©2000-2016 BTLeventhal.com / Bruce & Tamy Leventhal. All rights reserved. No image on this site may be used without permission.
Wildlife Landscape #4 - Memories
A shared adventure is a relived adventure. Like the fallen tree that isn't heard, the thrill of travel becomes lost in the noise of a busy life. Fortunately, pictures can add permanence to the ephemeral. They are visual representations of memories that might have otherwise drifted aimlessly out of consciousness. Some photos serve as simple reminders of fun times with family and friends, while others represent something much more. Herein lies the power of the animal landscape. These photographs tell a story of a place and time, they stimulate intense emotions about an experience, or teach us something about an ecosystem or a "day in the life." Art or natural history, animal landscapes can evoke emotions that transport the viewer somewhere new or somewhere deep in the recesses of the mind.
©2000-2016 BTLeventhal.com / Bruce & Tamy Leventhal. All rights reserved. No image on this site may be used without permission.
Wildlife Landscape #3 - Simplicity
While in Iceland, Tamy and I photographed an equal mix of wildlife and landscapes. While each was intriguing on its own, the two would occasionally collide. Much like the blend of chocolate and peanut butter in a Reese’s Cup™, when serendipity happens, two good things can make something great.
©2000-2016 BTLeventhal.com / Bruce & Tamy Leventhal. All rights reserved. No image on this site may be used without permission.
Wildlife Landscape #2 - Taming the Rush
Few things are more exciting than an intimate encounter with free ranging wildlife. The adrenaline rush is like a thrill ride with a hint of fear and ecstasy that fades as fast as it appears. So intense are the feelings, wildlife photographers can become addicted to the rush, and will experience withdrawals when deprived of the opportunity to make images in the field. The obsession to be close is evident by what we deem to be a successful image. We photographers often speak about filling the frame, or that no lens is long enough; yet the products, an ultra tight portrait or bust shot that allows the viewer to count every hair, are often some of the most boring photographs. Throughout the years, I have found that many of my most compelling wildlife images are those where the environment and light are as prominent as the subject. While portraits have their place and often elicit a “wow” factor, they tend to impress other wildlife artists but do little to evoke emotions in the causal viewer. In contrast, wildlife landscapes are dynamic. The play between light, environment and subject invites the viewer to morph their own life experience with the non-human subjects captured by the artist. In fact, the wildlife landscape can become a catalyst for change and a transformative experience for the viewer. These types of photographs often promote thoughts about preservation and the compulsion to conserve. Herein lies the power of wildlife photography, and a reason for us to pursue the rush.
©2000-2016 BTLeventhal.com / Bruce & Tamy Leventhal. All rights reserved. No image on this site may be used without permission.
Wildlife Landscape #1 - Buck and Willow
November 5th, 2016 was the “deer opener” in Minnesota; I’m no hunter, heck, I’m a vegetarian and have been for longer than I can recall. To celebrate the lives of the living, I chose not to wear blaze orange, climb a tree stand or drive back country road,; instead I headed to protected land in search of some regal and aging bucks.
Much like those readying themselves for “the hunt," Tamy and I woke long before sunrise, packed the car and made our way to a favorite spot to see and photograph deer. Far from captive, these herds roam between national and state park lands, and thus have a highly coveted status… protected wildlife. Able to wander for miles along thick river corridors, the herds brave non-human predators, starvation and the occasional drive-by collision. Without the human selected pressure to “bag” the biggest buck with the most points, these deer can grow large and survive up to eight years.
On this atypical November morning, temperatures fell to a balmy 37℉ (3℃) and plateaued at a whopping 75℉ (24℃). following a brief hike, we stumbled upon a pair of bucks staking out breeding territories just as the mist was beginning to rise. Rather than move in for a tight profile, I chose to include the foreground and background elements to suggest something about the time and place. In this wildlife landscape, the buck has curled his upper lip in what is known as a “flehmen response” to female pheromones. The contraction of lip muscles exposes the vomeronasal organs (VMO) near the roof of the mouth to the volatilized chemicals in urine and feces deposited by interested does.
With heavy hunting pressures close to our location, this male and others like him need only worry about the paparazzi during his pursuit of some love. While I’m not one to bash those who enjoy the hunt, I often wonder why the kill is a necessary prerequisite to enjoying a quiet morning in the woods.
©2000-2016 BTLeventhal.com / Bruce & Tamy Leventhal. All rights reserved. No image on this site may be used without permission.
Can it Get any Better?
Have we reached a point in wildlife photography where it can't get any better? With the ever crashing prices of high quality digital gear, the pursuit of wildlife imagery has become "every man's (or woman's)" game. In 1994 I spent $2000 for a previously owned Carl Zeiss 300mm f/4.0 lens because I desperately wanted to photograph the wildlife of Costa Rica, Minnesota and the West Coast. A fortune to me at the time, the choice to buy the lens translated into real sacrifices. Rather than splurge on a nice car, an apartment in a trendy neighborhood or pay off my debts, I chose to embellish my photographic and travel desires.
In stark contrast to when I began taking my photography seriously, today I could spend the same $2000 and purchase an amazing 150-600mm lens and prosumer DSLR camera with a wide-angle to mid-range zoom lens. What's more, rather than risking the unknown of the used market, all of my gear would be new and under a manufacturer's warranty. The obstacle that was once the price of quality gear, is not an impediment to making quality images today.
