my journey in photographs by annie griffiths

A Camera, Two Kids, and a Camel: My Journey in Photographs

Annie griffiths belt. national geographic society, $35 (223pp) isbn 978-1-4262-0245-2.

Reviewed on: 03/17/2008

Genre: Nonfiction

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Demy folio, [27.75cm/11inches], full gilt-embossed quarter-bound cloth with mylar-protected dust jacket, pp. 223. Illustrated with b-w halftones, colour plates &tc. Please feel free to ask for particulars and/or additional photographs. Annie Griffiths Belt spent much of her life as a National Geographic photographer, traveling the world, telling stories about the peoples and places she visited. In A Camera, Two Kids and a Camel she tells her story. She tells of growing up in the Midwestern US in the 1950s and how early on she had no thoughts of being a photographer; she didn t even own a camera until her junior year in college. She thought she d be a novelist.But the job that might have begun training Annie for her eventual career with National Geographic was that of a waitress in a small town. She felt that job taught her more than any classroom ever had. She learned how to relate to people, how to communicate and get along, the gift of gab and putting people at ease; great skills for a future journalist. When she did finally buy a camera in college Annie was hooked. All she wanted to do was shoot assignments for the university paper. After college she worked for another paper, one where she was largely on her own to find and tell stories, with little oversight or direction. This was perfect training for National Geographic. Seller Inventory # 27844

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Bibliographic Details

Title: A Camera, Two Kids and a Camel: My Journey ...

Publisher: National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C.

Publication Date: 2008

Binding: Hardcover

Condition: In quite good condition.

Dust Jacket Condition: Dust Jacket Included

Edition: First Impression.

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Author Interviews

Photographer's peripatetic life is a family affair.

Annie Griffiths Belt was one of the first female photographers to be hired at National Geographic. Courtesy of Annie Griffiths Belt hide caption

Annie Griffiths Belt was one of the first female photographers to be hired at National Geographic.

Belt's husband, Don, poses with their children, Lily (left) and Charlie, in Jordan. Annie Griffiths Belt/©2008 National Geographic hide caption

Belt's husband, Don, poses with their children, Lily (left) and Charlie, in Jordan.

An opera star applies makeup in Hong Kong. Annie Griffiths Belt/©2008 National Geographic hide caption

An opera star applies makeup in Hong Kong.

A model poses on South Beach in Miami. Annie Griffiths Belt/©2008 National Geographic hide caption

A model poses on South Beach in Miami.

A man wades into a swimming hole at the top of Victoria Falls in Zambia. Annie Griffiths Belt/©2008 National Geographic hide caption

A man wades into a swimming hole at the top of Victoria Falls in Zambia.

For National Geographic photographer Annie Griffiths Belt, the perfect packing material for cameras is — diapers.

The award-winning photojournalist and mother of two says even after her children were toilet-trained, she still made use of diapers because they fit around her camera lenses like a glove. And she has carried them to places around the globe during her 30-year career at the magazine.

One of the first female photographers hired at National Geographic , Belt documents her peripatetic life as a photographer and mother in a new book, A Camera, Two Kids, and a Camel: My Journey in Photographs.

Belt, who was hired in 1978, and her husband, Don, a writer at the magazine, decided that their children should accompany Belt on most of her photo assignments. With the help of dedicated nannies and a hefty sense of adventure, Belt took Lily and Charlie around the world in their younger years. She found that even in the most remote parts of the planet, her role as a mother opened doors.

"People wonder if I would have access in the Middle East, and whenever I've been in a culture that's divided by gender, to me it's a huge advantage." Belt says during a conversation with Liane Hansen. "There are so many male photographers out there covering the guys, but let me tell you, the girls are having a good time."

From Jordan to the Galapagos Islands and beyond, Belt's children joined in her adventures, sometimes missing school for weeks at a time. The family experienced joyful moments — and dangerous ones — along the way. There were bear encounters at Yellowstone National Park and brushes with sharks in the Galapagos, and Belt says she and her husband routinely weighed the risks of exposing their children to exotic locales.

Eventually, academic demands made it impossible for her children to go globetrotting, and Belt eventually found her career taking off in new directions. Today, in addition to her work as a National Geographic photographer, she is an author and speaker. And Lily and Charlie are now 18 and 15, respectively.

Belt says A Camera, Two Kids, and a Camel is testament to the fact that mothers, especially, can fulfill their dreams.

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The Photo Society

Annie griffiths.

One of the first women photographers to work for National Geographic, Annie Griffiths has photographed in nearly 150 countries during her illustrious career.  She has worked on dozens of magazine and book projects for National Geographic, including stories on Lawrence of Arabia, Baja California, Galilee, Petra, Sydney, New Zealand, and Jerusalem.

• Website: www.anniegriffiths.com
• Phone: (703) 757-3383
• Alice Keating

In addition to her magazine work, Annie is deeply committed to photographing for aid organizations around the world.  She is the Executive Director of Ripple Effect Images , a collective of photographers who document the programs that are empowering women and girls in the developing world, especially as they deal with the devastating effects of climate change.

Annie’s work has also appeared in LIFE, Geo, Smithsonian, Fortune, Stern, and many other publications.  Along with author Barbara Kingsolver, she produced  Last Stand: America’s Virgin Lands , a book celebrating the last pristine wilderness in North America. Proceeds from the book raised more than a quarter of a million dollars for grassroots land conservation.

In 2008, Annie published A Camera, Two Kids and a Camel , a photo memoir about balance, and the joy of creating a meaningful life.  In 2010, she published Simply Beautiful Photographs , which was named the top photo/art book of the year by both Amazon and Barnes and Noble.  Annie is currently at work on three new books.

Annie is a Fellow with The International League of Conservation Photographers and has received awards from the National Press Photographers Association, the Associated Press, the National Organization of Women, The University of Minnesota and the White House News Photographers Association.