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Gerry Ellis
Natural History, Dec, 2000
While I was studying to become a marine biologist, I thought of photography more as a communication tool than as an art form. I remember being surprised by people's reactions to my early underwater photography. They seemed stunned. The novelty of the creatures captivated them, for sure, but they also noticed a certain "look." That I could create an image that people would react to with emotion, not just intellect, excited me and changed my life. So I traded in the microscope for a macro lens and the telescope for a telephoto.
My latest project, Wild Orphans, is my most ambitious and includes a series of books, a Web site, magazine articles, and a lecture tour. The project is an attempt to deepen environmental awareness and encourage conservation by documenting orphaned wild animals. I am focusing not just on the environmental conditions and human factors that resulted in the orphaning of these young creatures but also on the extraordinary efforts of people around the world who are dedicating their lives to rescuing and rehabilitating them. African elephants dominate the first phase of the project. Learning about their biology, culture, and ecology has given me a different perspective on these creatures and is crucial to my ability to say something significant about their future. The next phase, on the orangutans of Borneo, will bring me back to an earlier passion--the great apes.
The art of photography means much more to me now than it did at the beginning of my career. I have come to realize that it's not the science of nature, but rather the beauty of nature, that moves people. But I believe science and art can share the same palette.
COPYRIGHT 2000 Natural History Magazine, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning
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