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
Back in Borneo to Start the New Year
Happy New Year and greetings from Indonesia! I am excited to be writing to you from the town of Ketapang on the island of Borneo, our jumping off point as we prepare to head into Gunung Palung National Park.
We just celebrated the new year with the whole team from the Gunung Palung Orangutan Conservation Program, known as Yayasan Palung here in Indonesia, and are preparing to head up to the research station in the park where I have spent so much time over the years.
This is Year 30 of my wife Cheryl Knott’s orangutan project and so our focus on this trip is two-fold. First, we want to capture this historic achievement of this long-term project by filming the various team members sharing their stories. Our timing is also exciting in that there is a major mast fruiting event going on it the forest. This phenomenon only happens about once every five years, when trees of all different species fruit in synchrony. So our second objective is to film orangutans and other wildlife feasting on this bounty.
It’s exciting to be starting off the new year with this important project and to have a chance to spend time with family, friends, and colleagues old and new in the rainforest of Gunung Palung. You are welcome to join us virtually by visiting www.savewildorangutans.org. (There is more info below).
I look forward to sharing new content from this trip with you all in a future update, but in the meantime, here are a few favorite images from my Gunung Palung archives.
As always, thanks for tuning in. I wish you all a healthy, happy, and successful 2025. If you are into lifelong learning and supporting good causes, see below for a few ideas for 2025.
Warmest regards,
Tim Laman
A Few Ideas for 2025
Sign up for the “Save Wild Orangutans” Newsletter.
https://www.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 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 brief reads, where I always learn something that I find myself thinking about later when I’m out in the field. Again, 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 and support his work. Do check it out.
Commit to Improving Your Photography.
Https://masterclass.TimLaman.com
Are you interested in photographing birds or wildlife in general? 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 Bird Photography Masterclass called “Getting Creative”. It could be just the thing to help you take your photography to a whole new level this year. If you are more of a beginner, there is also a course to get you started in bird photography called “Birds, Camera, Action”.
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
New Film and Story: Saving Mexico's Endangered Macaws
Last year I had an assignment from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to go to Chiapas, Mexico, and work with the non-profit group Natura Mexicana, to make a short film about their work trying to save the endangered Scarlet Macaws. My son Russell joined me as our second cameraman, and we worked with the awesome team from Natura Mexicana to document their work and the beautiful macaws. Our film is now finished and is live on their website: https://www.naturamexicana.org.mx
Natura Mexicana are taking a unique approach to a challenging situation. Poachers are stealing chicks for the illegal wildlife trade. Other solutions having failed, the conservationists are pulling young chicks from the nests before the poachers get them, and hand-rearing them. It’s a labor of love, but its working and over 200 chicks have been raised and released. Adults don’t make good pets, so once free and wild, the birds are safe from poachers.
You can read the full story on the National Geographic website
Ultimately of course, these drastic measures are only a stopgap solution. We need to educate people and remove the demand for wild-caught parrots as pets so this illegal wildlife trade will end. It was great to have the opportunity to work with Russell to help tell this story, and I hope you will watch the video and read the story and share it with others. Awareness and education is the only way we can eventually solve this problem.
Below I share a few more images from our coverage in Mexico.
Primary Colors in Flight
More Outtakes from our Macaw Story
Macaws form long-term pair bonds and are constantly hanging out with and interacting with their mates.
Scarlet macaws nest in natural tree cavities, and both parents take turns bringing food back for the chicks once they have hatched. Here one adult waits for the other to emerge from the nest cavity so it can go in.
Beating the poachers at their own game, researcher Raul Mendez climbs a rope to a nest site to remove a chick for captive rearing, placing it in a bucket to lower to the ground.
Once a chick has been brought into captivity, there are many weeks of intense labor involved to raise it by hand. Here Griselda Quintana and Rodrigo Leon feed chicks at the captive rearing facility.
It was great working with my son Russell on the shoot. He is an accomplished photographer in his own right, and captured some unique images like this one that added to our coverage. You can see more of his work at www.russlaman.com.
