šŸ“ø Life Through Your Lens | Badge of the Month | August 2025 | XM Community
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Celebrating World Photo Day (August 19th) and the art of capturing life's moments.

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Task:Ā 

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Share a photo that tells a story! Whether it's a snapshot from your phone or a carefully composed shot, we want to see the image that means the most to you right now.

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Want to share your photo with even more people? Submit it to NPRĀ for a chance to be featured in an upcoming newsletter! (This is separate from our Badge of the Month program)

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Need some inspiration?

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Everyday Moments:

  • Your morning view or daily ritual
  • Something that made you pause and smile

People & Connections:

  • Candid moment with family, friends, or pets

Your World:

  • Local spot that feels like home

Memory Makers:

  • Place with special meaning
  • Small achievement or celebration

Still stuck? Check your recent photos - which one makes you want to tell someone about it? That's your story!

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During the first week of each month, we will post a new question, topic, or activity for you to connect with the community and earn a badge. All community members who join our team and contributeĀ a thoughtful comment to this month’s discussion, between AugustĀ 1Ā and AugustĀ 31, will receive this badgeĀ worth 50 pointsĀ by the end of the month.Ā 

I love this idea! I am a photographer and have been able to explore different types of photography. My favorite was a series I did for my High School AP Exam. It was all about hiding behind a mask and that sometimes your true self could be shielded from the rest of the world.

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I love this idea! I am a photographer and have been able to explore different types of photography. My favorite was a series I did for my High School AP Exam. It was all about hiding behind a mask and that sometimes your true self could be shielded from the rest of the world.

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What an awesome photo! You took this in high school?? 😯


This is one of my favorite pictures. I took it in the summer of 2015 after a game at Pfitzner Stadium in Woodbridge, Virginia, where the Washington Nationals’ Class A farm team played until it moved down to Fredericksburg. (At the time, I lived about five minutes away from the ballpark, so I went to a lot of games.) I love this image because I like the composition of the kids on the left and the player signing autographs, all of them tired after a night game. ItĀ brings back some really wonderful memories, and if I had been at a ballpark in 1937 I could have taken a very similar photo.

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this photo resonates with me on several levels. It's actually a picture taken by my sister of me taking a picture. Other than her being a great photographer the following reasons make this very meaningful for me personally:!--startfragment>

  • it was taken on a summer holiday with my family. I think I can speak for most of us about our family being pretty well the most important thing in our livesšŸ’œ
  • it was taken in Canada which speaks for itself šŸ˜‰Ā Having lived in many countries and travelled extensively for most of my life, Canada is the one country I identify most deeply with and miss the mostĀ šŸ
  • it was taken far away from the city on some island in Georgian Bay and signifies the importance of natureĀ šŸŒĀ Spending time outside becomes more valuable for every hour spent inside, at work behind a computerĀ šŸ¤–Ā 

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!--endfragment>


A picture is worth a thousand words.Ā  (Location:Ā Aeri de Montserrat, Spain)
I will let the picture tell the story!


This photo brings back memories of an amazing ski trips with friends. When I have too much work on my plate, i take a minute to think about those past trips and I think about planning the next one !


This photo brings back memories of an amazing ski trips with friends. When I have too much work on my plate, i take a minute to think about those past trips and I think about planning the next one !

I can’t say enough about this image. I’ve never been skiing, but the sense of immense scale that you capture is breathtaking.


It is a few days ago in Korea, where the four seasons are clear.
At the time of leaving work, the sunset is like an aurora, and dragonflies fly and cool winds blow around the evening.

It's been more than half a year, and there's less than five months left
It's time to produce results on this year's individual and organizational plans.


This photo brings back memories of an amazing ski trips with friends. When I have too much work on my plate, i take a minute to think about those past trips and I think about planning the next one !

Such a breathtaking view. Just seeing this picture gives me goosebumps!


I’m including two because I couldn’t decide between themšŸ˜†

One is a picture I took on campus February 14th, 2024.Ā  It was freezing and I was walking to class with the most beautiful sunset as a backdrop and only my thoughts for company.Ā  It was so quiet and peaceful.

The other is from November 2020 at Daytona Beach.Ā  My dad had just finished chemo and to celebrate his remission my brother and I took him to Florida.Ā  We had a blast!Ā  I like this picture for the line of pelicans perched out on the waterĀ and it’s hard to tell in the photo, but the sky and the water were the same color blue.Ā  So much so that I you couldn’t tell where one ended and the other began.Ā 

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This is one of my favorite pictures. I took it in the summer of 2015 after a game at Pfitzner Stadium in Woodbridge, Virginia, where the Washington Nationals’ Class A farm team played until it moved down to Fredericksburg. (At the time, I lived about five minutes away from the ballpark, so I went to a lot of games.) I love this image because I like the composition of the kids on the left and the player signing autographs, all of them tired after a night game. ItĀ brings back some really wonderful memories, and if I had been at a ballpark in 1937 I could have taken a very similar photo.

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What a great photo, ​@AdamK12! This is the type of photo where you can really feel yourself being there when you look at it!


I’m including two because I couldn’t decide between themšŸ˜†

One is a picture I took on campus February 14th, 2024.Ā  It was freezing and I was walking to class with the most beautiful sunset as a backdrop and only my thoughts for company.Ā  It was so quiet and peaceful.

