Clarke County, Virginia, Students to Go on A.T. Photo Assignment with National Geographic

Harpers Ferry, West Virginia (August 8, 2008)—National Geographic contributing photographers Amy Toensing and Matt Moyer will give a group of Virginia students a unique opportunity to document the Appalachian Trail during National Geographic Photo Camp 2008. From Monday, Aug. 11, to Thursday, Aug. 14, the students, who attend Clarke County High School in Berryville, Va., will photograph, edit and design a portrait of their experiences on the trail. The Photo Camp is presented in partnership with the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club, a trail-maintaining affiliate of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC).

During the four-day workshop, students will explore the northern Virginia portion of the Appalachian Trail and surrounding areas, documenting people who enjoy hiking the scenic trail and those who help conserve and manage this vital resource. Toensing and Moyer will brief the students on photographic vision, equipment and technique and guide them through the process of creating a story through photography and writing, working with cameras and laptop computers provided by National Geographic. The young photographers will create a multimedia show using the images as a catalyst for discussing their experiences.

“We hope that Photo Camp 2008 will provide students with a unique lens on the world and help expand their awareness of the environment and their impact on it,” said Terry Garcia, National Geographic’s executive vice president, Mission Programs. “We are honored to participate in this endeavor.”

Participants, their families and community members are invited to a final presentation of the students’ work at 5 p.m. on Aug. 14, at ATC’s Bears Den Trail Center, 18393 Blueridge Mountain Road, Bluemont, Va.

The theme of the Photo Camp is the environment and conservation, and the aim is to draw attention to youth perspectives on their generation’s connection to the natural world.
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy is an 83-year-old, volunteer-based organization dedicated to conserving the natural resources, cultural legacy and recreational experiences of the 250,000-acre greenway of public lands extending from Maine to Georgia. More information is available at www.appalachiantrail.org.

EVOLT SLR cameras for the Photo Camp have been provided by Olympus Imaging America Inc. Memory cards have been donated to the Photo Camp program by PNY Technologies.

In addition to Toensing’s work for National Geographic magazine, she has covered editorial assignments for various national and international publications and private corporations since 2000. Her photographic stories intimately render the lives of ordinary people, and her images have received honors in International Pictures of the Year competitions. In 2003 Toensing was named Photographic Alumni Fellow at The Salt Institute for Documentary Studies, where she worked on a portrait of Muslim teenage girls living in Western culture.

Moyer’s photographic work in Egypt, New York City and Iraq focuses on the people behind the news story, and he was named a Knight-Wallace Journalism Fellow for the 2007-2008 academic year at the University of Michigan.

National Geographic Mission Programs is sponsoring other Photo Camps this year in Taos, N.M.; Rajasthan, India; Chesapeake Bay; Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, S.D.; Costa Rica; Camden, Maine; New York; Santa Monica, Calif.; and Miami, in partnership with VisionWorkshops of Annapolis, Md. Visit www.nationalgeographic.com/photocamp for more information. 

The National Geographic Society is one of the world’s largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations. Founded in 1888 to “increase and diffuse geographic knowledge,” the Society works to inspire people to care about the planet. It reaches more than 325 million people worldwide each month through its official journal, National Geographic, and other magazines; National Geographic Channel; television documentaries; music; radio; films; books; DVDs; maps; exhibitions; school publishing programs; interactive media; and merchandise. National Geographic has funded more than 9,000 scientific research, conservation and exploration projects and supports an education program combating geographic illiteracy. For more information, visit www.nationalgeographic.com.

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy is a volunteer based, private nonprofit organization dedicated for over 80 years to the conservation of the 2,175 –mile Appalachian National Scenic Trail, a 250,000-acre greenway extending from Maine to Georgia. For more information, visit www.appalachiantrail.org.