Incredible Women Wildlife Photographers

Edit: Please feel free to copy this post and add to wherever you like, its all about getting these women’s incredible work in front of as many people as possible!

Original Post:

The International League of Conservation Photographer‘s annual conference called WiLDSPEAK recently took place in Washington D.C. As always, leaving the event meant the mental batteries were re-charged and inspiration was running at full steam. Yet, there was one other glaring take away. Women are not only still largely under-represented in wildlife photography, but they are also incredibly under-appreciated.

Jodi Cobb was part of the programming, enlightening the audience with her work on Geishas and modern day slavery. Her photographs were absolutely stunning, her stories grippingly captivating. I sat there embarrassed. I had no idea who she was. She has completed over thirty stories for National Geographic, working for and with the magazine for over thirty years. I didn’t have the slightest clue. I was humiliated by my complete ignorance.

Now I realize that as a man, I have been afforded opportunities woman have not. And quite honestly, I feel very conflicted about writing this blog post in the first place. Is it appropriate for me as a male to write about the under-representation of females in the industry at all? The reason I ended up deciding to do so is that this is not about me, but rather about the many incredible women wildlife photographers who produce amazingly inspiring work and of whom everyone should be aware.

Please check out their work.

Suzi Eszterhas

Suzi Eszterhas

 

Cristina Mittermeier

Cristina Mittermeier

 

Esther Horvath

Esther Horvath

 

Celina Chien

Celina Chien Wildlife and Conservation Photography

 

Krista Schlyer

Krista Schlyer

 

Melissa Groo

Melissa Groo

 

Morgan Heim

Morgan Heim

 

Jaymi Heimbuch

Jaymi Heimbuch

 

Jen Guyton

Jen Guyton

 

Susan McConnell

Susan McConnell - Incredible Women Wildlife Photographers

One thing that you may have noticed is that all of these women are not only wildlife photographers, but also conservation photographers. They are all using their images to raise awareness, save species, and fight for the planet. True heroes in my book!

Update December 7th, 2017 – I posted this list on Facebook yesterday and asked other’s to share their inspirational women photographers. The comments kept flooding in. It was tremendous. I want to include their suggestions here. I will update this list as more suggestions come in (leave them in the comments here!)

Update December 11th, 2017 – Since wildlife is or at the very least should be the top priority for all wildlife photographers, I am not adding links for photographers who bait or lure mammalian predators or raptors, including owls, or who promote game farm photography.

Listed in alphabetical order:

Jennifer Adler

Jennifer Adler

 

Karen Ann Sullivan

Karen Ann Sullivan

 

Ellen Anon

Ellen Anon

 

Cheryl Arena

Cheryl Arena

 

 

 

Bethany Augliere

Bethany Augliere

 

Sandra Bartocha

Sandra Bartocha

 

Bee-Elle

Bee-Elle

 

April Bencze

April Bencze

 

Sandrine Biziaux-Scherson

Sandrine Biziaux-Scherson

 

 

Sarah Blodgett

Sarah Blodgett

 

Janet Brown

Janet Brown

 

Alison Buttigieg

Alison Buttigieg

 

Trish Carney

Trish Carney

 

Jodi Cobb

Jodi Cobb

 

Brittany Crossman

Brittany Crossman

 

Ellen Cuylaerts

Ellen Cuylaerts

 

Barbara Dall’Angelo

Barbara Dall'Angelo

 

Jacqueline Deely

Jacqueline Deely

 

Anja Denker

Anja Denker

 

Carole Deschuymere

Carole Deschuymere

 

Isabel Diez

Isabel Diez

 

Carol Dilger

Carol Dilger

 

Laurie Dirkx

Laurie Dirkx

 

Alena Ebeling-Schuld

Alena Ebeling-Schuld

 

Eilo Elvinger

Eilo Elvinger

 

Melissa Farlow

Melissa Farlow

 

Katherine Feng

Katherine Feng

 

Stephanie Foote

Stephanie Foote

 

Teri Franzen

Teri Franzen

 

Carolina Fraser

Carolina Fraser

 

Jodi Frediani

Jodi Frediani

 

Colleen Gara

Colleen Gara

 

Daisy Gilardini

Daisy Gilardini

 

Cindy Goeddel

Cindy Goeddel

 

Annie Griffiths

Annie Griffiths

 

Renee Grinnell Capozzola

 

Amy Gulick

Amy Gulick

 

Jessica Hadley

Jessica Hadley

 

Orsolya Haarberg

Orsolya Haarberg

 

Hilary Hann

Hilary Hann

 

Cristina Harboe

Cristina Harboe

 

