Geoff Winningham earned his undergraduate degree in English from Rice and his graduate degree in photography from the Institute of Design at Illinois Insttiute of Technology. He has taught photography at Rice since 1969. Geoff is best known for his seven books and three documentary films relating to Texas and Mexican culture. His photographs have been widely exhibited and collected by major museums throughout the U.S. and Mexico. His work in photography and filmmaking supported by numerous fellowships and awards, including two Guggenheim Fellowships and 5 grants from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Geoff's first books, Friday Night in the Coliseum and Rites of Fall, published in the 1970s dealt with two American vernacular rituals - professional wrestling and high school football - and are now considered classic studies in black and white photojournalism. During the 1980s and 1990s, Geoff worked almost entirely in color photography including his study of Mexican fiestas, In the Eye of the Sun. His most recent book Along Forgotten River, marks a shift in Geoff's interests toward landscape photography and visual history.