Ira Block has been working for National Geographic since the mid 1970s. His photographic assignments have taken him around the world to destinations as diverse as Siberia, the Gobi Desert, the Australian Outback, and even the North Pole, where he spent three months with the late, famous Japanese explorer, Naomi Uemura.

For over three decades, Block's lenses have been recording history and some of mankind's great mysteries. His book credits for National Geographic include: Back Roads America, Natures' Healing Arts, and Preserving America's Past. Some of his significant National Geographic stories include 'Race to Save Incan Mummies', 'The Samurai Way', 'Guardian of a Ghost World', and 'Mystery of the Tattooed Mummy'.

He also has an extensive portfolio of corporate clients, including Merrill Lynch, Exxon, Philip Morris and Yahoo!

Block is considered one of the best photographic instructors on the use of remote lighting and flash, and is in great demand for photography workshops around the globe. He is currently working on projects in China, Mongolia and South America.

His work can be seen at www.irablock.com.

David Alan Harvey discovered photography when he was 11 and hasn't stopped taking pictures since. When he was 20, he lived with and documented the lives of a black family living in Virginia, which led to the publishing of his first book, Tell It Like It Is, in 1966.

Harvey went on to shoot more than 40 photographic essays for National Geographic Magazine, and in 1978, was named 'Magazine Photographer of the Year' by the National Press Photographers Association. Although his passion is the Spanish diaspora, he has worked extensively across Asia and was one of the first American photographers allowed into Vietnam after the war. He has published a number of books, including his magnum opus, Cuba, which still stands as the best photography book ever published about the small island nation.

Since 1997, Harvey became a full member of Magnum Photos, and has since been listed by Photo Magazine as "one of the best photography instructors working today". Today, he remains in high demand around the world – not only for teaching emerging photographers to "see" in a new way, but also as an editor and consultant on photography exhibits.

His work can be seen at www.davidalanharvey.com or in his online publication, www.burnmagazine.org.

Best known for his use of color, McCurry captures the essence of human struggle and joy. Member of Magnum Photos since 1986, McCurry has searched and found the unforgettable; many of his images have become modern icons, like the picture of the Afghan girl that graced the cover of National Geographic, and has arguably become one of the most famous pictures taken in modern photography.

His career was launched when, disguised in native garb, he crossed the Pakistan border into rebel controlled Afghanistan just before the Russian invasion. The film sewn into his clothes when he finished his assignment would be among the first pictures published of the conflict. In addition to the Robert Capa Gold Medal, he has won numerous awards for his coverage. His pictures have appeared in every major magazine around the world; his work can often be found in National Geographic.

McCurry has covered many areas of international and civil conflict. He focuses on the human consequences of war, not only showing what war impresses on the landscape, but rather, on the human face.

For more information, please go to www.stevemccurry.com.

Michael Yamashita is one of the most highly celebrated photographers in the industry. A veteran of the National Geographic, his photographs have graced the pages of its magazine for over 25 years. Known throughout the industry as a "specialist" on Asia, his lenses have wandered the vast boundaries of the continent, capturing everything from the hilly landscapes of Vietnam and the picturesque mountains of Japan, to the raw, turbulent valleys of Iraq.

Yamashita is best known for his coverage of the extensive odyssey of Marco Polo, which was a series of magazine stories for The National Geographic Magazine, but also one of the best selling photography books ever produced, and a documentary which still plays on the National Geographic Channel.

He has also documented the voyages of the great Ming Dynasty admiral, Zheng He, for National Geographic, which was featured as the magazine’s cover story, and subsequently made into an award-winning documentary and photography book.

Yamashita's other books include In the Japanese Garden, Mekong: Mother of Waters and The Great Wall: From Beginning to End.

A popular workshop teacher, Yamashita has conducted countless programs throughout the US, Europe and Asia.

His work can be seen at www.michaelyamashita.com.