Astrophotographer Uğur İkizler has managed to capture one of the most breathtaking and somewhat terrifying images of lightning I’ve ever seen. A time-lapse created by the photographer showcases over 100 different lightning bolts, all of which were captured during a thunderstorm in Turkey.
The storm broke over the town of Mudanya. When it did, İkizler grabbed a camera and began capturing the bolts as they hit. Altogether the time-lapse was captured over the course of 50 minutes. It isn’t unusual for this many lightning bolts to hit during a storm, either. In fact, roughly 1.4 billion bolts of lightning strike the ground every year, roughly 3 million a day. That’s around 44 bolts per second, according to the U.K Met Office.
With so many bolts hitting per second every day, it isn’t hard to see how İkizler was able to capture so many in such a short amount of time, especially if the storm was fierce. Of course, the image perfectly shows off the zig-zaggy nature of lightning bolts that have become so popular in modern artistic endeavors, something scientists believe may be caused by certain patterns of conductive oxygen.
Of course, the real reason behind those patterns is still unclear, though that oxygen may help account for it in some way. No matter the cause behind it, seeing 100 lightning bolts striking through the air in a time-lapse that takes less than 10 seconds is absolutely mind-blowing. It’s a great reminder of just how vast and intriguing our world is and how much we still have to learn about it.
In the past, we’ve also seen close-up footage of thunderstorms. Astrophotography Andrew McCarthy captured a breathtaking video of a thunderstorm last year, giving us a closer look at the clouds and lighting bolts that make up these tremendous storms.
The Eretz Israel Museum Tel Aviv, in collaboration with Nature Photographers Association, opened an exhibition for Israeli nature and wildlife photography on June 21.
The initiative is a biennial photography exhibition and competition founded about a decade ago by the museum. It features presentations by some of Israel’s top photographers who show their work to a professional and independent judging team who vote anonymously.
This year, over 4,000 photographs taken by 410 photographers were submitted to the competition, of which 45 participants were selected. The photographs in the exhibition are divided into ten categories, which showcase the diversity of Israel’s nature.
A photo in Eretz Israel Museum’s 2023 nature photography competition (credit: Noam Kortler)
Who was this year’s photography winner?
Dr. Tom Schlesinger, a researcher at Tel Aviv University’s School of Zoology and Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences in Eilat, was the 2023 winner.
Other finalists include Noam Kortler and Asaf Amran.
The exhibition is set to run through October 14.
Other exhibits at Eretz Israel Museum
In May, the Eretz Israel Museum opened the Black Life White Art exhibit, overseen by the museum’s chief photography curator Guy Raz. It displays the photography of Raed Bawayah, a Paris-based Palestinian photographer. In Hebrew, the exhibit’s name translates to Black Is Life, White Is Art.
Bawayah’s subjects range from members of the Romani community to Egyptian farmers, Austrian schoolchildren, youngsters in remote Russian villages, Taiwanese fishermen and Colombian ladies of the night.
Another exhibit, called “Local Testimony and World Press Photo,” opened in January. It incorporates images captured by photojournalists in Israel and around the globe during the course of the 12 months prior to the exhibition.
Andrew Malcolm with his photo of a Sabre Wasp pictured at the National Botanic Gardens.
WELL done to Andrew Malcolm from Lismore who reached the final 10 in RTE’s wildlife photography competition, Eye on Nature, for his stunning photo titled, ‘Sabre Wasp’ (Rhyssa persuasoria).
Andrew is a photographer and works as a forager who finds and eats healthy, local ingredients that grow in the wild. He lost several trees in his garden to a big storm in 2021. In August 2022 he found an incredible looking insect – called a Sabre wasp (rhyssa persuasoria). Andrew loves taking photos of Waterford wildlife of all sizes from insects to whales and everything in between.
The overall winner of the competition, Daniel Meehan from Murroe in Co Limerick, was revealed on Nationwide recently. Daniel wowed judges with a beautiful photograph of a rabbit licking its paw.
