National Geographic is heralded as “the top of the mountain” when it comes to photographic journalism, or photography in general. This new six-part series gives us a glimpse into what it takes to be at the top of the mountain. As a landscape photographer, something I constantly hear from friends and family when they see one of my images is, “Wow, this could be in National Geographic!” If photography was a scale from never having taken a photo to being a photographer for National Geographic, I’m certainly closer to the “never taken a photo” side. Most of the time, these remarks happen because National Geographic is the most widely known and renowned photographic publication in existence.
Most people, even many photographers, don’t realize what it takes to be a National Geographic photographer. The trailer they released highlights six different photographers, all with very different genres, styles, and missions that will be highlighted over a six-part series. I suspect this means each episode will revolve around a specific photographer or mission. Seeing what it takes to create the images that can impact the world fascinates me. When I watch a series like the BBC’s Planet Earth, I’m left absolutely bewildered by how they film the animals in their natural habitat. War Photographer still sits vividly in my mind for what it takes to be a photographer in some of these spaces.
National Geographic’s “Photographer” premieres March 18th on National Geographic at 8:00 PM EST. If you miss it, you can watch it a day later on Disney+ or Hulu.
