Frans Lanting and Art Wolfe are joining forces for a rare joint appearance March 22 & 23, 2020, in San Francisco. The occasion is OPTIC West, an event sponsored by B&H Photo and Video. We invite you to join them for a presentation of their work and the ideas behind it. OPTIC West will also feature presentations, technical sessions and field trips led by other photographers.

This is a free event, but only a limited number of tickets are available on a first come, first served, basis. Please see the link below. If you can’t attend in person, the event will be streamed live, worldwide. Stay tuned, we will share more details about OPTIC West and the live stream of the event as they become available here on this very page. Please check back soon. 

Check here for tickets and more information:  www.eventbrite.com/e/optic-west-tickets-95506495499

The February issue of BBC Wildlife features a cover story illustrated with my photos about the plight of the highly endangered Asiatic Cheetah and the political issues that caused a group of Iranian conservationists to get arrested with wrongful accusations of using their camera traps for spying.

I’ve shared images and stories about this tragedy before, on my social media accounts. Please follow us on Instagram @FransLanting and @ChristineEckstrom to stay engaged.

For more information on the situation involving the conservationists, check out these links:

I felt heartbroken after hearing of Martin Nicoll’s passing. I respected him as a scientist, I appreciated him as an activist and I cherished him as a friend.

Martin Nicoll in 2017

When I first met him in Madagascar in 1985, he was a barn stormer studying tenrecs in the forests of Andasibe. He kept a number of them for research in his hotel room in the old Hotel de la Gare. Martin opened my eyes and my mind to the wonders of tenrecs. I was on assignment for National Geographic and I ended up booking a room in the same hotel down the hallway from his.

Martin Nicoll in Andasibe, 1985

One of the photos I made of him holding a tenrec made it into the story Nat Geo published in 1987, which introduced so many people to Madagascar’s amazing nature. There were few visitors in Andasibe back then and Martin and I bonded over dinners in that chilly hotel. He became a trusted friend, who helped me understand the complexities of Madagascar far beyond the world of tenrecs, no matter whether they involved people or animals.

Martin Nicoll with tenrec, 1985

When I last met him in Antananarivo in 2017, he had become a grey beard, just like me, and he appeared sobered by the many setbacks he had experienced in the conservation causes he had fought for. But it did not take long for his eyes to light up when I asked him what deserved to get documented now in Madagascar. We ended up doing what we had done often before. We pulled out one of those gorgeous regional maps of Madagascar that shows off its intricate geography and we began to circle places and make plans. I’m treasuring that map now more than ever, but the circles will have to get defined with the help of others.

Martin Nicoll with Frans Lanting, 2017

In the conservation community our thoughts are often focused on the imminent loss of biodiversity we care so much about. It takes the passing of a person of Martin’s stature to make us realize that the facts and figures we know so well  become more meaningful when someone can connect the dots like he could. His knowledge was hard won, his commitment was life long and now he has become an ancestor. And it is up to all of us to carry on and make some of those circles part of his legacy.

WWF-Madagascar organized a tribute for Martin Nicoll, where you can learn more about his life and his work. https://tributetomartin.natiora.mg/

One month after our California Spring photo workshop, we are still amazed by the student’s creativity. So many different ways to interpret the energy of water in motion, the silence among the redwoods and the sheer delight of making sense of patterns in nature. It’s our pleasure now to share these images with all of you.

Click here or sign up for our mailing list for more information on Frans Lanting’s workshops.

The photo above shows the teamwork that is required in the field. I am thankful to my friends in Iran for their help and devastated that two of the people shown in this photo have been in jail for more than a year now, accused of using camera traps for espionage: One of them may face the death penalty.

But camera traps are not spy tools. Houman Jowkar and Amirhossein Khaleghi Hamidi worked with the government, not against it, and local rangers worked with them in the field. They were not operating in secret. They are patriots dedicated to saving one of Iran’s most powerful natural symbols from extinction. Yet they are on trial now along with six of their colleagues shown together in the photo below.

Please spread word about this injustice by sharing this article and sign the Care2 petition by clicking on this link: https://www.thepetitionsite.com/626/639/055/conservationists-face-death-penalty-in-iran/

If you repost this message on Instagram, here are some handles and hashtags to use:

@hrouhani @jzarif_ir @hope4nature #ConservationIsNotaCrime #Free_Iran_Conservationists #anyhopefornature #hope4nature⁩⁩ #ConservationNeedsCameratraps

We just finished another great workshop and we are pleased to share some of our participants’ images with you.

The above images are made by the participants of my latest workshop, Winter Retreat. This program is focused on editing and developing your images and improving your technical skills through one-on-one sessions in our studio.

Once space has opened up for our Floral Wonderland workshop April 19-21. This hands-on workshop is a wonderful opportunity to play creatively with plants in a world class botanical garden. Write to us at info@lanting.com to register!

Don’t forget to check out our Events for more information on upcoming travel, workshops and online photography courses. You can also sign up for our mailing list to receive event information by email here.