As always, thanks for tuning in. As I mentioned above, please share the links to our film and article, and help spread the word about the crisis of the illegal wildlife trade. Only awareness and education can bring these cruel practices to a halt, and allow birds like the Scarlet Macaw to raise their young in the wild the way they are supposed to.
Best regards to all!
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!
PPS. If you are a wildlife photography enthusiast or know one, do check out my online courses at “Bird Photography Masterclass” I can be your guide to help take your photography to the next level. Available as gifts as well.
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.
Photographing Nesting Birds
This morning on a walk not far from my home in Lexington, Massachusetts, I found a Red-bellied Woodpecker’s nest! It’s that exciting time of year when birds in New England are nesting or preparing to nest, and us photographers have chances capture the associated bird behavior, which is always special.
Just remember whether you are photographing or just observing nesting birds, be super sensitive to the birds’ well-being. Pay close attention to their behavior, and make sure you are at a distance where the birds are comfortable approaching to swap incubation duties or make food deliveries to chicks. As long as you do it responsibly, finding and observing nesting birds is a very rewarding way to enjoy spring!
Below are a few images of nesting birds I’ve had a chance to photograph close to home over the past couple years. I’m excited to see what new opportunities this spring will bring!
Featured Image: The Landing
A Few More Nesting Birds from New England
A male pileated woodpecker visits its nest in a dead pine to feed its ravenous chicks.
Barn swallows nesting in a barn in southern Massachusetts made for a fun and easy to shoot subject, since they were accustomed to people and horses coming in and out and paid no attention to me with my camera.
This bluebird is delivering food to its chicks in its nest in a dead white birch tree, in an old woodpecker hole. Woodpeckers create nest cavities used by many other species of birds.
Here you can see the same nest from a different angle, as the male bluebird enters with food.
For you photographers out there, are you keen to get out and do more bird photography this spring? If you are working on mastering your camera skills, I have a course for you called “Birds, Camera, Action”. Or perhaps you are ready to get more creative and take your photography to the next level? I have a course for you called “Getting Creative”
As always, thanks for tuning in, and for your support of my work and the causes I support. Spring is here so be sure to get out and enjoy it!
Warmest regards,
Tim Laman
New Orangutan Prints are Online!
As many of you know, I am a big supporter of the Gunung Palung Orangutan Conservation Program. I use my photographs and films to help spread the word about their important work to safeguard one of the key populations of wild Bornean Orangutans in and around Gunung Palung National Park.
I also from time to time, try to use my art to raise actual cash for this NGO, and that’s where you come in. From now until Earth Day April 22, I am offering to donate 100% of profits from sale of my orangutan prints to GPOCP. So you have a chance to collect one of my prints, and make a contribution to a good cause at the same time.
Especially for you collectors who have perhaps purchased one of my orangutan prints before, I have added a few new ones to my gallery. A couple examples are below. I hope you’ll find one you like that will put a smile on your face. And thanks in advance for your support.
Waiting Out The Rain
Did you know that orangutans often make umbrellas when it rains hard? They make a couple different types, and here you can see this female has made the “cape” type of umbrella, where she just pulls a cluster of branches together over her back to let a lot of the rain roll off. Her baby doesn’t seem to be particularly well covered, however, and is just toughing it out. Umbrella making is an example of a learned behavior, culturally transmitted from mother to offspring during the long learning period that baby orangutans spend with their mothers.
More New Gallery Additions
“Give Me Some, Mom” A baby orangutan pulls at her mother’s face as she feeds on flowers of the Fordia tree.
“Just Chillin” An adult flanged male Bornean Orangutan leans back for a rest in a tree high in the rainforest canopy.
For you photographers in the group, especially you aspiring wildlife photographers, I am excited to announce that I have just completed the second of my online courses in my “Bird Photography Masterclass” series, and it is now live. In this new course, which I have called “Birds, Camera, Action” I share the camera settings and techniques I use for successful bird photography, especially focusing on how I shoot birds in flight.
Hit the image below to view the trailer for the course and learn more.
As always, thanks for tuning in, and for your support of my work and the causes I support. Spring is here to be sure to get out and enjoy it!
