From Anchorage, Alaska, to Africa's Zambezi River, Chris Johns's National Geographic magazine assignments have taken him all over the globe. And in 2005, this versatile photographer—comfortable photographing people, wildlife, landscapes, and complex environmental issues—became National Geographic's Editor in Chief.
Johns's career in photojournalism began while studying animal science at Oregon State University. He graduated with a degree in technical journalism and a minor in agriculture. He worked as a teaching assistant while studying for a master's degree in photojournalism at the University of Minnesota.
In 1975 Johns became a staff photographer at the Topeka (Kansas) Capital-Journal and in 1979 was named National Newspaper Photographer of the Year. In 1980 he joined the Seattle Times as a picture editor and special projects photographer. Three years later Johns became a freelance photographer largely working for Life, Time and National Geographic. National Geographic made him a contract photographer in 1985, and Johns joined the magazine staff in 1995.
In 1990 Johns photographed and wrote the critically acclaimed book Valley of Life: Africa's Great Rift. He followed with a National Geographic Society book, Hawaii's Hidden Treasures, which dealt with Hawaii's extinction crisis.
Johns lives on a small farm in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains with his wife, Elizabeth, and their three children.
