If as a child...
If, like me, you used to watch wildlife documentaries with your grandmother as a child, then you shouldn't miss the opportunity to read this article. It will not only take you back to your childhood love for wildlife but also educate you by introducing some of the most renowned wildlife photographers. Each photographer will be introduced through one of their shots, represented by an animal that I have chosen as the official representative of their work among the various creatures they have captured. However, before embarking on this challenge, I would like to briefly introduce the genre of wildlife photography, giving you the opportunity to fully understand what we will delve into later. If you used to watch films with your grandmother that told the life stories of the animal protagonists, think about how photography, even through a single shot, can allude to all of this without uttering a word. This way of describing the wildlife world was born in 1895 when R.B. Lodge received the first-ever medal for nature photography from the Royal Photographic Society, thanks to an image of a lapwing incubating its eggs. Before this event, at the beginning of the photographic era, such subjects were quite rare because it was challenging to obtain wildlife photographs due to slow lenses and the low sensitivity of photographic media. Generally, the focus was on capturing animals in captivity. Therefore, the development of wildlife photography is closely linked to the spread of faster photographic emulsions and quicker shutters, which became prevalent from the 1880s onwards. Consequently, it was from this moment on that the genre we know today began to take shape, evolving into the various forms presented by ten well-known photographers.
Top 10
1. Brian Skerry
To introduce Skerry, I have chosen a close-up shot of a seal, an animal that takes on a human expression of tenderness, ready to establish an intimate connection with the viewer, even though the mammal belongs to a different world: the aquatic one. The featured shot, shared on the photographer's official Instagram, is accompanied by text placed above and behind the animal, hinting at "The Sentient Sea" event, Skerry's print exhibition currently on display in the city of Siena, Italy, until November 19, 2023. Therefore, despite this case where wildlife photography merges with commercial photography, I have chosen this shot to introduce you to the photographer, known for his strong connection with the ocean. Brian Skerry, an American photojournalist and filmmaker specializing in marine life and ocean environments, has been a contributing photographer for National Geographic magazine since 1998. In this capacity, he has produced over 30 features, including 6 cover stories. Notably, in 2021, Skerry won a Primetime Emmy Award for his role as a producer in "Secrets of the Whales," a nature documentary series that showcases a variety of whale species in different habitats.
2. Joel Sartore
Sartore presents the selected photograph with these words: "Why does the Egyptian jerboa have hind legs more than four times the length of its tiny arms and a long, curvy tail for balance? Because it's built for jumping! The jerboa’s primary defense from predators is to spring three feet in the air and across distances up an incredible nine feet!" In this way, his photograph, shared on Instagram, gains a voice, revealing what all observers had set out to discover about the little creature: to understand why it came into the world with this special physical conformation that might liken it to a miniature version of a kangaroo! Speaking of Sartore, the photographer, who consistently directs his attention towards the smallest animal species, primarily focuses his work in the realm of conservation. He is also a speaker, author, teacher, and a long-time contributor to National Geographic magazine. Furthermore, he is the head of "The Photo Ark," a 25-year project aimed at documenting the approximately 12,000 species living in the world's zoos and wildlife sanctuaries.
3. Christian Ziegler
The photographer in question presents a scene that allows us to empathize with either the bonobo or the mongoose. If we feel tender, small, and in need of affection, we see ourselves projected into the little animal cradled by the large black hands. But if we feel inclined to take care of something that is beyond our own being, and are therefore predisposed to care for other lives with tenderness, perhaps even to escape from our own problems, we take on the semblance of the primate. In this delightful narrative, however, the photographer's more realistic and dramatic perspective intervenes. On Instagram, he writes: "Back from a very nice vacation, and I'm excited to share more Bonobo moments, starting with this incredible mongoose scene!...During my adventures near the LuiKotale field station in the Democratic Republic of Congo, I had a remarkable encounter. I witnessed a young Bonobo tenderly petting a small mongoose...However, this bond may not be as innocent as it seems. Bonobos occasionally include meat in their diet, and it's likely this young mongoose was caught when its mother was hunted by the group." Turning to Ziegler, the German photojournalist, winner of the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year award in 2005, and a regular contributor to National Geographic, he is known for his photography at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and a forest on Barro Colorado Island, which was featured in a scientific book titled "A Magic Web," published by Oxford University Press in 2002.