The other is from November 2020 at Daytona Beach.Ā  My dad had just finished chemo and to celebrate his remission my brother and I took him to Florida.Ā  We had a blast!Ā  I like this picture for the line of pelicans perched out on the waterĀ and it’s hard to tell in the photo, but the sky and the water were the same color blue.Ā  So much so that I you couldn’t tell where one ended and the other began.Ā 

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​@pamelalbeckĀ These are great! And how lovely that the Florida photo has so much personal meaning.Ā 


This photo brings back memories of an amazing ski trips with friends. When I have too much work on my plate, i take a minute to think about those past trips and I think about planning the next one !

Really spectacular capturing, ​@AlexandreLeducĀ ā›·ļøšŸ’œ


this photo resonates with me on several levels. It's actually a picture taken by my sister of me taking a picture. Other than her being a great photographer the following reasons make this very meaningful for me personally:!--startfragment>

  • it was taken on a summer holiday with my family. I think I can speak for most of us about our family being pretty well the most important thing in our livesšŸ’œ
  • it was taken in Canada which speaks for itself šŸ˜‰Ā Having lived in many countries and travelled extensively for most of my life, Canada is the one country I identify most deeply with and miss the mostĀ šŸ
  • it was taken far away from the city on some island in Georgian Bay and signifies the importance of natureĀ šŸŒĀ Spending time outside becomes more valuable for every hour spent inside, at work behind a computerĀ šŸ¤–Ā 

    Ā 

!--endfragment>

​@SteveBelgraverĀ What a beautiful scene! Canada is indeed a spectacular place šŸ‡ØšŸ‡¦


I love this idea! I am a photographer and have been able to explore different types of photography. My favorite was a series I did for my High School AP Exam. It was all about hiding behind a mask and that sometimes your true self could be shielded from the rest of the world.

Ā 

​@tannerfaragherĀ The composition of this photo is really spectacular! Great work šŸ“ø


It is a few days ago in Korea, where the four seasons are clear.
At the time of leaving work, the sunset is like an aurora, and dragonflies fly and cool winds blow around the evening.

It's been more than half a year, and there's less than five months left
It's time to produce results on this year's individual and organizational plans.

Love this pic! Is that the Han River?


This is one of my favorite pictures. I took it in the summer of 2015 after a game at Pfitzner Stadium in Woodbridge, Virginia, where the Washington Nationals’ Class A farm team played until it moved down to Fredericksburg. (At the time, I lived about five minutes away from the ballpark, so I went to a lot of games.) I love this image because I like the composition of the kids on the left and the player signing autographs, all of them tired after a night game. ItĀ brings back some really wonderful memories, and if I had been at a ballpark in 1937 I could have taken a very similar photo.

Ā 

What a great photo, ​@AdamK12! This is the type of photo where you can really feel yourself being there when you look at it!

Thanks so much, ​@Michael_CookseyĀ ! I was scrolling through my camera roll and found this-I had forgotten it was even there!


This was a pause and smile moment.Ā  Wisconsin winters can keep you cooped up, so I feel like we really take advantage of summer.Ā  My in-laws live at a house on a lake and we loveĀ the joy the water can bring.Ā  This summer I was able to disconnect from work for a few days and really take in reading a book outside, listening to all the kids play, enjoy actually doing ā€œnothingā€,Ā and this moment was just so peaceful watchingĀ my son playing with rocks. (If you have young kids, you know the appeal of rocks!)

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A picture is worth a thousand words.Ā  (Location:Ā Aeri de Montserrat, Spain)
I will let the picture tell the story!

Why do I suddenly have a Led Zeppelin song playing in my head? Nice picture!


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Kayak fishing is my passion and my solitude. I am NOT an morning person, but will get up well before sunrise to fish. This particular day I did not catch any fish, actually. The sunrise, however, was worth it!

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There are several sunrise photos in this topic so I am not the only one who appreciates the beauty and reminder of how small we are in the universe. There is something awe inspiring and humbling about a beautiful sunrise.


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This isn’t the best picture in my gallery, but it has a story. One day, I decided to go on a solo tripĀ and one of the places I visited was Udaipur. While exploring, I came across something truly beautiful, it was made using more than 17,000 tiny glass pieces. Looking at it, I realized how small things, when put together, can create something truly amazing.


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This isn’t the best picture in my gallery, but it has a story. One day, I decided to go on a solo tripĀ and one of the places I visited was Udaipur. While exploring, I came across something truly beautiful, it was made using more than 17,000 tiny glass pieces. Looking at it, I realized how small things, when put together, can create something truly amazing.

Beautiful!


Race start - recently completed a triathlon WITH my husband. Our lives have consisted of early morning trainings and long rides/runs on the weekends in order to maintain work/training/life balance for our family.Ā 


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This isn’t the best picture in my gallery, but it has a story. One day, I decided to go on a solo tripĀ and one of the places I visited was Udaipur. While exploring, I came across something truly beautiful, it was made using more than 17,000 tiny glass pieces. Looking at it, I realized how small things, when put together, can create something truly amazing.

The detail and colors are amazing 😯


Race start - recently completed a triathlon WITH my husband. Our lives have consisted of early morning trainings and long rides/runs on the weekends in order to maintain work/training/life balance for our family.Ā 

Way to go ​@kgillis! 🚲 šŸŠ šŸƒ