Taking pictures in Ellerslie Conservation Area, BC (Photo by NCC)
What makes us care about nature? For many of us it’s first-hand experience of time spent communing with the elements. Clambering over giant logs thrown up on a rugged coastal beach. Listening to the call of a loon across a quiet lake. Lying down in a field of grass with nothing but sky in our field of vision. Smelling the sweet summer forest aromas that rise up with each step.
But what keeps those experiences alive once we are back in our day-to-day lives, which for most of us takes place in the decidedly unnatural landscape of a city?
Striking photography of the natural world can summon forth those lived memories, and can keep this connection alive. Nature photographers spend countless hours and effort capturing the natural world and presenting it back to us so that we may marvel at what the world contains, even if it’s far away.
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Click on the image to enlarge.Moon Beach, Hornby Island, BC (Photo by Shaylee Booty-Sebastian) -
Click on the image to enlarge.Polar bear preening (Photo by Dennis Fast) -
Click on the image to enlarge.An arctic fox yawns (Photo by Dennis Fast) -
Click on the image to enlarge.Red-winged blackbird (Photo by Dennis Fast) -
Click on the image to enlarge.Balsamroot, Nicola Valley, BC (Photo by Richard Doucette) -
Click on the image to enlarge.Dead pine tree in grasslands, BC (Photo by Richard Doucette) -
Click on the image to enlarge.Annual "Egg Take" event on the Shuswap River, BC (Photo by Craig Pulsifer) -
Click on the image to enlarge.Coho salmon roe (eggs) (Photo by Craig Pulsifer) -
Click on the image to enlarge.Jellyfish on a Tofino Beach, BC (Photo by Shaylee Booty-Sebastian) -
Click on the image to enlarge.Flower and bee, Saskatchewan (Photo by Shaylee Booty-Sebastian) -
Click on the image to enlarge.Lumsden Valley, Saskatchewan (Photo by Shaylee Booty-Sebastian) -
Click on the image to enlarge.Bighorn ram, BC (Photo by Brent Wellander) -
Click on the image to enlarge.Bighorn rams fighting, BC (Photo by Brent Wellander) -
Click on the image to enlarge.Tree near Buffalo Pound Provincial Park, SK (Photo by Cherie Westmoreland) -
Click on the image to enlarge.Sweetgrass Hills, Writing on Stone Provincial Park, AB (Photo by Cherie Westmoreland) -
Click on the image to enlarge.Great horned owl, Skaha Bluffs, BC (Photo by Karol Dabbs) -
Click on the image to enlarge.Trumpeter swan family, Alberta (Photo by Karol Dabbs) -
Click on the image to enlarge.Lone bison, Old Man on his Back, MB (Photo by Karol Dabbs) -
Click on the image to enlarge.Skaha Bluffs, BC (Photo by Don Dabbs) -
Click on the image to enlarge.Bird Rock, Cape St Mary's Ecological Reserve, Newfoundland (Photo by Don Dabbs) -
Click on the image to enlarge.Bayer's Island, Nova Scotia (Photo by Mike Dembeck) -
Click on the image to enlarge.Johnson's Mills, New Brunswick (Photo by Mike Dembeck) -
Click on the image to enlarge.A flurry of geese, BC (Photo by normanrich.com) -
Click on the image to enlarge.Bald eagles on a beach (Photo by normanrich.com)
Meet the photographers
The photographers who contributed to this slideshow are all passionate about making images of nature. They have generously donated the use of their images to be a part of this feature.
Shaylee Booty-Sebastian (Regina, Saskatchewan)
I am so passionate about all the wonders of nature. I hope that my pictures allow people from other parts of Canada see things they may have never before. www.fallenfeatherphoto.com
Don and Karol Dabbs (Calgary, Alberta)
We have started a multi-year project to travel across Canada, visiting Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) projects from coast to coast. We will produce many thousands of images and hours of video of the wonderful lands and landscapes that NCC has conserved for now and for future generations. Ultimately we will produce our own book documenting our experiences and illustrating the work of the Nature Conservancy of Canada across this marvellous country.
Mike Dembeck (Halifax, Nova Scotia)
I've been taking photos of nature since childhood. My favourite images involve people and nature; in particular, capturing the changes in weather and animals as they occur over the landscape. My favourite locations to photograph are one that are remote, and offer different perspectives that people wouldn't typically experience. www.mikedembeck.com
Richard Doucette (Kamloops, BC)
Nature photography has always been part of my photography since picking up a camera in my early teens, but I have taken this interest more seriously in the last decade. Richard Doucette on Flickr
Dennis Fast (Kleefeld, Manitoba)
I have been a lover of nature since being inspired by teachers as a child. I started out being a birdwatcher, but quickly moved to a desire to capture photos of some of the beautiful birds I was seeing. To this day I love to photograph birds, but I guess my favourite subjects now live up North! I also love to share my photos with others in the hope they will be inspired and moved to help preserve our beautiful earth. www.dennisfast.com
Craig Pulsifer (Salmon Arm, BC)
Fifteen years ago, my career as a forest engineer was cut short after being environmentally enlightened by an enraged grizzly bear — an epiphany that exposed my deep love for visual storytelling. I am especially passionate to explore stories about conflict and resolution between man and nature. www.craigpulsifer.com
Norman Rich (Vancouver, BC)
I am a visual artist with studio residence in Vancouver and am a monthly supporter of the Nature conservancy of Canada. www.normanrich.com
Brent Wellander (Creston, BC)
I have been taking photographs since I was a kid, but seriously for the last four or five years. My favourite area to photograph is the Kootenay Region of BC. www.kootenaynaturephotos.com
Cherie Westmoreland (Regina, Saskatchewan)
Photography is, for me, about interconnection, relationship, beauty and grace. Images are a result of a mysterious and beautiful collaboration in which we don't "take" images, we respond to an invitation. My hope is that my images help you remember, or reflect back to you whatyou love but have forgotten. That they invite you, in some way, to connect and care. www.cheriewestmoreland.ca