4. Cristina Mittermeier
In most cases, wildlife photography aims to show us not only the animal but also the context in which it lives. However, in the case of this shark, the skillful use of black and white has erased the perception of the marine habitat, which is nevertheless conveyed by the silent presence of a school of fish, which find their place to the right of the formidable predator, probably intent on keeping their distance from it, reaching the edge of the photographic frame. This is all described by Mittermeier as a dance, the dance between predator and prey, aimed at summarizing the existence of an ancient and fragile yet necessary vital balance. In fact, the photographer is concerned to declare: "Although they are often the first to be blamed when fishing nets start to turn up empty, sharks are rarely the culprit behind dwindling fish populations. Through millions of years of evolution, each shark species has adapted to maintain a healthy ocean ecosystem, overseeing a complex web of marine life. When we remove predators in large numbers through overfishing, shark finning, or any other means, we destroy that balance. With over 100 million sharks killed each year, the real culprit behind our planet’s loss of biodiversity and marine life becomes clear—it is a symptom of our own severed relationship from our ocean and planet." Lastly, speaking of Mittermeier, the Mexican photographer, conservationist, biologist, and author is a marine biologist and activist who pioneered the concept and field of conservation photography.
5. Amy Gulick
An eye, portrayed extremely up close, appears, in some places, and in a somewhat imaginative and poetic sense, like the view from above of the same sea that hosts the living form in question: the salmon. The identity of this depicted creature is revealed to us by the photographer's Instagram post at position number five, who used this image to advertise her virtual series aptly titled "Go Fishing." However, this isn't the first time Gulick has used her photographs to talk about other activities she's engaged in. Consider, for example, when she posted on social media an image of a bear with a fish in its mouth, the same species mentioned above, aimed in this case at promoting her book "The Salmon Way: An Alaska State of Mind." As for the photographer, the American specializing in nature and wildlife is one of the founding Fellows of the International League of Conservation Photographers, and her images have been featured in many magazines, including publications of the National Audubon Society, National Wildlife Federation, National Parks Conservation Association, and the Sierra Club, as well as in Nature's Best Photography magazine.
6. Frans Lanting
AHHHHHHH! This is the sound we associate with Lanting's photography, aimed at capturing an orangutan swinging on its liana with an open mouth, reminding us of those moments when, tossed around on rides and frightened by the sight of everything moving quickly around us, we feel an uncontrollable urge to scream in terror. However, the animal in question, certainly braver than the more evolved species to which it belongs, should actually let out a courageous roar, which, like a kind of "chargeeee," would proudly accompany its movement. The text paired with this Instagram shot, on the other hand, is much more serious, as the photographer wanted to celebrate World Photography Day and World Orangutan Day through this image. Lanting meticulously describes the orangutans to raise awareness of how they are in danger due to the massive destruction of their forest habitat and illegal capture for the pet trade. In fact, Frans Lanting, a Dutch photographer for National Geographic, as well as an author and speaker, is known for using his talent to raise awareness about the challenges of wildlife life, amplifying the importance of taking collective action to ensure a future for all living creatures.
7. Paul Nicklen
Oh my God! This exclamation, translated into all languages and shouted at the same time, perhaps would suffice to summarize the reaction that my brain had when it saw those webbed penguin feet. Without any shame whatsoever, I declare that I desired to touch them with delight, going even higher to feel the softness and tenderness of the body of the graceful animal in question, accompanied by the face of a seal in the foreground. The photographer seems similarly engaged by the sight, but in a more playful way, as he declares: "It is a lot harder to shoot underwater when you are gutting yourself laughing while a leopard seal tries to shove penguins in your face. In 2006, I set out to Antarctica for a National Geographic assignment to photograph leopard seals, where a concerned female seal tried to feed me penguins for four days straight. She started out polite enough, but grew increasingly frustrated when I declined each meal. By the fourth day, she was practically hitting me over the head with penguins. Her stubborn generosity forever changed my perspective on this often misunderstood species in what I assumed was a once-in-a-lifetime encounter. When I returned to the ice continent 10 years later with my SeaLegacy team, I never expected to receive the same warm welcome." Finally, speaking of Nicklen, the photographer, filmmaker, and marine biologist is known for being the only Canadian photographer for National Geographic Magazine, for which he has published eleven stories. In addition to these achievements, he is a member of the International League of Conservation Photographers, has written several books, and has exhibited his work in significant exhibitions, such as "Extreme Exposure" at the Annenberg Space for Photography in Los Angeles, California, in 2009, and the "Paul Nicklen Gallery" in Soho, New York City, in April 2017.