Now in its third year, the competition, in association with RTÉ’s Nationwide, Mooney Goes Wild on RTÉ Radio 1 and the Office of Public Works (OPW), gives wildlife photographers across Ireland the opportunity to showcase their immense talent and showcase Ireland’s biodiversity and the beauty of the natural world around us.
The overall winner, revealed at a ceremony in the National Botanic Gardens, received a trophy and a cash prize of €1,000.
Warren Photographer Sandra Rothenberg won the Female Birds Award of the 2023 Audubon Photography Awards competition with this shot, taken outside Rothenberg’s home, of a female Baltimore oriole collecting horsehair nesting material.
Submitted photo
Sandra Rothenberg spends a lot of time with her birds.
She spends hours outside her Stone Hill Road home enjoying them — watching them, listening to them, and sometimes capturing national award-winning photos of them.
Rothenberg’s image of a female Baltimore oriole surrounded by a wispy veil of horsehair won the Female Birds Prize in the 2023 Audubon Photography Awards.
“I am honored to have been chosen,” Rothenberg said.
The award is icing on the cake. She would enjoy the birds without the recognition.
Orioles are among Rothenberg’s favorites.
“Since I was a little girl they’ve been building nests in our yards here,” she said. “They build these beautiful, pendulous nests that are shaped liked a pear. I’ve been privileged to see them.”
She was in her blind watching the birds come and go, keeping her eye out for a special image.
“I spend a lot of time outside in Warren photographing the beautiful birds,” she said. “Sometimes in May, I spend five hours or more outside.”
One day, an industrious female collected several strands of horsehair — more than the usual haul — for her nest, and Rothenberg was in position to capture the moment.
“It’s unusual,” she said. “Normally, a female oriole comes in and takes one strand of horsehair to build her nest then flies off and weaves it in.”
“This particular female took an entire clump,” Rothenberg said. “She’s entirely surrounded. It was quite comical.”
The nest material did not inhibit the bird’s flight.
“She flew off as easily as could be,” Rothenberg said.
Female birds are not as prized by photographers as their male counterparts that almost always have brighter plumage. The Audubon Society has offered the Female Birds Category to help recognize photographers who capture the females.
Rothenberg wasn’t particularly aiming for a photo of a female. She sent three photos in to the Audubon competition for judging.
She does, however, do her best to keep orioles around.
“I always feed the orioles,” she said. “They love grape jelly.”
She borrows some nest materials from her sister and her horses just up the road to help keep her visitors comfortable.
“There’s lots of horsehair available,” Rothenberg said.
Near the jelly and the horsehair is a spot for Rothenberg to keep watch.
“I have a photography blind,” she said. “It’s a little tiny shed. I have camouflage material hanging down so I can see the birds but they don’t see me. I just stand there for hours and hours taking photos of whatever comes by.”
For the shot of the oriole, Rothenberg used a Sony Alpha 1 mirrorless camera with a 200-600mm zoom lens.
“I keep the aperture wide open,” she said. “It lets in more light so I can have a faster shutter speed.”
The wide open — low — aperture setting results in a shallow depth of field in the photo –the subject is in sharp focus and everything else is blurred. The winning photo has a pleasantly-blurred green background. “I’m shooting up a hill,” Rothenberg said. “The background is green grass. It complements the orange of the birds.”
Warren County is a good place for nature photography. “I feel so lucky to live in such a spectacular natural area,” Rothenberg said.
She has advice — for those looking to take some great pictures of birds or those looking for something to do.
“My advice would be to get outside as often as you can, listen to the birds, watch the birds,” she said. “You learn so much from them. They are so calming and energizing at the same time.”
