Brian Ler on WNYC.

So each year, if you don't already know, the Brian Lairer Show invites you to submit the best photo you took in this calendar year that is sitting on your phone.

And I have to say when we first started doing this, phone cameras were kind of me.

So it was special to see how people were able to take great photos on these things called cell phones.

Now the cameras on many of our phones have really improved.

So it's special in a different way.

The quality of so many of these pictures is so excellent, at least to my eye, as a layperson.

But as we've done for the past few years, we have some professional photographers here who have

helped us browse through your submissions and pick out their favorites. And as we

discussed the three winning images, listeners, you can see them too. I mentioned it before the break.

Just go to brianlareshow.org or wn yc.org and click on brianlare show there. But we do have

brianlairshow.org as a quick and easy pathway.

And you'll be able to see the top three photos on our episode page for today that we'll be

talking about. Plus later today, this afternoon, we'll post a gallery of the top 40 photos

submitted this year, according to our judges, out of the 700 or so you sent in.

So joining me now are Edward Pagan, a Bronx-based photographer, filmmaker, and photo historian.

He's also the co-founder of Seis del Seur, a photo collective of six photojournalism and documentary

photographers, photography makers from the

South Bronx, and Laura Romano, executive director and co-founder of Photoville, the New York-based

nonprofit that works to promote a wider understanding and increased access to the art of photography

for all. Hi, Edwin, welcome to WNYC and Laura, welcome back for

another year of Best Photo sitting on your phone. Thanks for having me. And before we bring on

...