Equipment

My pursuit of art was not a choice. It simply happened. I had little choice in the decision making process. With a burning passion for our wild brothers and sisters, there is little doubt which direction it would take me. The only question that arose was the medium. Should I paint? . . . or, should I pick up the camera? I chose the latter.

Nikon cameras and lenses have been my equipment of choice since the ‘70s, when the F3 first entered the scene. Like most photographers today, I have gone digital. I love the control digital photography gives me in the image making process. Today, a D2xs body fitted to my 80-400mm VR zoom lens handles what I photograph, and that includes everything from exotic hummingbirds in the Cloud Forests of Ecuador, to African elephants inhabiting the plains of Botswana, to the Alaskan brown bears that call the Last Frontier their home.

The darkroom is a place where photographic art is taken to the next level. Ansel Adams proved this with his stunning black and white images. Today, the digital darkroom has all but replaced the chemical darkroom, and Photoshop is its major component. It’s where my images receive their finishing touch.

I truly believe that any photographer not employing the power of Photoshop is only fooling themselves and short-changing their images.

Biography

Weldon Lee travels around the globe to the world’s most exotic locations photo-graphing wildlife and capturing the essence of their personalities on film. He has a special way of communicating with animals and his images depict that relationship. His commitment to wildlife brings a fresh perspective to photography.

Weldon’s early work focused on wildlife in the Rocky Mountains. His first book, Watchable Birds of the Rocky Mountains, initially published in 1992, contains over 50 photographs depicting a cross-section of the avian species found throughout the Rocky Mountains. Erwin and Peggy Bauer, friends and lifelong wildlife photograph-ers, had this to say about his second book, published in 1996, “No region of North America offers so many opportunities for wildlife photographers as the Rocky Mountains. No one has ever described its wildlife and captured their natural beauty so thoroughly as Weldon Lee in A Guide to Photographing Rocky Mountain Wildlife.”

Weldon’s images have appeared in numerous magazines including Mature Outlook, National Wildlife, Backpacker, National Parks Magazine, Bird Watcher’s Digest, Outdoor Photographer, Petersen’s PHOTOgraphic, and Nature Photographer. In addition, his photos illustrate text and natural history books by Macmillan, Westcliffe, Falcon Press, and Roberts Rinehart to name just a few. Weldon’s work has been featured on all the major television networks including ABC, CBS, and NBC. 

In January, 1995, Weldon was elected Chair of the Education Committee of the North American Nature Photography (NANPA) and served three years in that capacity. In addition to being a charter NANPA member, he is also a member of Rock Mountain Outdoor Writers & Photographers and in 2007 received that organization’s Selected Works Award for Excellence in Photography. The American Bald Eagle Foundation honored Weldon as the 2010 Photographer of the Year.

Weldon is actively involved in wildlife preservation and is in the process of launching an environmental organization whose focus is for the protection of wildlife around the world.

“Wildlife photography, to me, is so much more than capturing an image,” explains Weldon. “It’s about connecting with my wild brothers and sisters, looking into their eyes, touching their spirit, and listening to what they have to say. It’s about moments like these.

“Unless we act now, many wildlife species face extinction during this century," proclaims Weldon. "Hopefully, others will feel the passion I have for our wild brothers and sisters and it will motivate them to become involved in wildlife preservation. Maybe, just maybe, my photography and writing will be the tipping point necessary to make that happen."

Henry David Thoreau wrote, "In wildness is the preservation of the world." Let us cherish and protect those wild places and the creatures that inhabit them."

TOGETHER, WE can save our wild brothers and sisters.

The time to act is NOW!