Waiting for the Weather to Clear

Flying into Antarctica can be a dicey proposition. We were stranded in Punta Arenas, Chile for a few days before the weather cleared enough on the icy continent, then hours later we couldn’t land and had to return for another try a day later. We did get a great view of Fitz Roy and the Patagonian Icecap, though.

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Highlights From my newsletter

Seattle skyline, including Mount Rainier, Washington

I am back in Antarctica–well, nearly, as the weather has been preventing us from flying to the icy continent and we are waiting in Punta Arenas for a break. I thought I would share some of the highlights from the newsletter sent out last week, including our hopeful rendition of the 12th Man flag flying atop the space needle. Our team may not have won the game, but the cities support will not recede!

I hope you have had a chance to check out the streamlined events page (formerly workshops) which covers everything from presentations to safaris. I particularly like the map view of all the events I have scheduled. Take a look and join me on a trip or take a seminar! Did you notice the addition of an Exclusive Svalbard Tour this summer?

For those of you in Florida I have a couple terrific events coming up at the Ft. Lauderdale Museum of Fine Art: an Earth Is My Witness presentation and an Art of Composition seminar. There is a $40 discount for MOAFL members.

My friend and colleague Cristina Mittermeier is looking for photographers, people who are passionate about nature and photography, to participate in the Por el Planeta photo competition. It doesn’t matter what age you are, what matters is your willingness to give your best for conservation. Sponsored by National Geographic, Televisa, and the Secretaria de Turismo of Mexico, Por el Planeta will allocate over $300,000 in prize money for the winners & all profits will be donated to conservation initiatives. Submissions close March 27, 2015.

Near the end of Earth is My Witness are the photo notes for all the images in the book. I had several requests for a separate copy of them for easier reading while viewing the pages of the book. We are now offering a download of the photo notes, and by entering the coupon code 1.2015newsletter, at no extra cost!

On to new discoveries and new destinations in 2015! Best of light to all of you.

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Mnemba Island, Tanzania

On the last leg of our east African sojourn earlier this year, we stayed at the idyllic Mnemba Island Lodge on tiny Mnemba Island adjacent to Zanzibar. Within twenty minutes of arriving we witnessed the last batch of green sea turtles leave their nest and enter the Indian Ocean. One in a thousand will return twenty five years later.

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El Arte de la Fotografía

El Arte de la Fotografia

The Art of the Photograph is now available in Spanish!

Published by Anaya Multimedia

 

 

 

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The Ngorongoro Crater

No trip to east Africa is complete without a visit to the magnificent Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania. It is the largest unfilled, inactive volcanic caldera in the world. Various hominids have lived here for 3 million years and currently about 25000 large mammals from rhinos to hippos to zebras make this area home.

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Can One Person Really Make A Difference?

Can one person really make a difference? Rachel Carson did – she wrote the book Silent Spring just over 50 years ago in 1962 which woke up the American public to the fact that we were killing off our wildlife at an alarming rate – with many on the brink of extinction. Despite the claims and disinformation of the chemicals companies she laid out the scientific proof that DDT was responsible for the decline in birds of prey. Her book and public awareness ultimately lead to the Endangered Species Act signed into law in 1973.

Each of the animals in this album would have been extinct by today had it not been for the Endangered Species Act turning their fate around.

American Alligator – nearly gone by the 1960s for their skins to produce purses and shoes, protected in 1967, they were removed from the list just 20 years later after a hearty come back.

A jumbled mass of juvenile American alligators, Everglades National Park, Florida, USA

Whooping Cranes – hunted for their feathers for fashion there were only 16 birds left in 1941. In 1967 under the act’s protection the few remaining birds were rounded up for captive breeding and today several hundred exist in the wild.

Whooping Crane amidst Sandhill Cranes, New Mexico, USA (Endangered)

Bald Eagle – By 1963 there were just 417 breeding pairs in the lower 48 due to DDT, today there are over 10,000 and you no longer have to go to a zoo to see our nations symbol. Likewise Peregrine Falcons are doing well with many taking to the skyscrapers of large cities to raise the next generation while preying on pigeons.

