It's Not About the Money!

July 31, 2023 in July 2023

This week’s blog is inspired by an online conversation I am having with another photographer. My colleague and friend has been taking photos of nature for nearly a decade, and inquired about increasing his sales and profile in the field. I’ve found that many of my fellow nature shooters believe that their photographs are a commodity that has value and can be monetized. While making an income in photography is a legitimate career, the capacity to generate a sustainable salary has become increasingly difficult. During this discussion with my friend and others on a photography forum, I shared the following thoughts…

About 25 years ago, I almost left my career in teaching to become a professional nature photographer. I had been teaching for about 5 years and barely made $28K/yr, while my modest photography stock portfolio was making about $5k/year. I did the bare minimum for self promotion and marketing, and relied on a stock agency to market and profit from our shared relationship. I was pushing about 300 new pictures to the agent annually, and this averaged to about one photo for every roll of film shot. Because I was relatively uninvolved with the business side of things, I reasoned that if I spent less time preparing biology lessons, grading student work, and working 9 hour days, I'd have more time for photography, more time to write, and more time to cultivate a thriving nature imaging business.

*Screech Owl Hiding in Plain Sight - TX*

25 years later, I'm glad that I decided to play it safe and stick with my career as a teacher, feeding my passion for nature photography through avocation rather than vocation. When I was contemplating a career move, digital photography was an idea, something relegated government work and lab experiments, it was not a viable medium for photographic artistic expression. Prior to 2002, digital cameras were slow, produced low resolution files, and frightfully expensive. Furthermore, the internet was in its infancy, and images were not as free and easy to access as they are today.

As has been discussed ad nauseam digital imagery and the expansion of the free World Wide Web killed the magazine and newspaper market, and thus destroyed many careers in photography. During the film era, Nature photography was a legitimate commodity because it required months to conceive an image and actually get a marketable shot. In the 1980’s I was doing research in the Pribilof Islands in Alaska, and was asked to document the landing of a thick-billed murre on its nest. I had access to a manual focus Nikon F2A and 500mm mirror lens to do the work. The set up took almost a day to conceive, and I needed to work from a blind to get the shot that I was seeking. Throughout the process, I shot multiple rolls of slide film, and most of the photos stunk for a wide variety of reasons. It is work and effort like this that made National Geographic Magazine a coveted keepsake, and their photographers treasures of the photo-journalistic world. In contrast to my efforts in the 80’s, I could fly to the Pribilof Islands today, and get the shot that took days in about 15 minutes (or less) with my current camera gear.

The photography we do used to be of great interest to magazine publishers, but with the easy access to exotic destinations (seems like everyone's gone to Svalbard these days), the better computer-based cameras, and less knowledge required to get a good picture, the images we make today are cheap and lack real monetary value. While the photos produced by nature photographers are better than ever, the pictures are essentially worthless. The real value in nature photography is in the experience of being there and enjoying the moment. The joy resides in making these images and recording a brief moment in time, while the experience is priceless. To put an exclamation mark on this thought, consider the following…

*Coyote and a Mutual Surprise - St. Croix River, WI*

I just lost my wife of 32 years to a neurodegenerative disease. She was 56 and I am 58. She enjoyed photography, nature travel, and wildlife as much as I do. We've been to Africa twice, Iceland twice, Costa Rica 10 times, throughout British Columbia and Alberta more times than I can remember. What sticks with me today is not the money I’ve made through publications, contests, or print sales; it is the memory of making the pictures with her, the solitude of these moments, and the feeling of being one with nature.

Get out their and experience the light… bruce

Grizzly Bear - Khutzeymateen Provincial Park, British Columbia Canada

Random Musings on Teaching, Photography, and Conservation

July 12, 2019 in Featured

As a high school educator who has spent the better part of a career teaching Advanced Placement Biology courses, I am constantly looking for ways to inspire “buy-in” by my students. I stress the values of grit, perseverance, and resiliency. I spend my non-contact hours dreaming up ways to bait the hook so that my content is too irresistible to ignore. Yet, there are times when I know I am a fraud; a flimflam artist trying to sell an old junker of a car as if it were something shiny and new. Herein lies what I consider to be the art in teaching.

