Ami Vitale is a photographer for the National Geographic magazine, focused intently in "living the story," currently based in Montana. She has endured harsh weather conditions, lived in war zones, and even worn a panda suit for the sake of her photographs. She has received several awards and recognition, like the Daniel Pearl Award for Outstanding Reporting. Additionally, she has published a book over the secret lives of pandas, titled Panda Love.  She is a founding member of Ripple Effect Images, an organization of renowned female scientists, writers, photographers and filmmakers working together to create powerful and persuasive stories that shed light on the hardships women in developing countries face. She is also on the Photojournalism Advisory Council for the Alexia Foundation.