Expedition Photography

Where geography and photography meet

What will you create with top photographers to guide and instruct you?

The logic is simple—bring people who love making images to the planet’s most spectacular places and most thrilling subjects. Expedition Photography takes it to the next level by adding to the mix some of the world’s top visual storytellers who travel at your side and at your service. Not only are they deeply knowledgeable professionals versed in the technical aspects of photography and storytelling methods, they are also experts on wildlife—and sharing their knowledge sets you up to get some of the best images of your life.

Read more

Go ‘on assignment’ with a National Geographic Photographer

Every expedition aboard National Geographic Endurance, National Geographic Resolution, National Geographic Explorer, and National Geographic Orion sails with a National Geographic Photographer as part of the expedition team. Sharing in the journey, they will offer tips at the deck rail, share engaging stories during presentations in the lounge and, with a little prodding over dinner or drinks in the lounge, likely share amusing anecdotes of their time in the field. They are full participants in the expedition and engaging travel companions. 

Learn from National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions certified photo instructors

National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions Certified Photo Instructors (CPIs) have each been specially trained to assist you with your camera model and settings; the basic elements of framing, composition and light; and to provide shooting tips in the field to ensure that you return home with fantastic photos. 

Unlike a photography class or workshop, an expedition is a highly dynamic environment, where an incredible sighting can occur at any moment. So, the fact that your photo instructor is also a skilled naturalist is invaluable. He or she can help you better understand the wildlife, so you can be at the right place at the right time to capture amazing behavior—whether you’re shooting from the ship’s deck, a Zodiac or on a walk. Take an expedition with us, and you’ll not only have the experience of a lifetime, you’ll have the incredible shots to prove it.

Read more

Photo Expeditions 

On designated departures, a combination of CPIs and a National Geographic Photographer come together to provide a program that includes multiple photo presentations and editing sessions and is designed to maximize the best photographic conditions. They work closely with the Captain and the expedition leader to take advantage of sunrise and sunset opportunities (whether by foot, Zodiac or ship) and unique wildlife viewing. Whether you’re a smartphone user, advanced hobbyist or serious photographer, photo expeditions are select departures in remarkable geographies, designed by photographers, for photographers. Since these voyages also offer so many active options, you can invite a spouse, companion or friend along, certain that they’ll have a wonderful time doing their thing, too.

Upcoming Photo Expeditions


Departure Date Expedition National Geographic Photographer

Aug. 15, 2025 Exploring Galápagos Lucas Bustamante

Sep. 9, 2025 A Remarkable Journey to Alaska, British Columbia, and Haida Gwaii Greg Winston

Sep. 26, 2025 Exploring Galápagos Jennifer Hayes
Ask about a photo-exclusive pre-voyage extension to the Ecuadorian Amazon. Limited availability.

Sep. 20, 2025 & Sep. 27, 2025 Upper Amazon: A River Expedition Juan Arias

Nov. 9, 2025 Panama and Colombia: Exploring the Caribbean Coast Jennifer Davidson

Nov. 30, 2025 Costa Rica and the Panama Canal Tamara Merino Bloch

Photo Program Exclusives

OMSysLogo-Square_RGB-wht.jpgThanks to our partnership with camera manufacturer OM System (formerly Olympus), guests have the opportunity to field test top-of-the-line gear during their expeditions. Eager to try a powerful new lens? Researching a new camera purchase? Take advantage of the onboard OM System Photo Gear Locker with our compliments. The Locker is available on all National Geographic-flagged ships (except Galápagos). View a pre-voyage photo webinar and enjoy exclusive gear discounts as well! Ask an Expedition Specialist.

What I love about photography is how it invites you into a world of wonder and anticipation, where it's no longer about the camera but being in the moment.
Ralph Lee Hopkins, Former Director of Expedition Photography
Expedition staff are subject to change.

