Traveling Light

Ami Vitale Spans the Globe to Capture a World in Transition.

- Jack Neubart

PHOTOGRAPHER AMI VITALE TRAVELS THE WORLD to capture those aspects of life we don’t ordinarily see. She helps us understand other peoples, their cultures, lifestyles, and traditions. She’s not afraid to take the journey, regardless of the perils she may face. And she comes away from the experience with images she shares with the world, much of it for National Geographic.

THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CONNECTION 

Vitale started her professional photography career as an editor with the Associated Press. However, she soon realized she could do more with her images and left to work in Prague, Kosovo, and later India, where her evolving connection to National Geographic began. “I moved to India in 2001,” Vitale said, “and started doing a lot of work all over the region for National Geographic Adventure.”

That said, it still took a few years for National Geographic, the parent magazine, to come knocking and ask Vitale to shoot for them. Now the relationship has grown. She’s also doing speaking engagements for them, shooting films, and “most recently I’ve started working on VR films.” For VR she uses the Nikon KeyMission 360. “The 360 has also made me a better still photographer because it makes me think more deeply about the story,” Vitale explained. 

LIVING THE STORY 

Vitale noted that travel photography was originally her passport to meeting people and experiencing new cultures. “Now it has become a tool for creating awareness and understanding across cultures, communities, and countries; a tool to make sense of our commonalities in the world we share.”