Sean McVay is the recipient of the National Photography Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award for 2013. Sean McVay has extensive work experience in the field of photography. In 2007, while working in Iraq, Sean McVay received the Military Combat Photography Award. He was an active duty Navy soldier at the time and was the first non-civilian to ever receive the award. Sean McVay was awarded a photography spread in Newsweek magazine as part of this prestigious award and later went on to work for Newsweek along with National Geographic.

Sean McVay was awarded this coveted photography award for his work in the field. At the time, Sean McVay was a mechanical engineer for the Navy and was serving in Iraq. His award-winning picture was of a fellow soldier playing tag with several of the local Iraqi children. The photograph which earned him the prestigious award was one of a seven-year-old girl chasing a soldier in full uniform around a bombed-out car. When the soldier was killed a few weeks later the photograph made headlines for its compassionate portrayal of the war.

Although he retired from the Navy over five years ago, Sean McVay’s experience in the Middle East has never left him. He still feels for the Navy family that he left behind and supports the Wounded Warrior Program. “The Navy,” he explains, “more than prepared me for my professional career goals. I never planned on being a photographer but I was in the right place at the right time. My camera was able to bring the war home to those who were still in the States, so they could understand what we were going through.” Sean McVay has used the skills that he was taught in the Navy to become one of the most traveled photographers in the world.

Sean McVay has been largely successful in his professional undertakings, and has extensive experience in all areas of photography including camera repair, teaching and photo development. After leaving the Navy, Sean McVay went on to become one of the world’s most recognizable photojournalists. He has always been a leader in the field of photography. Sean McVay currently is a freelance photographer living in Hawaii.

Sean McVay has demonstrated skill and experience in his field. Sean McVay is a skilled photographer and is an example of how knowing every aspect of your field can create tremendous success. With such talent, it’s no wonder that Sean McVay has been awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award after less than ten years in the industry.