National Geographic Photographers

National Geographic Photography Expert icon National Geographic Photography Expert

Luján Agusti

Luján Agusti is a photographer and visual storyteller, based in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. Her award-winning work explores themes related to environmental and gender issues, with a special focus on the aquatic and terrestrial territory of Patagonia. Her photos have been published by internationally renowned media and exhibited around the world. In addition to her role as a National Geographic Explorer, she is also a member of the Prime Collective and Ruda Colectiva.

National Geographic Photography Expert icon National Geographic Photography Expert

Tommy Heinrich

Photographer and adventurer Tommy Heinrich has traveled the world—from the summit of Mount Everest to the North Pole and even Antarctica—combining his passions for photography, climbing, and nature. Born in Buenos Aires, Tommy first learned to scale mountains at an early age in Patagonia and the Andes. In 1995, he became the first person from Argentina to reach the summit of Mount Everest. In 1998, he reached the summit of Lhotse, the world’s fourth-highest mountain, and has continued since with many more ascents in the Himalayas and Karakorum, documenting the thrill of the expeditions and life in the world’s greatest mountains. In 2016, Tommy reached the North Pole, while documenting the first Argentine expedition. On assignment for  National Geographic  magazine, Heinrich photographed a winter ascent of Nanga Parbat, located in the Pakistan’s Northern areas, and an ascent of K2, the second highest mountain in the world. He has also filmed expeditions to Mount Everest, Dhaulagiri, Aconcagua, and other expeditions for CBS, Dish Network, Discovery, and CNN, among other networks. He has joined National Geographic Expeditions to Antarctica, Iceland, Norway, and the Arctic. Two presidents of Argentina have bestowed upon him the honorary title “Comendador,” with the “Orden a los Servicios Distinguidos” and the “Condor Dorado Honoris Causa.”

National Geographic Photography Expert icon National Geographic Photography Expert

Jen Hayes

Underwater photographers David Doubilet and Jennifer Hayes are married partners who work together as a team to produce National Geographic stories from equatorial coral reefs to beneath the polar ice. David estimates he has spent nearly half his life in the sea since taking his first underwater photograph at the age of 12 with a Brownie Hawkeye camera sealed in a bag. Between them, Jennifer and David have photographed and explored the ocean depths in such places as New Zealand, Canada, Japan, Tasmania, Scotland, and Antarctica. David has photographed stingrays, sponges, and sleeping sharks in the Caribbean, as well as shipwrecks in the South Pacific, the Atlantic, and at Pearl Harbor. He has produced more than 70 stories for National Geographic magazine and several books, and has received the Explorers Club’s prestigious Lowell Thomas Award and the Lennart Nilsson Award in Photography.  

National Geographic Photography Expert icon National Geographic Photography Expert

Sara Hylton

Sara Hylton is an award-winning National Geographic Photographer and Explorer from Canada, widely recognized for her compassionate, intimate approach to human rights and environmental issues. Focusing on the natural world and indigenous peoples, her images have been featured in world-renowned publications—including National Geographic magazine, The New York Times, Vogue and The Wall Street Journal, among others. Sara is a faculty member at the International Center of Photography and holds a master’s degree from King's College London in International Conflict Studies. Represented by Redux Pictures, she works mainly in North America and South Asia.

National Geographic Photography Expert icon National Geographic Photography Expert

