Interview with Michael Snyder

For Mike Snyder, photography ran in the family. And while he certainly appreciated the art form and enjoyed it, he never imagined it would become a full time endeavor. Instead, his first and deepest passion was the great outdoors. Accordingly, Mike studied environmental science and worked in this field for many years.

Gradually though, Mike shifted into the world of storytelling. These days he uses photography and film to serve his deeper passions, which generally revolve around finding ways to help people come to appreciate and conserve the natural world around him.

Join Bob and Mike as they chat in person (did I mention they’re practically neighbors?) about the world of filmmaking, finding great characters and stories, demolition derbies, roof running, how to organize, manage and store your images (this is good stuff!) and more. Click on the audio player below to listen in.

A Selection of Mike’s Photos by Project

24 Hours Undergound

Photo by Travis James

Demolition Men

Center of the Universe

Into the Dark

Roof Runners

Other Links

Interpendent Pictures – Mike’s documentary film production studio
The Philedelphia Underground Project
Travis James’ website (Mike’s partner for the Philedelphia Underground Project)

Michael Snyder

Michael O. Snyder (b. 1981) is a documentary photographer and filmmaker exploring the dynamic relationship between environmental and cultural change. An environmental and climate scientist by training, Snyder uses his combined knowledge of visual storytelling and conservation to create narratives that drive social impact. His photojournalism work has been featured by outlets such as National Geographic, The Guardian, and The Washington Post, and has been shown at exhibitions and galleries around the world. He is a Portrait of Humanity Award Winner, a Pulitzer Grantee, a Climate Journalism Fellow at the Bertha Foundation, a member of the Society of Environmental Journalists, and an Assistant Professor of Visual Communication (Photojournalism) at Syracuse University's Newhouse School. Through his production company, Interdependent Pictures, he has directed films in the Arctic, the Amazon, the Himalaya, and East Africa. His films have been selected to over 60 festivals, have taken home numerous awards, have been sponsored by companies such as Sony and GoPro, and have been distributed by outlets such as New Day Films and Films for Change. Michael often lectures on visual storytelling and its potential as a tool for social impact. He has been a featured speaker at the United Nations Climate Conference and has lectured at universities such as Yale, Columbia, and the Alfred Wegener Institute. In 2022, the University of Edinburgh named him one of its most “influential alumni making a significant contribution to climate science and justice.” An adventurer at heart, Michael has hiked the Appalachian and John Muir Trails, cycled across Europe, and ridden trains through Siberia. Originally from a small town in Appalachia, Snyder has lived around the world including long-term stints in Scotland, Japan, Hawaii, and New Zealand. Michael holds an MSc in Environmental Sustainability from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, where he was a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar, and a BSc from Dickinson College, Pennsylvania.