Warmest regards,
Tim Laman
Pelicans and Surf in San Diego
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Last month I had a chance to visit San Diego and spend some time photographing birds on the coast. My visit corresponded with a Pacific swell that made for some spectacular conditions for bird photography along the cliffs of La Jolla. Below are are a few images from the trip for your enjoyment.
Pelicans and Crashing Surf, La Jolla, California
On the first morning of my San Diego trip I headed down to the La Jolla Cove area at sunrise and found amazing conditions. A big Pacific swell was rolling in and crashing against the cliffs. It was very windy, which seemed to encourage the pelicans and other birds to get on the wing and cruise up and down the coast. So the conditions were ideal for flight photography. But what captivated me the most was this scene of the backlit surf breaking on the rocks, and occasionally, groups of pelicans coming toward me that I could frame with this dramatic backdrop. Note that there are three pelicans in this shot, and the upper left bird, if you look closely, is a cormorant. I have been to La Jolla many times and never seen conditions like this. It’s a great example of how repeatedly going back to photograph the same subject in different weather conditions can lead to exciting images. I am always looking for ways to add drama to an photograph and make it stand out, and including atmospheric effects like rain, snow, fog, mist, or sea spray is a great way to do that.
A Few More Shots from La Jolla, January 2024
As always, thanks for tuning in. I hope you are finding your own opportunities to get out and enjoy nature!
Warmest regards,
Tim Laman
PS. My Bird Photography Masterclass continues to build up 5-star reviews from happy photographers. If one of your goals in 2024 is to improve your own bird photography, you can learn more about the course at https://masterclass.timlaman.com
Happy New Year 2024
As we start the new year, I’m taking a few moments to look back and reflect on a some highlights from the past year. It has been a rewarding year of great adventures and conservation photography projects. I’ve selected a few photos to share as a little visual review of the year. Thanks for following along, and hope you enjoy it!
A Few Highlights from 2023
5 Feb 2023: On the way to Antarctica on a Lindblad/National Geographic Expedition trip I found myself in a Zodiac surrounded by swimming King Penguins off the coast of Macquarie Island. Not having an underwater camera housing with me, I trusted in the waterproofness of my iPhone, submerged it and fired as fast as I could. This is one of the resulting shots. And yes, the phone still works!
12 April 2023: On assignment for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology I filmed the work of the organization Natura Mexicana and their efforts to conserve the endangered Scarlet Macaws in the Montes Azul Biosphere Reserve in southern Mexico. Our conservation film to help spread awareness about their work will be coming out in 2024.
7 June 2023: At night on a beach on the north coast of West Papua, I filmed a Leatherback Sea Turtle as she covered her eggs after laying. This was on another Cornell Lab expedition where I led a team documenting the biodiversity of West Papua from coast to mountains for a film that was shown at the COP28 meeting in December. You can see the film here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPb1CQWty60 We will be sharing more from this project in the months to come in support of our Indonesian partners as they work to conserve the forests of Papua.
16 July 2023: I returned to Gunung Palung National Park in Indonesian Borneo to continue documenting the biodiversity of this refuge of lowland rainforest biodiversity, working with my wife Cheryl Knott’s team. Stay tuned for a new National Geographic magazine article coming out in early 2024. This is the female orangutan Berani, with her baby born in December 2022. Learn more about the work in Gunung Palung and how you can get involved at www.savewildorangutans.org
15 Aug 2023: I led my first Underwater Photo Workshop in the spectacular Raja Ampat Islands based at the Papua Explorers resort with Zafer Kizilkaya. It was a great experience and we will do it again in 2024. The reefs of Raja Ampat are healthy, and the photo opportunities are amazing. Come join us! www.papuaexplorers.com/underwater-photography-workshop/
20 Nov 2023: I decided it was time to share some of my experience and knowledge about wildlife photography with others, and I created and launched my first online course: Bird Photography Masterclass.
The more photographers we have out there documenting the natural world and building appreciation for it the better, and I believe I can help by sharing the approach that has worked for me, and that I have developed over the years. While I do teach some in-person workshops, the medium of an online course seems like a great way make my teaching available to a wide audience. You can learn more at masterclass.timlaman.com.
