One of the first woman photographers to work for National Geographic, Annie Griffiths has photographed in nearly 150 countries during her illustrious career. She has worked on dozens of magazine and book projects for National Geographic Society, including stories on Lawrence of Arabia, Baja California, Galilee, Petra, Sydney, New Zealand and Jerusalem. In addition to her magazine work, Griffiths is deeply committed to photographing for aid organizations around the world. She is the Executive Director of Ripple Effect Images, a collective of photographers who document the programs that are empowering women and girls throughout the developing world, especially as they deal with the devastating effects of climate change.

She is known for her warmth, and for her ability to quickly create photographs that humanize various situations and cultures. Griffith’s two children accompanied her on most of her photo assignments. I’ve worked in places with people who’ve never seen a Caucasian woman, and yet when they find out I’m a mother, that’s something we have in common,” she has commented.

Griffith’s work has also appeared in LIFE, Geo, Smithsonian, Fortune, Merian, Stern and many other publications. With author Barbara Kingsolver, she produced Last Stand: America’s Virgin Lands, a book celebrating the last pristine wilderness in North America. Proceeds from the book have raised more than a quarter of a million dollars for grassroots land conservation. In 2008, Annie published A Camera, Two Kids and a Camel, a photo memoir about balance, and the joy of creating a meaningful life. In 2010, she published Simply Beautiful Photographs, which was named the top photo/art book of the year by Amazon and by Barnes and Noble. Annie Griffiths has received awards from the National Press Photographers Association, the Associated Press, the National Organization of Women, The University of Minnesota and the White House News Photographers Association.