National Geographic Photography Expert icon National Geographic Photography Expert

Jonathan Kingston

A climber, diver and storyteller, Jonathan Kingston has traveled to some of the most remote corners of the world, documenting tribal life in India’s Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, creating photogrammetric models of underwater archaeological sites and more. His work has been published in National Geographic magazine, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, among others. He has also received numerous honors from prestigious contests, such as the Communication Arts, Prix de la Photographie Paris and PDN Photo Annual competitions.

A passionate teacher, Jonathan worked as a faculty member at India’s first school of photography, where he helped design coursework that has trained some of the country’s most renowned professional photographers, including the Academy Award®-winning director of The Elephant Whisperers. More recently, Jonathan partnered with Aaron Brien, an officer of the Crow Tribal Preservation Service, to teach a National Geographic Photo Camp on the Crow Reservation in Montana. An explorer at heart, Jonathan's perspective behind the camera lens has been shaped by his many adventures—including circumnavigating the globe, climbing El Capitain as a teenager, riding through India on a Royal Enfield motorcycle and surviving typhoid fever in Tamil Nadu.

My upcoming expeditions