B E
Spirit Allen Thornton Photography
www.allenthornton.org
What has been your most memorable encounter? I can’t limit it to a single moment, nature continues to wow me. If you have ever stood under a lift-off of five thousand snow geese, or watched a brown bear capture a sockeye salmon from an Alaskan river, or stood on the rim of a pristine glacier lake - then you know what I mean.
What measures of precaution do you adhere working in the wild? This is when photographic equipment comes into play. Wildlife photographers use long lens in place of approaching to closely to wildlife. Wildlife often gives off signs when they are uncomfortable with our presence. Watch the eyes, the ears, and their body language and use a little common sense. This is important for both the safety of the wildlife and the photographer.
Have you had any hairy moments? Generally I am very careful, but a few years ago while camping along the Cache la Poudre River, in northern Colorado, a black bear woke me up at two in the morning going through my camping supplies. By the time I got my pants on he was gone. I cleaned up the camp site and slept in the cab of the truck rest of the night.
How can photographers embrace eco-awareness through their craft? Share your work. I work with biologist, researchers and educators providing them with images to help them reach their goals. Many times they have little or no budget for photography. I rarely turn them away, you just don’t know what the impact of a single might have.
What is your hope for the future of wildlife? To tell you the truth, I am afraid for the future. Government mismanagement, corporate greed and individuals indifference troubles me. There is an old Kutchin Indian saying, “The longest journey a man will ever take is the journey from his head to his heart.” We know what is right but until we fully embrace the cause of true conservation, we will never succeed.
Can photography play a part in this? History is full of great photographic images that remind us of who we are and what is important, but I see video photography taking an even greater role as guardians of the environment. High quality affordable video cameras are become widely available and with the internet, video-photographers can have an immediate dramatic impact.
What is the message you desire to impart through your art? I hope viewers of my work will appreciate and enjoy my photography. That it will inspire them to respect and love nature, in turn this will lead to conservation and protection of the natural world and the wildlife that lives within it. This is a lot to ask of a few images but that is what I do.
“The longest journey a man will ever take is the journey from his head to his heart.”
Still
KNOWLEDGE
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108