James Standfield's photography has helped to shape the pages of National Geographic. He has traveled through more than 120 countries capturing the world before his lens.
Standfield's interest in the camera started at home. As a boy, his father shared the techniques of the black and white darkroom process. Prior to joining National Geographic in 1967, he polished his technique first at the University of Wisconsin and subsequently in the Army.
His focus has been to demonstrate images of global cultures and the environment of each people visited. With such a diverse background he has had monumental encounters which photographically explored:
- the coronation of Iran's shah
- the robbing of pre-Columbian Indian gravesites in search of gold
- royal life in England's Windsor Castle.
- "The World of Süleyman the Magnificent"
- "Genghis Khan"
- "In the Wake of Darwin's Beagle"
- "Portugal's Sea Road to the East,"
- "The Power and the Glory of the Roman Empire," and "Ibn Battuta, Prince of Travelers."
Stanfield's photographs have illustrated several books: Inside the Vatican, The Greatest Flight, and Eye of the Beholder, a retrospective of his career.
Stanfield's contributions to the world of photojournalism have earned him the recognition of his peers. The White House News Photographers Association has chosen him as Photographer of the Year four times: in 1970, 1977, 1982, and 1987. The National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) also named him Magazine Photographer of the Year in 1985. In July 1999, the NPPA presented him with the Joseph A. Sprague Memorial Award for Lifetime Achievement.
Source: National Geographic
