Greg Gaspari

Greg Gaspari site

Wayne Lynch

“From the beginning of my freelance career 31 years ago, it has been my interest in science that has given my wildlife photography its direction. Science helps me to locate my subjects, to understand the trials and tribulations of their existence, to minimize, if not eliminate, my impact on their survival, and to capture a authentic visual record of their lives.



When I am working with a species, my goal is not to come away with a single stunning signature image but to tell a story using multiple images, a story that celebrates the many facets of a subject’s beauty, biology and behavior.





Humankind generally reacts strongly to a beautiful image, but we connect even more, on an emotional level, to multiple images that tell a story and challenge us to care. These are the stories I try to tell with my photography.”







Wayne Lynch Photography http://www.waynelynch.ca/

Joel Sartore

The very last dusky seaside sparrow is at rest in a jar of
preservative fluid at a Florida museum. The species is extinct, and
there?s no going back. Worldwide, thousands of endangered species are
on the same path, but there?s still time to save them. The United
States has a unique tool, the Endangered Species Act, in the fight to
keep these creatures from slipping away forever.

For photographer Joel Sartore, the concept of extinction started out
as a photo of Martha, the last passenger pigeon. After seeing the
image as a child, he wondered how something so numerous could go away
completely. As the focus of his professional career shifted toward
environmental issues, the reason Martha and her kind vanished became
plain as day: people will only save what they care about, and they
will only care about that which they know.

Imperiled species range from practically weightless flies to massive
mammals, and one of the first challenges the team faced was how to
give very different creatures equal consideration. Studio backgrounds
let flies become as large as grizzly bears, and illustrate each
subject?s unique characteristics.

Though the Endangered Species Act has undergone significant changes
over the last eight years, habitat loss, one of the primary causes of
extinction, has marched on no matter who was in office. A law can help
protect endangered creatures, but ultimately it?s up to us. It is
the team?s hope that this story will engage readers in the lives of
endangered flowers, flies, ocelots and grizzly bears before it?s too
late.

Joel Sartore Photography – www.joelsartore.com – 402.474.1006

Michael Forsberg

When I began as a photographer, 
I was taking pictures mostly for myself.

When we had children my mindset 
changed, and now I do the work mostly 
for them. Because I don’t want my kids
or anyone else’s to grow up one day
and only be able to appreciate the
wonders of nature in a museum or
read about it in a book or see it in a zoo.

I feel we are blessed to be
stewards of this planet, but in many
cases we have forgotten that with this
privilege comes responsibility.

Photography can be a powerful
witness to our short-comings, but
also to show that beauty and hope still
exists in the natural world. It can
help communicate to people why
something matters.

Conservation photography is an active 
and powerful tool to begin this process, 
to start the conversation, to call for action.

Time is short.

- Michael Forsberg 

http://www.michaelforsberg.com/gpbook.html

http://www.michaelforsberg.com

Michael Forsberg

When I began as a photographer, 
I was taking pictures mostly for myself.

When we had children my mindset 
changed, and now I do the work mostly 
for them. Because I don’t want my kids
or anyone else’s to grow up one day
and only be able to appreciate the
wonders of nature in a museum or
read about it in a book or see it in a zoo.

I feel we are blessed to be
stewards of this planet, but in many
cases we have forgotten that with this
privilege comes responsibility.

Photography can be a powerful
witness to our short-comings, but
also to show that beauty and hope still
exists in the natural world. It can
help communicate to people why
something matters.

Conservation photography is an active 
and powerful tool to begin this process, 
to start the conversation, to call for action.

Time is short.

- Michael Forsberg 

http://www.michaelforsberg.com/gpbook.html

http://www.michaelforsberg.com

Steve Bentsen DVM

A native South Texan, I got into photography in high school and shot as a hobby for years, including black & white with the requisite home dark room. I have always loved nature and the outdoors. I grew up hunting, fishing, camping and am an Eagle Scout. After graduating vet school I returned to South Texas where I included wildlife rehabilitation work and wildlife/habitat management on private lands in my veterinary practice. I guided hunters and birders for over 20 years. Through all of these activities I carried my camera and photographed liberally.

Wildlife and nature photography became a serious passion in the mid 70’s and in the mid 80’s I embarked upon a part-time free-lance writing/photography career which I squeezed in and around my veterinary career and outdoor activities. I had work published in a wide assortment of publications (list available at www.stevebentsen.com) over the next 20 years, primarily focusing my efforts on private lands in extreme South Texas.

