The deadline for the USA Landscape Photographer of the Year award is coming up on September 15th, but there is still plenty of time to submit your work for consideration, and why wouldn’t you? Submit your shots of American landscapes for your chance to win!
If Charlie Waite can’t persuade you, maybe the great prizes will!
Today we celebrate one of the more iconic and often symbolic creatures of the animal kingdom; the elephant.
Long revered for their size (African elephants weigh as much as 22,000 pounds) and intelligence, elephants are one of the few species to use tools and employ cohesive teamwork. They are also one of the more expressive and emotional members of the animal kingdom, emoting feelings of empathy and grief for fallen companions.
On this day where we honor these amazing creatures and reaffirm our efforts to conserve and expand their numbers, it couldn’t be a better time to discuss a book project and launch event that I am honored and elated to be a part of. Remembering Elephants is a collaborative effort encompassing the work of 65 of the world’s top wildlife photographers documenting the life of an elephant. 100% of the proceeds from each book sold will benefit conservation efforts.
The book will be published in September. Field Biologist Ian Redmond and myself will be speaking at the launch event in London on September 22nd. If you’re able to make it, I would love to see you there to share our respects for these wonderful animals!
An exhibit representing the book will show from the launch to October 1st at La Galleria, Pall Mall in London.
Katmai is the gift that keeps on giving! The abundant salmon means an abundance of bears. When photographing through the churning waters, it’s tough to tell just how brilliantly scarlet the fish are. I was also able to take to the skies and photograph thousands of walruses on the pristine shores of Bristol Bay. Then, it was back to the bears – I just can’t get enough of them.
I will be posting two Katmai trips as well as a Glacier Bay small boat cruise for 2017 to our events page soon. To hear about these trips first, get on our mailing list!
The Summer Olympics open this evening in Rio, and as a world traveler fortunate enough to have been to so many incredible places all over the globe, it’s always incredible to see nations set aside differences and come together to compete.
As the week comes to a close and the Games begin, I’m grateful to bring you some wonderful images captured on our recent workshop in Katmai National Park, Alaska. 2016 has been an incredible year for shooting, with locations I’ve visited in the past providing me with unprecedented opportunities to capture them. The denizens Katmai must have felt the competitive vibe in the air, as the wildlife in the area was at it’s best.
The bears in the park were active, expressive, and down-right ready for the spotlight as our group captured them going about their business – their every day tasks mundane to them, but a spectacle to us. Enjoy the photos as we celebrate the opening of the Olympic Games and 100 years of the National Parks Service!
Save 20% on any Olympic Cascade print purchased this month. These Open Edition prints are printed on EPSON Premium Photo Luster paper using archival EPSON Ultrachrome inks. Art signs the print with a silver acid-free pen. Get more information about our Fine Art prints here.
Congratulations to Brian Rivera Uncapher, winner of the 2nd Photography As Art photo contest! This time the theme was Pattern, and Brian’s detail shot of the intricate, varied patterns of the skin of an iguana was the consensus favorite in our office!
Congratulations Brian! Thank you again to everyone who submitted entries to the contest. Although only one winner is chosen, the decisions have not been easy thus far and rest assured we consider each image.
To check out more of Brian’s work, check out his website.
The next Photography as Art seminar is in Los Angeles on September 18th, and another contest will be underway soon in anticipation of that date. Follow me on Instagram to participate!
I am pleased to announce the spring 2017 dates and locations for my Photography as Art Seminar, along with an early bird discount to any sign-ups before September 1st.
Though I enjoy workshops and opportunities to shoot all around the world, these seminars represent a culmination of my life’s work as an artist and teacher. They are very personal to me, and I am excited to share with you what it means to me to approach photography with the eye of an artist. Over the course of this day together, we will explore the elements of design, the formulation of a concept, and look at the work of artists whom have influenced me throughout my life.
I look forward to seeing you in the following cities in 2017:
Jaunary 22nd, 2017 – Austin, Texas
March 5th, 2017 – Atlanta, Georgia
May 7th, 2017 – Portland, Oregon
May 13th, 2017 – Scottsdale, Arizona
May 21st, 2017 – Memphis, Tennessee
June 4th, 2017 – Toronto, Ontario
Spots still remain available to attend the remaining 2016 seminars:
September 18th, 2016 – Los Angeles, California
October 2nd, 2016 – Denver, Colorado
October 9th, 2016 – New York City, New York
October 16th 2016 – Indianapolis, Indiana
I look forward to seeing all who can attend, and sharing this seminar with you!
Oregon is home to one of the most scenic and beautiful coastlines in America. Two spots remain to travel with Art, where you will not only explore the location but also your creativity as he describes new ways to visualize and compose your images from a conceptual perspective that will make your captures unique and personal. On top of experiencing this stunning locale, you will take away techniques that will enhance and personalize your photographic endeavors to come.
Sign up here to join this nearly full workshop!
First published in 2004, the Smithsonian Answer Book: Cats in Question is now available as an eBook.
Done in question-and-answer format Cats in Question offers authoritative and engaging answers to the thousands of questions about cats that Smithsonian scientists receive annually. All of the world’s cats are here, from fearsome predators such as lions and tigers, to mysterious hunters such as leopards and jaguars, to cuddly pets such as domestic cats.
More than 100 breathtaking photographs by acclaimed photographer Art Wolfe illustrate the questions on cat facts, cat evolution and diversity, and cats and humans. Readers will find the answers to such questions as “What are cats?” “How do cats hunt?” “Do wild cats like catnip?” and “Do cats dream?”.
Subjects dealt with include physical features and senses, diet and predation, social behavior, evolution, decline and recovery, diversity, distribution and abundance, and the cats’ roles in various cultures. Did you know that a male and female lion mate repeatedly, as often as every 20 minutes for several days? Or that lions may sleep or rest up to 19 hours a day? The text is augmented by 120 color photographs and a list of scientific and common names and a glossary.
A conservation biologist at the Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park, author Dr. John Seidensticker and cat specialst Dr. Susan Lumpkin have edited Great Cats and wrote The Smithsonian Book of Giant Pandas, Cats and Wild Cats, and several children’s books. They live in Washington, DC.
I recently recorded a lengthy interview with Ibarionex Perello of the Candid Frame. Listen here.
