The thousands of photographs he has taken are the product of the rare confluence of Lee's ethnic identity, generational positioning, artistic talent, technological vision, and his own cultural awareness.

[citation needed] Lee Marmon's photography career began as a youthful, creative pursuit in 1947, shortly after he returned home to New Mexico from his World War II tour of duty in the US Army on remote Shemya Island in the far western Aleutians.

His father, Henry Marmon, put a professional quality Speed Graphic camera in 22-year-old Lee's hands, and suggested that he take photographs of the tribal elders, "so we'll have something to remember them by."

[7] From 1966 to 1982, Marmon lived and worked in southern California, where he served as the official photographer for the Bob Hope Desert Classic Golf Tournament from 1967 to 1973.

[citation needed] In 1972, Marmon was commissioned by then President and Mrs. Richard Nixon for a White House photo collection of tribal pottery from New Mexico.

[citation needed] In May and June 2006, a collection of Marmon's best-known images was on display at the Oliver Wendell Holmes Library on the campus of Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts.