A 7 page spread in National Geographic; that was the culmination of years of work, years of cold emailing publications, posting to small online forums, and hoping her photos would get noticed. This passion would take her love of nature from a childhood in Germany, to remote nordic villages, cliffside birds nests, and vulnerable populations in Mongolia. Today, Lana is a National Geographic Explorer who specializes in nature conservation, photography, and biology. But before her first publication, before her journey’s halfway across the world, before she picked up a camera, Lana was the soon-to-be born child of a couple escaping war.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices