From 1969 to 1998, John Isaac worked for the United Nations and had a distinguished photography career in the Department of Public Information. In 1978, the United Nations promoted him to photographer and he retired as the chief of the Photo Unit in 1998. During that time John traveled to more that 100 countries while capturing on film the struggles and triumphs of our changing world.
Throughout his career, John received numerous national and international awards for his work, including:
1978 - First prize in the Photokina International Photo Contest held in Cologne, Germany.
1991 - Best Outdoor Photograph of the year from GRAPHIS Magazine.
1993 - Professional Photographer of the Year by the PhotoImaging Manufacturers and Distributors Association.
Over the years he also received 13 awards from Nikon International Photo Contests. Most recently in January 2000, the International Photographic Council named John Isaac as the recipient of its Lifetime Achievement Award.
John has authored many books including a series called Children in Crisis. Through this series, John gives a first hand account of the daily life of children and their families in troubled regions around the world. He co-authored "Endangered Peoples" with Art Davidson and Art Wolff for the Sierra club. He also co-authored "Coorg, Land of the Kodavas" with his wife Jeannette about the region Coorg in Southern India.
Besides his work with the United Nations, John provided coverage for UNICEF, working closely with the late actress Audrey Hepburn, Harry Belafonte and Liv Ullman. In 1998, John went to Africa to photograph Liberian children for Luciano Pavarotti's foundation, Pavarotti and Friends. John also covered Michael Jackson's concerts and was asked to provide exclusive coverage of Michael's first baby, Prince.
