Stuart Palley

Stuart  is a photographer based in Southern California specializing in environmental, art, editorial, and commercial/corporate subjects.

His recent work on wildfires, Terra Flamma: Wildfires at Night, focuses on documenting the most acute effect of drought in California, wildfire through long exposure images at night. The goal of the project is to help inform the public of the acute effects of climate changes on forests and the impact on stakeholders affected by increased and more destructive wildfire behavior.Over the past 5 years Stuart has photographed nearly 100 wildfires in the state and has formal wildland fire training. The project has been featured in dozens of media outlets across the globe and was recognized as a Finalist in the Environmental Vision category of the prestigious Pictures of the Year International Photography competition in 2016. The project also was received awards in 2015 and 2018. Most recently his work from the project was published as part of an article on electronic surveillance entitled "We Are Watching You" in the February 2018 issue of National Geographic Magazine  and climate articles on the National Geographic website. 

Born and raised in Southern California, Stuart has photographed for National Geographic Magazine, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, and many other publications. His work has appeared TIME Magazine, WIRED, New York Magazine, and The Washington Post.

Stuart received his BBA and BA from Southern Methodist University and studied finance and history and minored in Photography and Human Rights. He holds a Master’s in Photojournalism from the University of Missouri. When not photographing wildfires Stuart can be found on road trips throughout the Southwest photographing the Milky Way.