Wednesday, June 5, 2019

Photographer of the Week Write-Up


Image result for thomas mangelsen bear photo
My chosen photographer of the week is Thomas Mangelsen, born in January of 1946. He grew up in Nebraska, where his father taught him a love for nature and the outdoors, and he went on to graduate from Doane College in Crete, Nebraska with a bachelor's degree in biology.

In the early 70’s, Thomas Mangelsen spent two years living in a shack in the Rocky Mountains that had no electricity or running water, with his dog and pet raccoon. He studied and photographed nature and wildlife during this time, and he became specifically interested in photographing birds in flight. 

Thomas continued his education even after graduating from Doane College- while studying ecology at the University of Colorado’s Mountain Research Station, he met Bert Kempers- a film producer who later hired him as a cinematographer for his company Westwood Productions, making educational documentaries. His photos and films turned out to be very successful and they caught the attention of National Geographic, who later hired him as a cinematographer and associate producer for the TV special Flight of the Whooping Crane. Mangelsen also produced Cranes of the Grey Wind for PBS Nature and BBC Natural World.

Thomas's "claim to fame" is his vast portfolio of wildlife photos from all around the world. He was also extremely devoted to his projects and to wildlife conservation; Thomas spent ten years photographing whooping cranes along the Platte River in the spring, and then he traveled to Alaska to see their nesting grounds and to Texas where they migrated for the winter. I was personally impressed by the detail and the lighting in his photos which make them really stand out as amazing pictures. He also doesn't over-edit his pictures as I have seen in the work of a lot of nature photographers- his pictures feel very genuine.

My favorite one is the photo above of the bear catching the fish in his his mouth. Photos like this one display Mangelsen's patience and the dedication it takes to be at the right place at the right time- who knows how long it took to achieve this exact photo.

Source: https://mangelsen.com/index.php/the-artist


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