John Stanmeyer

2:05:09 John Stanmeyer’s Kit: On Assignment with National Geographic There is no one photography kit. Some can be large, and some can be small—it all depends on need and style. From times when an extensive collection of items is necessary, to more insignificant day-to-day kits, and creating endlessly with the camera phone that is always in his pocket, John Stanmeyer has done it all over the years. In this VII Insider session, John shares his experiences preparing for assignments and how he thinks about what gear is necessary. John shares his philosophy of minimalism and simplicity, and gives insight into what feels just right for him, to help guide others to committing not to more and more gear, but to less—and the limitless possibilities he finds in bringing a simple collection of tools into the field on an assignment. In a wide-ranging Q+A, John also discusses long-form and short-form storytelling with a small kit, sharing examples not so much of the gear, but what one can do with their gear. John Stanmeyer is an award-winning photojournalist, Emmy nominated filmmaker and educator, dedicated to social, humanitarian and political issues that define our times. For more than 15 years, John has worked nearly exclusively with National Geographic magazine, producing over 19 stories, resulting in more than 14 covers. Between 1998 and 2008, John was a contract photographer for Time magazine. His years with Time resulted in 18 covers. In 2001, Stanmeyer co-founded with six of the world’s leading photojournalists, the prestigious VII Photo agency. Today VII represents more than 30 photographers from around the globe. Stanmeyer is an Emeritus member of VII and also is represented by Nat Geo Image Collection agency and is a member of Ripple Effects Images, a collective of artists and storytellers working on issues related to women, empowerment and equality. He is the recipient of numerous honors, including the prestigious Robert Capa award, POYi Magazine Photographer of the Year and the World Press Photo of the Year in 2014. John lives with his dog, Elfriede the Great Dane, in the southern Berkshires of western Massachusetts. PhotoWings 1:19:43 The Spirituality of Seeing with John Stanmeyer Join VII photographer and founding member John Stanmeyer for a thought-provoking discussion as he takes you through his often deep meditative approach to telling visual, audio, and lyrical stories for magazines such as National Geographic. John will share the mysteries of letting go of the obvious to feel and see beyond the expected, past simplicity into unexpected ways of telling long and short-form narratives. He’ll take you to visit his archive and illustrate the therapy of editing through one of his stories. Place your pragmatic self aside while John takes you on a spiritual journey in creating photographic possibilities during this VII Insider gathering, the Spirituality of Seeing. PhotoWings 1:42:50 Continuing Education Series: Preparing for Grants & Contests with Anush Babajanyan & John Stanmeyer PhotoWings 1:14:33 Telling the story of refugees in Ukraine – John Stanmeyer John Stanmeyer has been in Ukraine covering the war, focusing on the civilians displaced by Russia’s invasion. In this event, John will discuss his experience working in Ukraine, present a selection of the photographs he has made, and show his film “War, Through Train Windows” — a story about loss, displacement, being a refugee, from the perspective of portraits through train windows. PhotoWings 2:26 John Stanmeyer on Cross-Cultural Learning Award-winning photojournalist John Stanmeyer has traveled the world, connecting with a vast array of peoples and cultures. These experiences have led John to see “importance of sitting down and speaking with somebody that’s from a different space and time than you are,” and how photography and photojournalism have important roles in this crucial work. John Stanmeyer is a photojournalist dedicated to social and political issues that define our times. Over the last decade, John has worked nearly exclusively with National Geographic magazine, producing over 12 stories for the magazine and resulting in 10 covers. Between 1998 and 2008, John was a contract photographer for Time magazine, during which time he photographed the war in Afghanistan, the fight for independence in East Timor, the fall of Suharto in Indonesia, and other significant world news events. His years with Time resulted in 18 covers of the magazine. In 2001, he cofound the VII Photo agency with six of the world’s leading photojournalists. By 2005, VII was listed in third position in American Photo’s “100 Most Important People in Photography.” VII now represents 20 of the world’s preeminent photojournalists whose careers span 35 years of world history. January 2015, Stanmeyer became a VII Distinguished Member. The same month, John brought his ten years of stories with National Geographic to Nat Geo Creative while his historic archive of 20+ years of visual history remains at VII. He is the recipient of numerous honors, including the prestigious Robert Capa award (Overseas Press Club), Magazine Photographer of the Year (POYi), and numerous World Press, Picture of the Year and NPPA awards. In 2008, his National Geographic cover story on global malaria received the National Magazine Award. In 2012 was nominated for an Emmy with the VII documentary film series, Starved for Attention and in 2014 was the recipient of the World Press Photo award for his photograph from Djibouti titled, Signal. John has published a number of books including Island of the Spirits, a journalistic/anthropologic look at Balinese culture documented during the five years he lived on the island. His latest book, a VII Photo Agency collaboration titled Questions Without Answers (Phaidon), was released in 2012, chronically the last 30 years of social conflict and change around the world. In 2013, John opened Stanmeyer Gallery & Shaker Dam Coffeehouse in West Stockbridge, Mass, combining photography and education around his passion for brilliant coffee, wrapping the two around ethically procured, human rights-based direct trade coffee with the socials issues represented in his photographs. Stanmeyer lives on a farm with two dogs and many fireflies over summer in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts. PhotoWings 2:21 Getting Lost with John Stanmeyer Award-winning photojournalist John Stanmeyer has traveled the globe creating photographs for organizations like National