Welcome to my website - to a journey of discovery - as you travel to so many areas of the world, most of them remote and difficult to reach. You’ll see endangered wild animals, beautiful scenic panoramas, and tribal peoples whose lifestyles and cultures are vastly different from your own.

And all this is possible because of photography, the magic that captures a moment in time and place and then preserves it so that I might share with others.

A personal note:
I came to photography late in life - after four decades spent in the commercial world. My great good fortune was that when I began my photographic career I was privileged to learn from master craftsmen who taught me the difference between picture-taking and picture-making. And when I began my own travels, my aim was to discover and photograph those special wonders of our world that I wanted to share with others.

This retrospective allows me to do just that. You won’t need a passport; you won’t even have to pack a bag. But you’re about to embark on an enchanting odyssey.

Bon Voyage!

Edward J. Mendell passed away peacefully on August 7, 2007 at his home in Montecito, California.

Edward was born in Brooklyn, New York on November 28, 1920, the eldest child of Lester and Malvina Mendell. His family later moved to Flushing, New York where he graduated from Flushing High School in 1939. In his senior year, he was photography editor of his high school’s journal, the beginning of a life-long love affair with photography.

Edward attended New York University where he studied marketing and public relations. In 1942, as the United States entered World War II, Edward took his last exam at NYU and enlisted in the Army. He quickly rose through the ranks, became staff sergeant, then attended Officers Training School where he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Chemical Warfare Service. After the war, Edward was discharged as a 1st Lieutenant, returning to civilian life in 1946.

He began his business career importing and exporting industrial chemicals. As Edward Mendell Company began specializing in the pharmaceutical industry, he developed a number of new materials that improved the manufacture and quality of medicinal tablets. Edward grew his company until 1986 when, at age 65, he sold his company, retiring from the business world.

Edward returned to his passion for photography. After two years of studying and refining his skills, he took many trips all over the world, finding and photographing endangered species for the library of the World Wildlife Fund. His work also extended to primitive tribes, making a photographic record of their customs and traditions. He traveled to fifty countries, published three photographic books, and presented multimedia slide shows of his work, which are now part of the special collections department at UCSB.

He lived in England for 21 years, becoming a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, a Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain, and President Emeritus of the Windlesham and Camberley Camera Club. Edward is survived by his beloved wife, Renée, four children, Alan, Gary, Robert and Vicki; his oldest son, Richard, predeceased him on July 2, 2007; daughters-in-law, Jewel, Patricia and Liz; brother, Oliver; sister, Olga; brother-in-law, Malcolm; sisters-in-law, Shelley and Jane; eleven grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren.