Behind the Lens: Meet NASA Johnson’s Photographers

Sumer Loggins

Photographers at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston have documented some of the most defining moments in human spaceflight. 

From astronaut training and engineering tests to mission control operations and milestone celebrations, their images preserve the history of exploration while capturing the people and teams behind the missions shaping the next era.  

Meet the photographers behind the lens and explore the stories behind the images that have helped tell NASA’s story. 

Robert Markowitz 

For more than three decades, NASA photographer Robert Markowitz has documented the people and milestones that have shaped NASA’s human spaceflight program. His career has spanned the space shuttle program, 25 years of continuous human presence aboard the International Space Station, and Artemis II. 

“My favorite part of this job has always come down to the range of assignments we take on and the people I get to work with every day,” Markowitz said. 

One of Markowitz’s early career highlights came during the filming of “Apollo 13,” when he served as the behind-the-scenes still photographer for nearly every KC-135 zero-gravity flight. “Looking back as a 25-year-old photographer at Johnson, I don’t think I fully appreciated how unique an opportunity it was to be there documenting those moments,” he said. 

Markowitz says the job has challenged him to grow as both a photographer and a communicator. Whether photographing dozens of individual portraits in a day or coordinating a 300-person group photo, each assignment has strengthened his ability to adapt, collaborate, and connect with people. 

“This work has shaped not just my career, but my life,” he said. “Being part of a team that captures and preserves the story of human spaceflight continues to be one of the great honors of my time at Johnson.” 

Bill Stafford

NASA photographer Bill Stafford’s path to Johnson began during his senior year of college, when a friend who was completing a photography internship at the center told him about an opening on the photography team. With a longtime interest in science and technology, Stafford saw the opportunity to combine those interests with photography in an extraordinary environment. 

Stafford approaches each assignment as a technical challenge and a storytelling opportunity. Whether working around constraints in lighting, timing, or access, he uses composition, visual psychology, and an understanding of how a viewer’s eye moves through an image to shape the final photograph. 

“My favorite part of the job is the problem-solving that comes with it,” Stafford said. 

Working at Johnson has sharpened those instincts as he photographs spacecraft, hardware, astronauts, and the people behind NASA’s human spaceflight missions. 

“So many of the subjects I photograph carry weight and history that I want the image to reflect,” he said. 

James Blair  

From newspapers across the country to working as a photographer and photo editor for a publication in Ecuador, NASA photographer James Blair began his career in photojournalism. Photography has taken him around the world, a path that has continued at Johnson with assignments ranging from astronaut training to geology field training in Iceland. 

“Since I was very young, I have always been fascinated by spaceflight and the technology it takes to reach beyond Earth’s atmosphere,” Blair said. 

At Johnson, Blair combines that fascination with his photojournalism background to document the people and technology shaping NASA’s next era of exploration. 

“I enjoy documenting the new hardware that is being developed to return us to the Moon,” he said. “From spacesuits to rovers and potential lunar habitats, I get to show the world what NASA has in store for the future of human spaceflight.” 

Helen Arase Vargas 

NASA photographer Helen Arase Vargas began her career in photojournalism and reporting in Southern California before joining Boeing’s scientific photography team in El Segundo. Her experience photographing aerospace sparked an unexpected interest that eventually led her to Johnson. 

“The best part of the job is my coworkers; cheesy, but there is so much to learn from everyone,” Arase Vargas said. “Our core team has so much knowledge. They are all quick to offer help and are great humans.” 

Arase Vargas says much of the work at Johnson reflects the journalism ethics she learned early in her career and fulfills her desire to serve the public interest.  

The range and volume of assignments also helped her become more comfortable working in different environments while continuing to develop her craft. 

For Arase Vargas, documenting the Artemis II crew’s return to Ellington Field in Houston came with a heightened sense of responsibility.  

“The world is watching, and all that imagery must be rushed out by the lab,” she said. “Your photo could be the one that ends up on every news site, and you don’t want to miss capturing the joy and celebration the moment deserves.” 

Luna Posadas Nava 

NASA photographer Luna Posadas Nava’s path to Johnson spans emerging technology, optics and imaging systems, and photographing artists across the East Coast. Her work grew from a desire to visualize and expand the boundaries of what is possible. 

Joining Johnson shortly before the launch of NASA’s Artemis II mission, one of Posadas Nava’s first experiences was helping bring Moon Joy to the world. She documented the Science Evaluation Room, where scientists worked together to conduct real-time lunar science observations during the mission’s lunar flyby. 

Posadas Nava said it was inspiring to witness the team at work and especially meaningful to see so many women contributing to the mission’s science. 

Seeing the response from women in her own life and online reinforced for Posadas Nava the power of representation through photography. 

“When we see ourselves in stories, we imagine new futures,” she said. “I hope my work helps more people see themselves in the story of exploration, because what we see shapes what we believe is possible.” 

David DeHoyos 

Growing up in Houston during the Apollo era, NASA photographer David DeHoyos knew from an early age that he wanted to be part of the space industry. His interest in photography began with his mother’s Kodak Instamatic camera and continued through school and a decade working in photo labs. In 1991, that path brought him to Johnson’s photo lab and eventually behind the camera as a NASA photographer. 

After more than three decades at Johnson, DeHoyos says connecting with people remains one of his favorite parts of the job. He enjoys learning about the people he photographs, sharing what he has learned about Johnson with visitors and new employees, and encouraging the next generation. 

“I keep an assortment of NASA goodies in my camera bag, and the ultimate joy I get is giving a pin or sticker to a child and seeing their little faces just light up,” DeHoyos said. “It just warms my heart to encourage a youngster to work hard and pursue their dreams because that’s how I got here.” 

For DeHoyos, photography is also about preserving moments that can take on greater meaning over time. 

“I love the process of figuring out technical details to create an image that will make someone say, ‘Wow, cool shot, how did you do that?’” he said. 

Source: NASA