11/28/24 11/28/24

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

4/30/24 4/30/24

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 tree swallow comes in for a landing at its nest, — A tree swallow comes in for a landing at its nest opening as its mate looks out, ready to swap. The great thing about photographing birds visiting their nests is that you get multiple chances to capture the shot you are after. The timing is tricky of course with small fast moving birds like this. The approach is basically to fire a burst of images as you see the bird come in for a landing. I usually don’t even look through the viewfinder in situations like this, but frame up the shot on a tripod, and then watch the movements of the birds, and start firing early as they approach so I don’t miss the shot. The goal is to catch the wings in a nice position like this, and the extra bonus of the mate peering out really makes the shot.

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

12/14/23 12/14/23

The Stunning Harlequin Ducks

My new online course “Bird Photography Masterclass” has launched, and I’m happy to say is getting some very nice reviews. For example, Penny A. says:

“Excellent! Highly recommended for all levels of photography! It was an honour to be taken step by step through Tim’s creative process using his stunning images to highlight each point, and culminating in a true masterpiece! I loved every minute of the course and can’t wait to get outside and practice! Thank you!”

It’s nice to get the positive feedback and know that I’ve created something that can help other photographers improve. One of my motivations for creating the course is to help the next generation of photographers with the tools to elevate their craft. Birds are such great ambassadors for protecting wild places, and as former Cornell Lab of Ornithology director John Fitzpatrick is fond of saying “Birds can save the World!”. So the more of us out there photographing and sharing the wonders of birds, the better.

If you happen to know a wildlife photography enthusiast who might benefit from my course, please consider giving it as a gift. Its now super easy to do from the course website.

The Waverider

With the arrival of winter, Harlequin Ducks gather along the coast of New England where they occupy a unique niche in the rough inter-tidal zones along rocky shores. They appear completely impervious to the rough water as they dive and forage among breaking waves and rocks. I made this portrait of a male cresting a wave at Halibut Point, a State Park on the peninsula of Cape Ann in Massachusetts. This certainly has to be one of the most spectacular North American duck species. What makes this shot for me besides the beautiful colors of the bird and background water, is the curtain of water is breaking over the duck’s chest in this shot. It ads that little extra something that makes an otherwise straightforward portrait special.

More Harlequin Duck Action

The Harlequin Ducks often hang out in small groups like this trio of males coming into the surf zone to feed.

Flight shots are always fun to try for, and here I was able to capture a group of five males and one female flying together. For this shot, I used a relatively slow shutter speed of 1/180 sec to add blur to the background.

The other way to shoot birds in flight, is to use a high shutter speed to freeze the motion like I did in this shot as a male Harlequin came in for a landing next to a beautiful little wave catching the light. Shutter speed here was 1/1500 sec.

BEHIND-THE-SCENES

This was the location and my setup for all the above shots. I got as close to the water as I could without getting into the spray zone, and shot with my 400 mm f2.8 lens and a 2x converter (thus 800 mm) with my Canon R6m2 camera. A gimbal head on my tripod made for an easily balanced lens and smooth tracking of flying birds. The red face is courtesy of the wind chill!

Thanks for tuning in to my adventures. Enjoy the holiday season everyone, and don’ t forget to spend some quality time in nature, even if you live in the wintery North. It’s well worth it!

Warmest regards,

Tim Laman

PS. If you haven’t checked out the film about Papua’s forests that was just shown at the COP28 conference, it is now available to the public on the Cornell Labs Youtube channel at this link: https://bit.ly/COP28PapuaForestFilm

12/3/23 12/3/23

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

I shot this image a few years ago while on assignment at the Annenberg Center at Sunnylands, in Palm Desert, California, where I was photographing birds on their property for an exhibition in their visitor center. I roamed the property daily, and soon became familiar with the haunts of certain individual birds. This kestrel is one example. I often saw him perched in the same trees, and as he hunted around the property, he often returned to some of the same perches. A simple shot of the bird perched wasn’t very interesting, so I had the idea of getting him coming in for a landing with wings fully spread. One day when I saw him using this particular perch, I decided to stake him out when the sun was in a position to create nice backlighting on his wings. Once I framed my shot with my lens and camera on a tripod, and focused on the landing spot, it was just a matter of waiting him out, with finger always poised on my cable release (less tiring than having my hand on the camera all the time). He made a circuit to several other perches as he hunted, but eventually came back to this one. When I saw him approach, I hit the trigger before he entered the frame and fired a burst at 12 frames per sec. You can see the full sequence below. The other frames aren’t worth keeping, but I succeeded in capturing the peak moment with wings and tail spread catching the light just a moment before he landed.

