Back to Borneo
Dear Friends,
My first trip of 2025 back was to Borneo, to the research station where my wife, orangutan researcher Cheryl Knott and I have worked for over 30 years.
I have a special guest author for this installment of Wildlife Diaries! Accompanying the new photos from our January trip below is an essay by Cheryl about this special trip. I think you will enjoy it. She does a good job of capturing the multi-faceted nature of our trip, and why we have been drawn back to Borneo for so much of our lives.
It’s Earth Month, and I hope you’ll consider learning more about the Gunung Palung Orangutan Project by reading below, and perhaps checking out more about all they are doing for orangutan conservation and human welfare in that part of Borneo. This is a challenging time for research and conservation funding, so I am trying to help them grow their grass-roots support. Please check them out at Save Wild Orangutans.
Male Orangutan in Contemplation
Guest Essay by Dr. Cheryl Knott - Director, Gunung Palung Orangutan Project
The Magic of Mast Fruiting at Gunung Palung
Thirty years ago, when I first arrived in Gunung Palung National Park, the forest was thick with the smell of ripening fruit and the largest trees emerged from the canopy resplendent in colors of orange and red. This phenomenon, when many of the tree and liana species fruit simultaneously, is unpredictable but happens every four years or so, providing a bonanza of food for rainforest creatures. This past January, I returned to Cabang Panti Research Station with my family and once again experienced this remarkable transformation of the forest.
With the abundance of fruit, orangutans appeared in unusually high numbers. In the two and half weeks that I was there, we saw as many as 10 individual orangutans on a given day. By the end of January, 27 new orangutans had entered the study area! And we only found 5 of the orangutans that usually call Cabang Panti home. It's a bit of mystery where all these orangutans come from, but one possibility is that they normally spend their days in the large expanse of peat swamp that extends outside the study area.
Among these new arrivals were three flanged males. For years, the dominant male in the area had been Alfred, but when I last saw him in August, his condition had declined. He was notably smaller and weaker, often traveling on the ground and feeding primarily on termites and low-lying vegetation instead of climbing trees. He was last seen on September 15. Then in November, the team sadly discovered the skeleton of a male orangutan that we strongly suspect was Alfred. His disappearance, though, paved the way to a new beginning as the mast brought in these new males to take advantage of the abundance of fruit. The first such male we saw had a huge throat sac and so we named him Balon (balloon). He was surprisingly habituated for a new individual. Balon was in excellent condition and impressive! He did bear multiple scars on his cheek pads, attesting to the likely numerous fights he had had with other males.
But, then came "Mr. Perfect", as we jokingly called him. He has the most perfect cheek flanges I have ever seen, with no blemishes or scars, just a flat rigid circle around his face. His literally flawless condition, along with his unworn teeth and lighter hair, signaled to us that he was a young, newly flanged male. He long called an extraordinary 15 times the first day we found him! Long calls announce a male's presence to the females, and other males, in the area. Often, males will long call back in response, and charge in the direction of the other males, sometimes resulting in a physical confrontation. But Balon, despite being only about 100 meters away from "Mr. Perfect", was not provoked. He remained silent—perhaps a sign of experience in avoiding fights he could possibly lose.
Mast fruiting events allow orangutans to accumulate fat reserves that sustain them during leaner periods. This is when they look their biggest and healthiest. The increase in energy intake also influences female reproductive cycles, raising hormone levels and increasing the chances of ovulation and conception. Often mast fruiting result in new births, and on February 26 I received the news that female Kabar was pregnant again with her second baby after more than 8 years! We hope that Bibi, another female who lost a pregnancy earlier this year, will also conceive during this period of high fruit availability.
The benefits of mast fruiting even extend to the humans who call this rainforest enclave home. Normally we can't eat the wild fruits of the forest – they are too bitter and have compounds that make them hard to digest. But the mast is different. Each day we'd come back to camp, and find bowls of wild fruits on the table, and rice sacks full of durians ready for all to consume. As we followed the orangutans, we gathered fallen mangosteens, Baccaurea, Garcinia, and durian, enjoying them much as the orangutans did. That simple act, sharing in the abundance of the mast, reinforced our deep connection to these apes and their rainforest home.
This exceptional visit to Gunung Palung was a reminder of why protecting this ecosystem is so vital. As the forest provides, the orangutans thrive, and we, as stewards of this planet, must ensure this continues for generations to come.
I hope you enjoyed Cheryl’s essay. Working at Gunung Palung is a family affair for us, as we have been taking our kids there every summer since they were little. They are now adults, and both involved in work there. Russell is part of the photography team, while Jessica, who is still an undergrad, is getting involved in the orangutan research.
Thanks for reading and taking an interest in our work in Borneo. I hope you found it interesting and inspiring.
Warmest regards,
Tim Laman
PS. Please consider checking out https://www.savewildorangutans.org/ and becoming a monthly donor, even for a small amount. Every supporter is a big help during these challenging times when big grants have been cut.
Underwater Photography Workshop in Raja Ampat
Dear Friends,
This is a special announcement for the underwater photography enthusiasts out there! As those of you who have followed my work for a while probably know, although I do a lot bird and primate photography, I am also passionate about exploring the underwater world with my cameras, especially to document the diversity of life on coral reefs.
My underwater stories for National Geographic have included “Fiji’s Rainbow Reefs”, and “One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish - Why are Coral Reefs So Colorful” (yes NatGeo cleared the title with Dr. Seus), as well as other projects mixing topside and underwater coverage, like “Mangroves” and “Biodiversity Hotspots - Philippines”.
My favorite place to dive, ever since I spent considerable time there working on two stories for German GEO magazine in 2007, has been the Raja Ampat Islands of West Papua, Indonesia. This region has the highest coral and fish species diversity on the planet, and reefs that are in excellent health. It also doesn’t hurt that these islands harbor birds-of-paradise (which can be seen on morning excursions from the dive resort).
I am thus excited to announce that later this year, I will be leading two Underwater Photography workshops with my good friend and colleague Zafer Kizillkaya. You can read more about the workshop and learn how to sign up at this LINK. There are two sets of dates: 20-29 August on the live aboard Coralia, and 31 Aug - 10 Sep at the resort. If you are interested, please sign up soon. Space is limited, and spots have begun to fill already.
Meanwhile, below are a few images I shot during last years photo workshop.
Raja Ampat is one of the top diving destinations in the world, so if you are interested in improving your underwater photography, why not join us in Raja Ampat, a true paradise for underwater photography?
If you have any questions, feel free to email me at studio@timlaman.com as well.
The Colors of Raja Ampat
The reefs of Raja Ampat are bathed in rich currents, and under the protection of an overhang like this, soft corals often flourish, creating incredibly lush and colorful scenes. I found this spot on one of our last dives last year. I liked the windows to the blue water behind that added depth to the image, so I settled down and patiently waited for a fish to pass by. Eventually, as my air was getting a bit low, several surgeonfish swam past, and I managed to capture one perfectly framed in the opening. It’s this kind of small detail that can elevate an image above the ordinary that I am always striving for in my photography.
