Photographers also act as historians, both from large life-changing events to everyday life. This photo is a nice reminder of what things are like without all the little "luxuries." Are they really luxuries?

Photography visually educates us about things we may otherwise not know, due to our own proximity, and sense of shelter. Photographs may invoke compassion, understanding, and knowledge about things outside our daily lives. I think Dorothea Lange was good at creating awareness and invoking compassion, due not only to her talent, but also her passion. "Pick a theme and work it to exhaustion...the subject must be something you truly love or truly hate. - Dorothea Lange

Man that looks cold.

Im not a bleeding-heart liberal, and Im glad Saddam Hussein is gone. However, I couldnt help but feel a little sorry for him tonight when I saw this picture and heard a news report about his childhood, a very sad one. Saddam had a terribly abusive step-father and grew up impoverished. His step-father taught him that brutality was the only way to succeed in life. I wonder how different the world would be if this boy had grown up in a better situation. It frightens me, as the father of a boy who is the same age now that Saddam was when this picture was made. It goes to show that a positive upbringing can have a huge impact on our world.

What strikes me about this picture is that Kerstin Joensson shot it from a unique viewpoint and overcomes the technical challenge in composition, timing and exposure. To achieve this within the picture is a very special thing.

Who makes snow cannons, and where can I get one?

When I look at this picture I'm reminded of the pain, anger and frustration I felt during the 9/11 attacks. I'm concerned about the anger and resentment the people of Lebanon are going through.

Sometimes I wonder about the human drive to devote so much effort, attention and creativity in things that by their very nature are temporary.

Photographer Andy Clark caught a very dynamic moment in this picture. I wonder how long Andy had to work this situation before he was able to capture this frame.

I like going fishing as much as anyone, but these guys take it to an extreme.

Imagine how much fun this man is directly responsible for. How many evenings of playing catch at the beach or in the backyard has he enabled?

NBC News gained access to many of David Hume Kennerlys White House photographs of the Ford administration. I feel compelled to publish several of them in our photoblog because this kind of coverage is something were likely to never see again. Ford granted Kennerly unprecedented access to the inner workings of the presidency, and the pictures show a level of intimacy, hard work and diplomacy that todays photo ops just dont even come close to.

I've heard it said that everyone should own a dog at some point in their life. This picture makes me want to go get one tonight.

Photographer David Kennerly used light so well. His use of B&W helps to simplify and magnify the things we see in his pictures. I don't know if he ever used artificial light, but it sure feels natural.

This picture tugs at my heart. It's interesting how pictures can take on new meanings years after they are taken.

I love the spontaneity of this picture. It feels like a very honest moment.

I've read and heard several times today that President Ford didn't really want to be the president, but that he was the right man for difficult times. This picture of Kennerly's shows that Ford was a good listener and probably thought things through as he helped to dig the United States out of some pretty tough times.

President Ford asked photojournalist David Hume Kennerly to be his White House photographer. Kennerly took the job, but only if he was granted more access than had been traditionally granted to photographers. It's awful that more heads of state haven't done the same. Kennerly's pictures show the intricate balance between family, friendship and statesmanship that each person in the White House must have to deal with. I don't think we'll see coverage of a president like this ever again, and that is tragic.

Somebody has to work on Christmas so, as long as Im here today, I really appreciate getting to look at beautiful pictures like this one. I love the simplicity of the image, its textures and the grand sense of scale (tiny turtle vs. vast ocean) that the composition lends.

What an interesting tree ornament. I like how the photographer adds mystery to the image by not displaying the top portion of the worker's body. The subtlety of humor in this photo gives life to an otherwise mundane image and intrigues the viewer to ask questions. Surely, he's not balancing on branches. An inspiring trick if he is.

Almost everything about this picture looks depressing to me: the starkness of the separation wall, the wet pavement and the skinny santa with a droopy bag. On the bright side, the children are probably experiencing a nice moment in a tumultuous part of the world. I heard Jimmy Carter on the radio the other day as I was on my way to work talking about his new book on the region, and I think it might be an interesting read. Has anyone read it? Apparently the separation wall, which is the subject of many pictures we see, is a big topic of discussion in it.

Some lenses darken toward the edges like this, and it works well for this surreal picture from Stonehenge.

We see pictures of Paris Hilton moving over the wires almost every day, but the fish in this one surprised me.

While searching for images about the Space Shuttle's return to earth, I came across this image from NASA. Sure, it's not technically perfect, but the idea of seeing the aurora borealis from above stopped me in my tracks. I'm sure the astronauts enjoyed many other amazing views from their perch above earth.

From its debut in The Week in Pictures last spring, I have been so drawn to this image. I love that I have a job where at the end of the day I can go home and talk to my sister, who is 2300 miles away, on the phone and say "Check out this photo that made the TWIP edit!" and we can discuss why it strikes us. Here we were in agreement. The leading line of the gun barrel takes you across the detainee to the beautiful glass door and back to the light on the blindfolded subject - I hadn't seen security missions photographed like this before. While Iraq is a big story again this year, ending our Year in Pictures slideshow, this image didn't say enough about what was going on there to make that tight cut.