Ward is a conservation photographer and National Geographic Explorer who is on a mission to inspire appreciation of, and protection for, Florida’s original nature and culture. This has been a driving force in his life for years, but it has become his primary focus since 2016, supported by grants from the National Geographic
Society and other partners. He has personally traversed the path of the panther on foot, by boat, by kayak and by various other means of transportation to see and photograph first-hand the panther’s wide-ranging habitat.