Carlton Ward

09/29/2026

Thank you Orlando Sentinel and Orlando Museum of Art!

“The Wild Path: Connecting the Florida We Don’t See” represents the largest exhibition of Ward’s photographs to date with 20 years of work displayed in 70 frames at Orlando Museum of Art.

09/15/2026

I hope to see you Thursday Sept 24 for the opening of my new exhibit at the Orlando Museum of Art!

Opening Preview Reception of The Wild Path: Connecting the Florida We Don’t See, an exhibition of photographs by Carlton Ward, Jr.

08/22/2026

https://go.palmbeachculture.com/event/path-of-the-panther-with-carlton-ward-jr/

Florida Atlantic University presents “Path of the Panther: A Visual Journey to Preserve Wild...

07/09/2026

https://artsinorlando.com/event/the-wild-path-connecting-the-florida-we-dont-see-photographs-by-carlton-ward-jr/

Carlton Ward Jr. is a conservation photographer focused on wild Florida. He founded the Florida...

07/04/2026

07/04/2026

It was a pleasure to work on this ABC News feature with Robin Roberts and National Geographic celebrating America’s 250th anniversary!

Robin Roberts revealed the Florida Everglades as one of the '7 Natural Wonders of America,' a list curated by ABC News and National Geographic celebrating awe-inspiring locations in the U.S.

07/04/2026

To celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States, I had the privilege of hosting ABC’s Robin Roberts in the Everglades with Miccosukee and Seminole leaders Betty Osceola and Alex Johns to talk about what panthers, cowboys and Everglades ranches have in common — the need to protect and restore a connected landscape in the form of the Florida Wildlife Corridor - and how that model could be expanded across our country. Make sure to watch ABC between 1-3 PM EST on July 4 to see 7 Wonders of America, featuring me and six other National Geographic Explorers on adventures with ABC correspondents exploring our nations most wild and scenic places.

Watch “Disney Celebrates America,” the 24-hour, non-stop, extraordinary LIVE event from all 50 states - July 4th on ABC, Disney+, Hulu, ESPN, Nat Geo, FX, and Freeform.

National Geographic TV, National Geographic, Good Morning America, ABC News, Robin Roberts

03/09/2026

Here are a few photos from the Great Florida Cattle Drive, which I joined at the end of January with writer Issac Eger on assignment for a story “See Florida’s cowboy history come to life in this 54-mile cattle drive.”(link in bio).

For six days and six nights, hundreds of horseback riders moved cattle from DeLuca Preserve in the Everglades Headwaters south to Okeechobee. The entire route was within the Florida Wildlife Corridor. The journey crossed several state preserves, one National Wildlife Refuge and many working cattle ranches, three of which have been recently protected by conservation easements.

The original Great Florida Cattle Drive was in 1995, to commemorate 150 years of statehood. There were other drives in 2006, 2016 and 2022. I photographed those three, along routes across ranches closer to Kissimmee that are now lost to development. Thanks to lawmakers’ recent commitment to protecting the Florida Wildlife Corridor, I am hopeful that the 2026 route will always be connected, for the benefit of ranching and wildlife. As always, I am inspired by the people I encountered who are keeping Florida’s heritage alive.

Read more in the National Geographic article through our links in bio.

Photos by

02/03/2026

I’m working on my talk that I’ll be presenting at National Geographic‘s Storyteller Summit in LA next week. Came across this clip from 2015 paddling in Chassahowitzska talking about how much I love the Gulf. Thank you and for capturing this footage for the film The Forgotten Coast, still available on PBS, telling the story of our Florida WIldlife Corridor expedition from the Everglades Headwaters near Orlando around the Gulf to Alabama with foundation. The Gulf is still my favorite place and the seed was clearly planted for my current Wilderness Coast Project with and .sylviaearle. I’ll be sharing more glimpses of this coastline in the months and years to come.

01/20/2026

My colleague and fellow National Geographic Explorer, Jason Gulley, took these photos for the new National Geographic article while on assignment for Wildpath. The article examines the Ocklawaha River, submerged for decades beneath Florida’s Rodman Reservoir, and the opportunity for restoration.

Restoring rivers is complex. But understanding what’s been lost—and what could return—is a critical first step. Read the full story, 'See a ghost 'fairyland' forest reemerge in Florida', in National Geographic through our link below.

Photos by Jason Gulley/Wildpath

Link to article:

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/florida-rodman-reservoir-ocklawaha-river-springs