“It’s a matter of life and death.”

That’s what Joel Sartore told me a few days ago when I asked him what gives him the motivation to keep on photographing for National Geographic—one the most difficult photographic careers to pursue, and certainly not the romantic job most non-photographers tend to think it is.

Sartore’s “life and death” comment referred to his intense drive to record and help save endangered species. “We are looking at losing fifty percent of the world’s amphibians in the next ten years,” Sartore explained. “That’s pretty scary. If it can happen other species, it can happen ours.”

Sartore’s images are as visually stunning as they are pregnant with the meaning. His photograph of areal fumigation in Florida looks beautiful. Yet Sartore says it also illustrates how the large-scale use of toxic chemicals to kill mosquitoes also impacts the entire food chain.

The image Sartore made of a mother grizzly bear trying to care for her cub by searching for food in a garbage dumpster is particularly poignant when Sartore notes that “A fed bear is a dead bear.” And while Sartore’s image of a dead whooping crane floating in a reserve in New Mexico looks serine, it illustrate the difficulty facing biologists who trying to repopulate a species threatened by lack of habitat.

Photographers curious about what it takes to be a National Geographic photographer will definitely appreciate the FAQ section of Sartore’s website. His honest and blunt insights about working for National Geographic might intimidate some young photographers, but they will inspire most photographers—even if editorial photography is not your focus.

Have you ever toyed with the idea of being a National Geographic photographer? Most professional photographers were inspired by NG at one point in their lives in one way or another. Did the famous magazine influence your career, and if so, how?