A Few More Recent Shots from Raja Ampat
One of the very charismatic and approachable photographic subjects common in Raja Ampat are schools of sweetlips like these guys hanging out on the reef.
The fish life of Raja Ampat is incredibly rich, even right under a jetty. Many villages have banned fishing near their villages to attract fee-paying divers. This has worked out as a win-win. Reefs are protected, villagers get income, and divers have amazing dive sites to visit.
A Glimpse Behind the Camera
Here is my co-leader, extraordinary underwater photographer Zafer Kizilkaya (@kizilkaya_zafer on IG) working his magic over a healthy coral garden. Join us in Raja Ampat this year, and we’ll help you improve your photography while you also enjoy some spectacular diving. If you have a housed dslr and strobes like Zafer, great, but if you have a simpler camera system, that is also totally fine and we will help you get the most of it.
Thanks for tuning in to my adventures. If you know any Underwater Photography enthusiasts who may not get this newsletter, please feel free to pass it on…. I really appreciate it.
Take care everyone, and be sure to get your dose of nature therapy! I hope to see you later this year in Raja Ampat!
Warmest regards,
Tim Laman
Amazon Update
I just got home from a National Geographic Photo Expedition on the Upper Amazon where I was serving as a “photography expert”, teaching and helping others with their wildlife photography. From our home base on the beautiful boat, the Delfin II, we ventured out in skiffs to explore tributaries and oxbow lakes teaming with birds, monkeys and sloths in Peru’s Pacaya Samiria National Reserve. This reserve is located just beyond the end of the Amazon proper, where it splits into two big tributaries, the Ucayali and the Marañon.
Below are a few images I captured during the trip to give you a little overview of the amazing diversity of life that we encountered during our relatively brief seven day trip. Hope you enjoy it.
Cormorant Liftoff
On this Amazon tour, we spent most of our time looking for wildlife from the skiffs, and there were ample chances to photograph waterbirds along the river courses. On the Pacaya River, there were hundreds of cormorants, but if they did take off, most flew directly away from us, not making for great images. I kept my eye out for one that was taking off perpendicular to us, and tried to track it as it launched. These Neotropical Cormorants need a bit of a run and hop along the water’s surface to get airborne, so I framed the shot including the big splash behind the bird that he created with big push of his tail. A high shutter speed of 1/4000 sec froze every drop of water in mid-air. I love “freezing a unique moment in time” with a still photograph, so this was one of my favorite shots from the trip. Although many cormorant takeoff photos will be made, this exact photograph will never be repeated.
Glimpses of Life in the Amazon
An Oriole Blackbird takes a bath in the river.
Rainbow Boa Constrictor. Our guide found this beautiful snake during a forest hike.
The world’s smallest primate - the Pygmy Marmoset. We had an amazing encounter with this little pocket-sized monkey that primarily feeds on tree sap.
Three-toed Sloth.
Hard to spot up in the trees, these strange mammals were a treat to see.
A giant strangler fig towers into the canopy.
Saddleback Tamarin, another small monkey who came down to check us out.
In the skiff with guide Ericson and driver “Gato”. Thanks for a great trip guys! We wouldn’t have seen much if it wasn't for these amazing wildlife spotters!
On our last evening, an Amazon sunset reflects in the river.
As always, thanks for tuning in folks and hope you enjoyed this little glimpse of my Amazon trip. Have a wonderful thanksgiving and holiday season.
Warmest regards,
Tim Laman
PS. I have 6 calendars this year and my prints are on sale. Check it out at TimLamanFineArt.com
Report from the World’s Richest Reefs
Dear Friends,
Greetings from New England where it’s that beautiful time of year when the the forest bursts into fall colors. I’m overdue to share with you some new images from another very colorful part of the world - the Reefs of Raja Ampat.
Back in August I had the pleasure of co-leading an underwater photo workshop at the Papua Explorer’s resort in the Raja Ampat Islands with my good friend Zafer Kizilkaya, a leading underwater photographer from Turkey. I’m happy to report that the reefs of Raja Ampat continue to be vibrant, lack significant bleaching, and are teaming with fish. The diving industry there is thriving, and local communities are benefiting, which is great to see. Many villages are protecting reefs and creating no fishing zones, and profiting from fees paid by visiting divers.
If you are interested in joining us, we will be having our next workshops at Papua Explorers in August and September 2025, including a workshop on the live-aboard “Coralia”. To learn more send me an email at studio@timlaman.com, or send a query via the Papua Explorer’s website (papuaexplorers.com).
A Kaleidoscope of Life
Riches of the Raja Ampat Reefs
Zafer Kizilkaya swims over a healthy reef of Acropora hard coral. It’s awesome to see the abundance of healthy coral in Raja Ampat.
A school of sergeant major fish mixed with other fish species hover under a dock at a small village. The numbers of fish at some locations is mind-boggling, even right by villages.
A clown triggerfish swims against a wall completely covered by colorful invertebrate life. Raja Ampat is a great place to photograph not only wide underwater scenics, but fish portraits as well.
Fascinating small creatures also abound, like this so called “candy cane” crab, perfectly camouflaged in a colorful soft coral.
Raja Ampat not only has vibrant coral reefs, but also other fascinating habitats to explore, like the mangroves. Here in a view looking up through the sponge-covered mangrove roots, you see pajama cardinal fish taking shelter.
Raja Ampat not only has vibrant coral reefs, but also other fascinating habitats to explore, like the mangroves. Here in a view looking up through the sponge-covered mangrove roots, you see pajama cardinal fish taking shelter.
Finally, its impossible to resist photographing the abundant and charismatic clownfish. Especially when you find one in an unusual blue-tipped host anemone.
Raja Ampat is truly a special place. The resort we partner with, Papua Explorers, is dedicated to empowering local people and partnering with them to conserve the reefs of Raja Ampat, one of the world’s truly important marine protected areas. It’s great to feel that by visiting and photographing this amazing area, one not only can help spread awareness, but also support its protection economically by giving the people good employment.
As always, thanks for tuning in.
Warmest regards,
Tim Laman
When I use the "Spray and Pray" Technique
I hope your summer is off to a good start. I recently returned from a trip serving as the “National Geographic Photography Expert” on a small-ship expedition to Norway’s Fjords and Arctic Svalbard with Lindblad Expeditions. It was exciting to see my first-ever polar bears and walruses. But as a bird photography enthusiast, I was especially enthralled by the seabird nesting cliffs where we were able to see thousands of murres, kittiwakes, and even a few puffins nesting.
During the voyage, my duties were to help guests get the most out of their own photography by giving talks and sharing examples of my own photography during the trip. I’ve heard some photo instructors who make fun of people who “spray and pray” with their cameras. In other words, just aiming their camera toward the subject and shooting a long burst hoping for something interesting. Well, as I share in the example below, there are times when combined with a little thought about framing, this approach actually makes sense - like when you have a swirling mass of birds and you want capture a moment with them in nice positions within the frame. Every technique has its place!
