Michael grew up on reclaimed mining land in rural Appalachia. His background inspired his pursuit of environmental science, which eventually led him to a career in visual storytelling, teaching, and working with National Geographic, currently documenting how world heritage sites adapt to climate change.

Name: Michael Snyder

Degree course: MSc Environmental Sustainability 2008

Year of graduation: 2008

At the moment

What is your current role, and how did you get there?

I am an Assistant Professor of Visual Communications (photojournalism and filmmaking) at Syracuse University in upstate New York. In addition, I am an independent photojournalist working on a long-term grant with National Geographic documenting how world heritage sites are adapting to climate change.

What inspired your interest in this field?

I grew up on twelve acres of reclaimed mining land in rural Appalachia, a young witness to the innumerable scars that industrial extraction can imprint on both lives and landscapes. Consequently, I trained to be an environmental scientist, a career that I believed could help bind the wounds of my home and contribute to resolving the core crisis of our times: global climate change. However, my graduate research into social models of behaviour change lead me to a realisation that has permanently altered my working life: the real power to drive durable cultural change lies not within the purely descriptive faculties of science, but in crafting informed narratives that directly challenge dominant paradigms and provide the requisite tools, mechanisms, and visions to transform it. In short, reason alone does not a revolution make. We have to learn to tell a better story.

Today I work as a multi-disciplinary visual storyteller because I believe in the power of narratives to shift what it means to live well on this planet without destroying it. I am driven to explore the relationship between environment and culture and how we can produce visual stories that lead to durable social change.

Career journey

What were some key milestones in your career journey?

• 2008 – 2011: I was a part of a series of initiatives in Edinburgh (city and University) helping to design community led climate resilience strategies and programmes.  During this time, I developed a growing interest in the role that visual stories play in this effort.
• 2011: I started a production company called Interdependent Pictures (based in Washington DC), helping non-profit organisations tell their stories of social change.
• 2015: I began working as a documentary photographer and photojournalist, principally focused on environmental sustainability and social justice.
• 2017: I got my first grant with National Geographic.
• 2020: I landed my first National Geographic feature story, a major fellowship, and a series of international awards for my work.
• 2021: I began teaching in the classroom, running workshops, and I presented to the international delegation at the UN Climate Conference in Glasgow, Scotland.
• 2023: I joined the faculty at Syracuse University.

How did your time at the University shape your professional path?

I found my life’s calling and became fully committed to working on solutions to climate change, which I truly believe is the biggest challenge of our generation.  I was lucky to be surrounded by some very inspiring professors, students, and community members driven by the same calling.

Can you share a standout achievement or moment you’re proud of?

Gosh, I am going to sound sappy, but – without a doubt – it was becoming a father. My children are my biggest teachers. My work is focused on building a world that is worthy of them, and of all children on this planet. I can’t think of a higher calling.

Industry insights

What are the biggest challenges and opportunities in your field right now?

Excitingly, visual storytelling has radically democratised, in that practically everyone can tell and publish their own stories these days. However, that means we have a lot of noise in the public media sphere and within that noise it can be hard to find the signal for the stories that truly matter. This shift has also upended the economic model that dominated the media landscape for generations. At the same time AI is disrupting the space and further threatens truth telling in the 21^st century.

What trends or innovations are shaping the future of your industry?

• The role that identity plays in journalism and storytelling.
• The role that AI plays in journalism and storytelling.
• The emergence of immersive tools.
• Ongoing conversations about how we can drive social impact with stories.

Alumni wisdom

What do you wish you had known at the start of your career?

That the art of visual storytelling isn’t in the quality of the lens that you hold, it’s in the quality of the relationships that you have developed.  Invest your time wisely.

What advice would you give to students or alumni looking to enter your field?

1. Never lose sight of what made you passionate about entering this field in the first place. Hold fast to the dream. Stick with it and you will get there.
2. That said, be ready to adapt and change. The future belongs to the flexible.
3. It’s all about relationships and networks. Get one.
4. One of the biggest predictors of success is focus, prioritisation, and time management. If this is a struggle for you, that’s OK!  It was for me too. There are lots of resources out there to help you.

Finally, on your way to discovering your dream job and success in visual storytelling remember that you have to find a way to make yourself financially sustainable, such that you can stay in this industry long enough to make your best work and create the networks that you need to survive. For me, that meant shooting weddings off and on for almost two decades. Find your golden goose.

Are there any books, podcasts, or resources that have influenced you?

I read Edward Abbey’s Desert Solitaire and Herman Hesse’s Siddhartha when I was in university. Life was never quite the same after that.

More

🔗 School of GeoSciences

🔗 Michael’s website (external)

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