He is a photographer renowned for his aerial imagery and long-term documentary projects on climate, landscapes, and global food production. He pioneered the use of a foot-launched motorized paraglider to document all of the world’s extreme deserts, which took him to 27 countries, plus Antarctica, over a 15-year period.
A regular contributor to National Geographic and The New York Times Magazine, he has produced more than 40 major essays for National Geographic and is widely recognised for photographing remote deserts and complex environmental systems from motorized paragliders and, more recently, drones.
George has won numerous awards for photography during his career, including including multiple World Press Photo awards, the Environmental Vision Award from Pictures of the Year, National Geographic Adventurer of the Year, the 2025 Figaro Magazine Lifetime Achievement Visa d’Or Award, and the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability’s Distinguished Alumni Award. He is the author of four major photographic books: African Air, Empty Quarter, Desert Air, and New York Air.
His work has been exhibited internationally and featured in programs such as National Geographic Explorer, TEDGlobal, and the Disney+ series Welcome to Earth.
World Press Photo Involvement:
2018 World Press Photo Contest
1998 World Press Photo Contest
1995 World Press Photo Contest
George Steinmetz on Social Media:
Instagram: @geosteinmetz