Thanks for joining me on my adventures over the past year. As you see from my photo captions above, several of my 2023 projects haven’t reached fruition yet, so stay tuned in 2024 for further developments. And of course I’ll keep you posted on new projects as we get further into 2024.
I hope you are as excited about what lies ahead in 2024 as I am. All the best for the New Year!
Warmest regards,
Tim Laman
PS. As of right now, there are three opportunities to join me in the field on photography trips in 2024. See below, and don’t hesitate to reach out to my studio email if you have questions (studio@timlaman.com).
- Norway’s Fjords and Arctic Svalbard: May 15 - June 1. www.expeditions.com
- Raja Ampat Underwater Photography Workshop: Aug 11-21. www.papuaexplorers.com/underwater-photography-workshop/
- Upper Amazon Aboard the Delfin II: Nov 9 - Nov 19. www.expeditions.com
Kestrel Landing - Capturing the Moment
Dear Friends,
Every image has a story behind it, and as I worked on creating my Bird Photography Masterclass over recent weeks, I came across many images in my archives that sparked memories. Birds are creatures of habit, and one of the “tricks of the trade” in wildlife photography is being a good observer, and anticipating what birds are going to do. “Capturing a moment” in bird photography isn’t just a matter of luck.
This series on the kestrel landing didn’t make it into my course, but is a classic example of how being a good observer of bird behavior can help you anticipate and enjoy an interesting moment of action. I think this is something that all fans of watching birds and other wildlife in the field can appreciate, whether you are a photographer or not. Honing our powers of observation makes for greater appreciation and enjoyment of our time in nature.
Kestrel Landing
The Kestrel Landing Sequence
Here is the sequence of images that came before and after the “keeper” shot. For the camera nerds these were shot with a Canon 1DXII, 400 mm f2.8 w/ 2X, 1/2000 sec, f 8, ISO 1600. The key thing being the 1/2000 sec to freeze the motion.
Shot 1: Entering the frame.
Shot 2: The keeper shot.
Shot 3: Just landed, but awkward position.
Shot 4: Perched and rather boring.
If you are a wildlife photographer and interested in checking out my new course BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY MASTERCLASS - THE CREATIVE PROCESS, you can visit the course website to learn more. You can even sign up to watch one of the eight lessons for free to get a sense if the course is right for you.
Thanks for tuning in as always. Whether or not you take a camera on your walks in nature, see if you can learn the habits of your local birds and anticipate their actions. It can be very rewarding.
Warmest regards,
Tim Laman
PS. If you haven’t ordered your calendars yet, there is still plenty of time to get them before the year end. Check out my six different bird-themed calendars HERE.
Bird Photography Masterclass is Live!
It’s been a long time in development, but I’m excited to announce that my new online Masterclass is live!
I saw a need that I could fill - to help all bird photography enthusiasts learn to concentrate more on what’s important - framing you shot - not obsessing over camera settings.
Yes, you need a basic understanding of photography and how to operate your camera. But most cameras these days can be pulled out of the box, set to auto mode, and make decent exposures. But you still need to have the idea of how to frame you shots!
That’s where my course comes in. I have distilled the essential Creative Process that I use to create strong images. These methods have worked well for me for twenty-five National Geographic assignments and helped me capture over twenty winning images in the Wildlife Photographer of the year.
I focus on birds in the course, but really the principles apply to all wildlife photography. If you are interested, you can learn more and enroll by checking out the link below. You can also send it as a gift (just an idea).
Also, I know you realize it’s that time of year, but don’t forget that my annual holiday print sale is in full swing! If a print isn’t in your budget, you might be happy to know that we now offer many other products, from mugs and coasters to puzzles and tote bags. They all feature my images thanks to our printing partner. Just visit the store and select any image to explore your options.
Pileated Woodpecker Landing
A Glimpse Into My Bird Photography Masterclass
Here is a sneak peak into a small section of Lesson 1: Anticipation and Pre-visualization, in which I share my thought process around anticipating the final image before it happens, and how to plan accordingly. These are all frame grabs from my online course.
If you are curious to learn more about the class, the link below will take you to a website with a short video introduction, and details on what I cover in the eight lessons in the course. While I do assume that you have some basic understanding of the fundamentals of photography, I think that this course can benefit photographers of all levels.
