Your Shot: National Geographic launches photo community

National Geographic magazine turned 125 this month, with an anniversary issue devoted to the power of photography. The magazine moves the birthday celebration off its pages with the October 1st public launch of a photo-sharing platform, Your Shot (NGYourShot.com), that allows photography fans to connect with photographers and editors around virtual assignments, get direct feedback on their work and participate in a unique photography-based community. One of the magazine’s young star photographers, Cory Richards, will usher in the month as lead curator of the magazine’s first assignment on Your Shot.

Led by Richards and his magazine photo editor, Sadie Quarrier, the assignment invites photographers to share three images that convey how photography can help us explore our changing world. Throughout the assignment, Richards and Quarrier will provide photo tips and feedback on the images that are submitted along with direction on what they feel will best help tell the story. Their favorite photograph will be selected to appear in a future issue of National Geographic magazine. Participants must join Your Shot, National Geographic’s free online photo community and storytelling platform, to submit photos to the assignment, which runs until Oct. 22. (National Geographic)

Here's a look at some of the offers for the first assignment, "Explore our Changing World" and links to the galleries of the photographers.

Perfect Catch by Wayne Panepinto

Night of Lightning at Grand Canyon by Rolf Maeder

People at Prayer by Junaid Ahmed

Camp inside Hang Son Doong by Ryan Deboodt

Weightless by Dimitris Maroulakis

Best Shelter Ever by Arati Rao

Cloud of Tadpoles by Eiko Jones

Seagull by Junichi Saito

The Ice Caves by Andrew Inaba

Meteorite by Noel Kerns