Bear Island Pinnacle
Arctic Seabirds of Svalbard
Here are a few additional shots of seabirds I photographed around the cliffs of Bear Island and Svalbard.
A wider view of the scene in the image above shows the amazing clouds pouring down the slope to the sea. The closer you look, the more birds you see.
Common Murre like this one with its beautiful “spectacles” were abundant around the ship off Bear Island, a remote island between mainland Norway and the Svalbard Archipelago further north.
The Think-billed Murre was most abundant further north around Svalbard.
A curious behavior we observed below nesting cliffs were Thick-billed Murres fighting in the water. These are believed to be young non-breeding birds.
The nesting cliffs on Svalbard were a spectacular sight. Think-billed Murres occupy every small ledge, where they will soon balance their single eggs. They hadn’t laid yet when we were there, but were just claiming space.
A closer view shows how little space each bird has along the ledges. Murre eggs are very pointed on one end, so they roll in a very tight circle, making it much less likely they will roll off a ledge.
A wide view of the nesting cliffs at Alkefjellet, Svalbard. Amazingly, when pairs begin to swap incubating duties, they have to somehow remember the exact spot on the vast cliffs where their mate is waiting.
As always, thanks for tuning in. Hope you have enjoyed these images from my recent trip to the Arctic. Happy 4th of July if you are an American, and enjoy your summer!
Best regards,
Tim Laman
PS. Are you interested in improving your own photography? If you want to get beyond thinking about camera settings, and learn to think more creatively in the field, you might be interested in my online photo courses. Check them out at BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY MASTERCLASS.
New Borneo Story, and a Tale of Two Covers
I hope your 2024 is off to a good start. A highlight for me has been the publication in the Feb 2024 issue of National Geographic magazine of my story “Borneo’s Wild Green Heart”, written by long time NatGeo contributor Jennifer Holland. When so much news out of Borneo is about forest loss, this is a positive story about an amazing rainforest area that still retains its full complement of biodiversity, from orangutans to flying frogs to clouded leopards and the giant dipterocarps and other trees that create the habitat for all this life to thrive.
This story is a very personal one, since I first went to Gunung Palung way back in 1987 as a student volunteer with Prof. Mark Leighton at Harvard, and subsequently, my wife Cheryl Knott has carried on her orangutan research and conservation program there for 30 years. Our kids Russell and Jessica grew up spending summers there with us, and now things have come full circle, and Russell, a successful photographer in his own right, captured the dramatic opening shot you see below!
I hope you enjoy the article, which you can read online at NatGeo, if you don't receive the magazine in the mail.
The opening spread of my story about Gunung Palung National Park in Borneo features an image made by my son Russell, who assisted me on the shoot, and did a lot of the drone photography. Working in cooperation with National Park staff and Indonesian drone pilot Tri Wahyu Susanto, we carefully familiarized this particular orangutan with our small drone by initially flying it at a distance from her but letting her see it and get used to it over a period of days. She is a female named Bibi who has been followed regularly by the research team for many years. At first curious about the drone, she soon ignored it completely, allowing us to get into position to capture a unique image that shows an orangutan feeding high in the canopy in the context of her environment - the intact lowland rainforest of Gunung Palung.
Photo by Russell Laman (@RussLaman on Instagram).
A TALE OF TWO COVERS
Wallace’s Flying Frog is one of the most famous and unique creatures found in Borneo’s rainforest, but extremely hard to find. It can’t really “fly” of course, but has the ability to use the huge surface area of its webbed feet as airfoils, and make controlled glides between trees. In October 2000, my fourth story was published in National Geographic magazine on “Borneos Wild Gliders”, and Wallace’s Flying Frog made the cover. It was my first NatGeo cover, and a very exciting moment in my early photography career. As editor Bill Allen said to me at the time, I had proven my ability to come back with images of nearly impossible subjects, because I had managed to get photos of not just Wallace’s Flying Frog gliding, but many other curious gliding species in Borneo that featured in that story.
Fast forward over twenty years, I was back in Borneo working on the coverage for my new story about Gunung Palung National Park, and we managed to find another Wallace’s Flying Frog and capture an image mid-glide. It didn’t make the cover of the US edition this time, but as you can see above, it adorns the cover of the international edition published in Indonesia. It’s a fitting tribute to the amazing biodiversity of Indonesia, and the young Indonesian biologists who helped me in the field. I hope this story continues to build pride and enthusiasm among our Indonesian colleagues who hold the future of their magnificent rainforest in their hands.
A FEW IDEAS FOR 2024
If you are into lifelong learning, supporting good causes, and being inspired, here are a few ideas for you to consider for 2024.
- Sign up for the “Save Wild Orangutans” Newsletter.
savewildorangutans.org
Every month, the team from the Gunung Palung Orangutan Conservation Program puts out their “Code Red” newsletter reporting on their activities, discoveries, and events in and around Gunung Palung National Park in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. It’s a wonderful window into the lives of wild orangutans and the people working to study them and protect their habitat and ensure that the communities around Gunung Palung are also thriving. The newsletter if free, but I hope you will be inspired to become a monthly contributor. It feels good to be making a small contribution to orangutan conservation each month, even if its just the price of one fancy coffee.
- Sign up for the “Lukas Guides” Newsletter.
https://www.lukasguides.com
Every week, David Lukas, a gifted naturalist, thinker, and extraordinarily curious observer of nature publishes a newsletter with his unique insights and research into a topic that takes his fancy. I look forward to these quick reads, where I always learn something that I find myself thinking about later when I’m out in the field. David’s newsletter is free, but if you find it as worthwhile to read as I do, he offers an option to be a paid subscriber to support his work and receive other benefits. Do check it out. - Commit to Improving Your Photography.
Are you interested in photographing wildlife? In the photo workshops that I sometimes teach for Lindblad/NatGeo Expeditions, I find that many photographers are obsessing about camera settings and not focusing on thinking creatively in the field about the elements that make a strong wildlife image. So I created my own online course called “Bird Photography Masterclass: The Creative Process”. It could be just the thing to help you take your photography to a whole new level this year. And for being a newsletter subscriber, I’m offering you an additional 25% off the price right now. Just visit the course page at the link below, and use the code 25percent at checkout. There is also an option to give the course as a gift. Valentines day is coming up. Just saying!
As always, thanks for tuning in. I wish you all a healthy, happy, and successful 2024.
Warmest regards,
Tim Laman
PS. We continue to add new images and update our galleries at TimLamanFineArt.com throughout the year, so be sure to take a look from time to time and see what’s new. Thanks!
Into the Mangroves - Papua Expedition Highlights Part 3
Dear Friends,
Have you ever seen a mangrove forest? These habitats defined by trees that can withstand saltwater are incredibly fascinating and important. Not only do they harbor their own unique biodiversity, but they protect coastlines, are nursery grounds for marine life, and are incredibly good at sequestering carbon. In fact research shows they store five times more carbon than forests on land!
