A true photojournalist heads into the roughest conditions, the most unreachable places, and tells a story for the rest of the world to see.

Think about the images you’ve seen grace the covers of magazines like National Geographic. They can be truly breathtaking, and leave you in awe of what that part of the world must be like.

While that type of photography isn’t for everyone, you have to admire those that choose that type of lifestyle.

Focus For Humanity is an organization that offers grants and awards to photographers that choose to make this a lifestyle. Their mission is to provide financial support, resources and training for professional and amateur photographers who capture stories of shared humanity and support their work with various non-governmental organizations throughout the world.

Start by looking through the recent winners – the images there are inspiring. Then check out some of the other areas, they provide detailed information on grants, awards and mentoring.

Starting in April, they will be offering a mentorship program in which they will help you get started in this line of photography. Because expertise and guidance is what can help you achieve your goals in a much quicker fashion, their mentorship program pairs you up with someone who’s in the field and living this lifestyle.

Focus For Humanity subscribes to the guidelines of another organization, International Guild of Visual Peacemakers, which is also worth checking out. Their goal is to display common humanity and images that build bridges of peace. They also provide a wide variety of photo tours and workshops throughout the world.