To create the side-by-side images that accompany contributor Allen Murabayashi’s essay below, we asked the six photographers who won 2023 Audubon Photography Awards to describe their photos in a few sentences to someone who can’t see the image. With their permission, we fed their descriptions into a popular AI image generator. The results, shown alongside the originals, are based on this single prompt. — The Editors
In 2012, footage of an endangered Bengal tiger marooned in a lifeboat captivated moviegoers. Ang Lee’s Life of Pi adaptation was clearly fiction, but many viewers didn’t realize that the majority of tiger shots were computer-generated. Hundreds of artists worked for years to create the cutting-edge visual effects.
A decade later, a photographer’s stunning images of an elusive snow leopard near Mount Everest went viral. When media covered the work uncritically, Alpine Mag’s experts revealed some of the images as composites—carefully stitched collages of preexisting photos rather than real moments.
Staged photos, composites, and jaw-dropping digital manipulation aren’t new to photography, especially where wildlife is concerned. Yet these illusions still took human labor and expertise to make convincing. In the past year, “generative” artificial intelligence (AI) technology has dramatically reduced the need for such effort. As a tech entrepreneur in the photo industry and former Audubon Photography Awards (APA) judge, I’ve been stunned at the rapid transformation.
Whatever you can explain in words, publicly available programs can conjure into a visual, whether a realistic image or fantastical artwork. Simply type a prompt, no matter how far-fetched—“snow leopard on Everest” or even “Ivory-billed Woodpecker in Central Park”—and software such as DALL-E 2, Stable Diffusion, and Midjourney will quickly render a synthetic image in a style or level of detail you specify. Video isn’t far behind.
These systems still have limits of verisimilitude, often producing uncanny and strange effects. To create pictures from words, AI models analyze and learn from millions or billions of captioned images. Some use open-source databases or photos scraped from the internet, while others aren’t transparent about source material. In any case, when these training data are sparse, biased, or insufficiently nuanced—as seems to be the case for many birds—results vary. In my experiments, Midjourney struggled to render the delicately curved beak of the ‘I‘iwi, a threatened honeycreeper in Hawai‘i. With each month, however, generative AI models are improving at creating images and making art, as well as writing articles, songs, recipes, and computer code. These giant steps are forcing many industries to grapple with existential crises.
In photography, seismic technological shifts have long precedent. In the early 2000s, for example, wildlife enthusiasts with DSLR cameras began selling quality images for pennies, upending the careers of full-time stock photographers. Today AI’s growing ability to generate realistic images seemingly threatens wider swaths of the profession. Last year’s Audubon Photography Awards grand prize winner, Jack Zhi, studied the behavior of White-tailed Kites for three years before capturing a perfect midair shot of a father teaching a fledgling to hunt. Now AI trained, in part, on images from photographers like Zhi might produce scenes of hard-to-capture behaviors—and a person scrolling on a phone may not know the difference. Even photo contest juries have already been fooled by AI-generated imagery, and current vetting mechanisms may be insufficient to detect the best attempts.
It’s not just photographers, but also conservationists who must contend with these developments. Photography has long been used to build wonderment of the natural world and to bolster arguments for protecting declining species, addressing habitat decline, and boosting public trust in the reality of climate change.
In the “fake news” era, however, generative AI makes it easier to sow doubt and spread disinformation designed to alter our beliefs and behavior. Ironically, these dynamics may also make it harder to trust remarkable yet real photos. Meme culture fueled by generative AI could further weaponize images by turning complex issues into punch lines. The tendency for generative AI to “hallucinate,” or confidently present a wrong answer, exacerbates these problems.
Even well-intentioned misuse could erode trust: Amnesty International recently faced criticism for using AI-generated images to depict a protest in Colombia—ostensibly protecting activists’ safety but risking the credibility of their cause.
While it’s easy to demonize a technology, AI is also a powerful tool for conservation. In the past decade, scientists have harnessed advances in AI to better protect wildlife. Automated machine-learning programs now comb through camera-trap, drone, and satellite images, as well as audio recordings, to monitor birds around the world, especially in remote areas that few people visit. Predictive models based on such data are helping to proactively combat threats such as poaching. Similarly, generative AI holds the potential to assist conservation causes by spurring innovation. Visuals in particular have the power to enhance our emotional connection to issues in ways words or data alone cannot; this ability is democratized as generative AI tools become available, extending human creativity.
