Susan Smith is Deputy Director of Photography for National Geographic magazine. Her career at the magazine started 36 years ago with a lucky break—an entry-level position in film review, the office where unprocessed assignment film was catalogued, sent for processing, and reviewed for technical quality. It was a great place to learn. Since then, Smith worked her way up the photographic ladder, eventually becoming assistant director for photography in 1990. In 2005 the photography and photo editing departments merged into one, and Smith was named deputy director. While she works closely with some of the best photojournalists in the business, Smith says the really rewarding part is discovering and nurturing young talent.