JULY MEETING – JULY 13,2011 -BERGEN PARK FIRE STATION 7pm (6:30 Social Time) SPEAKER – WELDON LEE – THE ART OF BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY

Monthly Meeting

by ecc on June 9, 2011

Weldon Lee travels around the globe to the world’s most exotic locations photo-graphing wildlife and capturing the essence of their personalities on film. He has a special way of communicating with animals and his images depict that relationship. His commitment to wildlife brings a fresh perspective to photography.

Weldon’s dramatic portrayals of wildlife in their natural surroundings provide viewers an intimate glimpse into their daily lives and is but one reason his images are popular among collectors. His work has been exhibited in the Denver Museum of Natural History and the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh. A University of Northern Iowa photography professor ranks Weldon among the top five wildlife photographers in North America.

Weldon’s early work focused on wildlife in the Rocky Mountains. His first book, Watchable Birds of the Rocky Mountains, initially published in 1992, contains over 50 photographs depicting a cross-section of the avian species found throughout the Rocky Mountains. Erwin and Peggy Bauer, friends and lifelong wildlife photographers, had this to say about his second book, published in 1996, “No region of North America offers so many opportunities for wildlife photographers as the Rocky Mountains. No one has ever described its wildlife and captured their natural beauty so thoroughly as Weldon Lee in A Guide to Photographing Rocky Mountain Wildlife.”

Weldon’s images have appeared in numerous magazines including Mature Outlook, National Wildlife, Backpacker, National Parks Magazine, Bird Watcher’s Digest, Outdoor Photographer, Petersen’s PHOTOgraphic, and Nature Photographer. In addition, his photos illustrate text and natural history books by Macmillan, Westcliffe, Falcon Press, and Roberts Rinehart to name just a few. Weldon’s work has been featured on all the major television networks including ABC, CBS, and NBC.

In January, 1995, Weldon was elected Chair of the Education Committee of the North American Nature Photography (NANPA) and served three years in that capacity. In addition to being a charter NANPA member, he is also a member of Rocky Mountain Outdoor Writers & Photographers and in 2007 received that organization’s Selected Works Award for Excellence in Photography. The American Bald Eagle Foundation honored Weldon as the 2010 Photographer of the Year.

Weldon is actively involved in wildlife preservation and is in the process of launching an environmental organization whose focus is for the protection of wildlife around the world.

“Wildlife photography, to me, is so much more than capturing an image,” explains Weldon. “It’s about connecting with my wild brothers and sisters, looking into their eyes, touching their spirit, and listening to what they have to say. It’s about moments like these.

“Unless we act now, many wildlife species face extinction during this century,” proclaims Weldon. “Hopefully, others will feel the passion I have for our wild brothers and sisters and it will motivate them to become involved in wildlife preservation. Maybe, just maybe, my photography and writing will be the tipping point necessary to make that happen.”

Henry David Thoreau wrote, “In wildness is the preservation of the world.” Let us cherish and protect those wild places and the creatures that inhabit them.”

TOGETHER, WE can save our wild brothers and sisters.

The time to act is NOW!