For all these pros and cons, it’s clear that in the short term, AI’s rate of evolution is outpacing legal, ethical, and technological frameworks that might constrain its use and protect society from harm. We don’t want a system that is reliant on experts to detect hallucinations, or what’s real from fake, nor to have to fix a broken technology after it has inflicted harm. Researchers, policymakers, lawyers, and consumers need to seriously and quickly consider negative consequences as these tools proliferate.
But fear not! AI won’t replace photography. Just as I can hardly imagine families forgoing a holiday photo to render one instead, I doubt AI will end our drive to document everyday wildlife moments. Photos capture our experiences; generative AI captures our imagination.
My own experience has reinforced time and again that we can’t predict how technology will evolve, or how society will adopt it. For all the transformation AI may bring, I find it unlikely that it will turn human effort, expertise, and experience into quaint anachronisms. The joy of observing a bird and the effort to trek into the backcountry to capture an exquisite photo remind us of nature’s beauty and necessity. It’s up to humans, not AI, to act accordingly to preserve our world.
This story originally ran in the Summer 2023 issue as “These Birds Are Fakes.” To receive our print magazine, become a member by making a donation today.
John Muir once said, “In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.” These words beautifully capture nature’s profound impact on our lives, especially when it comes to children. The benefits of immersing kids in the wonders of the natural world are far-reaching and extend beyond the evidence.
Why Should You Get Your Kids Outside?
Here are ten compelling evidence-based reasons to encourage your children to venture into the great outdoors and explore the wonders of the natural world:
Exposure to natural environments lowers cortisol levels and reduces stress. Research has shown that spending time in nature effectively lowers levels of cortisol, the hormone associated with stress. For instance, forest bathing, a practice involving immersing oneself in a forest environment, significantly decreased cortisol levels. Daily nature immersion can reduce stress levels, particularly for children facing heightened anxiety.
Nature immersion improves mood and self-esteem. Being in natural environments has increased positive emotions and boosted self-esteem. A study revealed that participants who spent time in nature reported enhanced mood and higher self-esteem than those who spent time in urban settings. This positive impact on mood and self-esteem is especially beneficial for children who struggle with self-esteem or emotional regulation.
Nature-based activities promote physical activity and healthy development. Outdoor activities like hiking, biking, and playing in the park encourage physical movement, contributing to maintaining good health. Research has shown that children who spend more time outdoors engage in higher physical activity levels, leading to better cardiovascular health and overall physical development.
Nature enhances cognitive function and problem-solving skills. Exposure to natural environments has been found to improve cognitive performance. Research revealed that interacting with nature improved attention, memory, and creativity. Furthermore, nature-based activities enhance problem-solving skills and critical thinking. Children with attention deficits show improved concentration and cognitive performance after spending time in nature.
Nature fosters a sense of respect and appreciation for the environment. Spending time in nature allows children to learn about the natural world and understand the importance of protecting it. This knowledge instills a sense of responsibility and stewardship. Nature experiences in childhood have been linked to greater environmental awareness and pro-environmental behaviors in adulthood.
Nature enhances creativity and imagination. Nature inspires children and stimulates their imagination. Research indicates that preschoolers’ exposure to nature increases creativity and imaginative play.
Nature-based activities promote social skills and cooperation. Outdoor activities involving teamwork and collaboration foster social skills and effective communication. Nature-based programs improve children’s social skills, including empathy, sharing, and cooperation.
Nature encourages independence and self-confidence. Nature-based activities often involve taking risks and exploring new environments, promoting independence and self-confidence. Outdoor play in natural environments facilitates the development of self-confidence and independence in children.
Nature promotes a sense of adventure and exploration. Outdoor activities provide children with opportunities to explore and discover new environments, cultivating a sense of adventure and curiosity.