 

Jennifer Hayes

Jennifer Hayes

 

Hennie van Heerden

Hennie van Heerden

 

Tanya Houppermans

Tanya Houppermans

 

Denise Ippolito

Denise Ippolito

 

Marisa Ishimatsu

Marisa Ishimatsu

 

Rebecca R Jackrel

Rebecca R Jackrel

 

Britta Jaschinski

Britta Jaschinski

 

Cindy Jeannon

Cindy Jeannon

 

Beverly Joubert

Beverly Joubert

 

Amanda Joy 

Amanda Joy

 

Pamela Underhill Karaz

Pamela Underhill Karaz

 

Arati Kumar-Rao

Arati Kumar-Rao

 

Lauren Owens Lambert

Lauren Owens Lambert

 

Lisa Langell

Lisa Langell

 

Brianne Lehan

Brianne Lehan

 

Jennifer Leigh Warner

Jennifer Leigh Warner

 

Kathy Lichtendahl

Kathy Lichtendahl

 

Sally Mann

Sally Mann

 

Stephanie Manuel

Stephanie Manuel

 

Kerri Martin

Kerri Martin

 

 

Piper Mackay

Piper Mackay

 

Mia McPherson

Mia McPherson

 

Maggy Meyer

Maggy Meyer

 

Melyssa St. Michael

Melyssa St. Michael

 

Valerie Millet

Valerie Millet

 

Yva Momatiuk

Yva Momatiuk

 

Beata Moore

Beata Moore

 

Anette Mossbacher

Anette Mossbacher

 

Annie Marie Musselman

Annie Marie Musselman

 

Roberta Olenick

Roberta Olenick

 

Hob Osterlund

Hob Osterlund

 

Ann M. Pacheco

Ann M. Pacheco

 

Eilish Palmer

Eilish Palmer

 

Melissa Penta

Melissa Penta

 

Joanna B Pinneo

Joanna B Pinneo

 

Verena Popp-Hackner

Verena Popp-Hackner

 

Kari Post

Kari Post

 

Margot Raggett

Margot Raggett

 

 

Lynda Richardson

Lynda Richardson

 

Sam Rose Phillips

Sam Rose Phillips

 

Ellie Rothnie

Ellie Rothnie

 

Tui De Roy

Tui De Roy

 

Laurie Rubin

Laurie Rubin

 

Gabby Salazar

Gabby Salazar

 

Vicki Santello

Vicki Santello

 

Karin Saucedo

Karin Saucedo

 

Krisztina Scheeff

Krisztina Scheeff

 

Kristel Schneider

Kristel Schneider

 

Karen Schuenemann

Karen Schuenemann

 

Ashleigh Scully

Ashleigh Scully

 

Camille Seaman

Camille Seaman

 

Sandy Sisti

Sandy Sisti

 

Shayla Snowshoe

Shayla Snowshoe

 

Ann Toon

Ann Toon

 

Wendy Shattil

Wendy Shattil

 

Amy Shutt

Amy Shutt

 

Sarah Skinner

Sarah Skinner

 

Maggie Steber

Maggie Steber

 

Samantha Stephens

Samantha Stephens

 

Rachael Talibart

Rachael Talibart

 

Tara Tanaka

Tara Tanaka

 

Kika Tarsi Tuff

Kika Tarsi Tuff

 

Ingrid Taylar

Ingrid Taylar

 

Brenda Tharp

Brenda Tharp

 

Amy Toensing

Amy Toensing

 

 

Inger Vandyke

Inger Vandyke

 

Ami Vitale

Ami Vitale

 

Michele Westmorland

Michele Westmorland

 

Diana Whiting

Diana Whiting

 

Shannon Wild

Shannon Wild

 

Jessica Winter

Jessica Winter

 

 

Andy Wolcott

Andy Wolcott

Cute Marmot Pictures!

Need a pick me up? No problem, here are some cute marmot pictures for your viewing pleasure.

Gray Marmot (Marmota baibacina) kit, Pikertyk, Tien Shan Mountains, eastern Kyrgyzstan

Hi there!

Gray Marmot (Marmota baibacina) kit, Pikertyk, Tien Shan Mountains, eastern Kyrgyzstan

What’s going on out there?

Gray Marmot (Marmota baibacina) kit, Pikertyk, Tien Shan Mountains, eastern Kyrgyzstan

Are we siblings? Your nose smells funny.

Gray Marmot (Marmota baibacina) kit, Pikertyk, Tien Shan Mountains, eastern Kyrgyzstan

These fleas are itchy.

