Tim Laman

| Wildlife Photojournalist

Wildlife Diaries

The Wildlife Diaries newsletter is the best way to keep up to date with Tim Laman’s latest work and travels, and to learn about photography and natural history as well. Read through his recent posts here or sign up to receive the posts via email using the form on the right.

Wildlife Diaries 13

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My passion for photographing birds-of-paradise first grew from a desire to document some amazing birds that few people have had a chance to see in the wild, and share them with the world in the pages of National Geographic.  As I have made 30 expeditions to the region where they occur (Papua Indonesia, PNG, and N. Australia) over the past 15 years, I came to realize that they are the best ambassadors for conserving the rain forests of the New Guinea region, the third largest remaining block of rain forest in the world (after the Amazon and Congo).
 
The local people of Papua realize that protecting their forest for the birds, and hosting visiting birders and other tourists to see them, is a way for them to receive a livelihood from the forest.  So my hope is that my photography and films of these birds can contribute to greater appreciation and thus conservation of Papua’s forest.  But at the moment, international travel to Papua is on hold.  The local guest house owners and birding guides that we work with there have no income. 
 
I know you’d like to help, and so would I.  So if you’d like to help and also own a Tim Laman print to brighten your home or workplace, please visit my online store at www.timlamanfineart.com.  You will find prices and sizes for all budgets and spaces.

Village leader Aren Mandacan (foreground) leads a group of birders to see birds-of-paradise in his forest in the Arfak Mountains.  He has been a pioneer in converting his village economy to be based on protecting forest, and creating revenue from offering guiding and guest houses for visiting birders and photographers.  This kind of grass-roots conservation can have a huge impact in Papua, where local people own the forest.

Details: Labor Day Print Sale to Benefit Papua through Wednesday September 16th

 
Some of you may recall that last spring I ran a print sale to raise funds for the local people in Papua (the land of birds-of-paradise) who lost their income due to covid and the lack of birders and photographers like me visiting.  Thanks to you, we distributed over $3000 in aid directly to over a dozen village families we work with in the form of unemployment compensation and food care packages of rice and other staples.  We work with a small local NGO run by volunteers that takes no overhead at all.  Of course we all hoped the pandemic would be under control by now and international visitors would be traveling to Papua again by now, but this obviously hasn’t happened.  So we would really like to be able to continue to give these folks some more support. 
 
Once again, I’ll donate 50% of Bird-of-Paradise print proceeds to the local people in Papua who look after their forests as a way to have a livelihood from guiding birding trips.  By helping these people, your purchase will also help safeguard the forests of Papua for the birds.  Please order by Wednesday September 16th.  Thanks for your support!
 
I have a wide selection of both full frame images, and my popular square-cropped Bird-of-Paradise series.  Here are just a couple examples.  Please visit the online gallery to see the full selection at www.timlamanfineart.com.

Thanks for your support, and stay safe everyone!
Tim

Tim with “The Mara River Leap” 60 inch metal print. Limited Edition 1 of 10.