Story and photos by Dawn Wilson, NANPA President
I hope everyone is surviving and thriving into the New Year. There are certainly signs of hope on the horizon for many aspects of our world. The vaccines are being distributed and the pace of that is picking up. Our new administration has set forth goals to advance environmental justice and listen to science. And the team at NANPA has many, many great things coming in the next few months.
Winter has been slow for me from a photography standpoint but has been very productive otherwise, with new opportunities, ideas and accolades for my writing and photography. That is a good thing, and I am hopeful it will continue, not only for me but for our members.
I also started putting together my photos and videos documenting the fires that raged through Colorado in the summer and fall of 2020.
In late September, I drove all of the roads in Rocky Mountain National Park capturing time lapse videos via the GoPro on my truck windshield. The goal at that point was to do nothing more than create some content about how to photograph Rocky Mountain National Park.
What it became was footage that showed the park, especially Kauwneeche Valley, just one month before the East Troublesome Fire blew up about 100,000 acres in one night, eventually burning close to 10 percent of the park.
You never know what or how your photos and video might be used for in the future, or how they may document something that has been changed forever.
Check out the video on my YouTube channel.
And follow me on Facebook and Instagram for updates about this project.
New Ebook Released
If you haven’t already, I highly recommend downloading and reading the new handbook from NANPA, Vernal Pools: Documenting Life in Temporary Ponds.
With photography and text from Steven David Johnson, plus additional text and images from David Huth and Michael S. Hayslett, this stunningly visual guide records life in shallow ponds of eastern forests.
As someone who spends several weeks each year in Louisiana, where swamps, ponds, and other sorts of shallow bodies of water are commonplace, it had me really excited to see this wet world in a whole new light. The handbook is free and available, along with the other free NANPA handbooks here.
The First Ever Virtual Summit
Mark your calendar for April 29 and 30, 2021 to learn from some of the best nature photographers in the field today:
- Suzi Esterhas will talk about her wild life as a wildlife photographer, her new book, New on Earth, and much more
- Art Wolfe will continue to amaze us with his unique artistic approach to photography
- Plus presentations from Jack Dykinga, Daniel Cox, Joe and Mary Ann McDonald, Krista Schlyer, Ron Rosenstock and Tom Blagden, just to name a few
If you have never had a chance to attend a Summit event in the past, this is your chance—right from the comfort of your own home.
For more information, check the Nature Photography Virtual Summit webiste.
The Nature Photographer Podcast
Have your heard? NANPA launched a podcast.
In partnership with Wild and Exposed, The Nature Photographer Podcast launched in October 2020. Since then, we have brought you fun and informative episodes interviewing some of NANPA’s many talented photographers.
So far, we have released episodes featuring the Wild and Exposed hosts and me interviewing:
- Jaymi Heimbuch
- Charles Glatzer
- Nate Luebbe
- Lisa Langell
- Gabby Salazar
Check out all of the past episodes at The Nature Photographer Podcast webpage or search for it on your favorite podcast platform.
We have lots more exciting interviews coming, so subscribe to make sure you don’t miss a thing.