My passions have been wildlife, pets, habitat and nature photography. The organizations where I have applied my efforts have been Valley Land Fund (www.valleylandfund.com) where I was a founding member, Texas Wildlife Association (www.texas-wildlife.org), Palm Valley Animal Center (www.palmvalleyanimalcenter.org) where I am a board member, and North American Nature Photography Association (www.nanpa.org) where I am a charter member.

In 2005 I decided to shift the focus of my photo business from selling nature photography to selling nature photo tourism. I purchased a small tract of native habitat and began developing it for nature photography. Now, in conjunction with my neighboring ranch of Campos Viejos, I offer access to this property to visiting photographers and photographic workshops on a day-fee basis. The development of the property and establishment of the photography sites has been an intensive and rewarding campaign. Last year I put a conservation easement on the land to ensure that the habitat will be protected in perpetuity. You can read more about the ranch at www.dosvenadas.com. This ranch is a member of two Texas organizations representing ranches engaged in habitat protection through nature photography. Those organizations are Lens and Land (www.lensandland.com) and Images For Conservation Fund (www.imagesforconservation.org).

The personal rewards of this project are obvious. Owning and photographing my own property is very fulfilling. Knowing that I am contributing to the preservation of valuable natural habitat and wildlife is a special reward. Being able to shoot, interact and talk shop with so many other nature photographers has been fun. But beyond all of that is the knowledge that almost 300 people with a special eye and ability for seeing and recording nature have now visited, seen and recorded the results of what I have done here. The knowledge that they will go forth and multiply my efforts by inspiring others with their images and their stories makes me understand that, through photography my little piece of nature can have an impact far beyond its actual size.

Steve Bentsen Photography

Vince Lamb

Vince Lamb, a nature photographer who lives in Merritt Island, Florida, provided landscape and wildlife photos to build support for the purchases of two conservation land properties near the Indian River Lagoon – totaling more than 1800 acres.  Slideshows with these photos were shown at County Commission meetings where the purchases were approved unanimously.

 
Following Moose Peterson’s recommendation to work with biologists, Vince has established relationships with some exceptional biologists.  Vince was invited to work on an experimental translocation project for families of Florida Scrub-jays, a species listed as Threatened on the federal Endangered Species List.  His photos from this project are being used to create public awareness of this project.
 

Another biologist invited Vince to photograph Red-cockaded Woodpeckers to capture activities performed at a Florida State Park under a recovery plan for this endangered species.  Photos were taken to record band information when these woodpeckers return to their nest cavities in old growth pines.  Other photos have been taken of nest checking.  Banding of young chicks will be captured in digital images very soon.
 

Working with conervation land managers can also provide exceptional opportunitiesm for nature and wildlife photography,  The attached prescribed burn photo attempts to capture the intense heat of this vital land management activity.

www.vincelamb.com

Tim Paine

Like most young boys I had a fascination with dinosaurs. I remember my disappointment when I realized I would never see these giant reptiles covered in armored plates, spikes, shields, and other body ornaments. However, I grew up a few blocks from the old California Academy of Sciences and spent many summer days with my nose pressed against glass cages filled with cobras, exotic lizards, and brightly colored amphibians. Looking closely I saw the same fantastic colors and shapes I saw in my dinosaur books – only smaller. This began my study in reptiles and amphibians that continues to this day. Over the years I watched as conservation issues centered around cuddly mammals or brilliant birds while most reptiles and amphibians were feared, shunned, and misunderstood. Now I spend a good deal of time observing these amazing creatures through my camera so I can share their natural grace and beauty that captured the imagination of my youth.

Up to one half of the near 6000 known amphibians species are in decline or in danger of declining. Numerous frog species have gone extinct in recent decades. A hot topic of study is a fungus that attacks the permeable skin of amphibians and ultimately kills them. This spreading and highly contagious agent has been implicated in the disappearance in a number of frog species in Central and South America as well as in Australia and it is turning up with more frequency in North America and Europe. I’ve been lucky enough to travel to many remote regions in the tropics and to work on a couple of projects hoping to save some of these frogs. The harlequin toad, Atelopus varius, disappeared from Costa Rica and was presumed extinct.

A few years ago a very small population was re-discovered in a remote canyon. Researchers and I are studying this population to learn its size and see what effect, if any, the fungus may be having on these pretty toads. At another study site in the mountains of Costa Rica we’ve witnessed the forest streams near silenced by this epidemic. It is humbling to be in regions where very few people on this planet will ever visit and to photograph these amazing creatures. Sometimes it gets depressing thinking these may be the last documentations of these animals’ existence. However, if my photographs can lessen people’s fears, deepen public appreciation, and ultimately help preserve these animals and their habitats then I feel I’ve done a good job.

Tim Paine’s photography http://amphibios.org/