Michael Melford (born February 18, 1950, Gloversville, NY) is an American photographer, artist and teacher known for his ''National Geographic'' magazine assignments.

About

Michael Melford grew up in

Hastings-on-Hudson, NY Hastings-on-Hudson is a village in Westchester County located in the southwestern part of the town of Greenburgh in the state of New York, United States. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hudson River, approximately north of midtown Manha ...

. He has a BS in photography from

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

. Melford is known for his raw, natural landscapes and his ability to capture vibrant motion in nature. He has produced over 30 stories for National Geographic Traveler magazine, including eight covers. He has extensively photographed the marvels of America's National Parks and Alaska. His inspirations are

Ansel Adams Ansel Easton Adams (February 20, 1902 – April 22, 1984) was an American landscape photographer and environmentalist known for his black-and-white images of the American West. He helped found Group f/64, an association of photographers advoca ...

and

Ernst Haas Ernst Haas (March 2, 1921 – September 12, 1986) was an Austrian-American photojournalist and color photographer. During his 40-year career, Haas bridged the gap between photojournalism and the use of photography as a medium for expression an ...

Work

Melford's photographs have appeared in The Apple Store,, Michael Melford's photo used to promote Apple's Retina display.

Life Magazine ''Life'' was an American magazine published weekly from 1883 to 1972, as an intermittent "special" until 1978, and as a monthly from 1978 until 2000. During its golden age from 1936 to 1972, ''Life'' was a wide-ranging weekly general-interest ma ...

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis (businessman), Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print m ...

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...

Fortune Fortune may refer to: General * Fortuna or Fortune, the Roman goddess of luck * Luck * Wealth * Fortune, a prediction made in fortune-telling * Fortune, in a fortune cookie Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''The Fortune'' (1931 film) ...

, Smithsonian,

Geo Geo- is a prefix derived from the Greek word ''γη'' or ''γαια'', meaning "earth", usually in the sense of "ground or land”. GEO or Geo may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''GEO'' (magazine), a popular scientific magazine ...

Travel & Leisure ''Travel + Leisure'' is a travel magazine based in New York City, New York. Published 12 times a year, it has 4.8 million readers, according to its corporate media kit. It is published by Dotdash Meredith, a subsidiary of IAC, with trademark rig ...

Travel Holiday ''Travel Holiday'' was an American magazine title born in 1977 when the publisher of ''Travel'' acquired ''Holiday'' magazine and merged the titles. The magazine ceased publication in 2003. ''Travel Holiday'' had its origins in ''The Four-Trac ...

, Coastal Living,

National Geographic Traveler ''National Geographic Traveler'' is a magazine published by NG Media in Armenia, Belgium, the Netherlands, China, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, Latin America, Israel, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Spain and the UK. The US ...

and

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...

. His image of Montana's Glacier National Park was featured on a

U.S. Postage stamp Postal service in the United States began with the delivery of stampless letters whose cost was borne by the receiving person, later encompassed pre-paid letters carried by private mail carriers and provisional post offices, and culminated in a ...

, first issued January 19, 2012.Glacier National Park, Montana Stamp
, Beyond the Perf: US Philatelic Five of his photographs appeared as part of the "Wild and Scenic Rivers" Forever Stamps released in 2019 from the United States Postal Service. Melford's images were of the Merced River in California, the Idaho segment of the Owyhee River, the Koyukuk River in Alaska, the Niobrara River in Nebraska, and the Tlikakila River in Alaska. This stamp series celebrated the 50th anniversary of America's

Wild and Scenic Rivers Act The National Wild and Scenic Rivers System was created by the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968 (Public Law 90-542), enacted by the U.S. Congress to preserve certain rivers with outstanding natural, cultural, and recreational values in a free- ...

, signed into law in 1968. Melford is a frequent workshop and seminar instructor for Visionary Wild,

Lindblad Expeditions Lindblad Expeditions (Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic) is an expedition travel company headquartered in New York, NY. The company currently offers expedition cruises to destinations on all seven continents aboard 15 ships with capacitie ...

,
, Michael Melford's bio for Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic Society, National Geographic Expeditions.
Michael Melford's Expert page for NatGeo Expeditions.

''National Geographic'' works

Selected works

The Smithsonian Guide to Historic America: The Mid-Atlantic States, 1989, Steward Tabori & Chang, , with Michael S. Durham Big Sky Country: The Best of Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming, and Idaho, 1996, Rizzoli, National Geographic Destinations, Treasures of Alaska: The Last Great American Wilderness, 2002, National Geographic, , with Jeff Rennicke Simply Beautiful Photographs, 2010, Focal Point (National Geographic), (Cover Photo) Visions of Earth, 2011, National Geographic, Hidden Alaska: Bristol Bay and Beyond, 2011, , with Dave Atcheson

References

External links

Michael Melford's personal website

Michael Melford's page at National Geographic

Michael Melford's bio page at Visionary Wild

Apple's use of Melford's photo
{{DEFAULTSORT:Melford, Michael People from Hastings-on-Hudson, New York 1950 births Living people Syracuse University alumni Photographers from New York (state)