On our Cornell Lab expedition to West Papua over the summer, in collaboration with our Indonesian partners, we were able to visit and document one of the largest mangrove forests in the world, in a place called Bintuni Bay. Indonesia harbors over 25% of the world’s mangroves, and over half of that is in Papua, where Bintuni Bay is one of the prime examples.
It was a challenge to capture the scale of these vast forests, but aerial images helped, and I hope you enjoy the glimpse of this unique forest and a few of its inhabitants in the images below. If you want to learn more about mangroves, I’ll leave some links at the bottom.
The Vast Mangroves of Bintuni
From the air, the mangrove forests of Bintuni seem to stretch on as far a you can see, cut by a maze winding tidal channels (in fact I was amazed our boatman could keep track of where we were and find the way back after hours of meandering). Although mangroves in many parts of the world have been exploited or degraded for coastal development, shrimp farms, charcoal harvesting, and other reasons, this region, with great foresight, is being protected by the Indonesian government. (This image is a stitched panoramic image made with the help of licensed Indonesian drone pilot Faizal Aziz.)
Life in the Mangroves
Top: Rhizophora mangrove roots create an impenetrable tangle along most of the river channels.
Left: A mangrove monitor clings to a dead tree.
Right: When the tide goes out, you can get a glimpse of some of the critters that occupy this nutrient rich habitat, such as the mudskipper fish and mud crabs.
Behind-the-Scenes
To get into the vast mangroves of Bintuni, we hired a local fishing boat for a couple days and explored the seemingly endless channels. Here is a behind the scenes shot of how I filmed from a tripod in the boat. Stay tuned, and I will let you know in a future Wildlife Diaries when our video documenting the amazing biodiversity of Papua becomes available for public viewing.
Thanks for tuning in to my adventures. Please feel free to share this newsletter with anyone who you think might enjoy it. The more people who know about mangroves, the better.
Stay safe everyone, and be sure to get your dose of nature therapy!
Warmest regards,
Tim Laman
PS. My new 2024 calendar is now ready, featuring images from my latest book BIRD PLANET.
ADDITIONAL INFO ON MANGROVES:
I photographed mangroves around the world for a National Geographic magazine story back in 2007. Here is a gallery of my images from various locations:
https://archive.timlaman.com/gallery/Mangroves/G0000UjCNiCR6Ec0/
Conservation International has an informative page on mangroves here:
Infographic from National Geographic on Mangroves:
https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/the-mangrove-ecosystem/
Quest for the Leatherback Sea Turtle - Papua Expedition Highlights Part 1
I recently completed a month-long expedition in West Papua, Indonesia documenting biodiversity highlights across various habitats from forest-lined coasts to mountain peaks. I’d like to share a few highlights of the expedition in the next several Wildlife Diaries.
Our first objective was to document Leatherback Sea Turtles at a place called Batu Rumah Beach, a 24 km stretch on the north coast of Papua’s Bird’s Head Peninsula where according to researchers, 75% of the entire Pacific Ocean population of Leatherbacks come to nest. Having never seen a Leatherback before - the largest of all sea turtles - I was especially excited about this opportunity. We worked closely with the research team from the University of Papua in Manokwari, who monitor the beach nightly from three patrol stations spaced out along this remote, roadless coast. It was challenging work, hiking at least 10 km each night in sand to try to catch sight of a turtle that we could film and photograph. In the end we succeeded, and I hope the images below capture a sense of the awe we felt at witnessing this remarkable creature carrying out its timeless ritual of reproduction.
This expedition was supported by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and with our local partners in Indonesia, our hope is to spread the word through the media we create about the global importance of Papua’s unique environment, one of the treasures of Indonesia’s biodiversity. The Leatherback turtles that nest here feed on jellyfish off the coast of North America, where conservationists are also working to protect the species. These sea turtles thus connect Papua with the United States, on the other side of the vast Pacific. Below is just a little sneak preview of what we captured. I’ll be sure to let you know when the finished media are released.
Leatherback Nesting by Moonlight
On our third night of hiking Batu Rumah Beach in search of Leatherbacks, we got lucky. It was a beautiful moonlit night, and we found this turtle starting to lay her eggs. We got our cameras ready at a distance while waiting until she had finished laying. Then, while she spent considerable time burying her nest and spreading sand all around to camouflage it, we moved in to shoot. I ran time-lapses for stills, and shot motion on my RED V-Raptor camera, while my assistants Faizal Aziz and Wahyu Susanto helped with lighting with our red lights, and shooting detail shots with the RED Komodo. It was a whirlwind of activity during those few minutes, and we barely had a chance to appreciate what we were witnessing before she started heading for the sea. But when she stopped and came back up to do some more sand flinging, we took a moment to really appreciate the amazing animal in front of us.
This image is a frame form my time-lapse series. For you photography nerds out there, these were my settings for this image: Canon EOS R6 Mark II camera, RF 15-35 mm lens, 1/4 Sec at f 2.8, ISO 5000, processed in Lightroom with denoise, and with the lower half of the image masked and desaturated to remove the supplemental red lights (see example below).
Shooting the Leatherbacks
This pair of images shows how I photographed and filmed the nesting turtles illuminated with red light, and then removed the red in post-production. Turtles can’t see the red part of the spectrum (which makes sense since red light barely penetrates into the ocean), so by using only red lights on the beach, we avoid confusing them or disturbing them. With the wonders of modern post-processing, removed the red cast, as you can see in the second image, thus revealing a basically black-and-white image of the turtle, as they looked to our eyes in the dim moonlight.
Behind-the-Scenes
1.) Our tents under a tarp on the beach. It was a beautiful location to camp, but not easy to sleep during the heat of the day despite being tired from hiking and filming on the beach all night. Still, it was well worth the effort to have a chance to document this important conservation story.
2.) This hand-held night shot of our team on the beach captures the feel of our night-hikes by the dim light of the moon.
3.) Early in the morning, the team makes their way back along the spectacular coast toward base camp after a night out shooting.
4.) After a long night of hiking the beach and filming turtles, one of our porters carrying a heavy tripod bag hikes the beach back toward base camp as the sun rises.
5.) Sunrise on Batu Rumah Beach. The name means "house rock beach", because the small island just off shore is shaped like a house when viewed from the sea.
Thanks for tuning in to my adventures. I’ll be sharing more from my recent Papua expedition in upcoming Wildlife Diaries so please stay tuned.
Warmest regards,
Tim Laman
Emperor Penguin Encounters
Dear Friends,
I’ve been back for a few weeks from an amazing journey to Antarctica, and finally getting around to sharing some more from the trip.
Emperor penguins were a surprise and a huge highlight for me! As we traveled south into the Ross Sea, we encountered them in ones and twos, and then in bigger groups. At up to 46 kg (nearly 100 lbs), the Emperor Penguin is one of the world’s heaviest birds, only exceeded in weight by Ostriches, Cassowaries, and Emus. Seeing the power with which these birds can launch their chunky bodies out of the water was remarkable. Check out the photos and videos below!
And if you’re an underwater photographer curious about the photo workshop I’m offering in Indonesia’s Raja Ampat islands in August, please tap the link down at the bottom and check out the details.
