New exhibit traces history of wildlife photography | Arts | jhnewsandguide.com – Jackson Hole News&Guide
The carcass dump at Grand Teton National Park was set up as a safe place away from tourists to discard the bodies of animals killed on roads. A dump might be an unsightly place for most, but it provided National Geographic photographer Charlie Hamilton James the perfect place to use a remote camera to capture an image of bears or wolves with the Teton Range in the background in 2014.
A giraffe walks in a misty forest in the Ndumu Game Reserve in Chris Johns’ photo.
A cassowary peers through foliage in northeast Queensland, Australia.
A female leopard seal, at least 12 feet in length and more than a thousand pounds, killed a chick and then donated it to the camera.
The carcass dump at Grand Teton National Park was set up as a safe place away from tourists to discard the bodies of animals killed on roads. A dump might be an unsightly place for most, but it provided National Geographic photographer Charlie Hamilton James the perfect place to use a remote camera to capture an image of bears or wolves with the Teton Range in the background in 2014.
A giraffe walks in a misty forest in the Ndumu Game Reserve in Chris Johns’ photo.
A cassowary peers through foliage in northeast Queensland, Australia.
A female leopard seal, at least 12 feet in length and more than a thousand pounds, killed a chick and then donated it to the camera.
Tourists dangle their hands in the water as a baby whale swims by. A giant panda strikes a regal pose for a portrait. Spinner dolphins convey an illusion of flight off Oahu, Hawaii.
For more than 100 years the National Geographic Society has brought such extraordinary images into the homes of millions through the photographs it has published in the glossy pages of its monthly magazine. From the first photo published, of a reindeer in 1903, National Geographic publications have continued to break ground, establishing and maintaining the high standards of capturing real moments in nature, eschewing practices such as baiting or passing captive animals off as frames shot in the wild.
“Great single images have their place in the world,” Kathy Moran, the magazine’s deputy director of photography, said in a 2015 LensCulture interview with Alexander Strecker, “but at National Geographic, it has to go beyond that.”
Moran and her team sifted through untold millions of images to curate the exhibition “National Geographic: 50 Greatest Wildlife Photographs,” which opens Saturday at the National Museum of Wildlife Art. The show, first displayed in 2018 in Melbourne, Australia, spotlights some of Earth’s most magnificent creatures and often unbelievable moments witnessed in the wild, and also celebrates some of the most iconic wildlife photographers in the world: Joel Satore, Michael “Nick” Nichols, Steve Winter, Beverly Joubert … the list goes on. Mitsuaki Iwago’s image of a lion taking down a wildebeest startles with its fatal reality. Then there’s Paul Nicklen’s photograph of a leopard seal donating its catch to the camera.
Technological advances such as camera traps, remote imaging and underwater techniques have improved photographers’ ability to capture the awe-inspiring, but patience remains the virtue of the most enduring photographers. For his shot of sharks feeding at night, Laurent Ballesta used rebreathers to remain underwater for a full 24 hours. And Amy Vitale’s “panda portrait” belies the hundreds of moments leading up to this one color capture on film.
“This is a really great way for people to see the change and progression in wildlife photography over time,” said Tammi Hanawalt, curator of art at the National Museum of Wildlife Art. “We enjoy a good relationship with National Geographic and have worked with them quite a bit in the past.”
From the sublime to the surreal, these images — framed and accompanied by written background — are extraordinary in their scope and capture of wildlife in their natural habitats. Upon viewing a photograph taken by Charlie Hamilton James in Grand Teton National Park in 2014, one can’t help but feel a sense of menace as ravens and a bear encounter one another over carcass remains. The Tetons touch the sky as the horizon plays frame.
“National Geographic: 50 Greatest Wildlife Photographs” runs through April 24. A curator-led sneak peek of the show will be held at 11:30 a.m. Friday, and an opening reception for the show, with cider and doughnuts, will start at 5 p.m. the same day.
The National Museum of Wildlife Art is located at 2820 Rungius Road. On Sunday, and on the first Sunday of each month, admission is free for area residents of Jackson Hole and Star Valley, as well as Teton Valley, Idaho. Visit WildlifeArt.org or call 733-5771 for information. 
Contact Karen Challe via 732-7078 or entertainment@jhnewsandguide.com.
‘National Geographic: 50 Greatest Wildlife Photographs’
Opens Saturday and hangs through April 24, 2022; curator-led sneak peek at 11:30 a.m. Friday; opening reception with cider and doughnuts at 5 p.m. Friday
National Museum of Wildlife Art
WildlifeArt.org
Since moving to Jackson Hole in 1992, Richard has covered everything from local government and criminal justice to sports and features. He currently concentrates on arts and entertainment, heading up the Scene section.
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