Joel Sartore

Most difficult for Joel is the time spent away from his wife and three kids. It all makes him wonder if he has the best job in the world, or the worst.

Despite the many awards he's won, including several Picture of the Year honors, Joel is modest about his work, and himself. "There's not a lot of depth to me in a lot of ways," he says, "I just like good pictures." His mentors were photography professor George Tuck at the University of Nebraska, where Joel first became interested in shooting, and his first boss, Steve Harper, who advised him when he worked at the Wichita Eagle to shoot projects instead of just hunting for single features.

His work as a nature photographer has left Joel pessimistic. "I'm just photographing the last of everything. Whether it's wolves or grizzly bears or rhinos or parrots in South America . . . . It's kind of tragic.

On the other hand, Joel has known since college that "photography's just fun. It makes people happy most of the time . . . . It's a key to the whole world."

Photographing Nature

1. Good photographs have three common elements—nice light, a clean background, and compelling subject matter. So what's compelling? Here's my test: If I were driving with my wife and saw something on the side of the road, would she be glad I interrupted whatever she was doing to point it out, or would she just be annoyed?
2. Before you even set foot in the field, research your natural subject(s) thoroughly and talk to people who know the area you'll be working in. Do your homework and don't waste the time of the people helping you out.
3. Always send the people who've helped you the prints you promised them. Following through shows that you really appreciate the help they've given you, and chances are they'll be willing to help you out again, if the need arises.
4. If you want to take good nature photos, be out in the field and ready to shoot before sunrise, and be willing to work in the evenings until after sunset. That's when animals tend to be most active and when the light is nicest.
5. To take full advantage of the good light at the beginning and end of the day, you'll need a tripod and a cable release. The light is usually nicest when it's lowest, so if you're taking long exposures and using a hand-held camera, camera-shake can leave your pictures a blurry mess. A tripod and cable release eliminate camera-shake and are an easy way to improve your pictures.
6. When working in nature, it's absolutely crucial to respect your subject and surroundings. This means practicing outdoor etiquette—leave everything as you found it and take your trash out with you. It also means disturbing your animal subjects as little as possible. Learn what their rules of conduct are, what a respectful distance is, what behavior to avoid, and what the animal's “back off” signal is. The goals are to stay safe yourself and to get good images of your subjects behaving normally, not showing aggression or running away from you.
7. Be prepared for the environment you'll be working in. Photographing wildlife often involves extreme conditions. It's tough to work when you're cold and/or soaking wet. Make sure you've got the proper clothing and equipment.