The Preening Emperor
More Emperor Penguins
Clockwise from top left:
1. Sometimes, two or more birds came flying out of the water almost at the same time. Not all the landings were picture perfect. Check out the video below!
2. Near the Eastern end of the Ross Ice Shelf, at a place called Cape Colbeck, we came across this group of Emperors who were continuously going in and out of the water. Were they bathing? Playing? We are not really sure, but it was an amazing spectacle to watch. Check out the video below.
3. Shooting up from deep underwater, the Emperors launched themselves from the water with plenty of speed to land on the ice flow above.
4. If they have to travel any distance over ice or snow, Emperor’s often just drop down on their belly, and propel themselves along with their feet, performing an elegant belly slide.
5. We spotted this tightly packed group of Emperor Penguins from a long way off. When we approached more closely, we discovered the reason for their nervous gathering. A leopard seal prowled back and forth right in front of them.
Thanks for tuning in to my adventures. Stay safe everyone, and where ever you are, be sure to get outside and enjoy nature!
Warmest regards,
Tim Laman
PS. Please don’t forget to check out the Underwater Photo Workshop that I am offering in August in Indonesia’s spectacular Raja Ampat Islands. You can read more about it at my post here.
Heading to Antarctica
Greetings from the Southern Ocean, where I am currently on board the National Geographic Endurance en route from New Zealand to Antarctica. Soon we will be too far south to connect to the ships satellite internet, so I thought I share a few images from the first part of the voyage while I still can.
We sailed from Dunedin, New Zealand, and had several exciting days visiting sub-antarctic islands on the way south. Below are a few favorite shots so far. Stay tuned, and I’ll share more from this long voyage along western Antarctica to the Antarctic Peninsula, and eventually ending in Argentina. I’m serving as the National Geographic photography expert on board, sharing my work, giving talks on wildlife photography for the guests, and of course shooting pictures myself at every opportunity.
Albatross Over the Surf Zone
More from the Sub-antarctic Islands
At our very first stop heading south from New Zealand, we came upon a feeding frenzy of Bullar’s Albatross, feeding on fish in the shallows of the Snares Islands. Actually seeing albatross feeding on prey is very rare, so this was an exciting encounter.
At Macquarie Island (an Australian controlled territory nearly 1500 km from Tasmania) we were able to see the endemic Royal Penguins going to and from their nesting colonies on land. This group of Royal Penguins was heading into the surf when I captured this moment.
Although tricky in the lumpy seas we experienced, I managed to get one frame of a porpoising Royal Penguin during our zodiac cruise along the coastline of Macquarie Island.
When we came offshore of a large King Penguin colony on Macquarie Island, hundreds, if not thousands, of curious King Penguins came out and swam around our zodiac boats. Not having a proper underwater housing with me on this trip, I used my waterproof iPhone held underwater to capture this shot and the one below.
The water off Macquarie Islands was amazingly clear, and I captured this image of a curious King Penguin coming over to check out our boat. Although they appear rather clumsy on land, King Penguins are incredibly graceful underwater.
Thanks for tuning in to my adventures. Please feel free to share this newsletter with anyone who you think might enjoy it.
Stay safe everyone, and be sure to get your dose of nature therapy! I’ll look forward to sending you further updates from this trip when I have a chance.
Warmest regards,
Tim Laman
Underwater Photography Workshop in Raja Ampat
This is a special announcement for the underwater photography enthusiasts out there! As those of you who have followed my work for a while probably know, although I do a lot bird and primate photography, I am also passionate about exploring the underwater world with my cameras, especially to document the diversity of life on coral reefs.
My underwater stories for National Geographic have included “Fiji’s Rainbow Reefs”, and “One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish - Why are Coral Reefs So Colorful” (yes NatGeo cleared the title with Dr. Seus), as well as other projects mixing topside and underwater coverage, like “Mangroves” and “Biodiversity Hotspots - Philippines”.
My favorite place to dive, ever since I spent considerable time there working on two stories for German GEO magazine in 2007, has been the Raja Ampat Islands of West Papua, Indonesia. This region has been documented to have the highest coral and fish species diversity on the planet, and reefs that are in excellent health. It also doesn’t hurt that these islands harbor birds-of-paradise (which can be seen on morning excursions from the dive resort).
I am thus excited to announce that later this year, from August 6-16, 2023, I will be leading an Underwater Photography workshop with my good friend and colleague Zafer Kizillkaya at the spectacular Papua Explorers dive resort.
You can read more about the workshop and learn how to sign up at PapuaExplorers.com. If you are interested, please sign up soon. Space is limited, and spots have begun to fill already.
Reef Rebirth Under the Jetty
Meanwhile, below are a few images that my son Russell and I took in 2022 during a brief diving trip with Papua Explorers. I hope this gives you a little sense of the scope and diversity of marine life that you can see and photograph in Raja Ampat. Please also check out my co-leader Zafer’s Instagram feed to see his great work from Raja Ampat (@kizilkaya_zafer).
It really is one of the top diving destinations in the world, so if you are interested in improving your underwater photography, why not join us in Raja Ampat, a true paradise for underwater photography?
If you have any questions, feel free to email me at studio@timlaman.com as well.
A Few More Recent Shots From Raja Ampat
In Raja Ampat, it’s possible to shoot wide angle shots of vibrant coral reefs teaming with life, such as this shot of a green sea turtle swims over a diverse and healthy reef by Russell Laman.
Detail of a spotfin lionfish. With a great variety of approachable fish species, Raja Ampat is a great place to shoot creative fish portraits.
Fascinating and colorful subjects abound for the wide-angle enthusiast. Can you spot the scorpionfish in this shot by Russell Laman.
A tiny striped goby rests on a colorful sponge. For the macro photography enthusiast, there is no end of subjects to explore in Raja Ampat.
A pair of crab-eyed gobies hover at the entrance to their burrow. If you are fascinated by the behavior of fish and other marine creatures, Raja Ampat is a wonderful place to explore with a camera.
Pajama cardinalfish hover among the mangrove roots. The clear water around these limestone islands makes Raja Ampat a great place to experiment with over/under type images such this shot I made at the mangrove forest edge.
A Glimpse Behind The Camera
Here is my co-leader, extraordinary underwater photographer Zafer Kizilkaya working his magic with a school of cooperative sweetlips. Join us in Raja Ampat this year, and we’ll help you improve your photography while you also enjoy some spectacular diving. If you have a housed dslr and strobes like Zafer, great, but if you have a simpler camera system, that is also totally fine and we will help you get the most of it.
Thanks for tuning in to my adventures. If you know any Underwater Photography enthusiasts who may not get this newsletter, please feel free to pass it on…. I really appreciate it.
Stay safe everyone, and be sure to get your dose of nature therapy! I hope to see you later this year in Raja Ampat!
Warmest regards,
Tim Laman
Back From Borneo
Well folks, I’m home for a little while after more than three months overseas. It was a long trip, but really great to get back to the rainforest of Indonesia’s Gunung Palung National Park after a couple year hiatus due to the pandemic. I am working on a couple different projects there this year, and one of them is a new feature for National Geographic magazine celebrating the rich diversity of life in one of the best remaining lowland rainforests in Indonesia.
