Growing and giving back through wildlife photography

George McKenzie Jr. is an award-winning conservation photographer, filmmaker, and National Geographic Explorer, known for documenting the intersection of wildlife, culture, and natural history. He’s passionate about democratizing conservation and mentoring the next generation of storytellers of color.

George McKenzie Jr. is an award-winning conservation photographer, filmmaker, and National Geographic Explorer, known for documenting the intersection of wildlife, culture, and natural history. He’s passionate about democratizing conservation and mentoring the next generation of storytellers of color.

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Featured photograph by George McKenzie Jr. at DeLuca Preserve

“Photography saved my life. Photography changed my life.”

“I’ve had great mentors that have guided me and shared their wisdom, and knowledge, and their lived experience. My mentors are the reason I had the ability to dream … All these Explorers saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself,” he reflects. “To me, that’s what the Society and being an Explorer is about – being able to give back on such a level because there are only two things in life that’ll make you truly happy, one of them is growing, and the second one is giving.”

In his younger years, McKenzie recalls having two distinct aspirations: to be a fighter pilot, “like Tom Cruise in ‘Top Gun,” which didn’t work out. His second was to be a gangster. It led to a life-threatening incident in the 1990s. His recovery in a Brooklyn hospital served as an awakening: “I realized there’s no retirement in the gangster lifestyle. You either die or go to jail. I had to change that. And that's what got me into photography.”

His initial interest in photography came from an encounter at a New York City nightclub. He was inspired when a woman he noticed turned her attention to the event photographer. “I had a light bulb moment. Your boy’s about to be a photographer,” he thought. “She inspired me to take a chance and do something outside of my comfort zone, and it turned into this amazing journey.”

He dove into event photography, which evolved into a celebrity portfolio, including Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Bon Jovi and Steven Spielberg.

So when the day arrived that Charlie Hamilton James walked into the Adorama electronics retailer where McKenzie worked, he could accurately presume from the camera around his neck that James was a professional. When James revealed he was a wildlife photographer for National Geographic, McKenzie asked to be his assistant.

Eventually McKenzie and James worked together to document whatever living, non-human thing they could around the unlikely wildlife residence of New York City. “You photograph what you have access to,” explains McKenzie. Rats, roaches and pigeons. He worked as James’ assistant photographer, painting portraits of pigeons, alongside the curious world of their keepers, in a seldom seen light.

Later, McKenzie says Vincent J. Musi — acclaimed National Geographic photographer known for his animal portraiture — helped propel the direction of his dreams. Then, followed inspiration from Carlton Ward, the conservation photographer and filmmaker who would “set me free in the Florida Everglades” where McKenzie resides now — in a town of 2,500 people and a decent number of alligators.

“I chose wildlife photography because I didn’t see anybody that looked like me in this field, and to storytell from the point of view of someone that’s not from Florida, someone who moved here from a city. For me, I’m in awe of everything.”

Since 2025, McKenzie has been documenting the path of the endangered Florida panther through the Wildlife Corridor, an extension of Ward’s conservation campaign to protect an approximately 18-million-acre network of lands stretching from the Everglades to the Panhandle.

“People say the swamp gives it and the swamp takes it. The swamp gave me an appreciation for nature and it took away all the things I held onto,” McKenzie says. He’s also working on the time-sensitive task of documenting seldom observed hunting behavior of mountain lions preying on northern elephant seal pups to inform understudied coastal ecosystems.

“I share my story of how nature healed me and changed me, because ultimately to live the life I live now I had to witness the old version of me die.”

He’s paid it forward to the next generation of storytellers as a regular instructor for National Geographic Photo Camp — a photography education program founded by National Geographic Explorer in Residence Kirsten Elstner. He also supports the Generation 2050 foundation, and frequently teaches photography to his friends’ kids.

McKenzie reemphasizes his personal story in his self-made film. “The Book of George” was screened at the 2026 Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour, hosted by the National Geographic Society. It’s been the inspiration for an education curriculum developed by McKenzie, and sparked an impact campaign he’s created with fellow Explorers. In 2025, the documentary, Mckenzie’s first-ever feature, won a Best Short Form Film award at the Jackson Wild Film Festival.

“I ain’t no hero, I’m just a regular dude,” he says. “I just want to be remembered as the person that gave somebody else the opportunity to dream. That's it.”

The National Geographic Society is a global nonprofit organization that uses the power of science, exploration, education and storytelling to illuminate and protect the wonder of our world. Since 1888, National Geographic has pushed the boundaries of exploration, investing in bold people and transformative ideas, providing more than 15,000 grants for work across all seven continents, reaching 3 million students each year through education offerings, and engaging audiences around the globe through signature experiences, stories and content.

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