How do I become a National Geographic photographer? A professional photographer? How do I get started?

My colleagues have done a great job of answering the questions to the left. Please see their responses:

https://www.joelsartore.com/about-joel/common-questions/

https://michaelnicknichols.com/nicks-take/

While not addressing these questions directly these sites are great resources for getting started and learning more:

https://www.amivitale.com/resources/

http://thephotosociety.org/

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How did you become a National Geographic photographer?

Luck, plus: A lifetime of practicing photography with a focus of 5 years documenting the lives of wolverines in the Lower 48. Halfway through my fieldwork, I showed my work to a photo editor (they had reached out to me for a different wildlife story to see if I had photos that would fit). I then got an assignment to finish the story but spent an additional year (on my own time and dime) to finalize the images. That story ran as a feature in the National Geographic Magazine.

Can I be your assistant?

I tend to do work that requires a small footprint and haven’t needed to hire an assistant yet. If I did need someone in the future I would likely find that person based on their specialty and reputation. For the work I do, an assistant would likely be a good videographer, have wilderness medical training, and then specific skills related to the landscape we would be working in: mountains, oceans, etc.

What kind of camera/equipment do you use?

I’m constantly experimenting with new equipment, but I’m mostly shooting with Nikon DSLRs (D5, D810, D610) and Sony mirrorless cameras (A7sIII, RX1R, RX100iv) and a myriad of lenses from Nikon, Sigma, Sony, Zeiss, Venus. These cameras are like instruments to me, what matters most is how you play them.