I’ll be heading back for one more trip before the year is out, but wanted to give you a little sneak peak on what I’ve been up to. Be sure to stay tuned and re-up your NatGeo membership to get the full story coming out next year!
Clockwise from top left:
- Before a Rhinoceros Hornbills swallow a large fig, they toss it around in their beak and soften it up. Then with a toss of the head, it goes down the hatch.
- Hornbills aren’t the only ones feasting on figs. This Gold-whiskered Barbet tossed this fig in the air many times before it wolfed it down.
- It’s not all tree climbing and birds! I’ve also been documenting the full range of biodiversity in the park. Mammals, reptiles, amphibians, insects, you name it. Whatever we can turn up, I’ll shoot. This beautiful snake is a female Bornean Keeled Green Pit Viper (Tropidolaemus subannulatus)
- A panoramic view from high in a Dipterocarp tree. This tree I climbed in September had a fantastic view out over the vibrant lowland forest of Gunung Palung National Park.
BEHIND-THE-SCENES: SHOOTING IN THE CANOPY
It was exciting to be exploring the rain forest canopy in Borneo again. After using my bow and arrow to rig a line over a tree branch, I pulled up my climbing rope and used a harness and ascenders to climb. Then depending on the situation, I often rig a small platform surrounded by camouflage material to come back to and shoot from for several mornings. Or if it was a short term effort, I would just hide myself with camouflage material and sit on a branch with my camera for a couple hours.
Self-portrait on the way up a big Dipterocarp. I’m about 30 meters off the ground at this point.
Blending in to the canopy with a camo poncho and lens cover from Tragopan Photography Blinds (https://photographyblinds.com).
Thanks for tuning in to my adventures. Wish me luck as I soon head back to Borneo to spend some more time seeking out images of the elusive rainforest wildlife!
Stay safe everyone, and be sure to get your dose of nature therapy!
Warmest regards,
Tim Laman
PS. My new book BIRD PLANET is out (available wherever books are sold), and we are adding new images form BIRD PLANET to my print gallery at TimLamanFineArt.com for our upcoming holiday print sale, so please stay tuned, and start thinking about your holiday gift ideas!
Back to Borneo!
Hello Friends,
Greetings from the rain forest of Borneo! I’m writing this on my iPhone while sitting under a fruiting fig tree where the orangutan mom and juvenile we have been following have been feeding for the past couple hours, unfortunately their position is high and obstructed. Thus I have some down time here to catch you up on my latest news.
This is my first trip back to Gunung Palung National Park since before the pandemic and it’s good to be back. Just this morning gibbons, macaques, and orangutans have all been feeding at this tree as well as at least a dozen species of birds, including the colorful barbets, several species of which are just now calling incessantly above.
I’m here with my wife Cheryl Knott who directs the Gunung Palung Orangutan Project and her team of students and assistants. My 18 year old daughter Jessica is working with Cheryl on her project, and my 22 year old son Russell is assisting me with filming orangutans for another major production. It’s great to be here with the whole family and all our Indonesian colleagues working to spread the word about the amazing biodiversity that is protected in this sanctuary.
I’ll be spending at least three months in the field here this year also working on a major National Geographic magazine feature about Gunung Palung’s amazingly intact flora and fauna that represents the full diversity of lowland rainforest species in Borneo.
So please stay tuned and I’ll keep sending periodic updates. It’s not easy to upload new photos from here as I have no internet connection and just enough signal to send this note out by WhatsApp to my assistant back in the US. So she will add some images from my GP archives to this newsletter and I’ll look forward to sharing new images when I can.
Have a good summer everyone, and if you you want to learn more about our conservation work here and don’t already follow us, please check out www.savewildorangutans.com.
How We Filmed the Great Argus Pheasant
The Great Argus pheasant is one of the most spectacular, but also most elusive birds in Borneo. I have been doing fieldwork in the rainforest of Gunung Palung for over thirty years, and have spent a sum total of over five years of my life in the forest there. Yet I have only seen a Great Argus with my own eyes once. Nonetheless, I had a dream of capturing images of this bird performing its courtship display.
Why did I think it was even possible to photograph such a rare and elusive bird? The reason is that male Argus choose a small clearing in the forest, and clear some of the leave to make a display arena. With enough searching in areas where we heard Argus calling, we were able to locate a number of these courts. We then monitored them with trail cameras to see which ones were active. Finally, using modern digital cameras in waterproof housings connected to infra-red triggers (which we call “camera traps”), we “staked out” these courts and hoped to capture footage of displaying males.
As it turned out, Argus male frequent their courts much less regularly than we expected, but never the less, as you can see in the images below, we were ultimately successful! Read on below to learn more about the efforts it took over two years to capture footage for the full behavioral sequence in the recent BBC series “The Mating Game”. As narrator David Attenborough says in his interview about the film on the BBC website (HERE), “I’m sure it’s the first time its been filmed in the wild”.
Argus Male Displays to a Female
At one point, a branch fell right onto the middle of the male’s court at one location. When he came back, before dragging away the branch, the male performed a series of practice displays facing toward the stick, as if it was an imaginary female in his mind. This gives us a good sense of what the female is seeing from her point of view!
At one point, a branch fell right onto the middle of the In this shot, the female is on the other side of the male so we get the backstage view of his display. You can see how he holds his head to one side and is peering through a small gap in the fold of his wing to keep an eye on her, and direct his display directly toward her.
Behind the Scenes
Filming the Argus with Camera Traps
I started this project in 2019 working with Silverback Films to try to film a sequence for the program “The Mating Game” for the BBC. I made three trips to Gunung Palung that year, locating courts, setting up the camera systems, and training my collaborators in use of the equipment. In a partnership with the National Park, ranger Darmawan (his full name) took on the task of checking the camera traps in the field every two weeks, changing batteries, and swapping out memory cards, also working with Gunung Palung Orangutan Project research director and photographer Wahyu Susanto, who helped manage the project in my absence, and send back results.
Although originally I had planned to return more regularly, I was unable to do so because of covid, so Darmawan and Wahyu kept the traps running for over two years. We consulted regularly on WhatsApp, making adjustments to camera positions, troubleshooting equipment, and keeping things going. As you can see in the behind-the-scenes video on the BBC’s website (HERE) where David Attenborough is talking about how difficult filming with camera traps are, these men are the stars who kept everything working and put enough time in in the field so that we eventually captured enough footage to tell the story of these incredible birds.
When I started this project, I assumed that the Argus males would behave something like Birds-of-Paradise, visiting their courts daily during a peak breeding season. We just had to find the courts and be filming during those peak periods. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Over the two years of the project, we found no regular seasonal patterns of visits, and visits to the courts went in spurts and were completely unpredictable. Males did show up more often on their own, and did some practice displays, but during the entire project, there were only six times where we filmed a male displaying to a female! Still, that was enough, since we captured them from different angles and with different camera positions that could be edited into the sequence!