In 1995 I took my first of ten trips to Costa Rica. As a formally trained ecologist and evolutionary biologist, a trip to the tropics was high on my "future travels list." Even by the mid-90's Costa Rica was less exotic than other destinations, but it remained a relatively low-touristed hot-spot for photography. With one bag packed with thirty rolls of film and the other with quick drying clothes, I can still recall that primitive outdoor airport the greeted us in San Jose. A trip that might cost $1500 per person today was about double the expense in 1995. So, much like the democratization of gear, travel to lesser-visited wildlife destinations have become easier to find and increasingly affordable.
And what of the art in image making. Quite honestly, the photographs I see today during a random Google Search, on forums and on blogs match or surpass what was once the "gold standard for nature photography,..." National Geographic. Digital image making rewards those willing to engage in trial and error and inquiry-based learning. It has never been easier to take a picture, review the product and modify the process on the spot. No more waiting for film to be developed by a lab, the digital artist is free to experiment, invent and grow faster than I ever could when analog (aka film) was king.
So, can it get any better? Well at this point, I am not sure that the answer is yes. Every day people are producing photographs of hummingbirds where every feather can be visualized with light refracting through prismatic barbs, while others capture lions (or insert the predator of your choice) leaping, biting or chasing their quarry in a display that was once only producible by the "professional" nature photographer. While I am beginning to doubt that images of the future can get better, I do believe they will be different. Every photographer sees and interprets their world through their eyes. While many try to emulate the "masters," it is still the individual image maker who decides to snap and share or withhold a given picture. Even if nothing new can be made, anyone who holds a camera and treasures the image making process has the capacity to see "it" and photograph "it" before "it" or they are gone. So, it is likely that my initial query is not the question that needs be asked, rather than "Can it..., maybe I'm wondering... "Does it matter if it can't get any better?"
©2000-2016 BTLeventhal.com / Bruce & Tamy Leventhal. All rights reserved. No image on this site may be used without permission.
Dawn of Autumn 2016
©2000-2016 BTLeventhal.com / Bruce & Tamy Leventhal. All rights reserved. No image on this site may be used without permission.
World Rhino Day
As a nature photographer I have had the great fortune to photograph many places that most only experience on TV, books or the web. Of the locations I have visited, none are more special than my travels to Tanzania in 2008 and Kenya in 2010. During each of these visits I felt as if I had stepped into the past... experiencing both the birth of humanity and a glimpse at the mega-fauna that was once the norm rather than the exception.
Today is "World Rhino Day." It is an opportunity to speak out in support of something other than ourselves. This place, East Africa, where humans began their journey as Australopithecus is also one of the last refugium of mammalian history. Home to rhinoceros, elephants, buffalo and the big cats, this place where humanity had its start is also where the last giants are being eradicated by senseless and uncontrolled poaching. Join me by signing the NRDC Petition to put issues like the conservation of the rhinoceros at the front of political and social discourse.
©2000-2016 BTLeventhal.com / Bruce & Tamy Leventhal. All rights reserved. No image on this site may be used without permission.
Summer's End, 2016
Tomorrow is the first day with my latest crop of students. I began my teaching career twenty-four years ago and assumed it would be a short-term gig. I never experienced "the calling," an intrinsic desire to devote myself to serving children... to teach. Yet, here I sit with less than twenty-four hours to go, and I am excited to return to the classroom.
To those who ask, I claim to be a fortunate man. Married to the love of my life nearly three decades, I have been a researcher, traveler and photographer... all of which now fall under the category of avocation rather than career.
I didn't find teaching, it found me. Many years later, I now know that this thing I do is not "just a job." I have embraced the profession and the responsibility that accompanies the vocation. Undervalued by some and overvalued by others, I continue to search for ways to motivate and inspire.
So as I share this gallery of images made during my last week of "freedom," I both mourn and celebrate the passing of summer. The moniker of photographer/naturalist/traveler is laid to sleep for the winter and, with chalk in hand, I am ready to do that thing that I do best.
©2000-2016 BTLeventhal.com / Bruce & Tamy Leventhal. All rights reserved. No image on this site may be used without permission.
Close to Home, Summer 2016
You know that little ditty by Johnny Cash? The one that begins with “I’ve been everywhere man, I’ve been everywhere, man…?” Well, there were times this summer when that song could have been my anthem.
June belonged to Iceland where I spent nearly two weeks photographing the southern coast and midnight sun. Home for only a day and suffering from sleep deprivation, I boarded another plane, but this time it was pointed to New York.
July began with a camping trip to the headwaters of the Mississippi River and ended with seven days in and around Santa Cruz, CA. By the time I was home long enough to re-established my position in the pecking order with the dogs, it was time to leave for Munich, Germany. Ironically, this trip was via Iceland; so, should you need advice about the best restrooms in Keflavik International Airport, send me a note… I’m your man.
Despite the travel and opportunity to make images in some fairly exotic locations, I do enjoy practicing my craft close to home. While I still have thousands of photos to edit and process from my Icelandic adventure and paddle throughout the Elkhorn Slough, I can’t suppress the urge to shoot the places that I know best. So while it’s likely the next few blogs will focus on the flora and fauna of Iceland or California, this gallery is all about the upper Midwest.
©2000-2016 BTLeventhal.com / Bruce & Tamy Leventhal. All rights reserved. No image on this site may be used without permission.