Geographic and Time. In this video, John advises us on the importance of “getting lost” when doing photographic work, as a way to help shed our preconceived notions of what is possible. John Stanmeyer is a photojournalist dedicated to social and political issues that define our times. Over the last decade, John has worked nearly exclusively with National Geographic magazine, producing over 12 stories for the magazine and resulting in 10 covers. Between 1998 and 2008, John was a contract photographer for Time magazine, during which time he photographed the war in Afghanistan, the fight for independence in East Timor, the fall of Suharto in Indonesia, and other significant world news events. His years with Time resulted in 18 covers of the magazine. In 2001, he cofound the VII Photo agency with six of the world’s leading photojournalists. By 2005, VII was listed in third position in American Photo’s “100 Most Important People in Photography.” VII now represents 20 of the world’s preeminent photojournalists whose careers span 35 years of world history. January 2015, Stanmeyer became a VII Distinguished Member. The same month, John brought his ten years of stories with National Geographic to Nat Geo Creative while his historic archive of 20+ years of visual history remains at VII. He is the recipient of numerous honors, including the prestigious Robert Capa award (Overseas Press Club), Magazine Photographer of the Year (POYi), and numerous World Press, Picture of the Year and NPPA awards. In 2008, his National Geographic cover story on global malaria received the National Magazine Award. In 2012 was nominated for an Emmy with the VII documentary film series, Starved for Attention and in 2014 was the recipient of the World Press Photo award for his photograph from Djibouti titled, Signal. John has published a number of books including Island of the Spirits, a journalistic/anthropologic look at Balinese culture documented during the five years he lived on the island. His latest book, a VII Photo Agency collaboration titled Questions Without Answers (Phaidon), was released in 2012, chronically the last 30 years of social conflict and change around the world. In 2013, John opened Stanmeyer Gallery & Shaker Dam Coffeehouse in West Stockbridge, Mass, combining photography and education around his passion for brilliant coffee, wrapping the two around ethically procured, human rights-based direct trade coffee with the socials issues represented in his photographs. Stanmeyer lives on a farm with two dogs and many fireflies over summer in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts. PhotoWings 2:16 John Stanmeyer on Research Award-winning photojournalist John Stanmeyer has produced many award-winning visual stories, featured in prominent publications like National Geographic and Time. In this video, John shares how his passion for research and omnivorous interest in all subjects is integral to his success as a photographer. John Stanmeyer is a photojournalist dedicated to social and political issues that define our times. Over the last decade, John has worked nearly exclusively with National Geographic magazine, producing over 12 stories for the magazine and resulting in 10 covers. Between 1998 and 2008, John was a contract photographer for Time magazine, during which time he photographed the war in Afghanistan, the fight for independence in East Timor, the fall of Suharto in Indonesia, and other significant world news events. His years with Time resulted in 18 covers of the magazine. In 2001, he cofound the VII Photo agency with six of the world’s leading photojournalists. By 2005, VII was listed in third position in American Photo’s “100 Most Important People in Photography.” VII now represents 20 of the world’s preeminent photojournalists whose careers span 35 years of world history. January 2015, Stanmeyer became a VII Distinguished Member. The same month, John brought his ten years of stories with National Geographic to Nat Geo Creative while his historic archive of 20+ years of visual history remains at VII. He is the recipient of numerous honors, including the prestigious Robert Capa award (Overseas Press Club), Magazine Photographer of the Year (POYi), and numerous World Press, Picture of the Year and NPPA awards. In 2008, his National Geographic cover story on global malaria received the National Magazine Award. In 2012 was nominated for an Emmy with the VII documentary film series, Starved for Attention and in 2014 was the recipient of the World Press Photo award for his photograph from Djibouti titled, Signal. John has published a number of books including Island of the Spirits, a journalistic/anthropologic look at Balinese culture documented during the five years he lived on the island. His latest book, a VII Photo Agency collaboration titled Questions Without Answers (Phaidon), was released in 2012, chronically the last 30 years of social conflict and change around the world. In 2013, John opened Stanmeyer Gallery & Shaker Dam Coffeehouse in West Stockbridge, Mass, combining photography and education around his passion for brilliant coffee, wrapping the two around ethically procured, human rights-based direct trade coffee with the socials issues represented in his photographs. Stanmeyer lives on a farm with two dogs and many fireflies over summer in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts. PhotoWings 2:58 John Stanmeyer - Story Behind the Photograph Longtime National Geographic photojournalist John Stanmeyer shares the poignant story behind his World Press Photo of the Year winning image, "Signal." John touches on the value of "getting lost" as a part of his process, the importance of communication, and the distances people will travel in pursuit of hope and opportunity. PhotoWings 5:24 Visual Storytelling – Foundry Photojournalism Workshop At the 2015 Foundry Photojournalism Workshop, eight renowned instructors spoke with PhotoWings about the art and importance of visual storytelling. With a wealth of experience between them, they discuss what it means to them, how they do it, and what they are able to accomplish with it. As we feature a small sliver of this work throughout the video, we encourage you to explore the accompanying image gallery to learn more about these journalists, their images and the stories they represent. Featuring: Kael Alford, Thorne Anderson, Andrea Bruce, James Whitlow Delano, Edward Echwalu, Tewfic El-Sawy, Ron Haviv, Henrik Kastenskov, and John Stanmeyer Compilation