A Camera, Two Kids, and a Camel

In her book, A Camera, Two Kids, and a Camel, Annie Griffiths Belt shares with us the rise of her career as one of National Geographic’s first female photographers. At a time before National Geographic was the greatly respected publication it has grown into today, Belt was one of the first to get her foot in the door. However, the true inspiration doesn’t come from the story of her professional success, but from her commitment to showing her family the world through her eye, a world influenced and enriched by extended time spent on the road.

Many people debate over when they should take their children on the road. Belt shows us that it’s never too early to take the kids along. She admirably portrays how pregnancy, infants, or toddlers won’t slow our progress on the road, and she is a pioneer for those hoping to continue long-term travel once they have children.

While Belt likely had a little more freedom in her budget than most shoestring travelers, she never took on a greater expense account to include her children in her travels. Even with her children along for the journey, she didn’t opt for more luxurious accommodation or less adventurous transportation. She boarded plane, train, ferry, tuk tuk, and chicken bus, all with her children and camera equipment in tow.

Readers will find page after page of stunning photographs from Belt’s impressive catalogue. She encourages us to truly live within the moment, with our experiences on the road and in our creative work. Many of her photos come from those rare moments on the road, as fleeting as the flash of the camera, when we’ve really managed to experience something unique or intimate along the way.

More about the author, and a glimpse at her work, can be found on her website.