July is Wild for Wildlife Month! This observance was established in 1984 by the International Fund of Animal Welfare to draw attention to the important job of conserving our natural places and the threats facing wildlife and their habitats.
The ultimate goal of my recent book Wild Lives was much the same – to share photos of incredible creatures from every diverse biome on the planet, as well as many of the positive stories that see many species reconciling their place together with human populations ever on the rise.
Enjoy the photos, celebrate Wild for Wildlife month, and have a spectacular summer!
This weekend kicks off a worthwhile campaign: 100 For the Ocean! 100 photographers and artists, myself included, have donated images help raise $1M to support the conservation of our oceans.
You can download the catalog here to check out all the images. Sales will begin at 12:01am EST/9:01pm PST/8am UK. These prints encompass amazing ocean-related images and begin at just $100. This is an incredible opportunity to own a conversation piece and support a worthwhile cause that benefits everyone on our planet.
For more information visit their website. If you’re just not in the market for new decor, spread the word on social media for a great cause!
Last night, the project to restore the creek at Schmitz Park here in West Seattle kicked off with the first meeting of the Schmitz Park Creek Restore group at my home. We presented our ideas for daylighting the creek and restoring the salmon run to this preserved natural area. Our goal is to reconnect the creek to Alki Beach, continue to protect 53 acres of old growth forest, and re-establish the natural cove at the mouth of the creek.
Though I travel often, West Seattle will always be home. It’s an exciting project, and I’m glad to be a part of it! Read more about the project on the West Seattle blog!
HOPE by Cristina “Mitty” Mittermeier is an uplifting book project that I urge everyone to support. Mitty is a great communicator and unparalleled photographer. She has done so much for the photographic & conservation community with the founding of SeaLegacy and the International League of Conservation Photographers ILCP. Please join me in supporting Mitty’s crowdfunding campaign for ‘HOPE’ – a book showcasing her most iconic images and inspiring stories from her 30-year journey as a photographer and activist. Part of the proceeds of this book will directly benefit the people, communities and projects featured in these pages!
Sunday is World Wildlife Day! With Wild Lives releasing this past fall, 2023 was full of trips focusing on the last few shots I needed to get for the book – from the elusive snow leopard in India, to millions of bats taking to the sky in Thailand. It was a mad dash to the finish line, trying to make sure this was the greatest wildlife book of my career.
A large focus of this book is how animal species are navigating how they share the planet with rapidly expanding human presence. In some cases, the news is better than you might expect and I think it’s important to focus on the positives at a time when it’s very easy to get lost in the bad news that makes the most impactful headlines. I discussed this and more with Jack Graham and John Pederson on the We Talk Photo podcast. If you caught the first part and were eagerly awaiting part 2, it’s up now!
Have a fantastic weekend, and consider a donation to your favorite wildlife charity!
Wild Lives has arrived! December has been a whirlwind of events and activity with the release of my latest book, a compendium highlighting a lifetime photographing creatures around the world. Wild Lives shares the stories of survival and growth of animal species that have adapted to the impact of humans around the world.
Wild Lives is now available in the U.K., so if you live across the pond you can avoid those shipping fees – unless of course you’d like me to sign a copy, or inscribe it with a personal message. You’ll have to do that through my website, but we will ensure your book is well-packaged and ready for travel.
I arrived home from my most recent trip this past Sunday and received an incredible birthday gift from friend and colleague Frans Lanting – the beautifully packaged and presented Collector’s Edition of Bay of Life, Frans & Chris Eckstrom’s epic book chronicling the rejuvenation of California’s Monterey Bay.
An area ravaged by rampant utilization by man during the gold rush which stripped the area of life and resources, Bay of Life documents the resilience of nature and the ways in which like-minded people can come together to help restore an ecosystem to not only a state of recovery, but one in which it thrives.
This message of hope and rejuvenation speaks directly to me. If you’ve caught any of my recent talks regarding my own projects, you’ll know the emphasis I put on describing how wildlife populations in many areas are beginning to recover after an initial decrease due to the influence and reach of man.
Though our climate situation remains dire, nature’s ability to rejuvenate when coupled with human awareness, consideration, and conservation efforts is remarkable. This book project not only documents this significant symbiosis between nature and man – it also helps educate and fund future endeavors to protect this beautiful habitat via the Bay of Life Project.
In a win for wildlife and indigenous communities, the last remaining oil and gas leases on the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge have been cancelled. The US is on track to produce more oil and natural gas than ever before and tapping this vital ecological sanctuary was always a bad idea.
Called “the place where life begins” by the Yup’ik and Gwich’in, the refuge is home to 250 animal species including vast herds of caribou that migrate from wintering Canada every year to calve on the coastal plain, grizzlies, wolves, and millions of migratory birds from as far as Antarctica. As long as I have been photographing, which is a long time indeed, it has been the focus of heated debate over resource extraction. One thing we should know is that this ban is not permanent, and more advocacy must be done to make sure this biologically rich area remains wild and untouched forever—a gift to future generations.
There’s no place like Katmai, there’s no place like Katmai, there’s no place like Katmai. I wish it were that easy to be transported to this extraordinary living laboratory of Alaska’s brown bears. This year we had better than ever photographic opportunities with the bears. From afar with our 100-500mm lenses set at the upper end of the focal length we witnessed at-times violent interactions between older siblings over salmon, tender moments between protective mothers and their cubs, and diverse birdlife of the tundra and waterways. The landscapes are vast and glorious, the wildlife abundant–truly a privilege to behold!
I’ll be heading back to Katmai next summer for two workshops – take your pick and join me next year! Save a few hundred bucks with early bird pricing through October.
Happy Cinco De Mayo! Raise a toast to long-time friend and prolific ecologist Gregory A. Green. Greg has received much-deserved recognition with a lifetime achievement award for Leadership in Conservation by the Washington Chapter of The Wildlife Society.
While devoting nearly five decades of his life to conservation biology, Greg is a prolific photographer in his own right. We have been frequent travel companions, and Greg has been the perfect fit as the written voice accompanying the many photos in my latest project, Wild Lives—due out this October with pre-orders available soon. Sign up for my mailing list to be informed as soon as it’s available. Learn more about Greg and check out his photography on his website, greggreenphoto.com.
I arrived home from my most recent trip this past Sunday and received an incredible birthday gift from friend and colleague Frans Lanting – the beautifully packaged and presented Collector’s Edition of Bay of Life, Frans & Chris Eckstrom’s epic book chronicling the rejuvenation of California’s Monterey Bay.