8. Ami Vitale
The vision captured by Vitale's photograph could suggest the existence of two opposing realities: one beautiful and idyllic, the other grim and miserable. It is possible, in fact, to imagine a man "cradling" a rhinoceros, singing it a lullaby to lull it into the deepest sleep. On the other hand, the shot could reveal the advent of a tragedy, depicted by the image of the funeral of the said animal, to which a man rushes to celebrate and commemorate it, chosen as the representative of the entire species. Unfortunately, it is the latter option we must rely on for the interpretation of the photograph, which Vitale accompanies on social media with this description: "Five years ago, Sudan, the last known male northern white rhino, passed away at the OlPejeta Conservancy in Kenya. I often think back to this moment, and it is the silence that I remember most - a haunting silence that seemed to foreshadow what a world without wildlife would be like. In 2019, the United Nations reported that human activity is causing a sixth extinction - an accelerating crisis. If the current trajectory of killing and environmental disruption continues, many more species will be functionally extinct during our lifetime. We've wiped out 50% of the Earth's wildlife in the last 40 years. It doesn't take complicated math to figure out that if we don't act now, there will be little left. Nature needs us now. Learn from, support, and engage with the many conservation organizations around the world working to build a future in which we can live in harmony with nature." These words would be best followed by the end of the article, to highlight a message that is indeed close to the heart of many wildlife photographers, but it is time to provide some background information on Vitale, an American photojournalist, documentary filmmaker, educator, and speaker, who is also known for publishing, in 2018, the photo book titled "Panda Love," which captures pandas in captivity and during their release into the wild.
9. Tim Laman
How beautiful the blooming red plants are in spring! Oops, sorry, I got the subject wrong because Tim Laman's photograph actually captures a flock of scarlet ibises in the mangroves, woody plants overlapping, creating the aforementioned impression. The individuals of this bird species are adults, distinguished by their entirely scarlet plumage, which can display various shades and nuances, while the tips of their wings, deviating from their namesake color, have an inky black hue, occasionally tending towards dark blue. In addition to what's described, the shot encapsulates, through the treetops of the aforementioned vegetation, the characteristics of the habitat where the birds reside, namely South America and the Caribbean islands, places where they gather in wetlands and other marshy habitats, including mudflats, coastlines, and rainforests. As for Laman, the American ornithologist, wildlife photojournalist, and filmmaker is known, among other things, for documenting all the species of birds-of-paradise in their native habitat during research expeditions with colleague Edwin Scholes of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
10. Charlie Hamilton James
Here's an image of an Italian mom feeding her children until the tender age of 40! Excuse the irony; as an Italian, I can certainly do so with the respect I have for my beautiful country. Anyway, let's get to the point: the photograph taken by James is nothing short of heartwarming because it depicts the figure of a mother fulfilling the duties imposed by her role, in the feathered version of the genus, drawing a parallel between the human and animal worlds, which is too often ignored or taken for granted. The image in question was cleverly posted on social media by James, who, having shared it on Mother's Day, accompanied it with this caption: "Happy Mother's Day to all you moms in the states, or moms as you call them. Especially those with kids who like sushi." Charlie Hamilton James, who humorously referred to the fishy snack, linking it to the human custom of consuming raw fish, is an English photographer, television cameraman, and presenter specializing in wildlife subjects. His work has been commissioned by National Geographic Magazine, the BBC's Springwatch/Autumnwatch shows, and "The Natural World."
Olimpia Gaia Martinelli
