Michael O. Snyder
Michael O. Snyder (he/him/his) is a tenure-track assistant professor teaching classes in Photojournalism, Documentary Photography, Filmmaking and Visual Storytelling.
Snyder is a multimedia visual storyteller whose work explores the intersection of cultural heritage, environmental change and human resilience. Working across more than 50 countries, often in remote locations such as the high Arctic or the Amazon, his long-form photo stories have appeared in National Geographic, The Guardian, The Washington Post and other major international outlets. He has contributed work to numerous books and is the author of a hardback photobook about changing Appalachian traditions. His films and cinematography have been screened in more than 60 film festivals and have been distributed by outlets such as National Geographic and New Day Films. He holds an MSc in Environmental Sustainability from the University of Edinburgh and brings 20 years of experience and a rigorous scientific lens to his work.
Snyder's photographic work has been recognized with the Portrait of Humanity Award, the BJP Decade of Change Award, the Smithsonian Magazine Photography Awards, the Sony World Photography Awards and NPPA's Best of Photojournalism, among others. He is a Pulitzer Grantee, a member of the Society of Environmental Journalists and is currently working under a long-term grant from the National Geographic Society exploring how cultural heritage sites are adapting to climate change.
As an educator, he has mentored students who have earned recognition through the Hearst Journalism Awards, the Guggenheim Fellowship, and Critical Mass. He has lectured at Columbia and Yale, and in 2021 was a featured speaker at the United Nations Climate Conference. In 2022, the University of Edinburgh named him one of its most influential alumni making a significant contribution to climate science and justice.
Selected publications:
- National Geographic: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/map-turtles-canada-deaths-investigation
- National Geographic: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/premium/article/petra-ancient-technology-climate-change-floods
- National Geographic: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/climate-change-arctic-light-pollution-marine-life
- The Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/photography/2020/08/10/learning-breathe-baltimore/
- Science: https://www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/science.372.6548.1254
- The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2024/apr/10/drag-queen-maxine-young-in-cumberland-maryland-michael-o-snyder-best-photograph
- The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2021/jun/23/wellcome-photography-prize-2021-shortlist-health-challenges-in-pictures
- Stern: https://www.stern.de/gesellschaft/dragqueens-in-der-us-provinz--die-koeniginnen-von--queen-city--35032378.html
- Scientific American: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/arctic-exploitation-may-harm-animals-large-and-small/
- The Bitter Southerner: https://bittersoutherner.com/feature/2021/the-mountain-traditions-project
- Virginia Quarterly Review: https://www.vqronline.org/springsummer-2023/photography-portfolios/queens-queen-city
- Alleghania: a Central Appalachian Folklore Anthology (hardback photobook, 2025): https://bsgeneralstore.com/products/alleghania-a-central-appalachian-folklore-anthology
Selected Awards:
Rotary International, Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship to the University of Edinburgh, Scotland
The British Journal of Photography, Portrait of Humanity Award Winner
The British Journal of Photography, Decade of Change Award Winner
NPPA (The National Press Photographer’s Association) Best of Photojournalism Awards, Winner, The Cliff Edom New America Award
2x Pulitzer Grantee (Gender Equity Reporting Grant, Climate and Labor Reporting Grant)
Photolucidia, Critical Mass, Top 200 Photographers
National Geographic Explorer Grant Collaborator (Preserving Legacies)
National Geographic Young Explorer Grant Collaborator (Eroding Edges)
National Science Foundation Grant, Collaborator, Migration in Harmony, (Multi Year)
Bertha Foundation Climate Challenge Journalism Fellow
Smithsonian Magazine International Photography Competition, 'The American Experience', Finalist
Smithsonian Magazine International Photography Competition, 'People' Finalist
Sony World Photography Awards, Portraiture Series Award Winner
Lumearth International Photo Awards, Winner, Second Place, Human and Environment
Climate Visuals, Ocean Visuals Award, Winner
LensCulture Portraiture Awards, Series Finalist
Px3 Prix De La Photographie Paris, Portraiture Awards, Honorable Mention
International Photography Awards, Portraiture Series, Honorable Mention
ZEKE Award for Documentary Photography, Honorable Mention
The Pulitzer Center, The Pulitzer Prize for Photography, Nominee
Climate Visuals and the TED Countdown, Visualizing Climate Change Award, Winner
Apple Podcasts, Top 50 in Travel and Culture
The Lucie Foundation, The Guardian Project, Finalist
UNICEF Photo of the Year, Nominee
University of Strathclyde, Scotland, Winner, Highly Commended, Images of Research
The Photo Gala Awards, Julia Margaret Cameron Award Winner, The Feminine Universe