Nature strengthens parent-child attachment and promotes family bonding. Engaging in nature-based activities creates shared experiences and memories that reinforce the parent-child relationship. When parents and children spend time in nature, they can connect meaningfully. This shared experience promotes a sense of closeness and trust, which is essential for building healthy attachments.
How Do We Get Our Kids Outside?
With these ten convincing reasons to get your kids outside to explore the natural world, consider these practical ways to incorporate more nature experiences into children’s lives:
Schedule regular outdoor outings. Set aside dedicated time each week for outdoor activities such as hikes, nature walks, or visits to local parks. Make it a priority in your family’s schedule.
Plan nature-themed family vacations. Choose destinations that offer opportunities for outdoor adventures, such as camping trips, beach vacations, or visits to national parks. Immerse your family in the beauty of nature during these memorable getaways.
Join nature-based organizations and clubs. Look for local nature-based organizations, clubs, or community programs offering children’s activities and events. These can include nature camps, hiking groups, or wildlife conservation initiatives.
Incorporate nature into daily routines. Find ways to integrate nature into your everyday life. Walk or bike to nearby destinations instead of driving, have meals outside, or designate specific times for unstructured play in natural settings.
Use technology for nature exploration. Use apps, websites, or online resources to identify plants, birds, or wildlife species during outdoor adventures.
Encourage nature-inspired hobbies. Support your child’s interests in nature-related hobbies such as photography, painting, or nature journaling. These activities allow them to express their creativity while deepening their connection to the natural world.
Organize nature scavenger hunts. Create scavenger hunts or nature-themed challenges encouraging children to observe and interact with the environment. These activities can be done in local parks or even in your neighborhood.
Be a role model. Set an example by demonstrating your love for nature and spending time outdoors. Show enthusiasm and curiosity about the natural world and involve your children in nature-related activities or hobbies.
Pursuing Wild Delight
Amid a society becoming ever more detached from the natural world, it is essential to heed the wisdom of Ralph Waldo Emerson, who once remarked, “In the presence of nature, a wild delight runs through the man, in spite of real sorrows.” By embracing the multitude of benefits that spending time in nature offers, we can cultivate the growth of resilient, content, and well-rounded individuals who prioritize their well-being and exhibit a deep connection to the planet’s well-being.
Let’s inspire and motivate children to venture outdoors, inhale the invigorating freshness of the air, and embark on a journey of discovery amidst the enchanting wonders that the great outdoors holds.
The following excerpt was sent out from The New York Times’ Meaghan Looram and Clinton Cargill:
Greg Kendall-Ball
We are delighted to welcome Greg Kendall-Ball to the Photo department as a staff editor. He will join the digital team, focused on Live and Express coverage and home screen curation, reporting to Clinton.
Greg began his journalism career writing and photographing features and news for The Abilene Reporter-News in Texas. After four years there, he left to pursue a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri.
Since graduating, he has worked at The Washington Post and Nature, and in the commercial photography world. He became a freelance photo editor for The Times in 2020.
Greg has worked across many desks but has spent most of his time with the International desk, helping in our coverage of the withdrawal from Afghanistan and the fall of Kabul, the assassination of the Haitian president, the U.S. immigration crisis and most recently our coverage of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
One of my photography goals this spring was to capture a mother goose on her nest the day the goslings were hatched. It was not an easy task as the nest had to be in a location that was close enough to the road for me to use my vehicle as a blind. This would also allow me to condition the goose to my presence and she would become comfortable with me nearby in the vehicle. The other hard part was that goslings leave the nest about 24 hours after hatching, making timing a critical factor.
Geese usually nest on an “island” in the water, such as a muskrat house, where it is easier to defend and protect from predators. They usually hatch out in 28 days and after one day abandon the nest, never to return.
I spotted three nests near the road, and they were pretty much free of vegetation that would obstruct a good, clear shot. Two of the nests hatched and the geese left before I could try to photograph them.
