Michael Bednar
Greetings & Saludos!
I’m Michael Bednar, a travel and social documentary photographer drawn to how culture and environment weave together. My camera is my passport for exploring how people and places shape one another.
At my core, I’m a storyteller who cares deeply about people and the world. I want to share that passion with others. My curiosity about different cultures and landscapes keeps me exploring, sometimes getting lost, but always enjoying the unexpected turns. For the past twenty-five years, I’ve worked with clients from editorial publications, government agencies, non-profits, medical institutions, and universities, helping them tell their stories through meaningful images.
My urge to explore kicked in early (apologies, Mom). After briefly flirting with the misguided idea of a career in finance, I surrendered to the call of the wild, trading spreadsheets for studies in forestry, outdoor recreation, fisheries, and wildlife. My early adulthood found me working in the remote northern reaches of British Columbia - that is, when I wasn’t hitchhiking through Africa, working on a kibbutz in Israel, crewing a Mediterranean sailboat, traversing the Australian outback, or trekking the Himalayas. Eventually, my camera became my constant companion, and I returned to school to hone my craft as a visual storyteller.
After graduating from the Western Academy of Photography, I began my photography career with a practicum at The Calgary Herald, followed by three years at The Medicine Hat News. Those newsroom days taught me a lot (including the fine art of surviving on coffee, which I hadn’t drunk before) and left me with great memories of camaraderie, critical thinking, and creative energy. Since then, I’ve been freelancing—apart from the occasional tangent—and loving the diversity it brings, though the highs and lows can be unsettling at times.
I’m grateful to have received awards including Asian Geographic Magazine’s ‘Photojournalism of the Decade’, the Northern Lights Award for ‘Best Canadian Travel Photography’, and the Lucie Award for ‘People Photographer of the Year’. I’ve also been nominated for ‘International Photographer of the Year’ and have earned a few other honours along the way. These recognitions motivate me to keep moving forward, and I truly appreciate them.
When I’m not behind the camera or glued to my computer editing or writing, you might find me poring over maps, dreaming up my next adventure, hiking or canoeing in the wild, or—if I’m enjoying city life—cooking up a feast for friends or just for myself. There’s always music playing in my kitchen, and while I can neither confirm nor deny the dancing, I do recommend it.
Currently, I’m based in Cusco, Peru, working on a project documenting the culture of the Andean Indigenous Quechua people. This ongoing work has earned recognition from the International Photography Awards, the Tokyo International Foto Awards, and the Social Documentary Network. It was also selected by the Center Santa Fe as one of the RSF 100 projects for presentation to industry leaders. The project is nearing completion and is in the design stage, preparing it for publication as a photobook and for print exhibitions in select international locations. I am collaborating with a celebrated book designer, a top photobook publisher, and a renowned cultural anthropologist, ethnobotanist, and author who will write the foreword essay. I am extremely excited to complete this project and share it with the world.
If you’d like to follow along with this project—or just receive the occasional story from the field—sign up for my newsletter. If you have any questions or want to chat about photography, travel, or recipes, drop me a line!
With gratitude,
MB.