From Sneaky Rebel to National Geographic Trailblazer! This is the start of a special two-part series with the amazing Sarah Leen, a woman whose name is synonymous with the iconic yellow border of National Geographic.

In this first part, we trace Sarah’s historic journey: from being a "rebellious" student to becoming the first female College Photographer of the Year and, eventually, the first female Director of Photography in the magazine's 125-year history. 

We dive into the reality of the freelance life, shooting 16 stories across the globe from Siberia to Mali, and the "tough lessons" learned on her first assignments. Sarah shares her philosophy on being a "problem solver" rather than a "problem maker," her love for the physical page, and why she eventually decided to step down from the top office to return to the creative "jigsaw puzzle" of editing. 

Coming next week: Stay tuned for Part 2, where we follow Sarah into her life after the magazine, focusing on the art of photo books editing, her mission with being a mentor at amazing workshops and some good laughs of course too!

*****

📸 See more of Sarah's work:

https://www.sarahleen.com/

*****

🎧 Your Weekly dose of Photography Inspiration:

https://www.thecameracafeshow.com