed ideas, even the very complex or abstract.
Much of our visual coverage was edited from the archives of agencies and photographers. I assigned photographers to make bespoke images for significant story packages.
I also worked with several photo editors who contributed to Nat Geo News, including Adrian Coakley, Sherry Brukbacher, and Caroline Couig. I was responsible for setting the editorial and visual tone of the site, as well as maintaining a budget and negotiating relationships with image vendors.
How did it work?
I researched new gallery and story ideas through networking, photo databases, scientific publications, social networks, and current events.
Backstory
Galleries were a major driver of traffic to Nat Geo News during my tenure.