The original plan was that once we had an idea of seasons and the most active courts, I would go out to spend a month or so sitting in a blind, to try to film the closeups that would help make a good sequence. Since I couldn’t go, Wahyu stepped up, and made four trips to Gunung Palung to try to film the Argus in person from a blind. He put in an incredible 40 days in blinds! Finally during his last trip, a male came and spent over two hours at the court, calling, clearing leaves, and giving Wahyu plenty of chances to get some much needed closeups. So hats off to Wahyu for pulling off that difficult assignment that really made the sequence come together.
The sign of an active court - some small feathers dropped by an Argus!
Gunung Palung National Park ranger and Argus camera trap monitor Darmawan attaches a mount to a tree on the edge of a court in preparation for deploying a camera. In the back, Wahyu checks the court for fresh sign.
Darmawan adjusts a camera trap box mounted higher on a tree for an overview shot of the court.
Tim, Darmawan, and Wahyu run though a checklist on the remote camera, double checking all settings. When you are going to leave a camera in the forest for two weeks or more, you need to make sure everything is set!.
The moment of truth: Arriving to check a camera after two weeks, and opening the back of the waterproof box to see if there are any results. Is the camera still working? Are there any hits? Are they Argus Pheasants, or just bearded pigs, mouse deer, and pig-tailed macaques? Camera trapping is very challenging, but when you capture something unique, it can be very exciting and rewarding as well.
Succeeding in filming or photographing aspects of animal behavior that have never been shared with a wide audience before is one of the things I get most excited about. This Argus project has been a great example of that. There are still so many cool stories that remain to be revealed from the natural world!
Thanks for tuning in to my adventures. This one got a bit long, but I hope you enjoyed it if you read this far! Do let me know if you like these in-depth back stories to my work. You can always drop an email to studio@timlaman.com.
Stay safe everyone, and be sure to get your dose of nature therapy!
Warmest regards,
Tim Laman
PS. We are offering a 20% discount on prints in honor of Valentine's Day. So if you were thinking about purchasing a Tim Laman original print for yourself or a loved one, now is a good time! www.TimLamanFineArt.com.
PPS. If you’d like to see the full episode of “The Mating Game”, you can find it streaming on the BBC in the UK, or on Discovery+ in the US. Here is a link to the trailer. You’ll see a brief glimpse of our Argus display in there in the middle! The Mating Game
Exploring California's Kelp Forest
Over the summer, while out in California visiting family, we made a side trip to Catalina Island to do a few days of diving. I hadn’t been diving since the pandemic began, so it was great to get in the water, and get back to doing some underwater photography. As always, it was a great pleasure to explore a new natural area with my family. My son Russell has an internship with the diving organization Boston Sea Rovers this summer, and was working on his own underwater photography. And it was great to see Jessica, a newer diver, feeling super relaxed even in these chilly waters in a full wetsuit, marveling at the kelp forest and its inhabitants. Unlike on land, where we are stuck on the ground, (and climbing trees takes so much effort), being weightless and swimming among the underwater kelp forest is a truly amazing feeling. If you haven’t done it, I highly recommend it!
Garibaldi Among The Kelp
Exploring The Kelp Forest
Thanks for tuning in to my adventures. Please feel free to share this newsletter with anyone who you think might enjoy it.
Stay safe everyone, and be sure to get your dose of nature therapy!
Warmest regards,
Tim Laman
PS. My print gallery now features a selection of my favorite UNDERWATER images from my nearly 40 years of diving around the world. Below are a few examples, but please take a moment to check out the full gallery at TimLamanFineArt.com.
Newsletter #6
Dear Friends,
It’s been an eventful spring and I feel like I’ve barely had my feet on the ground. As I write this I’m on a plane headed back toward one of my favorite parts of the world – the mega-diversity country of Indonesia for two full months of filming and photography. I’ll be pursuing birds-of-paradise once again in Papua, working on underwater coverage in Raja Ampat, and then heading to Borneo to continue documenting orangutans at Gunung Palung, especially the female Walimah, who has just had a baby. So exciting times ahead, and I’ll share images and stories as I can here and on social media.
Back in May I had the opportunity to co-lead another wildlife safari to Tanzania with my good friend and former professor Eldon Greij, for the Hope College Alumni Global Travel Program. Every safari leads to amazing wildlife encounters, but I’d like to share a few images from a truly extraordinary day that we experienced.
Featured Image: Mortal Enemies - Lions and Buffalo
Witnessing lions making a kill was extraordinary, but at another point in the day, we saw that the lions do not always have it their way. We came upon a lion hunt that appeared to have gone awry. Lions were pursuing a herd of buffalo, but instead of isolating a buffalo to attack, a young male lion found himself surrounded by a herd of very angry buffalo who lashed out at him. For several minutes, we witnessed the incredible power of the buffalo, as they hooked the helpless lion with their horns and tossed him repeatedly into the air. It was very apparent why buffalo are considered one of the most dangerous animals in Africa. We thought the lion was going to be killed on the spot, but after about ten minutes of this, the buffalo abandoned him and he staggered to the bushes. It was hard to imagine he would live for long.
At times these scenes were not pleasant to watch, I will admit. Nature can be harsh. But it was real, and it was amazing to witness the cycle of life in a place that is still wild. We need places like that on earth, and it is good for us to visit them. As Tennyson wrote, on this day, we truly witnessed “Nature red in tooth and claw”.
We also witnessed a lot of beauty that day. I’ll leave you with a tender moment between a mother and baby zebra as we headed for the crater exit late in the afternoon. After all the death, it was refreshing to focus on new life as this unforgettable day came to a close.
Gallery Update:
Thanks to all of your interest in my photographs and stories, I have reached a milestone of 1 Million followers on Instagram. I’d like to show my appreciation by offering a selection of your favorite images from my Instagram feed as discounted prints. Soon you can own one or more of the images you enjoyed on Instagram to hang on your wall. The updates to the website will be completed soon.
Thanks for reading and all the best, Tim
Newsletter #3
Dear Friends,
2019 is off to a roaring start with an amazing voyage to Antarctica. I’ve been sharing images on my @TimLaman Instagram feed, so I hope you have been enjoying those. A real highlight of the trip was spending New Year’s Eve cruising down the Lemaire Channel in perfect calm conditions as the sun set, and then watching it rise a few hours later. I’ve shared one of my favorite images from the trip below.
Helmeted Hornbills have been a major focus of my wildlife photojournalism efforts these past couple years, and in addition to the National Geographic story published last September, I’m pleased to report they are featured as a cover story in the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s magazine LIVING BIRD. This remarkable species is critically endangered, is still hunted for its casque, and we really need to increase awareness among consumers to not purchase hornbill products. If you’re not a Lab member who gets the magazine already, you can read the story here: Helmeted Hornbill Story.
Lemaire Channel Sunburst – New Year’s Eve
Gallery Update
We have just created a new gallery of my favorite images from the latest Antarctica trip, so please check it out here (New Antarctica Gallery). We have also added a new gallery of some of my favorite bird images, called “The Wonder of Birds”, and will continue to add more galleries, so please enjoy, and perhaps consider purchasing a print to support my work.
