| Quiet and contemplative, Minnesota photographer Jim Brandenburg is one of the most accomplished and prolific wildlife photographers in the world. The immediacy and serenity Brandenburg captures in the wild often requires long solitary hours and is a reflection of his belief that "Photography is more primitive than writing...as the animals we evolved from, we rely on vision much more than language...the old saying is that a picture is worth 10 words...that does sum everything up." Brandenburg began his career as a natural history photographer and film maker while in college, later working in journalism and freelancing for the National Geographic for whom he became a contract photographer in 1978. He has since worked on numerous assignments for National Geographic, has been represented extensively in magazine, book and television projects, as well as for Life, Audubon, Smithsonian, Natural History, World, Geo, BBC Wildlife, traveling worldwide from the high Arctic to Africa and Asia over the years. In addition, he was commissioned in 1981 by the U.S. Postal Service to design a set of wildlife stamps which were released that year and included in the Graphic Design in America exhibition which toured the United States and England in 1990. One of the highlights of Brandenburg's career occurred in 1988 when he "discovered" and filmed for posterity a pack of wild Arctic wolves on Ellesmere Island in the high Arctic. It is believed that this was probably the last pack not ingrained with fear of proximity to man. Brandenburg's extensive work photographing wolves has been vital in focusing attention on the animal's status and he was instrumental in reintroducing wolves into Yellowstone Park. The photographer's credits are impressive. He was twice named Magazine Photographer of the Year by the National Press Photographers Association and the Kodak Wildlife Photographer of the Year by the Natural History Museum-London and BBC Wildlife. One of only five Americans, he received the World Achievement Award from the United Nations Environmental Program in 1991 in recognition of his using nature photography to enhance public awareness of the earth's fragile environment. Actively publishing for several years, Brandenburg released "White Wolf - Living with an Arctic Legend" in 1988, "Minnesota - Images of Home" in 1990, "Brother Wolf - A Forgotten Promise" in 1993, and two children's books, "To the Top of the World" in 1993 and "Sand and Fog" in 1994. Brandenburg serves on the board of directors for Defenders of Wildlife Foundation, oncerts for the Environment and Wolf Ridge Learning Center as well as donating time and energies to other environmental organizations. |