Bald eagle on nest, Orcas Island, Washington

Grizzly Bear – by the 1970s there were around 140 bears, mostly in Yellowstone National Park, when they were put under protection in 1973 – today there are some 1200-1400 in the lower 48 (still far from their original estimated 50,000 at the time of Lewis and Clark).

Grizzly or brown bear, Glacier National Park, Montana

Grey Wolf – virtually extinct by the 1930s due to hunting, protected and reintroduced into Yellowstone in the 1970s there are an estimated 5,000 wolves in the lower 48 today.

The Leopold pack of grey wolves, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Californian Condor – In 1987 the last 22 Condors were captured in the wild for captive breeding and today around 200 live in the wild. Alive, but still one of the rarest birds on the planet.

California condor, Colorado River, Arizona

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Talking Photography 2014 at Curious Animal

Art wolfe on location in Bhutan

curiousanimallogowebCurious Animal is an online magazine for Adventure Travel, Photography, Music, Books, Big Issues and Ideas from around the world. Graeme Green interviewed me for a couple of pieces on Curious Animal. Apparently they had the pleasure of talking to many of the world’s best photographers, from Steve McCurry to Soren Solkaer, who spend their time traveling the world photographing everything from sharks to rock stars. I discussed disappearing cultures… Roger Ballen on the art of the strange… Chris Hadfield on photographing the Earth from space… Here are some of their thoughts on photography, the world and life itself.

 

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Yellowstone in Winter


Yellowstone National Park is spectacular in the winter. We stayed at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge, one of the few lodges open in the winter. From there we explored the Norris Geyser Basin via snowcoach, passed all the while by snowmobilers, who now are restricted to roads and use significantly quieter engines. As always the wildlife is varied and accessible, but what I liked photographing were the landscapes, especially the pine forests that burned back in the late 1980s. Their regimented geometry was softened by the falling snow.

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Color for 2015: Marsala

Pantone’s color of the year is Marsala.

A naturally robust and earthy wine red, Marsala enriches our minds, bodies and souls. The impactful, full-bodied qualities of Marsala make for an elegant, grounded statement color when used on its own or as a strong accent to many other colors.

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2014 Year in Review

With the publication of Earth Is My Witness, 2014 was a highlight year in my career. So much energy and time was put toward this mega project that to see it finally in published form gives everyone at Art Wolfe, Inc. an enormous sense of accomplishment. Earth Is My Witness was launched at an event at the California Academy of Sciences.

Earth Is My Witness Pub Date October 15, 2014 Photography by Art Wolfe Introduction by Wade Davis Hardcover | 11x14 inches | 356 pages Preorder special: http://store.artwolfe.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=525While my travel schedule slowed down somewhat, I did find myself in India twice—particularly in Ladakh, searching for the elusive snow leopard. I saw several, but at great distances. Regardless, it was a tremendous experience in a rugged and elemental landscape. Next up were Wyoming’s Yellowstone National Park, Alaska’s Glacier Bay and Katmai National Parks, and Norway’s Svalbard Archipelago. After teaching a couple workshops in Oregon and Washington, I headed off to Kenya, Ethiopia and Papua New Guinea to make a series of specials for Australian TV. In November I joined Denis Glennon and Frans Lanting in South Georgia Island and Antarctica. Then Iceland’s Bárðarbunga volcano beckoned and I answered its call. It’s been erupting since August and shows no sign of slowing down. My final trip of the year to East Africa straddled 2014-2015.

My prints were featured in the “Pristine Russia” traveling exhibit and “Power of the Image” exhibit in Beijing. I had two gallery openings this year: The Konica Minolta Gallery featured my work in January. My work is also hanging in the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History as part of the Nature’s Best Photography Windland Smith Rice International Awards Exhibition.

On the awards front, Human Canvas was selected for the Graphis Photography Annual. Earth Is My Witness was named a “Best Photo Book of the Year” by American Photo magazine. I was honored be included in the UK magazine Professional Photography as part of their 100 Photography Heroes special issue.

Travels to the Edge continued to air around the world, including a first-time run in France as Voyages Au Bout Du Monde Avec Art Wolfe.

If you find yourself in Seattle, please do not hesitate to drop by my gallery. As always, please keep an eye on artwolfe.com for the latest updates. Wishing you and yours a bountiful New Year!

-Art Wolfe
Explore. Create. Inspire.

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