Thanks for tuning in. Happy Thanksgiving if you’re in the USA!
Warmest regards,
Tim Laman
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
Celebrating Biodiversity of the World’s Richest Reefs
Greetings and happy “World Biodiversity Day” on May 22.
For me, every day is a day to appreciate and celebrate the amazing diversity of life that we share this planet with, but it’s good to have these reminders about what’s important. As you know, I am especially drawn to the richest habitats on the planet - rain forests and coral reefs.
So this week I thought I’d share a few images from one of my favorite places, the Raja Ampat Islands of Indonesia, which are a spectacular example of both these ecosystems. This area not only has the world’s richest coral reefs below water, but the rainforest-covered islands are home to birds-of-paradise, and many other species. And not only that, this is one of the rare places where rainforest comes right down to meet the sea. These limestone islands produce little silt and the waters are bathed by rich currents, so corals can literally grow right beneath overhanging tree branches, like in the image below.
As I prep to head back to Indonesia once again this summer to work on a filming project with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in West Papua, I’ll leave you with a few favorite images celebrating the rich diversity of Raja Ampat. Enjoy and have a great summer.
The World's Richest Reefs
Clockwise from top left:
The profusion of life on some of Raja Ampat’s reefs is almost overwhelming, like this underwater pinnacle teaming with fish and sea fans. This region has the highest coral species diversity as well as fish species diversity recorded anywhere in the world.
If you look closely, there are always smaller creatures to discover, like this colorful nudibranch (Nembrotha kubaryana).
A crazy variety of colorful invertebrates inhabit the reef, including creatures like this zigzag clam, covered in coraline algae, and at least two different species of tunicates growing on it.
The corals of Raja Ampat have largely escaped bleaching to date. Beautiful table corals can be seen growing in the shallows in many sites.
The biomass of fish on some Raja Ampat reefs can be staggering. Here snappers and fusiliers criss-cross above a shallow seamount.
Thanks for your interest and support, and I hope that together we can make a difference for the wild places and biodiversity of our planet that is worth saving in its own right, but also critical for a healthy planet!
Responsible eco-tourism helps to protect these reefs, so if you are a diver, I highly recommend you add Raja Ampat to your bucket list.
Stay safe and have a great summer everyone.
Warmest regards,
Tim Laman
PS. If you’d like to join me diving in Raja Ampat this August, follow this LINK for details about our underwater photo workshop at the spectacular Papua Explorers resort! There is still some space.
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
Photographing My Local Nesting Birds
Dear Friends,
I hope you have been having a nice spring and relishing the new life all around us here in the Northern Hemisphere. These past two springs, due to the pandemic, I have been traveling less than usual, and focusing my lenses on more local projects. One of those has been a filming project with Connecticut-based Coneflower Studios to document the lives of woodpeckers and their importance in the ecosystem. Did you know that woodpeckers create cavities that are used by over forty species of birds for nesting just in North America? While working on the film project, which is now going into post-production, I was also able to capture some still photos.
Stay tuned here, and I’ll let you know when the film is coming out. In the mean time, I’ve selected a few stills below to share. I had never spent much effort to observe or photograph the pileated woodpecker before this, but this impressive bird has now become one of my local favorites. Hope you enjoy the shots below!
The Ant Specialist
The Cavity Nesters
Woodpeckers excavate cavities in dead trees for roosting and nesting, but they are not the only birds that use them. Abandoned woodpecker holes are used by many other species as well, so they play a particularly important role in the community of birds. All the images below were made not far from my home in Massachusetts.
When pileated woodpecker chicks reach a certain size, they stick their little heads out of their nest cavity and beg loudly when a parent approaches with food, making for a pretty entertaining scene.
I found a pair of bluebirds nesting in this small woodpecker hole in a dead white birch tree along the edge of a beaver pond. Here you see the male delivering a caterpillar to the chicks.
This pair of shots shows the changing of the guard as the two parents swap incubation duties at their nest. These tree swallows are nesting in a tree cavity that I hollowed out myself. I think birds take even more readily to nest boxes made out of hollow logs than the more typical ones made from boards.