Harbor Seal - Broughton Archipelago, British Columbia Canada

Photography is a wonderful parallel to my life as a teacher. When I’m not thinking about the next lab or lesson to share with students, I’m dreaming of ways to make compelling images that will engage and entertain the viewer. More than this, I am seeking to inspire my audience to value a world that extends beyond our human wants. I use this medium to display life’s diversity and to illustrate its beauty. Like the teacher who focuses on the extremes of reality to establish a commitment to learning, this photographer uses the same tools as way to inspire conservation and the fear of loss. My hope is that my images force you to look into the eyes of a cute animal in its untouched habitat and wonder…

Bobcat - Point Reyes National Seashore, California United States

The amount of detail captured by the photographer, the cameras used, or the time spent to get on location are all irrelevant if the pictures produced fail to inspire the audience. Like the great teachers, the real wildlife artist is a master of exclusion leaving you with more questions than answers.

Reflecting on 2018

December 23, 2018 in Featured

Today is December 22, 2018*… the day following the Winter Solstice. For many reasons, phenological events associated with the ebb and flow of time hold great meaning for me. The long nights and short days inspire introspection and reflection of the year that was and the one that will soon be. This year was a year defined by political, economic, and environmental chaos that continues to be unsettling. In many ways, the chaos in Washington has sapped a bit of joy from the little things in life. Disrespect for culture, for friends, and for the environment now trumps (pun intended) the common courtesy that once was considered acceptable… if not appropriate. This shortest of days coincides with a governmental shutdown designed to acquiesce to the will of a minority voting block rather than the larger populace of our nation.

I am not sure I know what any of this has to do with photography and the twenty images displayed here, however I think that I can tie it all together. My year in photos was one that included three publications, two workshops, travels to Iceland, Canada, and transcontinental drives across the United States. I visited many new destinations, made images under extreme environmental duress, photographed a few new species, and sadly, became obsessed with the gear I used rather than the images being made. Much like a government which seems to have lost its way, I continued to push the shutter release without giving much thought to the work I was producing. My productivity without focus seems to parallel the workings of a government without a conscious… something a little less than what it could have been.

Postscript - The Images posted are what I consider to be my 20 best from 2018. What follows is a key to what is presented in chronological order. 1. Swan Rousing, Vadnais Heights, MN : 2. Bison Huddle, Yellowstone NP, MT : 3. Tree Bones, Yellowstone NP, MT : 4. Swan Landing, Hudson, WI : 5. Resting on Ice, Hudson, WI : 6. Flocked Tree, Stillwater, MN : 7. Crane Fight, Grantsburg, WI : 8. White Pelican, Stillwater, MN : 9. Chicken Fight, Bluestem Prairie, MN : 10. River Mist, Afton, MN : 11. Tree Bones, Teddy Roosevelt National Park, SD : 12. The Sentient Bear, Kootenay NP , BC Canada : 13. Lake Louise and Misty Clouds, Banff NP, Canada : 14. Rialot Sunset, Olympic NP, WA : 15. Lake Superior Sunrise, Grand Marais, MN : 16. Cow Elk, Elk County, PA : 17. Kirkjufell, Snaefellsnes Peninsula, Iceland : 18: Geothermal Pipes, Reykjanesta Peninsula, Iceland : 19, Water and Rocks, Reykjanesta Peninsula : 20. Buck and Goldenrod, Fort Snelling, MN

*Note: While Posted on December 23rd, I began writing the blog on the evening of December 22nd.

Making Waves - *Castor canadensis*
Nikon D500 + Nikon 200-400mm f4 VR

The Beaver Pond

June 14, 2018 in June 2018, Other

Spring was late to Minnesota this year. The beaver pond and its inhabitants have been a favorite photographic muse since 2015, and with the average temperatures rising annually throughout the decade, my accessibility to the beavers has been as early as March 14. Since the 2018 winter followed past climatic patterns, I assumed that I'd be photographing these little engineers in March once again. Because unpredictability is the only predictable assumption one can now make about weather this century, it should be no surprise that my spring intentions ran contradictory to expectation. The unseasonably warm winter was followed by a heavy April snowfall and chilly cold conditions. As a result, I was not able to photograph the beavers until mid-May. During my second visit to the pond, I witnessed with a cornucopia of wildlife and accelerated spring behaviors that included migratory birds, a newborn fawn, mating beavers, and a rather hasty raccoon. Although spring was late, all seemed fine with the world on this May morning.