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.

11/23/23 11/23/23

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 male Pileated Woodpecker comes in for a landing to deliver food to its chicks. In terms of my approach to bird photography, this shot is a classic example of anticipating and pre-visualizing the image. In other words, I observed the travel path of the bird as it flew to the nest, and saw how I could frame it nicely between the two trees as it came in for a landing. In my new Bird Photography Masterclass, I take successful images like this and break down my process of creating them. This image was made only a few miles from my home in Massachusetts, but I share stories and images from all over the world as well as my backyard as I teach students how to improve their creative process in bird photography.

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.

You are invited into my studio, where I review and analyze my best images, supporting shots, and failed images to give you insight into my creative process.

I share a supporting shot, to set the scene of where I am working on a particular image, and to introduce the subject and the challenges of the desired final shot.

I share how I chose the framing for the anticipated shot. Camera settings are shared when relevant.

Frame one of the final sequence of the male approaching the nest.

Frame two of the landing sequence - this is the keeper shot.

Frame 3 of the landing sequence. The optimal position is past…

At the end of each lesson, Key Takeaways are shared for handy reference.

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

2/15/23 2/15/23

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

The second group of islands we visited on our journey south were New Zealand’s Aukland Island group, about 450 kilometers south of New Zealand’s South Island. Here we had a chance to hike across the island of Enderby to a cliff-top overlook, where Southern Royal Albatross were occasionally cruising by as the went to and from their nesting grounds on the island. This bird came especially close and passed over the surf zone at the cliff base where the turbulent water took on this beautiful aquamarine hue. Southern Royals are among the largest flying birds along with their close relative the Wandering Albatross, with a wingspan that can reach 12 feet (or 3.5 meters). It was an amazing experience to see these spectacular birds passing so close by.

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

12/15/22 12/15/22

Are you a Bird-of-Paradise Fan?

I know that many of you, like me, are especially fascinated by the incredible family of birds known as the Birds-of-Paradise. I love photographing them, and sharing the stories of these unique birds.

My goal with my photography is to spread appreciation and awareness about species like Birds-of-Paradise, and the habitats they depend on, in their case, the rainforests of New Guinea. If you want to join me in this effort, one way you can do that is by displaying and sharing my images. Yes, this is a sales pitch, because selling my work is how I make a living so I can keep doing this. But when you purchase my work, whether it’s a calendar, print, or book, you are helping others see and appreciate birds as well, and you have become part of my team, spreading the message.

So thanks for reading, and as the holidays approach, and my print sale is running, think about joining me in spreading your love for birds to others. I appreciate your support, and I believe together we can make a positive impact.

Paradise Practice

A young male Paradise Riflebird practices his courtship display on a perch in the rainforest of southern Queensland, Australia. The adult male of this species is jet black, where as the young males have the same mottled plumage as the females. But it is easy to recognize a young male when after watching an adult male perform this raised-wing display, he flies up to the same perch used by the adult, and goes through the same motions. Bird-of-Paradise displays are partly instinctive, but also have a learned component, and young birds spend a lot of time perfecting their moves, and seem to take it very seriously, as you can see.

“Paradise Practice” is now available for purchase in my fine art store.

Bird-of-Paradise Square Print Collection

Many of my Bird-of-Paradise images crop nicely to squares, and I have been gradually adding new images to this square print collection. I love displaying these square prints in groupings on the wall, and you might as well. Here are our newest additions to the collection.

The Stare

A male Twelve-wired BoP flares out his green-rimmed breast shield and presents his striking form toward a female in the direction of the camera, trying to lure her to his display pole.

