Photography: capturing and sharing God's creation

 This next post will be quite different from the previous one, which I found hard to write about, as important as it is.

Over the years, I was able to put my photographic capabilities to good use. As a result, I have had many hundreds of photos published in books, calendars, magazines, posters, newsletters, journals, even post cards. Some examples of books include the following:

Nature Guide to Ontario

  

Natural Treasures of Carolinian Canada

 

Islands of Hope, which was produced to celebrate some of the natural special areas of Ontario, and was produced by the Wildlands League. The photo of the most northerly landscape in Ontario, the sub-arctic tundra of Polar Bear Prov Park, and also the most southerly landscape, Fish Point Prov Nature Reserve, are featured here in this coffee-table book.

  

A Land Managers Guide to conserving habitat for forest birds in Southern Ontario

 

Pelee Island: Human and Natural History

 

Planting The Seed

 

The Royal Ontario Museum produced several nature books over the years, and I had photos used for each of the following.

Trees of Ontario, with 250 photos; I contributed a few as well for both Bird of Ontario and Wildflowers of Ontario

 There was a diversity of other books, including Birds of Nunavut, Legacy, Songs of Insects, Reptiles and Amphibians of Algonquin PP, Birds of the World: Game Birds, Tallgrass Prairie & Savanna Management in Ontario, Species At Risk on the Walpole Island First Nation and A Stewardship Guide to Grasslands in Southern Ontario. More recently were the two I produced (along with input from both Marie and Kristin): Life on a Sandspit, and Natural Treasures of Chatham-Kent.

 Magazines where some of my photos were used included Canadian Geographic, Ontario Birds (the official journal of the Ontario Field Ornithologists), OFO Newsletter, which I was a regional editor and writer for over several years, Ontario Nature/Seasons, Canadian Nature Federation, Missouri Prairie Journal, Nature Canada, Borealis and Wildflower (North America's Wild Flora Magazine).

 There were also numerous newsletters/brochures of various organizations, including The Thames Talbot Land Trust, Carolinian Canada and Tallgrass Ontario's Bluestem Banner.

I did a bit of writing for various magazines or newsletters as well, including Ontario Birds, OFO Newsletter, Wildflower and Seasons. To celebrate Rondeau’s 100^th birthday in 1984, I wrote an article in Seasons Magazine.

 Still dealing with photography, I had been a photo judge at local/regional camera club competition. After I retired, I was asked to be a judge of photos submitted to the Outdoor Writers of Canada for their annual awards competition. I did this for three years.

A few photos were used for educational/display purposes at places like the ROM and the Pinery Prov Park Visitor Centre. There were many more used at Rondeau, where some were used for outdoor interpretive panels... 

...as well as lots inside the visitor centre, where a couple of the large displays use some landscape photos. Also I have arranged for about 40 canvas prints of various sizes that feature the diversity of habitats and species, to be on long-term loan. 

In addition, I have lots more on various web sites, including:

iNaturalist, with more than 8000 photos featuring more than 2350 species in nature; eBird, with more than 2600 bird photos; Canadian Geographic Photo Club, with about 1200 photos and to a lesser extent, on the Butterflies and Moths of North America, and BugGuide web sites. And when I google my name, I come across a few others that people have used.

However, and it is very important to make this clear: In looking at the duration of my career, in spite of the major change I experienced in 1985 as well as at other times, I can see that it opened up so many opportunities in learning about, and protecting God’s creation. He knew of my love and passion for His creation, and decided to put me in a position to have a much greater impact on protecting and sharing it than had I remained at RPP. Certainly there would have been opportunities had I remained at Rondeau, but my new position now covered a much larger and the most biodiverse part of Ontario, and arguably Canada. It also made possible being able to explore so many important natural areas across the continent. The wonderful habitat and landscape diversity with numerous SAR is nothing short of amazing!!!

While the things that ‘I’ have accomplished in my career as described in previous posts, as well as the many photos and articles I have had published, it is important to note that all of these things are a result of God working in my life. Certainly from a human standpoint, I think I have been fairly successful in protecting and sharing about God’s creation. Why? Because I had a personal relationship with God the Creator from very early in my life and He was my inspiration and gave me multiple opportunities! It included enabling me to acquire excellent equipment, and so many opportunities to use it; to God be the glory!!! It is awesome having the creator of the universe who knows what is best for me…He is my best friend and we communicate frequently!!

 

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