Quick trip to Rangeley for work yesterday. Not a lot of time for photographs.
Switching gears – I wanted to tell you about an interesting story that I heard two nights ago on National Public Radio’s Fresh Air program. (Click here for info or to download the podcast of this very popular show: http://www.npr.org/rss/podcast/podcast_detail.php?siteId=7060034.)
The story is about a National Geographic photographer, Joel Sartore, who is trying to photograph every captive animal species in the world. Sartore is 11 years into his project, which he expects will take 25 years to complete. His goal is conservation-minded: he is trying to ensure the future existence of these creatures, as many are either endangered or on the brink of extinction. Here is an excerpt from the interview in which he explains why he thinks it is important for him to undertake this project:
“I’ve been a National Geographic photographer for 27 years, and I photographed the first 15 years or so out in the wild doing different conservation stories, on wolves, on grizzly bears, on koalas all in the wild — and can I say that moved the needle enough to stop the extinction crisis? No, no it did not,” Sartore says. “So I just figured maybe very simple portraits lit exquisitely so you can see the beauty and the color, looking animals directly in the eye with no distractions would be the way to do it.”
The show can be found here: http://www.npr.org/2017/02/27/517481473/photographer-builds-a-photo-ark-for-6-500-animal-species-and-counting
Further discussion of his project is found at this National Geographic link:http://www.nationalgeographic.org/projects/photo-ark/about/
His photographs are to be published in a single book, The Photo Ark, available here: http://www.npr.org/books/titles/517481749/the-photo-ark-one-mans-quest-to-document-the-worlds-animals
Curious about Maine’s endangered species? Take a look at the information provided by Maine’s Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, here: http://www.maine.gov/ifw/wildlife/endangered/listed_species_me.htm
One final, unrelated note: Red-winged black birds have been back in my yard for a few days. Yesterday I noticed snow fleas. Spring seems to be on its way.
“Hope” is the thing with feathers –
That perches in the soul –
And sings the tune without the words –
And never stops – at all –
And sweetest – in the Gale – is heard –
And sore must be the storm –
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm –
I’ve heard it in the chillest land –
And on the strangest Sea –
Yet – never – in Extremity,
It asked a crumb – of me.
The Nature of Maine 