Paul Chesley is an American photojournalist born in Red Wing,
Minnesota, who is best known for his work as a photographer for the
National Geographic Society.
He was introduced to the art of photography by his father at the
age of three when he was given his first camera. He grew up taking
pictures on family vacations and developing film in his dad's
darkroom. Chesley's early work focused on natural subjects and
landscapes, and in the early 1970s he began taking photography
classes at Colorado Mountain College as well as participating in
workshops at the Center of the Eye in Aspen, Colorado. Chesley also
participated as a student on a National Geographic workshop led by
Robert Gilka, the society's director of photography.
He began shooting assignments for National Geographic in 1975 and
has since completed more than 35 projects for the society. His
photography has focused primarily on people and cultures in
Oceania, Asia and Europe. In 1984, Chesley helped found
Photographers/Aspen, a photo collective of four National Geographic
photographers. In 1989, Chesley met and became friends with Hunter
S. Thompson while producing a story on Aspen for Life magazine.
In an interview with Stephen Metcalf for "Accent Thai" magazine,
Chesley stated that he doesn't consider himself a schooled
photographer. "Almost everything I've learned has come from my
experience in the field," he says. According to John Agnone,
National Geographic book editor, Chesley ..".Takes graphically
strong images that communicate the essence of his subjects - and he
makes it look easy." When asked to describe Chesley's style of
photography, Carole Lee, a former project coordinator for Chesley
stated "Paul's sensitivity captures the gentle spirit in people."
Fellow Minnesotan and National Geographic photographer Jim
Brandenburg said of Paul, "With so many photographers out there
constantly boasting about their work, Paul contradicts the
profession. Chesley holds his projects very dear. he goes about his
work in a quiet but dignified and steadfast way. And most of all,
he lets his work speak for itself."
Paul Chesley was honored with the inclusion of his work in the 100
year retrospective at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington,
D.C. Solo exhibitions of his work have appeared in museums in
London, Tokyo, New York and Honolulu. His greatest enjoyment is on
international projects, capturing the lives of the people, cultures
and beauty of Europe, Asia and the South Pacific. Chesley's
photographic essays are regularly featured in magazines including
"Life," "Fortune," and "GEO." Recent books with his work have been
"Passage to Vietnam"; "Mothers and Daughter"S; "Bangkok"; "The
Circle of Life"; "Thailand" "Seven Days in the Kingdom";
"Indonesia: A Voyage Through the Archipelago"; and "Malaysia: Heart
of Southeast Asia." He has also participated in "A Day in the Life
of China," as well as in a number of other "Day in the Life" books.
Chesley was the sole photographer for "Rocky Mountains: Pillars of
a Continent" and "Continental Divide," both book projects for the
National Geographic Society; and "Minnesota" and "Colorado," by
Random House Publications.
A new website, www.paulchesley.com, shows the diverse nature of his
photographic projects in Asia over the years.
Keith Lorenz grew up in Manhattan. He attended Harvard where he
majored in European history. He hitch hiked out West, and to
Mexico, Central America and Cuba from the age of seventeen.
Two years in the US Army in Germany were followed by a year on the
Left Bank in Paris. Returning to New York he sought a newspaper job
but luck provided him with a one way ticket to Thailand.
After working as a copywriter for Grant Advertising International
in Bangkok he slipped into journalism during the Vietnam war. He
covered events in Indochina and all over Asia for fifteen years,
working for NBC News, Voice of America, Mutual Broadcasting, and
the "San Francisco Chronicle." He later worked for UN Radio in NYC
and finally, in the post-Vietnam period, as the Southeast Asia
correspondent for the "New York Journal of Commerce."
In the mid-1980s Keith moved to Honolulu where he worked as a
writer at the East-West Center on Asia/Pacific issues. A special
interest has been Burma; he has long reported on civil war in that
country. September and October usually find him at his farm in
mid-coast Maine.
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