The Twist

A male Magnificent Riflebird twists his flexible neck and reveals the amazing iridescence of his neck feathers.

Superb Call

A male Superb Bird-of-Paradise reveals the brightly colored inside of his mouth as he calls from his display log, trying to lure a female. 8

Plus a Few Favorites (and Best Sellers)

Red Bird-of-Paradise Heart Display

A male Red Bird-of-Paradise performs an inverted display at the top of the rain forest canopy, his extraordinary tail wires forming a heart-shaped arc around his outstretched wings.

Blue Bird-of-Paradise in Fruiting Tree

A male Blue Bird-of-Paradise perches on the slender branch of a favorite fruit tree, Papua New Guinea.

See the full Square Bird-of-Paradise print collection here.

Another way to enjoy the Square BoP images is in one of my Calendars, which you can check out HERE. Last year's calendar, Collection No 1, can be for 2023!

Thanks for tuning in, and for considering joining me in helping to spread the love of Birds-of-Paradise, all birds, and the value of protecting our natural world.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season!
Warmest regards,
Tim Laman

11/1/22 11/1/22

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!

Rhinoceros Hornbill Close-up

The charismatic Rhinoceros Hornbills have been a personal favorite subject of mine since I first went to Borneo over 30 years ago. It was awesome to be high up in tree in Borneo again, and have some close encounters with this magnificent species. I made this portrait of a male (recognizable by his red eye), at a fruiting strangler fig as he moved around the tree crown seeking out the ripest figs.

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!

9/30/22 9/30/22

Back to Borneo Again

Greetings once again from Borneo, where I’m still in the field in Gunung Palung National Park, photographing everything from orangutans to pit vipers as I document the incredible biodiversity of this park for National Geographic.

My forthcoming book, Bird Planet, is in production and advanced copies have already reached my studio! Since I have had back-to-back assignments here in Indonesia, I haven’t been home to see it yet myself, but my wife and assistant, both very unbiased judges to be sure, say it looks awesome! It will be available Oct 4, but in the meantime, here is a little more background on the book.

Preening Mallard

Henry David Thoreau famously spent two years living in a simple cabin he built in the woods at Walden Pond and wrote about the importance of our connection to nature, becoming one of the pioneers of environmental thinking. I live just 5 miles from Walden Pond, and it is one of my favorite spots for escaping into nature for a while with a camera to challenge myself to create interesting images at a simple pond in New England, and to remind me that there is beauty in nature everywhere and that you don’t have to be in Borneo or Antarctica to appreciate it. Here a male mallard preens amid reflections of autumn colors on Walden Pond.

As you may have guessed, birds are one of my favorite subjects to photograph and I have wanted to publish my own book for years. Besides the satisfaction of sharing my work, I feel that appreciating the beauty of birds can inspire people to be better stewards of the wild places all over the world that birds need to thrive, and I wanted to share my images to spread that appreciation. Along came the Covid-19 pandemic which reduced my travel schedule greatly, and allowed me to block out the time to create the book. Working through my archive to select the images, and writing the accompanying text was a perfect Covid project.

For this book, I looked through my entire archive to select what I felt were my strongest bird images. Every place that I have photographed birds, whether on assignments for National Geographic magazine, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, or any other group as well as all my personal photography trips were all fair game. My goal was simply that this selection would represent my best bird photography.

To celebrate the publication of the book, we have created a special print gallery in my fine art store, featuring the most artistic images from the book that are now available as art works for your home. Visit the gallery at timlamanfineart.com/BirdPlanetCollection. The above 3 panoramic images are available for purchase: Cormorant, Cliff and Pine (Pano), The Spoonbill Tree and Marbled Godwit at Sunset. As my newsletter subscribers I'd like to offer you a head start on my Bird Planet Collection sale. Please use code BIRDS at checkout. We also still have a few of my signed editions of BIRD PLANET that comes bundled with a 12 inch signed print available for pre-order. Please visit the website HERE to see your options. Thanks again for following along on my journey and for your support. I’ll be looking forward to getting home to New England in time to enjoy some fall colors (and to get a look at my new book!)

