Ira Block

Ira Block began taking pictures in high school and hasn't stopped since.  While a student at the University of Wisconsin, Madison he covered the turbulent Democratic Convention in Chicago in 1968 for United Press International (UPI).  In the mid 1970s, he began shooting for National Geographic and National Geographic Adventure.  These assignments have taken him to locations as diverse as Africa, the Australian outback, the Gobi Desert, Siberia, and the North Pole where he spent three months with the late, world-famous Japanese explorer, Naomi Uemura.

Ira's photo library includes some of the only recorded images of the ritual dances of the Pueblo Indians of the American Southwest.  He was honored when the elders of Jemez Pueblo in New Mexico invited him to document the repatriation of their ancestors' remains. 

Among his book credits are Back Roads America, Nature's Healing Arts, and Preserving America's Past for the National Geographic's book division.  His momentous coffee table book, Saving America's Treasures was a joint effort between National Geographic and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.  To accommodate the demanding shooting schedule and logistical problems presented by the subject matter, Ira crisscrossed the country in one hundred days, shooting over forty-five landmarks, buildings and sites that embody the history of our nation.

Ira has taught at the Maine Photo Workshop and lectured at Photo Expo and the National Geographic lecture series. When not on assignment, he can be found at home in New York City, managing his vast photo archive.