Casper Native Dean Conger Spent Decades as Top National Geographic Photographer

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Casper native Dean Conger spent 30 years as a renowned photographer for National Geographic, capturing iconic images of presidents, astronauts, and world leaders. Conger's interest in photography began in his youth with a Kodak Brownie camera, and he went on to work as a newspaper photojournalist before being recruited by National Geographic in 1959 at the age of 32. Over the next three decades, Conger traveled the globe on assignments, photographing events such as President Dwight Eisenhower's South American tour and the early NASA space program.

Why it matters

Conger's career as a National Geographic photographer spanned a pivotal period in American history, from the space race to the Cold War, and his work helped to document and share these momentous events with the world. As one of the magazine's most respected and accomplished photographers, Conger's legacy continues to inspire aspiring photojournalists and preserve an important visual record of the 20th century.

The details

Conger's early experiences as a newspaper photographer and his time in the U.S. Army, where he worked in darkrooms and taught photography, laid the groundwork for his career at National Geographic. Once hired by the magazine, Conger embarked on assignments that took him around the world, from the Soviet Union to China. He captured iconic images such as President John F. Kennedy with astronaut John Glenn, and his photo of astronaut Alan Shepard being rescued from his Mercury mission was featured on the cover of Life Magazine.

• In 1959, at the age of 32, Conger was recruited by National Geographic to join their team of photographers.
• From 1960 to 1961, Conger accompanied President Dwight D. Eisenhower on a tour of South America.
• In the early 1960s, Conger was assigned to cover NASA's Mercury space program, photographing astronauts like John Glenn and Alan Shepard.
• Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Conger traveled to the Soviet Union and China on numerous assignments for National Geographic.

What they’re saying

What’s next

The Conger family is still working to determine how best to share Dean Conger's vast archive of over 100,000 unedited 35mm slides with the public to honor his legacy and contributions to photojournalism.