All the best,
Tim

7/20/22 7/20/22

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.

Rhinoceros Hornbills In The Canopy

This image of rhinoceros hornbills high in the canopy of the lowland rainforest in Gunung Palung is one of my all time favorites that I made from a blind high in the canopy near a fruiting fig tree. I love capturing shots of the rain forest wildlife in the broader landscape and the mist hovering in the canopy on this early morning created the perfect atmosphere for the image.

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.

Long-tailed Macaque (Macaca fascicularis) in the canopy of a fruiting strangler fig tree (Ficus dubia), surrounded by ripening figs.

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.

5/20/22 5/20/22

Special Recognition from the National Geographic Museum

Dear Friends,

Imagine my surprise and pleasure when I opened an email from National Geographic recently, and saw the banner below? An advertisement for the re-opening of their museum with an exhibit of “The Greatest Wildlife Photographs”, and my image “Birds-of-Paradise Sunrise” was the featured image! This image is one of my all time favorites from my long efforts pursuing the ultimate bird-of-paradise images, so it’s very satisfying to see it get some special recognition like this.

Featured image

Bird-of-Paradise Sunrise

BIRD PLANET Update

I’m excited to report that my new book BIRD PLANET is now off to the printers (it will be in stores October 4). I’m really happy with the way it has come together. It has been great to have a chance to review my entire archive to choose the most inspirational images from all over the world.

If you didn’t catch it already, I want to remind you 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, and more than have are already sold, so you are welcome to per-order now if you would like to lock that in. Books will ship in October. Follow this link to see the offer for the Signed Edition of BIRD PLANET.

As a little sneak preview, here are a few shots from the book. In selecting the images, my aim was to capture the diversity and beauty of birds, and inspire people to care for their habitats, and thus habitat for all wildlife and a healthier planet for all of us.

Whooper Swans Awake, Lake Kussharo, Hokkaido, Japan

Cobalt-winged Parakeets at Clay Lick, Amazon Rainforest, Ecuador

These and other images from the book are also available now in my special BIRD PLANET COLLECTION gallery.

Thanks for tuning in as always!

Stay safe everyone, and be sure to get your dose of nature therapy. It’s a beautiful time of year!

Warmest regards,

Tim Laman

PS. For all you ORANGUTAN fans, I think you will enjoy a segment I shot of the early life of a baby orangutan for the new Netflix series “Wild Babies”, which is now streaming. And to learn more about orangutans and the conservation work I’m involved with, please visit www.SaveWildOrangutans.org.

4/22/22 4/22/22

Celebrating Hornbills this Earth Day 2022

As I have done every year, I’m offering all my open edition prints on sale for Earth Day this year, and donating 50% of profits to conservation.

In celebration of the upcoming publication of my new book, BIRD PLANET, I have selected the conservation group Rangkong Indonesia (Indonesia Hornbill Conservation Society) to support this year. Hornbills have been a special interest of mine since my first trip to Borneo in 1987, and they feature prominently in BIRD PLANET. In fact the first chapter starts with my experience of seeing a Rhinoceros Hornbill on my first day in the forest. And as the charismatic fruit eating birds of the forest, they are super important seed dispersers and also ambassadors for rainforest conservation.

Rangkong Indonesia is the type of group I like to support because they work directly with indigenous communities in Borneo to protect forest habitat of the most critically endangered Helmeted Hornbill, as well as several other species. You can learn more about their work at rangkong.org.

Here are a few Hornbill shots that made the cut from my 25 years of hornbill photography for my BIRD PLANET book. They are all available in my print store and are on sale (but so are all my other prints, if Hornbills aren’t your thing!).

A young rhinoceros hornbill (Buceros rhinoceros) tosses up a fig from a strangler fig tree (Ficus dubia) before swallowing it. A young Rhinoceros Hornbill (Buceros rhinoceros) tosses a fig from a strangler fig tree (Ficus dubia) before swallowing it. Lowland rain forest of Gunung Palung National Park, Borneo, Indonesia.

