Bed-Stuy native trades gun for camera, becomes National Geographic Explorer

Most people walk by a pigeon without stopping to admire its beauty. Others go out of their way to avoid New York City rats entirely.

But for wildlife photographer George McKenzie Jr., the overlooked and unadmired wildlife of the five boroughs became his first photography subjects.

McKenzie grew up in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, where gun violence and the pressures of street life shaped his childhood. Today, he travels the world photographing wildlife as a National Geographic Explorer, from the Arctic to Africa.

"My camera definitely opened up so many doors for me," McKenzie said.

One of the few African-American wildlife photographers in his field, McKenzie said he rarely saw people who looked like him while he pursued his dream.

"I'll always tell people, if you can find me a Black wildlife photographer from an urban environment who speaks English as their first language, I'll give them a certain dollar amount. And I haven't lost that bet," he said.

But McKenzie's career didn't begin in exotic or remote locations. It started on his childhood block.

"It's not where you're from, it's what you have access to. I have access to some of the smartest birds. They're really beautiful," McKenzie said.

He grew up surrounded by examples of the life he would eventually leave behind. He dropped out of high school and said the threat of gun violence was a constant presence.

"I would go to school with a gun in my backpack," McKenzie said. "The friends I kept at the time were living that lifestyle. I had cousins that lived that lifestyle. I had so many examples in front in front of me."

The profession initially caught McKenzie's attention for a more unexpected reason.

"I got into photography because at an early age I figured out women like photography," he said.

Over time, the camera became a gateway to a different future, one that took him far beyond the streets where he grew up.

His longtime friend, Perry Easton, a Bed-Stuy artist, said he remembers the challenges facing young people in the neighborhood.

"Drugs, prostitution, gangs," Easton said.

Watching McKenzie's career take off inspired Easton to explore his own artistic talents, he said. McKenzie's success also showed him that the circumstances of their upbringing did not have to determine their futures.

"You can easily be fooled and you think this is all I can amount to in life. And that's not true," Easton said.

Now, McKenzie is the subject of a documentary, Book of George. He's also working to help other young people discover opportunities beyond their immediate surroundings. Through his Unseen Story Foundation, he offers free photography camps and workshops that introduce young people to careers in conservation storytelling.

McKenzie said his own story helps him connect with the students he teaches.

"They understand where I come from. Because a lot of them come from the same kind of backgrounds," he said.

A camera changed the way McKenzie saw the world. Now, he hopes to change the way young people see themselves.

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