Tree Swallow in Sumac
Nikon D500 + Nikon 200-400mm f4 VR

Musings... Kootenay National Park, BC
Nikon D500 and Nikon 200-400mm f/4 VR

A Return to Blogging?

June 13, 2018 in June 2018, Other

Where has the blog gone?... Well, this is a question that I have been asking the publisher/author (...oh right, that's me) for quite some time now. The "Way We See It" began in 2008 following my first trip to East Africa (see my inaugural blog post here). I was so excited about our adventure to Tanzania that I wanted to initiate a digital journal. Very few people were blogging for money at the time, and Google's "Blogspot" was a cheap and easy way to share the adventure with my friends and family. Since that first post in June 2008, I have authored 416 unique essays that are rich with text, photographs, musings, reviews, and rants. For years I have stated that this blog is among the most unnoticed displays of devotion on the world wide web.

With the challenges of my work as an AP Biology teacher, my commitment to make photographs, time authoring articles for publication, and years of being unnoticed as a blogger, lethargy and indifference began to take hold. As such, my musings have tapered to a rather boring trickle. So, for those of you who have actually followed my exploits throughout the years (and to those who care more about Trump tweets), I have a bit of good news,... this blog is NOT dead, yet. Now that summer has begun, I have some time to rethink my approach to blogging and ways to freshen my content. While I will continue to share my thoughts about biology, the state of education, environmentalism, politics, and life in Minnesota, I also intend to spend more effort discussing my methods and experiences in the field behind a lens.

While I have no interest or skill in videography, I will be sharing some one-minute iPhone video blogs (so called "vlogs") that I have been posting on my Instagram (@BruceLeventhal). Each of these videos will be accompanied with a finished image that was produced during the shoot and a bit of commentary about the process. In addition, I will be devoting a number posts to a recent 16 day road trip as well as trips of the past and future. So, while "The Way We See It" has taken a bit of a nap, it now seems that Rip VanWinkle has finally been jarred awake and has something to say.

Cheers... Bruce Leventhal (Creator, Author, Publisher, Reviewer, and Commentator)

Coyote on White - Yellowstone National Park via West Yellowstone Entrance
Nikon D500 + Nikon 200-400mm f/4 VR shot at 400mm and f/10

The Coyote on White

March 04, 2018 in Photo Notes

What and Where?

"The Coyote on White" was photographed during a NANPA sponsored photography outing in January, 2018. Enchanted by the graphic character of cold wintery landscapes, I could not pass up the chance to taste a bit of a Yellowstone winter. Having seen many striking snow-covered images from the park, my desire to experience it for myself became more of a need than a want.

While we lodged in West Yellowstone, we spent sunrise to sunset traveling the park via slowcoach (actually called "snow coach," but slowcoach might be a bit more apt description). With oversized wheels and a somewhat roomy interior, we effortlessly traversed plowed and unplowed roads as we made our way from snowy riparian lowlands to highland plateaus. The snow coach is a necessary evil if one intends to see more than an isolated region of the park. While a pair of snow shoes and tent would have allowed for a more deliberative photographic experience, time constraints eliminated this as an option.

Why it Works?

While we did manage to see a wolf making its way towards a herd of bison, this fleeting moment was the only time in which I actually laid my eyes on one. Were it not for an encounter with a fish-seeking coyote, I would not have seen any mammalian carnivores during our brief time in the park. Fortunately, as our first day was coming to a close, we found the coyote pictured here perched on a rock looking into the Madison River. To cut the distance between the animal and my lens, I hiked through hip high snow making my way to the bank of the river. Now, with 30 meters and a river between us, I watch the coyote staring into the water as it searched for a fish. With my finger poised on the shutter release, I waited as the snow fell and my digits froze. Ten minutes felt like an hour as I internally pleaded with the animal to jump into the river and retrieve a fish... but, it just was not meant to be. About fifteen minutes into the wait, my subject retreated towards the forest following its well worn path. Were it not for something in the distance that caused it to stop for a second or two, the "Coyote on White" would not have been made. While not a wolf, this is the type of photo I had hoped to make. I wanted to isolate a carnivore in a snowy landscape while preserving environmental elements that create a sense of place. Here the reddish coat of the coyote and the spruce to the upper right create a bit of tension in an otherwise field of white. The recognizable form of the animal and tree anchor our eyes and our minds as we wonder where the coyote is going.