Tamara Merino

Tamara Merino is a Chilean National Geographic Explorer, award-winning documentary photographer and visual storyteller. With a deep commitment to uncovering untold narratives, her work delves into subterranean communities, identity, human rights and climate change, capturing the hidden corners of the world with striking intimacy and depth. Her photography has been featured in National Geographic, The New York Times, TIME, Der Spiegel, Die Zeit, and many more. Her photos have appeared on the cover of National Geographic Magazine twice, and her work has been selected three times for its prestigious The Year in Pictures and Best Photos of the Year editions.   Tamara was honored with the National Geographic Wayfinders Award, an elite recognition given to individuals who have proven themselves as the next generation of influential leaders and innovators. She has also received a National Geographic Emergency Fund and a National Geographic Level II Grant to further her lifelong project, UNDERLAND, a profound documentation of underground communities across the globe. Her accolades include the Magnum Foundation’s Inge Morath Award and recognition as one of PDN’s 30. She has participated in the World Press Photo Joop Swart Masterclass and The New York Times Portfolio Review. Tamara is a fellow at the International Women’s Media Foundation and her work has been exhibited across the USA, Germany, Greece, France, the Netherlands, Myanmar, India, Mexico, Argentina, Chile and Antarctica. Beyond her photography, Tamara is the co-founder of Ayün Fotógrafas, a collective of women photographers reshaping visual narratives in South America. She also leads National Geographic Expeditions, speaks at international conferences, and teaches documentary photography and storytelling workshops, inspiring the next generation of visual storytellers.  

National Geographic Photography Expert icon National Geographic Photography Expert

Michael Melford

Award-winning photographer Michael Melford has produced more than 50 stories for National Geographic and National Geographic Traveler magazines over the past 30 years. His work has been featured on the cover of National Geographic, as well as LIFE, Smithsonian, GEO, TIME, and Coastal Living, among other publications. Michael has traveled to numerous destinations and all seven continents—from Antarctica to Alaska and from New Zealand to the Seychelles. His assignments have focused on conservation, preservation, and celebrating the beauty of wilderness and national parks around the world. Melford also has produced photography for multiple National Geographic books, and is featured in two online photo courses from National Geographic and The Great Courses ( National Geographic Masters of Photography and T he National Geographic Guide to Landscape Photography ). Michael’s work has garnered prestigious honors, including the Lowell Thomas Award for Travel Photography and recognition from World Press Photo. The United States Postal Service also recently honored Melford by featuring several of his images on a set of Forever stamps celebrating Wild and Scenic Rivers.

National Geographic Photography Expert icon National Geographic Photography Expert

Krista Rossow

For more than a decade, Krista Rossow has worked as a photographer, photo editor and educator for National Geographic. She began her career at National Geographic Traveler magazine, where she used her photo-editing skills to shape compelling stories from world-class imagery. As a freelancer as well as a contributing photographer for Traveler, Krista has documented stories on every continent—from Costa Rica and Morocco to New Zealand, Japan and more. Her work has appeared in national media and publications, such as NPR, Afar, Outside and The Washington Post. Krista travels with National Geographic Expeditions teaching photography around the world–from the Galápagos Islands, Patagonia, and Peru to Alaska, Antarctica, and the Arctic. She sees the camera as a tool for understanding new cultures, meeting the locals, and exploring the natural world. Her images are represented by National Geographic Image Collection.

National Geographic Photography Expert icon National Geographic Photography Expert

Andrew Coleman

Photographer Andrew Coleman has traveled around the globe in search of amazing wildlife and landscapes. His images and travel stories have appeared online for National Geographic Travel and the @natgeotravel Instagram account, and he is represented by the National Geographic Image Collection. Andrew has an insatiable appetite to be in the wild and, through his images, attempts to capture the extraordinary beauty of the natural world. Over the course of his career, he has traveled, camera in hand, to some of the world’s most remarkable places, including Alaska, Antarctica, Iceland, Easter Island, Kenya, Patagonia, Peru, South Africa, Bhutan, and Uganda. Having been to all seven continents, he has joined National Geographic Expeditions from Yellowstone National Park to the Galápagos, and from Borneo to Antarctica and beyond.  

National Geographic Photography Expert icon National Geographic Photography Expert

Nick St. Oegger

For over a decade, documentary photographer Nick St.Oegger has been working throughout the Western Balkans, exploring the close connection between its people and the environment. He is passionate about re-shaping the visual narrative of the Balkans, sharing positive stories that shed light on the unique natural and cultural heritage of a region still largely defined by conflict. As a National Geographic Explorer, Nick has been following the grassroots movement to protect the region’s rivers from hydropower development, joining a collective of scientists and activists to document some of the last pristine freshwater ecosystems in Europe. His latest work, Rivers Unite, Dams Divide, explores how river conservation is bringing together Bosnia & Herzegovina’s previously fractured ethnic communities in a campaign to protect their historical lands, water and culture. Nick’s long-term projects have been exhibited internationally, and featured in publications including National Geographic, The New York Times, The Guardian, and The British Journal of Photography.

