Ami Vitale is a National Geographic photographer, writer, filmmaker, and explorer, who has traveled to more than 100 countries documenting the heartbreaking realities of war to witnessing the inspiring power of individuals making a difference.  Throughout the years, Ami has lived in mud huts and war zones and even donned a panda suit— keeping true to her belief in the importance of “living the story.” Her award-winning work illuminates the unsung heroes and communities working to protect wildlife and find harmony in our natural world.

Ami has been called one of the most influential photographers of her generation and is Conservation International’s 2022 Innovators Fellow. In 2022, she was awarded with prestigious prizes from both the Missouri Honor Medal for Distinguished Service and the Lucie Humanitarian Award.  Instyle Magazine named Ami one of fifty Badass Women, a series celebrating women who show up, speak up and get things done, appearing alongside a group of extraordinary women including Jane Goodall, Christiane Amanpour and Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

She has been named Magazine photographer of the year in the International Photographer of the Year prize, received the Daniel Pearl Award for Outstanding Reporting and is a six-time recipient of World Press Photos. She also authored the best-selling book, Panda Love, on the secret lives of pandas.

Ami is an Ambassador for Nikon and the founder and Executive Director of the women-led non-profit Vital Impacts, which uses art to empower and engage youth through the arts. In the first 6 months of creating the nonprofit Vital Impacts, she raised over 1.5 million dollars which was distributed to humanitarian and conservation efforts around the world.  She lectures around the world for the National Geographic Live series and will be featured on the National Geographic Channel Explorer tv series in 2023.