Michael Yamashita - Photographer
Age:
Country: United States Occupations:
Photographer
Michael Yamashita is a renowned Japanese-American photographer, born in 1949 in San Francisco, California, and raised in Montclair, New Jersey, as a third-generation Japanese American. He graduated from Wesleyan University in 1971 with a degree in Asian Studies and, fluent in Japanese, initially traveled to Japan to teach English and explore his heritage. There, he discovered photography through a local camera club, sparking a lifelong passion that led him to spend seven years living and shooting across Asia.
Since 1979, Yamashita has been a prolific contributor to National Geographic magazine for over 40 years, blending his love for travel and visual storytelling to capture the essence of Asia and beyond. His work has taken him to six continents, retracing the routes of historical explorers like Marco Polo and Zheng He, and documenting diverse cultures, landscapes, and traditions—from the Silk Road and the Great Wall to the Mekong River and Tibetan plateaus. A Sony Ambassador and TEDx speaker, he is celebrated for his perceptive, culturally immersive images that highlight humanity's shared heritage.
Yamashita has authored 16 books, including Marco Polo: A Photographer's Journey, The Great Wall: From Beginning to End, and Mekong: A Journey on the Mother of Waters, and produced two documentary films inspired by his assignments. His photographs have been exhibited worldwide, from the National Gallery in Washington, D.C., to galleries in Tokyo and Singapore. With over 1.8 million Instagram followers (@yamashitaphoto), he shares his adventures and expertise as a lecturer at universities, workshops, and conferences, earning accolades from the Pictures of the Year, Photo District News, and the Asian American Journalists Association.
When not on the road, Yamashita resides in Chester Township, New Jersey, with his wife and frequent collaborator, Elizabeth Bibb, where he maintains a home studio and serves as a volunteer firefighter.