Mashatu has been an amazing and productive trip as I had hoped. We had some wonderful opportunities with elephants, lions, and especially leopards. Now off to MalaMala!
Ever since I first saw Freeman Patterson’s work (http://www.freemanpatterson.com/) in the mid 1990s, I have wanted to go shoot in Kolmanskop. It was well worth the drive to this out-of-the-way corner of the Namibian desert. Diamonds were discovered here in 1908 and the town soon became very rich, but the diamonds were soon exhausted, and Kolmanskop was deserted by the mid 1950s. Now, as the paint continues to peel and the sands shift, it is a tremendous place to work the light and shadows.
We then headed due east to photograph one of the few extant kokerboom “forests.” These aloe trees grow sparsely among the rugged boulder landscape. We stayed there well into the night to get long exposures of the Milky Way.
Wow! I hate being out of contact for so long! Connectivity has been a struggle and I was just able to upload a few photos from my recent shoot in the Duba Plains of the Okavango Delta. We were the only people to see a lion and buffalo take down in weeks, so I feel extremely fortunate. Over the course of ten days we also were able to photograph gorgeous leopards and magnificent herds of elephants. Perhaps, it isn’t so bad to be out of touch after all!
Fabled and feared, rescued and reared— bears, through time have experienced human impact, both negative and positive. Indeed, the current circumstance of these impressive creatures reflects our behavior, depth of understanding, and attitude towards them.
In this Special Edition we share the perspective of photographers, explorers, scientists and those dedicated to the conservation of bears and their habitat worldwide. Their stories and images reflect the diverse nature of bears, the vital role they play in the health of an ecosystem, their spiritual significance and reverence to native culture. These are but some of the aspects explored through first-hand encounters and expressive photos which capture intimate moments of bears in the wild.
Viewed through a global prism encompassing past, and present with expert insight on the future— we open a much wider window, into the world of bears.
Deepest gratitude to all who contributed, for enriching this issue with your knowledge and experience. You have helped provide a global perspective that I hope will raise awareness and support for our beloved bears.
Katmai National Park is one of my go-to places for bears. It is extraordinary to say the least & the scenery isn’t too shabby either. In particular, I was able to photograph a sow & her two cubs. She looked at me, looked at her cubs, and sat down as if giving me permission.
My friends and I had a great time wandering around various parts of the Salish Sea in search of orca whales. While we did finally spot 8 transient whales on our adventure it takes either really good light or unusual behaviors such as spy hopping and breaching the surface to make the photo and alas we had neither that day. To really photograph orcas takes a bit of luck (which I often have) and a lot of time (which I never have). I have been fortunate enough to see them in Antarctica, Argentina, New Zealand, Norway, and Alaska and I was hoping to have some shots of them in my own back yard for my next book project but it wasn’t to be this time around.
Due to limited connectivity, I am only able to upload a few photos from my current trip to Brazil. The last time I photographed scarlet ibis was in the early 1990s for my book Migrations. It is terrific having the opportunity again to capture these birds with superior technology.