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Archive for Kevin Schafer

About Kevin
Kevin Schafer is a professional wildlife and conservation photographer, whose work has appeared in all of the most respected science and nature magazines in the U.S., including National Geographic, Smithsonian, Audubon and Natural History. Kevin specializes in covering endangered species worldwide. He is a Founding Fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers and was the NANPA Outstanding Nature Photographer of the year for 2007. www.kevinschafer.com

April 29th, 2012
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Telephoto Landscapes

Posted By Kevin Schafer
Fading Light, Carrizo Plain CA
I was waiting, unsuccessfully, for some kit foxes to emerge from their den at sunset. They never showed, so there I was, stuck with a 500mm lens on my tripod and a lot of time on my hands. It was a glorious sunset, throwing shadows on the ridges of the Temblor Range (home of the  

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April 18th, 2012
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Changing Plans

Posted By Kevin Schafer
Glaucous-winged Gull (Larus glaucescens) Eating seastar (Pisaster) Puget Sound, Washington
In photography, as in Life itself, whatever you might have planned on a particular day can quickly be superseded by events. Sometimes that can work in your favor – sometimes not. For me, today brought an unexpected gift. I set out this morning to photograph the flocks of Brant Geese on the beach below my  

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April 2nd, 2012
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Reptile Dysfunction…

Posted By Kevin Schafer
Galapagos Land Iguana (Conolophus subcristatus)
OK, OK, I just liked the title for this post. But it gives me a chance to talk, again, about my firm belief that almost all wildlife images are improved by getting down and dirty. Yes, I mean dropping down to the animal’s eye level – no matter what sort of filth you may have  

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March 27th, 2012
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The Next Generation

Posted By Kevin Schafer
San Joaquin Kit Fox family
They are tiny, still gray, and seeing the world for the first time. This family of kit foxes had six pups, and I was lucky enough to get a series of shots of them outside the entrance of their den. This after many false starts, empty frames, and lousy weather. Now I know why there  

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March 18th, 2012
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Timing is Everything

Posted By Kevin Schafer
San Joaquin Kit Fox...sort of
The San Joaquin Kit Fox is one of the rarest mammals in North America, having the great misfortune of being adapted to the dwindling habitat of California’s Central Valley. What was once a great arid grassland is now largely a world of farms and pastures; most of the native species (like this small fox) are  

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March 13th, 2012
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Pinterest…and the end of Everything

Posted By Kevin Schafer
Aurora Borealis, NW Territories, Canada
With staggering regularity, someone comes along with a new idea, a new website, and a new way to channel social media in bold, new directions. One of the latest of these is Pinterest – which allows users to showcase and share things they like. Simple enough- and enormously powerful. Suddenly anything cool can go global  

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March 9th, 2012
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A Short Commute

Posted By Kevin Schafer
Pacific Black Brant, Puget Sound
I have spent most of my career getting on airplanes to far-flung locations around the world: Ironically, I have almost no local wildlife coverage. But when a flock of migrating Brant Geese landed on the beach below my home in Seattle, I couldn’t resist putting on my 500mm and heading down there. Fortunately there are lots  

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March 7th, 2012
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Aurora Alert!

Posted By Kevin Schafer
Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights, Canada
A powerful X5 solar flare occurred yesterday and is sending a major ion blast towards the earth. If you live along the northern tier states and have clear skies tonight, and especially tomorrow night, it would be worth looking for a dark clear northern horizon – and bring your camera!  Keep an eye on the  

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February 27th, 2012
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B&W to the Rescue

Posted By Kevin Schafer
Red Mangroves, Los Haitises National Park, Dominican Republic
Not every landscape picture can (or should) be taken at sunset or sunrise, or in dreamy perfect light.  Sometimes you may find yourself in a remarkable place at a less-than-ideal time of day, or with weather conditions that simply aren’t going to give you stunning light. This was the case with my visit to Los Haitises  

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February 24th, 2012
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Tripods in the Mud

Posted By Kevin Schafer
Maleo digging nest, Sulawesi
National Geographic has posted a small picture collection from our November expedition to Sulawesi, where we documented landscapes and endangered wildlife in a remote, little-known corner of this large Indonesian Island.  This “Tripods in the Mud”  project was partially sponsored by the International League of Conservation Photographers (ILCP) in support of the conservation efforts of  

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