Brett Cole | Wild Northwest Photography - Photo Gallery

Photo Gallery | brett@wildnorthwest.org

Welcome

I'm a 37 year-old nature photographer carrying out field work for conservation groups in North, Central, and South America. My specialties include wild birds, tropical and temperate rainforests, old-growth forests, conservation issues, macro work, wild plants, and people. I'm author of the official photo book of the renowned Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve in Costa Rica, and I'm currently working on my second book on tropical rainforests.

Resume

My clients and publication credits include the National Park Service, United Nations Environment Program, Tropical Science Center, Conservation International, World Wildlife Fund, Organization of American States, BBC World Service, York University (Ontario), Open Space Institute, Conservation Northwest, and many others...

What's New

I'm in Peru for much of 2008, carrying out independent work in the Andes and shooting for the World Wildlife Fund AREAS Project in the headwaters of the Amazon along the Tambopata River. I'm also beginning work on a photo book about the Las Nubes Rainforest and the Alexander Skutch Biological Corridor in Costa Rica, for which I shot in Winter 2004/2005 and in February 2008. Check back here for slideshows from Peru that I'll be posting throughout the Summer.

Future Assignments

I'm particularly interested in assignments in the following areas: tropical wildlife and birds in particular, Amazon conservation, humanitarian causes, children's books on cultural geography, tropical and temperate wetlands, Eastern U.S. old-growth, and East Asian environmental issues. I have a reputation for being skilled, creative, productive, dependable, and easy to work with. Contact me to discuss your project.

Projects

I've worked extensively (four months or more) in the following locations: (1) Klamath National Wildlife Refuges, California & Oregon - largest wetlands in the Western U.S. (2) Great Bear Rainforest of British Columbia - largest temperate rainforest on Earth (3) Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve, Costa Rica - world famous tropical wonderland (4) Alexander Skutch Biological Corridor, Costa Rica - a model for tropical forest protection.

Services

I provide a range of personalized technical and artistic services including location photography, rights-managed licensing, color-correction and retouching, web design, multimedia web content development, print design and page layout, aerial photo compositing, custom mapping for conservation, training and consulting, and slideshows and presentations. I handle all business by personal contact. Contact me to discuss your project and I'll respond promptly.

Commercial Inquiries

My portfolio consists of about 10,000 stringently culled images and is constantly growing. My strong areas are tropical and temperate forests, birds, conservation, and scenics. If there's a subject you'd like to see more of, just let me know. I prepare preview galleries for clients on a regular basis. Usage rates are negotiated on a per client basis, but generally follow industry standards. Rates for non-profits are set accordingly.

Philosophy

Being a photographer is a great joy and privilege. I chose this profession because I want to help protect the natural world and I love art, nature, and beauty. I would take just as many photos if I weren't paid and no one ever saw them. To have made a full-time career out of it is a blessing. My personal life philosophy centers around restoring nature, minimizing suffering in humanity, achieving peace among peoples, and realizing our potential as individuals.

Photo Ethics

Almost all plants and animals in my photographs are wild. I don't freeze insects, bait animals, or use any other such tricks of the trade. I've taken a few photos at wildlife rescue centers, but never at zoos. I use software to adjust color and tone and to remove spots. I don't radically alter colors, add or subtract animals, paste in big moons, etc. I also don't believe in the tinting, false vignetting, and other methods that are commonly used to create "artsy" photographs.

Equipment

I currently use Canon EOS digital camera bodies and Canon professional lenses. In the past I used Canon film cameras, Fuji slide film, and a Fuji 6x9cm medium format film camera and lenses. I use Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop software. While it is important to have high quality equipment, I think far too much emphasis is placed on gear, and that the photographer and the subject are the most important factors in capturing good images.