Rhinoceros hornbills (Buceros rhinoceros) perched high in canopy with lowland rainforest behind. Gunung Palung National Park, Borneo, Indonesia.

Helmeted Hornbill (Rhinoplax vigil) male arrives at nest tree with wings spread for landing. The female is inside the dark opening visible on the left side of frame in the broken off branch. Budo-Sungai Padi National Park, Narathiwat Province, Thailand.

Behind-The-Scenes

Almost all my hornbills shots are made from high in the rainforest canopy. It’s a lot of work to rig ropes and build platforms and blinds in the tree tops, but it’s worth the effort to be able to capture moments of hornbill life in the wild. Here is a behind the scenes moment that wasn’t too much fun though - getting caught in a heavy downpour while trying to build a canopy blind in Thailand. You can see the video on my Instagram @TimLaman.

Hanging a bird print on your wall can help spread appreciation and awareness, which is what I’m all about. So thanks for your interest, and for helping support the work I do and the conservation groups that I work with in the field. Together we can make a difference!

Stay safe everyone, and be sure to get your dose of nature therapy!

Warmest regards,

Tim Laman

PS. If you didn’t see the announcement about the special offer to pre-order a signed copy of BIRD PLANET, you can check it out right HERE. Thanks!

4/14/22 4/14/22

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.

An adult roseate spoonbill preens in front of a group of lighter pink juvenile birds at the Alafia Bank Bird Sanctuary in Tampa Bay, Florida, USA. Bird bills come in all shapes and sizes, but the spoonbill’s bill is certainly one of the most unusual, and is used for catching prey by touch as the bird sweeps it back and forth in the water. We didn’t want to approach the birds too closely with our boat at the sanctuary, so I stepped into the water with my big lens on my tripod and started slowly wading towards them. This worked well, and I got close enough for this shot without disturbing the birds, but I was in over my waist in saltwater by the end, and taking a bit of risk with my equipment.

Behind the Scenes from BIRD PLANET:

By making a slow approach on foot instead of by boat, I was able to get close enough to skittish roseate spoonbills to get the above shot without disturbing them. Sometimes it is worth taking some risk to equipment (cameras and salt water don’t mix) in order to get the shot. I am shooting with a Canon 1D Mark II and Canon 600 mm f4 lens, 2x converter, and Gitzo tripod here in 2007. Photo by Zafer Kizlikaya.

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!

2/27/22 2/27/22

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:

A Blue Jay perches among the snow covered branches of a white pine.

A Red-bellied Woodpecker is unfazed by the falling snow.

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

2/8/22 2/8/22

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

This is the moment I most wanted to capture - a male Argus Pheasant displaying to a female! At first glance, this display may remind you of a peacock. But look closely. A peacock’s display is made up of its tail fan alone. The Argus on the other hand, is spreading its wing feathers, covered in amazing eye-spots, to create this mesmerizing presentation. The male’s head is hidden, tucked behind one of his wings, but he can still watch the female through a tiny gap in the fold of his wing. His long central tail feathers, cut off at the top of this shot, also are being shaken and are visible to the female above the fan.

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

11/11/21 11/11/21

Birds-of-Paradise and Orangutan Fundraiser is Live

As we near the holiday season I’m reminded once again of how fortunate my family and I have been to weather this pandemic relatively unscathed. I hope you have been as fortunate, though I’m sure some of you suffered losses of loved ones, and my heartfelt sympathies go out to you. It’s been a tough couple years.

As we get through this, I am feeling like I want to devote some energy and resources to helping out the people and conservation activities that I care deeply about in Indonesia, where things have been especially tough. The best way I can come up with to do that, is to raise funds by selling my art, so I want to let you know that for all bird-of-paradise and orangutan print purchases during my Holliday Sale, which is now live, I will donate 50% of profits to the two charities that I have been supporting the Gunung Palung Orangutan Conservation Program, and Papua Konservasi dan Komunitas.

Please visit my online gallery through the link below, and consider a purchase for yourself or as a gift. You can read more about the two organizations in the links below as well.

