National Geographic director of photography David Griffin gives an impassioned talk on the power of photography to connect with the viewer and highlights some of the magazines greatest photographers and memorable recent work.

In a talk filled with glorious images, he talks about how we all use photos to tell our stories. Take a look below.

Griffin offers an intriguing look into the magazine’s creative process on his blog, Editor’s Pick, where he talks about how the magazine uses its extraordinary photos to tell compelling stories.