Ecological Notes

Winter is an ideal time to photograph wildlife in the park, as the lack of vegetation and monotone landscape makes the otherwise invisible, visible. "The Coyote on White" was not the carnivore photo that I intended on making upon deciding to visit Yellowstone in January. Wolves are a keystone species in the park with their selective predation on elk and deer. By actively thinning the herds of these browsers, the wolves positively impact riparian and montane plant diversity which in turn increases the net biodiversity of the park. In fact, a number of studies have demonstrated that the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone has actually influenced the way the Yellowstone River meanders throughout the park. Armed with this knowledge of wolf ecology and the significance of keystone species, I arrived in the park with the intention of producing some kind of wolf-landscape.

The Bear Walk

July 20, 2017 in Photo Notes

With the proliferation of photography related blogs, YouTube channels and social media boards, one more discussion about best practice is probably just an exercise in redundancy. Yet, the need to do something with my ever increasing library of images now provides the impetus for this next series of blogs. Having already penned 101 Photography Tips, I thought it might be valuable to articulate my intent behind a given image from the past, present or future. By putting words to the process, I hope to contribute a useful tidbit to the reader and provide an opportunity for some reflective practice that may help all of us grow and transition to a new cognitive and artistic place.

What and Where?

“The Bear Walk” was taken at the Vince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary near Orr, MN. The sanctuary is contiguous with Superior National and Kabetogama State Forests. Black bears visiting the sanctuary roam from Ontario, Canada into Voyageurs National Park and throughout the national forest habitat. Comprised of 360 acres, the VS Wildlife Sanctuary is an extension of the black bears’ natural range and is a great place to photograph spring cubs and late summer adults that are preparing for their long winter nap. While my June visit to the sanctuary was focused on young cubs, I also hoped to make some interesting photographs of adults moving throughout a variety of habitats. In producing this image, I used a Nikon D500 with its 1.5x crop sensor, Nikon 200-400mm f/4 VR lens, and an Induro Stealth 3-series tripod with a heavy duty Induro BH3Ls ball head. With the lens set to 300mm, the D500 produced an effective focal length of 450mm, thus suggesting a bit of intimacy between the subject and the viewer. At this magnification, I was able to maintain a safe working distance from the bear while minimizing my impact on its behavior. In addition, my choice of focal length and aperture of f/5.6 led to the compression of foreground and background foliage that appears to be smooth and tastefully out of focus.

Why the Image Works?

In photographing adult bears, I was searching for a way to convey the power and strength in the bear’s morphology without producing yet another Wikipedia-esque image. To move from documentation to something a bit more compelling, I knew that I had to include environmental elements and a bit of character in the subject. Shooting between episodes of showers, the bear’s dark and wet fur reflected the soft light that was bouncing between the grass and clouds. The moisture helped to define the otherwise amorphous black coat as well and suggest detail in the fur, face, and eyes. While the gaze of the bear might have seemed intentionally directed at me, this was not the case as the image presented was the only photo in which this bear was looking up. The mix of eye-contact and exposed paw walking towards the viewer were the elements of power and strength that I hoped to capture. Finally, the tall grasses blurred by my choice in aperture produced a natural frame for the subject.

White-faced Capuchin *(Cebus capucinus)* - Dominical, Costa Rica

Wildlife Landscape #4 - Memories

December 23, 2016 in December 2016

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.

Buck & Willow - November 5th, 2016 Minnesota
Nikon D810 + Nikon 300mm f/2.8 AFS-II - Shutter 1/30, Aperture f/3.2, ISO 800

Wildlife Landscape #1 - Buck and Willow

November 06, 2016 in November 2016

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.

End of Spring

Sunrise at the Pond

Surviving the Edge

Dispersal

Cautious Friend

Morning Dew

Red Tree

Reflection

King

Dawn of Autumn 2016

October 02, 2016 in October 2016

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