Judge 2007

Sabine Meyer

PHOTO EDITOR, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC ADVENTURE

Words of wisdom: "Grab your viewer by the neck and pull them into the photo—make them feel like they're doing it. "

For National Geographic Adventure Photo Editor Sabine Meyer, "A picture is worth a thousand words " is not so much a maxim as it is a literal description of her career. Raised in Sarreguemines, France, Meyer was accepted into the graduate program at the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications in 1989, where, while concentrating on magazine writing, she took some photography classes "just for fun. " Yet what began as a secondary interest quickly developed into a new professional direction. Her keen ability to use photographs not as accompaniments to text, but as a vital part of the storytelling process, has earned her accolades from the American Society of Magazine Editors and also secured her positions with magazines such as Condé Nast Traveler, Worth, New York magazine and Adweek before she accepted her current position six-and-a-half years ago. "I'm interested in the story as much as the images, " she explains. "[At National Geographic Adventure] the photo editors are involved with putting together the narrative. Having been on the writing side and having had to work on [story] leads, I tend to function the same way with pictures: What's going to be the opener? What elements do I need to build a story visually—characters, issues? "

When she's not behind the light table, Meyer is definitely outside, enjoying everything from snowboarding to kayaking to inline skating, which allows her to step away from the traditional ways of evaluating photography and into the role of the active viewer. For her, action-sports photography is "more engaged, not contemplative. You as the viewer have to feel like you're the person on the bike, the kayak. You become the action figure in the photo. Photographers need to break that distance. " Meyer also continues to share her knowledge with aspiring lensmen and editors, teaching photo editing and documentary photography at the International Center of Photography in New York as well as running an internship program through National Geographic Adventure.

On action sports' softer side:
"I think the trend that's emerging is a blend between what used to be extreme-sports photography and lifestyle, travel—a softer approach. I think people successful today are people who have tremendous technical skills, but are also athletes who can put themselves in place for the right angle. Knowing how to light a basketball court is not enough anymore—[photography today is] very sophisticated and hip. There's a blend of visual culture with technical skills. "