Country: United States 🇺🇸
Laura Grier is an award-winning adventure travel photographer, photo-anthropologist, and National Geographic Expeditions Expert who has spent more than 26 years documenting cultures, communities, wildlife, and landscapes across more than 105 countries and all seven continents.
Known for her ability to forge authentic human connections, Laura's work blends documentary photography with immersive storytelling, capturing the people, traditions, and environments that define a place. Her background includes early work in the CIA's photo-imaging department and mentorship under renowned National Geographic photographer Ed Kashi, experiences that helped shape her distinctive visual style and commitment to meaningful storytelling.
For nearly two decades, Laura collaborated with Novica, in association with National Geographic, documenting endangered artisan traditions and working alongside Indigenous communities throughout Latin America and Asia. Her work has taken her deep into remote villages, rainforests, mountain communities, and conservation areas, where she strives to create images that celebrate cultural heritage while inspiring greater understanding of our shared humanity.
As a National Geographic Expeditions Expert and expedition leader, Laura helps travelers elevate their photography while fostering deeper connections with the people, cultures, and landscapes they encounter. Whether photographing wildlife in Africa, Indigenous communities in the Andes, glaciers in Greenland, or ancient traditions in Asia, she believes the most powerful images are those that tell honest, human stories.
Beyond photography, Laura is the Founder of Andeana Hats and founder of Mayu Mission, organizations dedicated to partnering with Indigenous artisans across Central and South America to preserve traditional craftsmanship, expand economic opportunities, and celebrate cultural storytelling.
Through every photograph, Laura seeks to capture more than a beautiful scene—she strives to preserve moments of connection, resilience, and wonder that remind us how deeply interconnected our world truly is.
Known for her ability to forge authentic human connections, Laura's work blends documentary photography with immersive storytelling, capturing the people, traditions, and environments that define a place. Her background includes early work in the CIA's photo-imaging department and mentorship under renowned National Geographic photographer Ed Kashi, experiences that helped shape her distinctive visual style and commitment to meaningful storytelling.
For nearly two decades, Laura collaborated with Novica, in association with National Geographic, documenting endangered artisan traditions and working alongside Indigenous communities throughout Latin America and Asia. Her work has taken her deep into remote villages, rainforests, mountain communities, and conservation areas, where she strives to create images that celebrate cultural heritage while inspiring greater understanding of our shared humanity.
As a National Geographic Expeditions Expert and expedition leader, Laura helps travelers elevate their photography while fostering deeper connections with the people, cultures, and landscapes they encounter. Whether photographing wildlife in Africa, Indigenous communities in the Andes, glaciers in Greenland, or ancient traditions in Asia, she believes the most powerful images are those that tell honest, human stories.
Beyond photography, Laura is the Founder of Andeana Hats and founder of Mayu Mission, organizations dedicated to partnering with Indigenous artisans across Central and South America to preserve traditional craftsmanship, expand economic opportunities, and celebrate cultural storytelling.
Through every photograph, Laura seeks to capture more than a beautiful scene—she strives to preserve moments of connection, resilience, and wonder that remind us how deeply interconnected our world truly is.