One of the first women photographers to shoot for National Geographic, Annie Griffiths has worked closely with the world-renowned enterprise for over 30 years, covering stories in nearly 150 countries with her signature mixture of brilliant insight, unflinching directness, consummate compassion, and an unerring instinct for capturing images that tell compelling stories. In the course of her illustrious career she has worked on dozens of magazine and book projects for National Geographic, including memorable documentaries of Jerusalem, Galilee, Petra, Sydney, and Lawrence of Arabia.
Griffiths’ career with National Geographic began with an incredibly lucky break. Back in 1977 she was a photographer at the Worthington Daily Globe in southern Minnesota and happened to pick up the phone when someone called the paper. On the other end of the line was Bob Gilka, National Geographic’s famous Director of Photography, who wanted a compelling image of a hailstorm that was passing through the area. She said, “Yes sir, I can go get that picture,” and her can-do attitude was rewarded by having her picture published.
It was this project that gave her the courage to contact Gilka with another story idea, and the rest is history. At age 25 she became the youngest photographer on the National Geographic team.
In addition to her outstanding work for publications, Griffiths is deeply committed to creating opportunities for women globally. To that end she provides her own extraordinary photographs and enlists exceptional photographers to document the work of aid organizations around the world. She is the Founder and Executive Director of Ripple Effect Images, a collective of photographers that document aid programs aimed at empowering women and girls in the developing world. Part of her motivation is the heavy toll that climate change is taking on poor women.
“Seventy percent of those who die in climate disasters are women because they’re not saving themselves; they’re saving the kids,” Griffiths tells the Adorama Learning Center. “Also, most people don’t realize that women and girls are much more affected by climate change than men because they’re the ones who have to go further to find the water, to collect the wood, and to nurse the sick as diseases spread.”
In just eight years, Ripple’s work has helped 26 non-profit organizations raise over $10 million.
In addition to her photography, Griffiths has also published four acclaimed books, is an accomplished public speaker, and a frequent television and radio guest. She has received awards from the National Press Photographers Association, the National Organization of Women, and the White House News Photographer’s Association. A native of Minneapolis, Annie Griffiths holds a degree in photojournalism from the University of Minnesota.
“Photographs are an opportunity to humanize things that seem distant — the fundamental things that bind us and move us.”
— Annie Griffiths
Her mission as a photographer, and what she wants to accomplish, in broad strokes, is both heartfelt and poignant.
“I want my photographs to be beautiful but also to be useful,” she says. “For the most part I try to disappear and become completely present for what is on front if the camera. My images are useful if they can make people stop and think. If they can inspire action, that’s even more useful. Photographs are an opportunity to humanize things that seem distant — the fundamental things that bind us and move us. I founded Ripple Effect Images to cover the underreported stories of women and to shine a light on solutions for women and their kids in the developing world. We find and support organizations dedicated to implementing solutions that empower women. We photograph and create films about their programs, and they have access to the still and video images. Ripple has assembled an extraordinarily gifted team to create both.”
“I was in the journalism program at the University of Minnesota when I fell in love with photography,” Griffiths recalls, “and it was natural I would gravitate toward photojournalism. I was inspired by the work of newspaper photographers and I grew up with beautiful photo magazines like Life and National Geographic, in my home. I studied great photojournalistic photographs and tried to emulate and incorporate their techniques. I was particularly impressed with the work of Edward Steichen, and inspired by the huge variety of his work — street, fine art, war, fashion — and saw the range of possibilities. In my photojournalism courses I learned how to tell a story in pictures, to handle any situation that arose, to deal with time pressure and deadlines, all the while creating work that would show passion and growth. I came to photography relatively late, at age 20, so I felt I had to get going quickly. I had to support myself while earning a degree in photojournalism, so I took photojournalism very seriously from the start.”
Annie Griffiths has used a wide variety of cameras, mostly 35mm and digital SLRs, over the course of her long career, but she’s now a Lumix Global Ambassador and shoots exclusively with Panasonic Lumix mirrorless cameras.
“My first Panasonic camera was the Lumix DC-G9 an advanced full-featured Micro Four Thirds format compact I continue to use for much of my work. Its Leica lenses are fantastic, and the whole system is extremely light and compact, with great ergonomics. One of my favorite lenses is the Leica DG Vario-Elmar 100-400mm f/4-6.3 ASPH. POWER O.I.S. lens, which is smaller than the 180mm I used to shoot with and is amazingly sharp over its entire range. I can work discreetly, travel light, and not look like a photographer. Anything that helps me be less intimidating is a friend to the work I do. The main things that make this system great are the quality of the glass and the engineering. I also had a chance to use the rugged new pro Panasonic Lumix DC-S1 full frame mirrorless L–mount camera in Patagonia, Antarctica, and the American West and it held up extremely well, even on the toughest assignments. It’s very well designed for working pros and I love the ergonomics too — such intuitive operation. I’m really looking forward to using the incredibly fast new Panasonic Lumix S PRO 50mm f/1.4 lens on this great new camera.”
An ongoing part of her personal mission has been to bring diversity to the stories and causes she champions, having had come into the industry before many women photojournalists.
“Proving that women can do it, have a life and a family at the same time, and tell stories that weren’t previously reported,” is one of her greatest accomplishments, she notes. “Today we need all kinds of diversity in journalism. For example, I can tell certain stories that male photographers can’t because I understand on a different level, based our common realities. I was part of National Geographic seeking diversity in their photographic coverage and I’m very grateful to have had that opportunity, which really helped to open up the field to other women and minorities.”
How does she see her career moving forward now that she’s in her ‘60s and at the top of her profession? She is filled with gratitude and determined to continue what she has begun with her non-profit.
“I’m extremely lucky in that I have so many projects right now,” she explains. “I definitely haven’t slowed down and I don’t plan to. Indeed, I’m busier than ever, working on several women’s issues. I have an upcoming project with the Dalai Lama, which is very exciting. Most important is my non-profit, Ripple Effect Images. I’m dedicated to making sure that the work we create is widely disseminated and continues to raise awareness that women in the developing world are the best investment we can make in our shared future.”
To see more of Griffith’s work, head to her website, anniegriffiths.com, and follow on Instagram @anniegriffithsphotography.
Feature photo by Annie Griffiths
