A Photographic Family Reunion

Since the mid-1960s, a reunion of sorts has taken place at the National Geographic headquarters in Washington. What began as a chance for National Geographic photographers to share their work with each other and their editors has evolved into a day-long “celebration of photography,” in the words of Senior Photo Editor and organizer Elizabeth Krist.

With almost 800 RSVPs from diverse corners of the photography world—photographers, editors, curators, gallery owners, students, professors, critics, and other industry professionals—the seminar may feel less like the intimate projection that it once was, but it still has the spirit of a family reunion designed to nourish the creative spirit of the invited guests, and to offer inspiration for the year ahead.

The history of speakers includes both National Geographic photographers and luminaries of the larger photo world whose work goes beyond what would normally appear in the pages of our magazine—Helmut Newton, Duane Michaels, David LaChapelle, Gordon Parks, and Edward Burtynsky to name a few.

Of the process of choosing which photographers to invite to speak, Krist says: “It’s the greatest opportunity. We fantasize about all the people in the photography world we would love to have in our living room.” This year, the list includes Hasan Elahi, Wayne Lawrence, Newsha Tavakolian, Tyler Hicks, Vincent Musi, David Maisel, and Danny Lyon with Julian Bond.

Here on Proof, we present Instagram images from today’s 47th National Geographic seminar. View more pictures at #ngmphotoseminar and follow along on Storify.