George Gardner

George Gardner (born 1940) is an American photographer whose roaming spirit and anthropological eye have produced a rich portrait of contemporary life. Raised in Albany, New York, he studied anthropology at the University of Missouri, where he gravitated toward the award‑winning photojournalism program—earning some 25 honors, including that school’s major portfolio prize, despite not being formally enrolled in the department.

Nicknamed the “gypsy photographer,” Gardner has crisscrossed America by motorcycle and small plane, camera at the ready to capture both sweeping landscapes and intimate moments. “America is my place,” he says. “Anyplace else, I’m just a tourist. Here, I feel a deep connection and try to get at what I think about this country.”

Today Gardner lives on farm property in upstate New York, where he applies the same physical rigor and concentration to photography that he does to working the land. His images—marked by empathy, curiosity, and an unflinching sense of place—continue to document the evolving story of American communities.