Jason Edwards

National Geographic's Jason Edwards has been at the forefront of natural history photography for nearly three decades. His image portfolio ranks among the largest of any photographer in the Society's long history. Based in Melbourne Australia, a passion for wildlife and the environment has been with him over his extensive career. Beginning his career at the Royal Melbourne Zoo, Jason has since been recognised globally for his contributions to science, the environment and the arts. Jason's accolades within the photographic industry stretch over 25 years. He has been a two times winner of the Eureka Prize for Science Photography, three times winner of Communications Art Photography Annual, two times winner of the ProMax Golden Muse, and winner of the Australian Geographic Society Pursuit of Excellence Award among others. Through his commissioned work and as the Host of National Geographic Channel's Pure Photography, Jason has taken his story telling to dozens of countries and to every continent. His photography has appeared in hundreds of publications including National Geographic Magazine, BBC Wildlife, Australian Geographic, Sports Illustrated, Conde Nast Traveler, and The New Yorker. Jason is also an author of science education books, and his imagery has appeared on everything from environmental campaigns to Hollywood blockbusters. Jason is an Ambassador for Tourism Australia and a Friend of the Australia Museum, and is a coveted keynote speaker. Drawing upon his skills as an environmentalist, animal scientist, indigenous patron, historian and National Geographic stalwart, Jason is an entertaining and insightful presenter, championing natural history and the art of photography. He is also the host of Snap Happy the Photography Show, which airs nationally and is the first television show dedicated to photography enthusiasts. The International League of Conservation Photographers (ILCP) is an organisation that uses the power of photography to educate and inspire people about conservation issues globally. Jason is an Associate Fellow of the ILCP using his lens to narrate and highlight issues affecting wildlife, the environment and indigenous communities. Jason's fine art prints are archived in private collections around the world and have been exhibited internationally including the USA, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Europe, where National Geographic presented his compelling imagery of Alang at the prestigious Visa Pour L'Image Photojournalism Festival. Career Channel 10-HD One, Snap Happy 2015 - Current National Geographic Channel 2010 - Current National Geographic Image Collection 2002 - Current National Geographic Magazine 2001 - Current Australian Geographic Society 1995 - Current Bio-Images 1991 - Current Zoological Board of Victoria 1987 - 1997 National Geographic Channel Jason is the Creator and Host of Pure Photography - chronicling complex environmental and cultural issues including poaching, deforestation, endangered species, vanishing cultures, environmental issues and the world's natural wonders. o The Jaguar's Tale o Jungle Market: Trade o A Wing And A Prayer o Jungle Market: Meat o Whale Of A Time o Tree Fella o The Big Freeze Frame o Meet the Manatees o An Eye For Detail o Dancing in the Rain o Greenland: Ice o Greenland: No Place Like Home o Greenland: As Strong as an Ox, Musk Ox o Oman: Tonnes of Drama, Bull Fighting o Oman: An Arabian Icon, Camel Racing o Oman: Full Circle, Dhows o Ross Island Antarctica: The Golden Age of Exploration o Ross Island Antarctica: Top Dog, Weddell Seals o Ross Island Antarctica: Thin Ice Jason was the primary judge and photographic mentor of the National Geographic Channel World Nomads Photography Scholarship, where he was responsible for mentoring amateur photographers who join him on assignment in the art of field assignments, professional and ethical conduct. Jason is represented by the National Geographic Image Collection and NatGeoCreative. His National Geographic image portfolio ranks among the largest of any photographer in the Society's long history both in the size of the collection and the diversity of the subject matter. In 1991 Jason established the Stock Agency Bio-Images as a platform to market and deliver his work to clients globally. Bio-Images has supplied natural history and cultural imagery for all media for 25 years, and offering a unique data service providing scientific information on many of the species in the collection. Jason has photographed in dozens of countries. His work has appeared in hundreds of publications including National Geographic Magazine, BBC Wildlife, Australian Geographic, Sports Illustrated, Conde Nast Traveler, and The New Yorker. He has authored and photographed two children's science education books; African Safari, a journey through African ecosystems, and Desert Journal, an examination of adaptations to life in the world's deserts. Jason's reputation for self-reliance and his ability to adapt has seen him placed on assignment in some of the most remote areas. His love of the less developed regions of the planet adds to the feeling of exploration and discovery that clients view in his images. His ability to depict even well known subjects in a unique manner has separated his images from the mainstream. Jason operates a variety of photographic