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Ian Shive

Ian Shive is a photographer, author, film and television producer, conservationist, and innovative businessman.  He has worked with some of the most important outdoor organizations including the Nature Conservancy, the Sierra Club, the Environmental Defense Fund, the National Parks Conservation Association, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In 2001, he was honored with the prestigious Ansel Adams Award for Conservation Photography.

In addition to his photography, Shive is a filmmaker and cinematographer whose work has appeared on television, in film festivals, and in multimedia campaigns throughout the United States. In 2015, Shive led a team of filmmakers and scientists on a groundbreaking expedition in Cuba for a segment on Discovery Channel’s “Shark Week.” He recently partnered with the Sierra Club to produce two films for a national conservation campaign, “Chasing the Distance” and “The Land We Defend,” and with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to document America’s urban wildlife refuges and the Midway Atoll in the Pacific Ocean, timed to coincide with the 75th commemoration of the Battle of Midway. He is currently directing a new film, Hidden Pacific, which will bring the Pacific Ocean’s protected and remote national wildlife refuge islands and marine national monuments to giant screen and IMAX® theaters.  

The National Parks: Our American Legacy (2015) and The National Parks: Our American Landscape (2011), two of Shive’s best-selling photography books, have played a role in shaping environmental diplomacy efforts throughout the world and heightened awareness of our national parks and the National Park Service. His images of majestic landscapes, intimate portraits of nature, and people enjoying the outdoors have appeared in Outside, National Geographic, Sunset, Travel + Leisure, the New York Times, and many other well-known media outlets. In his role as a conservationist, Shive has lobbied before Congress numerous times, including as part of a team on behalf of the impact on the environment by the border fence in Mexico, and he has twice presented his images to capacity crowds at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C.

A studied and innovative pioneer of new standards in photography, motion picture, and protecting the rights of photographers, Shive extended his mark on the photography industry as the founder and CEO of Tandem Stills + Motion, a leading visual media company that provides premium photographs, film footage, and digital asset management for the nature, outdoor adventure, healthy living, and travel industries. Shive is based in Los Angeles.