A New Presentation by

Frans Lanting and Chris Eckstrom

Saturday, February 2, 2019

Two shows: 3:00 PM and 7:00 PM

Rio Theatre, Santa Cruz, CA

Tickets: seymourcenter.brownpapertickets.com

The greatest cat in the Americas—the jaguar—is a symbol for strength, power, and wilderness. Jaguars thrive in the fabled Pantanal of Brazil, but in the Ibera wetlands of Argentina, they have been gone for nearly a century. Now one of the most ambitious wildlife projects in the world is working to bring them back—along with a Noah’s Ark of South American wildlife that was lost in a tragic era of exploitation and overhunting. Far-sighted conservationists Doug and Kris Tompkins had a vision of restoring this landscape to its primeval grandeur, and miraculously, it’s working.

Join us for a new presentation by renowned photographer Frans Lanting and his partner, Chris Eckstrom, in celebration of two wilderness areas in South America—Brazil’s Pantanal and Argentina’s Ibera. Frans and Chris recently returned from a month of travel in this unique part of the world with fresh impressions. They will regale us with their images, stories, and videos about the natural and human history of these spectacular wetlands which are home to the “giants” of South America: the giant anteater, giant otter, rhino-like tapirs, colorful macaws—the largest parrots in the world, endearing capybaras—earth’s largest rodent, and of course, the jaguar—largest cat in the Americas. Frans and Chris will share personal observations and highlight conservation successes here that inspire hope.

Special Note: Please be aware there are two shows, 3 PM and 7 PM. Buy tickets to the show you wish to attend. Tickets are not interchangeable between shows.

Proceeds will benefit the marine science education and conservation programs at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center at UCSC’s Long Marine Lab.

Tickets available online:
seymourcenter.brownpapertickets.com
and in person from the Seymour Marine Discovery Center

Seymour Center Members $20 / General Admission $25 / Gold Circle $45

2019 Sponsors
Ocean Sponsors:
David Morrell, Santa Cruz Real Estate-C21
Jo Lynne and Fred Jones

Coastal Sponsors:
Bay Photo Lab
Day One Solar
Karon Properties
Santa Cruz County Bank
Shirley and Allen Ginzburg

For more information about the show or how you can become a sponsor, please contact Lauren Donnelly-Crocker at the Seymour Center, 831-459-3800

Frans Lanting honored with first Lifetime Achievement Award

at the Wildlife Photographer of the Year ceremony in London

LONDON, October 17, 2018.  We are pleased to announce that Frans Lanting has been honored with the Wildlife Photographer of the Year’s first Lifetime Achievement Award, presented at a gala ceremony on the evening of October 16, 2018, held at the Natural History Museum in London.

In their announcement of Lanting’s award, the Wildlife Photographer of the Year writes:

This prestigious award has been introduced in recognition of the exceptional contributions made by Frans Lanting to nature photography and wildlife conservation. Over more than three decades, he has set the standards for a whole generation of photographers. His images have been consistently memorable and original, and his signature eye-level perspectives and sophisticated lighting techniques have given rise to a catalogue of timeless photographs.

His assignments for National Geographic led to pioneering work in Madagascar, bringing to light the island’s environmental problems, and in Botswana, focusing international attention on the country’s wildlife and conservation policies. Other major bodies of work have included a first look at the fabled bonobos of the Congo, rainforest ecology in Borneo and the Amazon, the majesty and plight of the world’s albatrosses, the nearly extinct Asiatic cheetahs in Iran, a year-long odyssey assessing global biodiversity at the turn of the millennium, and a remarkable study of chimpanzees in Senegal that is shedding new light on human evolution.

One of his biggest undertakings has been The LIFE Project, a seven-year quest to interpret the story of life on Earth. The project led to a book, LIFE: A Journey Through Time, an exhibition, and a multimedia symphony featuring Lanting’s images and the music of Philip Glass.

Frans Lanting is undoubtedly one of the great nature photographers of our time. Through his numerous publications, exhibitions, public appearances, and active support of environmental organizations, Lanting uses photography to help create leverage for conservation efforts ranging from local initiatives to global campaigns—and to inspire a sense of wonder and concern about our living planet.

The many honours he has received include the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Award, a Fellowship to the Royal Photographic Society, Sweden’s Lennart Nilsson Award, and The Netherlands’ highest conservation honour, the Royal Order of the Golden Ark.

Frans Lanting says of his work, “Photography was once an excuse for me to seek out animals on their own ground: I sought a personal connection. But now there is an equally important social component to what I do. I hope my experiences can be a bridge between the animal world and the millions of people who will never crouch before an elephant or hunt with lions in the African night. What my eyes search for is not just the beauty often pursued by photographers. The perfection I seek in my images is a means to show the strength and dignity of animals in nature. My life’s work is my tribute to them, and to preserving the unity of life on earth.”

In celebration of this award, Frans Lanting will share a selection of his most famous images on social media, with calls to action to support the individuals and organizations who are working to protect wildlife and wild places in order to secure a future for all life on earth.

Bonobos are the least known of all the great apes and eerily close to us. When one looks you in the eyes like this male did, the boundaries between us and them become blurry. I’m back in the Congo to explore the world of bonobos. We are joined for this exciting expedition by Ashley Judd who is just as keen as Chris Eckstrom and I are to elevate the profile of bonobos and to support the people who care about them. This is among one of my favorite new images I made at Lola Ya Bonobo Sanctuary. There will be more images to come after we return from the heart of the Congo. Stay tuned!