workshops imparting his love of photography, the truth of the RAW image and his passion for travel and exploration. Jason was a senior Carnivore and Primate Husbandry Specialist for the Zoological Board of Victoria responsible for managing collections of endangered species. Animal management, nutrition, environmental enrichment, conservation breeding programs and in-situ conservation measures. Education * Bachelor of Applied Science, Honors (Scientific Photography), RMIT 2001 * Associate Diploma of Applied Science in Animal Technology, Box Hill Institute 1993 * Certificate in Zoo Keeping, Box Hill Institute, 1995 Awards and Recognition Highlights * Travel Photographer of the Year 2016, Best Single Image in a Portfolio-Journeys and Adventures, Special Mention * 72nd POYI, Pictures of the Year International 2015, 'Award of Excellence' for Science and Natural History * Honoured as one of the world's top '100 Photography Heroes', Professional Photographer Magazine UK, 2013 * Travel Photographer of the Year 2013: One Shot - Extraordinary, Runner-Up; Portfolio - Vanishing & Emerging Cultures, Highly Commended * Communication Arts Photography Annual 2013, Award of Excellence for a Series * Communication Arts Photography Annual 2013, Award of Excellence for a Single Image * Eureka New Scientist Eureka Prize for Science Photography, Winner 2012 * Eureka New Scientist Eureka Prize for Science Photography, Winner 2011 * Communication Arts Photography Annual 2011, Award of Excellence Single Image * Travel Photographer of the Year 2012, Portfolio-Journeys, Runner-up * PromaxBDA International Awards 2012, Winner of 2 x Golden Muse Awards and Winner 2 x Silver Muse Awards 2013 * Australian Geographic Society 'Pursuit of Excellence' Award 2004 * Visa Pour L'Image Photojournalism Festival, Perpignan France 2003, National Geographic "Where Ships and Workers go to Die" * Travel Photographer of the Year 2006, Magnum Photos Judges Award, Winner * Travel Photographer of the Year 2006, Iconic Portfolio * Lucie Foundation International Photography Awards 2013, Professional Category: Editorial: Environmental - Honorable Mention, People: Culture - Honorable Mention, People: Children - Honorable Mention, Nature: Underwater - Honorable Mention, Nature: Wildlife - Honorable Mention. 2012 Professional Category: People and Culture - Honorable Mention, Fine Art Landscape - Honorable Mention, Editorial Environmental - Honorable Mention, Editorial Photo Essay and Feature Story - Honorable Mention Exhibition Highlights * Royal Geographical Society London, TPOTY, London July 2014 * Annenberg Space for Photography, The Power of Photography, National Geographic 125 Years, October 2013_images from my National Geographic Collection * Royal Geographical Society, TPOTY 2012, London July 2013_Poaching and Bush Meat * World Nomads Antarctica, UTS Gallery, Sydney March 2011_Antarctica * Vanishing Icon's, World Bank, Washington, DC, April 2010_images from my National Geographic Collection * Trinity Wall Street, Picturing an Ethical Economy, New York, April 2010_Ship Breaking in India * Human Origins, Smithsonian Hall of Human Origins (NMNH), January 2010_images from my National Geographic Collection * Climate Change American Museum of Natural History, New York, October 2008_images from my National Geographic collection * Whales: From the Depths of the National Geographic Collection, Washington DC, October 2008_images from my National Geographic Collection * The Museum of Natural History, Paris, France, May 2008_images from my National Geographic Collection * Cradle Mountain Wilderness Gallery Tasmania, TEMPO rhythms of life, 2007-2008_images from my National Geographic Collection * Visa Pour L'Image Photojournalism Festival, Perpignan France 2003, National Geographic "Where Ships and Workers go to Die"_Ship Breaking in India * Ballarat International Foto Biennale 2007, by Directors invitation 'Life is Motion' _images from my National Geographic Collection Artist Statement For a long time he was regarded, and regarded himself, as a wildlife photographer often spending months on the road and refusing to capture even a single image of a person. However, as the years passed Jason came to realise that not only his vision of how he wanted to tell a story changed but also how he 'saw' that story and it's interconnected elements. Today he regards himself as a photographer of Natural History. To Jason photography is more than just capturing beautiful pictures, these days almost anyone can do that; it should be about telling a story. The goal is always to tell a story. Beautifully composed images can tell a story by themselves, without text. He aims to immerse himself in the environment whether he has five minutes or five weeks and to document what he sees and not stage scenes; always striving to create the image in the field, not in post-production. Jason's philosophy is to faithfully represent what the camera captured, rather than to manipulate the image. He does extremely limited editing of his images and never composites more than one frame into an image. His editing technique produces a natural, clean, precise and consistent 'look' and style to my portfolio. He is an advocate for digital photography, but also believes that Natural History and Documentary Photography are best served by the motto, "less is more".