Vogelkop Superb Bird-of-Paradise

Vogelkop Superb Bird-of-Paradise Performing is now available for purchase in my fine art store HERE.

Collecting Square Bird-of-Paradise Prints

Many of my Bird-of-Paradise images crop very nicely to a square format, and we have been offering a growing selection of square prints starting at 12x12 inches. These very affordable prints ($150 discounted to $105 each during the Holiday Sale), are striking when displayed in a grouping of 2, 3, or 4. They make a great conversation piece, brighten up any space, and proceeds help to support bird-of-paradise conservation. And if you already have one or two, you can add more and display them in various groupings which I have enjoyed doing around my house.

See the “Birds-of-Paradise Square Prints Collection” HERE, and help support Bird-of-Paradise conservation.

Thanks for tuning in and considering joining my fundraiser. If you’d like to learn more about the conservation groups I’m supporting and what they are doing, here are their individual websites.

Papua Konservasi

Save Wild Orangutans

I will follow up soon with another newsletter sharing more about the Gunung Palung Orangutan Project and their work that I am supporting.

Stay safe everyone, and be sure to get your dose of nature therapy!

Warmest regards,

Tim Laman

PS. We have added Greeting Cards to our store this holiday season especially featuring my birds in the snow images. You can customize the inside, and get discounts for boxes of 10 or 25. Check them out HERE.

7/29/21 7/29/21

Dreaming of Africa

I think I see the light at the end of the tunnel! Where are you dreaming of traveling to? I have many places on my list. It may be a little while yet, but the first place I will head back to internationally will definitely be Borneo, to continue coverage of the orangutans and biodiversity of Gunung Palung National Park. But many other places are also calling, and the wonders of East Africa are certainly among them. I have many fond memories of my safaris there, and hope to go back soon. In the mean time, we have been working on expanding my Limited Edition collection in my fine art gallery, and I’m excited to announce the addition of the image below.

The Vulture Tree

One hot, hazy afternoon in the Serengeti in 2018, we were driving around in our vehicle, but it wasn’t exactly the time of day when I expected to make an outstanding wildlife image. But then we spotted this lone Ruppel’s vulture, perched in this old dead tree, which was a beautiful piece of sculpture in itself. The vulture had its wings spread partially, in a posture that likely was helping get some airflow over his body to help it cool off. I carefully directed our driver to get us into a position where the branches formed the best framing around the vulture. The hazy afternoon light added the atmosphere and the slightly ocher color palette. The resulting image ended up being one of my Limited Edition prints.

A Few Other Favorites from Africa

Here are a few other favorites from Africa that are in my Limited Edition Collection:

A herd of wildebeest cross the Mara River during their annual migration. Serengeti National Park, Tanzania.

A wildebeest makes a wild leap as the herd of thousands surge across the Mara River during their annual migration. Serengeti National Park, Tanzania.

BaoThe sun rises behind a baobab tree on the African savanna. Tarangire National Park, Tanzania.

1/16/13 1/16/13

Yasuni National Park, Ecuador

Cobalt-winged Parakeets (Brotogeris cyanoptera) feeding on clay at the clay lick east of Anangu and south of the Napo River, Yasuni National Park, Orellana Province, Ecuador

For the January 2013 issue of National Geographic magazine, I was part of a team of five Nat Geo photographers including Ivan Kashinsky, Karla Gachet, David Liittschwager and Steve Winter. We went to Ecuador for one month to document the biologically richest place on the planet, Yasuni National Park, and the important conservation issues and human cultural issues surrounding it. Here is the feature story at Nat Geo.

You can see how all our efforts came together to tell the story in this interactive.

Also, Spencer Milsap of Nat Geo produced this video piece, which my assistant Anand Varma and I also helped to shoot. It captures what it was like to work on this story in the Amazon rain forest of Ecuador.

http://youtu.be/tADHWKZzw9w

10/4/12 10/4/12

Cockatoo Pair

I am still in the Cape York Peninsula of Australia. The spectacular Sulfur-crested Cockatoos are so common here, that we rarely give them a second look after several weeks in the field. But this pair at a nest cavity was worth a shot.