All of these pictures are of Gray Marmot (Marmota baibacina) babies, also called kits. They were taken in Pikertyk, in the Tien Shan Mountains, eastern Kyrgyzstan. I’d also like to thank Khalil Karimov, without whom I would have not gotten these pictures. Thanks Khalil!

*If you are interested in purchasing any of the pictures displayed in this post, please check out my fine prints page for pricing.*

Photographing in the High Andes

I recently returned from the high Andes of Bolivia and Argentina as part of the Cat in Thin Air project, and let me tell you, it was amazing! First of all, one has to get used to the high altitude of course (I saw one fellow passenger experience extreme altitude sickness pretty quickly in Bolivia as she had difficulties breathing and a major headache). Once you get used to the idea that you will be out of breath just by tying your shoes, you can start to focus on all the awesome nature that surrounds you.

So what does the landscape look like at 13,000 feet or even 14,000, (or even at 15,000 feet)? Probably not what you expect when you think of those elevations in the US.

Altiplano at about 13,300 feet, Ciudad de Piedra, western Bolivia

Altiplano at about 13,300 feet, Ciudad de Piedra, Andes, western Bolivia

Altiplano at about 13,300 feet, Ciudad de Piedra, western Bolivia

Altiplano at about 13,300 feet, Ciudad de Piedra, Andes, western Bolivia

Altiplano at about 13,300 feet, Ciudad de Piedra, western Bolivia

Altiplano at about 13,300 feet, Ciudad de Piedra, Andes, western Bolivia

Beautiful for sure, but there are some places, like the Valley of the Moons in northwestern Argentina, that stand out above the crowd.

Sandstone rock formations, Valley of the Moons, Jujuy Province, northwestern Argentina

Sandstone rock formations, Valley of the Moons, Andes, Jujuy Province, northwestern Argentina

Once you start to calm down about how amazing all the landscapes around you are, you start to notice the critters that fill those places.

Vicuna (Vicugna vicugna) mother nursing cria, Andes, northwestern Argentina

Vicuna (Vicugna vicugna) mother nursing her cria, Andes, northwestern Argentina

Chilean Flamingo (Phoenicopterus chilensis) flock flying over miraged lagoon, Andes, northwestern Argentina

Chilean Flamingo (Phoenicopterus chilensis) flock flying over miraged lagoon, Andes, northwestern Argentina

Southern Viscacha (Lagidium viscacia), Ciudad de Piedra, Andes, western Bolivia

Southern Viscacha (Lagidium viscacia), Ciudad de Piedra, Andes, western Bolivia

Lesser Rhea (Rhea pennata), Andes, Jujuy Province, northwestern Argentina

Lesser Rhea (Rhea pennata), Andes, Jujuy Province, northwestern Argentina

Even seeing the domesticated Llamas can be awe-inspiring.

Llama (Lama glama) herd grazing at sunset, Andes, Jujuy Province, northwestern Argentina

Llama (Lama glama) herd grazing at sunset, Andes, Jujuy Province, northwestern Argentina

I was there of course for the cats, but to hear about those you will have to be a little bit more patient. One thing is for sure, I am already looking forward to returning to the high Andes!

*If you are interested in purchasing any of the pictures displayed in this post, please check out my fine prints page for pricing.*

Cat in Thin Air project launched!

CatinAirLogo

 

The Andean Mountain Cat has been in my heart for a very long time. It is a high altitude specialist and less than 2.500 remain. This is not another sad depressing environmental story however. The Andean Cat has a real chance at survival, but its up to us who care to make sure that happens. The Andean Cat Alliance has been working exclusively on this amazing species since 1999, and they have made real progress. Since however there are less than 10 high resolution pictures of this cat in existence, I want to do my part in helping the Andean Cat by getting more high resolution pictures which can then be used to introduce a ton more people to the cat.

And so, the Cat in Thin Air Project was born. The goals of the project are to first get more pictures of this very elusive cat, but then, and much more importantly help with established education programs as well as create additional avenues to show the cat to the world. Have an interest in wild cats, go check out the project page, want to help? Email me!

California Wildlife Gallery on BBC Wildlife’s Website

The magazine posted seventeen of my California Wildlife pictures on their website!

The magazine posted seventeen of my California Wildlife pictures on their website!

The editors at BBC Wildlife magazine just let me know that my story pitch made it to the final round of selection for their BBC Wildlife Photographic Grant, sponsored by Kowa. Though I did not get the grand prize, I am honored that the editors picked my pitch to be in the final and that they asked me to submit a gallery of images for their website. Thank you photo editors! And am very much looking forward to finding out who the overall winner is in a couple of days!