John Stember (b. 1993) is a photographer based in Missoula, Montana, who focuses on rural communities and the environment in the American West.

His work grows out of a decade on the move—listening, sharing meals, and engaging with people whose lives reflect the many identities that shape America. He’s bicycled across large stretches of the continent and worked as a dog musher in the Arctic.

Committed to staying connected to the people and places of the West, John pursued a Master’s in Environmental Science and Natural Resource Journalism at the University of Montana, where he focused on the ecology and human dimensions surrounding grizzly bears.

He has contributed to publications including The New York Times, Grist, High Country News, Atmos, and more. He also worked on Project 306.36 at Boyd’s Station in Kentucky, a long-term historical archive inspired by the Farm Security Administration’s photo project of the 1930s. The goal of the project was to document a snapshot in time in rural America as it changes over 10 to 20 years.

John holds a Part-107 Commercial Drone License, used to work in emergency medicine and as a guide on wilderness trips, and completed Hostile Environment Awareness Training (HEAT) for journalists.

John can be reached at jstember1@gmail

Photo by Walker McDonald

“I knew I was looking at something. You know there are moments such as these when time stands still and all you do is hold your breath and hope it will wait for you.”
— Dorothea Lange

AWARDS, GRANTS, FELLOWSHIPS

EDUCATION & TEACHING

  • M.A. in Environmental Science and Natural Resource Journalism, University of Montana 2025

  • Adjunct Photography Professor, School of Visual Arts and Media, University of Montana 2025

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

  • Grizzly Bears Moving onto the Great Plains, Knowles Gallery, 2025

TRAINING, LICENSES

email: jstember1@gmail | cell: 971.67eight.3173 | © all rights reserved on all images.