We continue and conclude our conversation with former National Geographic staff photographer Robert “Bob” Madden by diving straight into the stories behind several of the photographs he made during a lifetime of assignments.
In Part 1, we talked about Bob’s early years during the golden era of National Geographic, the travel that came with the job, and the stories behind two remarkable images — including his Guatemala earthquake photograph and the return of Apollo 11. In this second part, we pick up right where we left off and head back out into the field.
Bob shares what it was like photographing an erupting volcano in Hawaii, where conditions were so intense his helmet began to melt, the story behind what may be one of the last photographs ever taken of the Kauai ʻōʻō bird in the late 1980s, and a powerful image from his time with the Yanomami in the Amazon rainforest just a few years after sustained outside contact began.
Beyond the field, we also talk about Bob’s later years working inside National Geographic as Director of Layout and Design and how he became part of the team helping guide the magazine into the early days of the digital era, just as the internet began reshaping visual storytelling. Along the way there are plenty of laughs, reflections on travel and photography, and thoughtful advice for photographers about curiosity, risk, and storytelling.
Together with Part 1, this episode forms a warm, funny, and insightful look back at a remarkable career in photography — and a reminder that the real stories behind a photograph often begin long before the shutter clicks!
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📸 See more of Bob's work:
https://bobmadden.com/
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Thanks for listening and look out for our next episode! 🚀
