Episode 75: Today I sit down with Alberta, Canada-based wildlife photographer, Colleen Gara, to chat about:
- How her lifelong passion for the outdoors led to her path to becoming a wildlife photographer
- How having created portraits of people has helped inform how to create portraits of animals
- How to connect with and capture the personality of wildlife while respecting their space and normal activities
- Tips on how to minimize disturbing an animal while observing and photographing it
- Wildlife safety considerations and tips
- How to stay warm doing photography in winter
- Compositional tips for photographing wildlife to help best tell a story about the animal
- Her favorite animal to photograph in the Canadian Rockies
- The value of preparation (research), opportunity, and luck when it comes to wildlife photography
- The important role of predators in the maintenance and balance of the biodiversity and health of a region
- How to use wildlife photography to raise awareness around conservation issues
- How to get more young people involved in wildlife conservation and photography
- And much more!
LINKS MENTIONED:
Website: https://www.colleengaraphotography.com/
Follow Colleen Gara on:
Note: Some of the resources below may be affiliate links, meaning I receive a commission (at no extra cost to you) if you use that link to make a purchase.
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Full Show Notes
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ABOUT BRENDA PETRELLA (host)
Colleen Gara
Wildlife Photographer
Colleen Gara is a wildlife photographer, writer, and educator based in Calgary, Alberta in Canada. Her focus is on Canadian wildlife, and her subjects include grizzly and black bears, wolves, lynx, swift and red fox, moose, elk and more. She is passionate about photographing animals in their natural, wild surroundings, from the Rocky Mountains to the prairies.
Colleen’s hope is that her images will help foster a connection between the viewer and her wild subjects, raising awareness to protect both the animals and their natural habitats. She strongly believes in ethical photography practices and all of her images are of wild animals only – none are captive or baited.
Colleen’s photographs have been featured in publications worldwide, including Audubon, Photo Life, Canadian Geographic, Wild Planet Photo, and Nature’s Best. She also is a contributing writer for Nature TTL and is a workshop leader with OFFBEAT Photography.