Looking ahead, the year is taking shape with plans to continue working on projects in Coiba National Park, Panama, back in Gunung Palung in Borneo, and in Papua on Birds-of-Paradise. Stay tuned!
On a personal note, one of the most special things about the Antarctica trip was to be able to take my daughter Jessica (15) along as my cabin-mate. My work often takes me away from home for long periods, but being able to do something special like this is one of the perks of my sometimes crazy life.
Best wishes to all of you for 2019,
Tim
Ten Questions with Tim Laman
Here is a recent interview I did for a Singapore newspaper. Since I get many questions about my background and my photography, I thought I would share it here. Hope you enjoy it!
- What is your earliest memory of travelling? How did it inspire you?
My earliest memories of traveling are going by ship across the Pacific Ocean from San Francisco to Japan with my family when I was 4 years old in 1965. My parents lived and worked in Japan when I was growing up, so we traveled a lot back and forth from Asia to the States and to other places my whole childhood. Traveling was just normal to me growing up. I think it inspired me in the sense that I never felt there were any limits to going anywhere in the world. All you have to do is make up your mind, find a way to get that plane (or boat) ticket, and go.
- When did you realize you had an interest in photography?
I started playing around with an old camera of my Dad’s when I was in 7th or 8th grade, and I bought my own camera when I was in high school. So my interest started early. I just kept getting more serious about my photography as time went on.
- Have you gone completely digital? Are there differences?
Yes, I’ve been completely digital since late 2004. A big advantage to digital is getting immediate feedback in the field. This makes a huge difference since I am often in remote areas where I can’t process film. The other huge advantage has been the improvement in low-light performance of newer digital cameras. This helps me out a lot because I like to shoot animals early and late in the day and am often working in the rain forest where light is very limited.
- You like going to wild locations. What draws you to these places?
I love exploring the little known areas of the world. It is exciting to go to places few people have been, and to see things few people get to see. It is the opportunity for real exploration that I find the most rewarding, and scientific research projects and photography are the ways that I get to do these things.
- What is challenging about getting to those places? How much do you rely on local guides?
The most extremely remote places can be very expensive to get to because almost by definition, they don’t have good access or transportation available. So raising funding for expensive transportation like helicopters or boat charters can sometimes be the first challenge. With regard to local guides, it varies tremendously by location. Some of the most remote locations, like uninhabited islands, or remote mountains, have no inhabitants and thus no local guides. We go in with a small team and are on our own. In other cases, when local residents are present, I rely on them a lot. I definitely try to take advantage of local knowledge and so I am often hiring local guides to help out when they are available.
- Patience is probably a virtue when it comes to shooting wildlife. How long have you had to wait out a shot?
Patience is definitely very important. It’s all a matter of motivation and if you want to be doing it. I can go crazy in a 30-minute traffic jam. But I can sit in a blind all day to try to capture an image of a unique bird-of-paradise display. I’ll say it again, it’s all about your drive and motivation. I’m not sure exactly, but I’m pretty sure I have put in more than eighty hours in a blind over a ten day period for some shots.
- When you go to remote locations, how much time do you spend there? What are conditions like usually?
It is really variable and depends on what I am after and how easy it is to go back. But for example, when I got dropped off by helicopter in the remote Foja Mountains of Papua, Indonesia with a team of biologists, we stayed for three weeks before the helicopter came back to this completely road-less area to pick us up. We camped in a very wet rain forest. It rained every day, and was incredibly muddy. It wasn’t exactly a picnic.
- What has kept your interest in photography buoyant?
The thing about photography is that you can never take a perfect picture. There is always room for improvement, something to strive for, and to keep trying to get better. With gear improving all the time, there are always new ways to make images that weren’t possible before. And in my field of documenting rare and endangered wildlife, there are so many important stories to tell. I will never run out of subjects or ideas.
- What are some things an aspiring photographer should do?
Here are some suggestions:
- Find out what you really love photographing, and put a lot of effort into that. Passion for your subject matter and for photography is so important, that you need to make sure you discover what you have a passion for.
- Realize that you can do a lot with even the simplest photographic equipment. The creative process of conceiving and capturing the photograph is more important than the equipment. So don’t get obsessed with gear or always having the latest. Camera’s and lenses are our tools of the trade, but the photographer makes the pictures. So work with what you can afford and put your energy into developing your craft, not your equipment collection.
10. What is the biggest lesson you have learned through all your travelling and photography?
There is a big world out there! There are still plenty of poorly known places and animals to photograph and make discoveries about. What I am saying is, this idea that the world has been explored, and there is nothing left to discover is just completely wrong. For example, I pursued a project for many years to photograph all 39 species of Birds of Paradise in the wild for the first time. Even in 2011, there were members of this famous group of birds for which the male courtship behavior had never been described, and few if any photographs existed in the wild. There are countless species, especially in the tropical regions of the world, both in the rain forests and underwater, that remain poorly known and poorly photographed. So go out and explore the world. That’s one of the greatest things about being a photographer. Your camera becomes your passport for exploration.
Postcards from Borneo
The final installment of our summer "Postcards from Borneo" blog series on the Nataional Geographic PROOF Blog has just gone live. Check it out HERE.
In this post, my wife, orangutan researcher Cheryl Knott, wraps things up from her perspective. It has been an amazing summer working in the field with my wife and her team of students and research assistants in Gunung Palung National Park, in Indonesian Borneo. As we have for many years, we also took our kids Russell and Jessica with us and they had a great time at this unusual summer camp. This year, National Geographic invited all four of us to contribute stories to their PROOF blog about our adventures.
Here are links to all six of the blog posts our family members published on National Geographic:
Postcards from Borneo: A Family Adventure Begins Anew (by Tim Laman)
Postcards from Borneo: The Boat Trip Upriver (by Russell Laman)
Postcards from Borneo: Chasing Orangutans (by Jessica Laman)
Postcards from Borneo: The World's Stinkiest (But Best) Fruit (by Russell Laman)
Postcards from Borneo: The Best Swimming Hole in Gunung Palung (by Jessica Laman)
Postcards form Borneo: My Rainforest Family (by Cheryl Knott)
To learn more about research and conservation of orangutans in Borneo, visit www.saveGPorangutans.org.
Fieldwork with the Family
For many months of each year, I am in the field on my own. But most summers in recent years, I have traveled with my wife Cheryl Knott, who is a Boston University professor and orangutan researcher, to her field site in Gunung Palung National Park in Borneo. And we have also been taking our children with us. This year I have been working on a new orangutan project for National Geographic, and NatGeo asked us to also cover the family angle. So we have been writing a series of blog posts for their PROOF blog.
See the latest post from my daughter Jessica at: Postcards-from-Borneo-the-best-swimming-hole-in-Gunung-Palung
To learn more about conserving orangutans in the spectacular Gunung Palung National Park area, visit saveGPorangutans.org