Michael Snyder

Michael O. Snyder (he/him/his) joined the visual communications department in the Newhouse School in Fall 2023 as a tenure-track assistant professor. He teaches classes in Photojournalism, Documentary Photography, Filmmaking and Visual Storytelling.  

Prior to joining the faculty at Syracuse University, Snyder has run his own production company, Interdependent Pictures, where he has directed films in the Arctic, the Amazon, the Himalayas and East Africa. His films have been selected to over 60 festivals, have taken home numerous awards, have been sponsored by companies such as Sony and GoPro, and have been distributed by outlets such as New Day Films and Films for Change. His photojournalism work has been featured by media outlets such as National Geographic, The Guardian and The Washington Post, and has been shown at exhibitions and galleries around the world.  

Snyder’s work as a documentary photographer and filmmaker explores the dynamic relationship between environmental and cultural change. As an environmental and climate scientist by training, Snyder uses his combined knowledge of visual storytelling and conservation to create narratives that drive social impact. 

His work has been recognized through multiple grants and awards including the Portrait of Humanity Award, as a Pulitzer Grantee, a National Geographic Young Explorer Grant, a Climate Journalism Fellow at the Bertha Foundation, and is an active member of the Society of Environmental Journalists. 

Snyder has had work in multiple photography exhibits around the world including NYC Climate Week, Museum of Climate Change Hong Kong, The 6th Biennial of Fine Art and Documentary Photography in Barcelona, Capa Center in Budhapest, Photoville in New York City,the UN Climate Conference in Glasgow, the Indian Photo Festival, McGuffey Arts Center in Charlottesville, VA, Bertha House in Cape Town, South Africa, The Wall Gallery in Venice, and several others, but perhaps the most memorable is his work was shown in the first photo exhibit in Space. 

Snyder received a master of science degree in environmental sustainability from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland and bachelor’s degree in geology from Dickinson College in Pennsylvania.