Geissinger, Michael

Michael A. Geissinger grew up in Huntingdon, PA. After graduating from the Huntingdon Area High School in 1960, he enrolled at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in the School of Photography. At the time, RIT was one of the only schools on the east coast that had a department strictly dedicated to the field of photography. While at RIT, Geissinger was involved in numerous activities including the ski club, the Lettermen's club, and the varsity fencing squad. He graduated from the university in 1964 with a B.F.A. in photography. Shortly after leaving RIT, Geissinger joined the U.S. Air Force. His photography skills were put to use when he accepted a position as the photographer for the Walker Air Force Base's (New Mexico) newspaper. In 1966, Geissinger was assigned as one of four White House staff photographers. The position entailed documenting Lyndon B. Johnson's presidency through photographs. When Geissinger completed his service in the Air Force six months later, he was brought on as a civilian employee. He remained on the White House staff for the next two years, covering the remaining portion of Johnson's administration. Following his work in Washington, DC, Geissinger accepted a position as Director of Photography at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute. In this position, he oversaw the production of public relations photography for the university including a four-page story for LIFE magazine (1971). Geissinger returned to RIT in September 1971. As a professor, he taught courses in photojournalism, as well as introductory photographic illustration. He received his Master of Science in Teaching (M.S.T.) degree from the university in 1977. Then, in 1985, he was selected to participate in a ten-week faculty exchange program at the Shanghai University of Technology in the People's Republic of China. In 1986, Geissinger left RIT and began working as a freelance photographer in the Washington, DC region. He was actively involved in the White House News Photographers' Association, even serving one term as president of the organization. In 2001, he began serving as the publisher/editor of the Alexandria Guide Magazine. As of 2010, he was still living in the Washington, DC area.

From the description of Michael Geissinger photographs 1966-1986 (RIT Library). WorldCat record id: 758370341