Good Work with Barrett Brooks From War Zones to Wildlife: Ami Vitale’s Journey to Hope Through Photography
Oct 23, 2025
In this engaging chat, National Geographic photographer Ami Vitale shares her incredible journey from a shy kid to a renowned visual storyteller. She reveals how embracing photography gave her a voice and transformed her approach to life. Ami discusses the emotional weight of conflict reporting and her pivotal decision to shift towards wildlife and hope. With captivating stories from her travels, she highlights the importance of community and dignity in storytelling, reminding us that wildlife narratives are deeply connected to humanity.
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Camera As A Path To Presence
- Picking up a camera transformed Ami Vitale from painfully shy to an empowered observer of the world.
- Photography became a tool to focus on others and cultivate presence and listening.
Introversion Enables Deeper Seeing
- Introversion can be a hidden superpower because it fosters listening and deep observation.
- Ami uses that listening to build trust and find beauty in people's honest stories.
Door‑To‑Door Portraits On Dairyland Road
- Ami bicycled Dairyland Road and knocked on doors to photograph families during a suburbia transition.
- That early work taught her people want to be heard and the power of humanizing statistics.