Barred owls like these also often nest in tree cavities as well. This is not necessarily a woodpecker hole, but who knows, perhaps this rotted out hollow in the tree could have started from a large excavation by a Pileated Woodpecker many years ago!
Thanks for tuning in to my adventures, and stay tuned. Soon, I’m heading off to Borneo after a nearly three year break, and I’ll be sharing updates on my social channels!
Stay safe everyone, and be sure to get your dose of nature therapy!
Warmest regards,
Tim Laman
PS. We are partnering with the Aves Gallery to showcase some of my very large format, Limited Edition, Bird-of-Paradise prints at the Ketchum Art Festival, from July 8-10 in Sun Valley, Idaho. If you are curious about my Limited Edition Birds-of-Paradise prints, you can learn more HERE.
Announcing my new book: BIRD PLANET
I’m excited to announce that I have just completed checking the proofs, and can now share that my new book “BIRD PLANET” will be published by Abrams in October, 2022. As most of you know by now, bird photography has been a special passion of mine for a long time. I have now pulled together my best bird images from my extensive assignments and travels around the world over the last 25 years into one volume celebrating the beauty and wonder of birds, and their importance as ambassadors for conservation of wild places.
Below is a little teaser - an example of an image from the book that has never been published before, and the story behind it. Hope you enjoy it. And further down is a link to pre-order a special signed edition of the book that I’m offering to subscribers first, which is bundled with a 12-inch print.
Behind the Scenes from BIRD PLANET:
BIRD PLANET is off to the printers soon, and will be shipping on October 4, 2022. Here is a sneak peak of the cover and full dust jacket, which is my image of scarlet ibises flying past the moon in Venezuela’s Orinoco River Delta, wrapped around the cover.
The book will be a 12x12 inch large format book, with 224 pages, and is organized geographically by region with chapter intros giving an overview of my fieldwork in each area. Stay tuned for more details to come as the publication date approaches. But in the mean time, I want to let you subscribers to Wildlife Diaries be the first to know that I am offering a signed copy of BIRD PLANET (personalized if you like) bundled with a 12-inch print for $100. I’ll only have 100 copies to sell in this way, so you are welcome to per-order now if you would like to lock that in. Books will ship after Oct 4. Follow this link to see the offer for the Signed Edition of BIRD PLANET.
Thanks for tuning in!
Stay safe everyone, and be sure to get your dose of nature therapy!
Warmest regards,
Tim Laman
PS. Just to let you know, next week I’ll be launching my Earth Day Fundraiser Print Sale for Bird Conservation featuring my BIRD PLANET collection. So keep your eye out for that announcement and thanks in advance for your support!
Backyard Birds in the Snow
I just wanted to send a brief note to let you know that I’m offering all of my open edition prints for 20% off through Valentine’s Day. If you or a loved one would enjoy one of my prints, this would be a good time to pick one.
It’s that time of year when the snow flies, and I love seeing what I can capture of my backyard birds when I’m not away traveling. There is something about the birds in the snow that is simply beautiful, and I enjoy trying to capture unique moments. We’ve added a few new ones to the gallery - sneak peak below.
You can browse my full galleries at: www.timlamanfineart.com
Why do I keep going out and photographing the same birds? Because sometimes you just catch something unexpected, like this little Black-capped Chickadee, all fluffed up into a ball against the cold, hopping between perches. That’s the great thing about nature photography. There is no such thing as the perfect shot, so you are never done. Nature can always surprise you, and the possibilities are only limited by your imagination.
“Chickadee in Mid-Hop” is now available for purchase in my fine art store, and will definitely put a smile on your face.
More Backyard Birds New to the Gallery
Here are a couple more shots new to the gallery:
Tim in his Back Yard
I’m lucky enough to have woods behind my house, and when I place my feeders at the edge of the yard, I can photograph birds landing on the natural perches where they stop en route to the feeders. A blind isn’t absolutely necessary, but I do find many birds come in much closer if I’m hiding, and it also keeps the snow off! Here are a few behind-the-scenes shots.
Thanks for tuning in. Stay safe everyone, and be sure to get your dose of nature therapy!
Warmest regards,
Tim Laman
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