National Geographic Photography Expert icon National Geographic Photography Expert

Max Lowe

Photographer, director, and filmmaker Max Lowe was born into traveling shoes. Son of famous Alpinist Conrad Anker and writer and artist Jennifer Lowe-Anker, Max was exposed from a young age to the magic in traveling to and observing some of the world’s most remote cultures and environments. Taking up storytelling as his creed, he received a National Geographic Young Explorers grant in 2012, and since then, has shot on and produced for National Geographic Adventure and National Geographic magazines, as well as National Geographic Travel. Max has appeared on The BBC as well as in the internationally released National Parks Adventure IMAX film, and in publications including Science Magazine, Men’s Journal, and Outside Magazine. He has also produced still and film content for brands such as The North Face, Red Bull, Yeti Coolers, and Eddie Bauer.   Throughout his career Max has been on shoots taking him up Alaska’s Inside Passage and across Vancouver Island and into Denali National Park, as well as on three separate expeditions to the Antarctic continent by sea. From his backyard in Bozeman, Montana to countless corners across the globe, Max has been witness to extraordinary moments, wildlife encounters, and interactions with people from vastly different walks of life. It is from these experiences that stems his passion and drive to capture stories and bring them to the world around him.  

National Geographic Photography Expert icon National Geographic Photography Expert

Rubén Salgado Escudero

Rubén Salgado Escudero is a National Geographic Explorer and an award-winning photographer, who has spent the last decade documenting stories of the human condition. Born in Madrid, Spain, he lived in the United States throughout his childhood and, after university, moved to Germany to work as a 3D animation artist for video games. Over the years, he has contributed various stories to National Geographic magazine and worked for NGOs and relief organizations worldwide, such as UNHCR, the United Nations Refugee Agency. His images have been displayed in major publications across the globe, as well as exhibited in galleries and museums in more than 40 cities. He has received various international awards, including 2 consecutive wins from the Sony World Photography Awards, as well as 2 awards in POY Latam. In 2013 while living in Myanmar, Rubén began his ongoing project Solar Portraits, which documents solar energy and its human impact in communities around the world. In 2019, the project earned a National Geographic Society Explorer’s Grant, and in 2021, it was inducted into the official National Geographic Exhibitions catalog. He is a regular keynote speaker for National Geographic Learning, where he shares his experiences and insights with students and educators of all ages. Rubén's work and travels have taken him to over 60 countries—6 of which he has lived in—including México, where he now resides since 2017. Speaking 5 languages, he loves to foster a deeper understanding of different ways of life by sharing knowledge, exploring sociocultural issues and creating meaningful exchanges wherever he works.

National Geographic Photography Expert icon National Geographic Photography Expert

Kiliii Yuyan

Photographer Kiliii Yuyan illuminates stories from the Arctic and human communities connected to the land and sea. Informed by ancestry that is both Nanai/Hèzhé (indigenous East Asian) and Chinese-American, he has traveled across the polar regions working with native cultures, wildlife and underwater environments. On assignment, he survived a stalking polar bear, escaped pounding waves while diving with sea otters and found kinship with communities at the edge of the world.   Kiliii is an award-winning contributor to several publications, including TIME, Vogue, WIRED and Bloomberg Businessweek, among others. He has photographed the cover of National Geographic magazine twice, producing 9 stories for the publication since 2015—including the July 2022 cover story on Native Nations in North America. His more recent work on indigenous conservation from Mongolia to Palau can be seen in the magazine’s August 2024 issue. A National Geographic Explorer, Kiliii is also the 2023 recipient of the National Geographic Eliza Scidmore Award.  

Showing 12 of 58