The third nest was not too far from my house, so I could check it more often. Sometimes I parked nearby for awhile just so the goose would get used to my presence and act naturally. After a time she recognized me and would actually fall asleep with her head up while I was there. The gander also quieted down and quit honking and threatening me whenever I stopped by.
I had just returned from some errands and drove down to check the nest. Bang! There were three cute little yellow goslings next to the mother goose on the nest.
The lighting conditions were not good — I had to shoot into the evening light, which switched from overcast to sun constantly — but this was my chance.
The goslings quickly scooted back under mom for warmth and to snooze. The gander stood guard next to the muskrat house upon which the nest was made, and neither parent showed any alarm at my close presence.
Knowing the goslings would periodically come out from underneath mom and romp around her, I settled in for the wait. My hope was to eventually catch one of them poking his head out from between her body and wing.
As I sat in the comfort of my car (no hard seat or cramped blind today!) I thought about some other good shots I got from this spot while preparing the parent geese for my appearance. One morning as I pulled up to the spot, a little green heron flushed from the cattails and landed in a nearby tree. He stayed long enough to allow me a few good images. The next day he did the same thing and I got better shots.
Another day while “training” the geese, I saw a yellow flash in a bushy red maple tree between the goose nest and me. It was a yellow warbler looking for food in the tree. He darted around, making it almost impossible to get a good shot, but patience won out, eventually.
Then, suddenly, another bird showed up and the yellow warbler chased it off. Lucky for me it came back and turned out to be a yellow-rumped warbler, a bird I had not previous seen. It too eventually gave me a few good shots.
Other birds such as turkey vultures, ospreys, red-winged blackbirds and great blue herons also gave me good shots from this spot.
The morning after I photographed the goslings, I returned to that spot hoping to catch them again before they left, but with better lighting. As it turns out, I did, and I got better shots.
There was one egg left that I could see when the mother goose got up. The three goslings got very active and wanted to explore and so she covered that last egg (which I think was not fertile) and they left the nest that was on the muskrat house.
The parents brought the goslings up to the road edge, by me, to let them pick at insects and dirt. I felt privileged to witness this with the parents acting like I was not there. That is what makes nature photography so worthwhile for those of us who enjoy it and its challenges.
• • •
The snapping turtles are finishing their egg laying process, which has been ongoing since the beginning of the month. I have never seen so many snapping turtles in the Alabama Swamps, and their average size is much bigger, too. I believe the state needs to adjust its management plan on these guys soon or our local waterfowl production is going to take a big hit. Snapping turtles take a lot of young waterfowl and even the adults.
Image Source : FREEPIK Nature captured through the camera lens.
Nature Photography Day 2023: The beauty of nature is so vast that the lens in your eye can’t capture it whole alone, you need to see it through another lens too. Your cameras are the perfect way to go about capturing the vastness and endless beauty of the natural world. The lush green forests, the indefinite ocean, the minute details on the rocks, the gorgeous rainbows, sunrises and sunsets, the wise aging trees etc., are all part of the natural ecosystem and you have a chance to encapsulate all of it in just a picture. Taking in so much breathtaking beauty at once is a little hard especially when you are awestruck by it, which is why it is important to have your cameras out in order to not miss a moment of this divine world entrusted to us.
Image Source : FREEPIKNature captured through the camera lens.
What is Nature Photography Day?
Nature Photography Day is one such day that celebrates nature and insists on doing it over film. It encourages budding young minds to put a little thought into nature and its beauty and make sure to pull out their cameras whenever they go outdoors. The camera doesn’t have to be too fancy, your phone lens is equally capable of capturing the fleeting moments of peace.
When is Nature Photography day celebrated?
Nature Photography Day was first celebrated in 2006 on 15 June by the North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA) to inspire budding young nature photographers and help them learn all there was about nature and its beauty using their lens. Slowly, in the North American continent and overseas, people started to celebrate Nature Photography Day.
Image Source : FREEPIKThe beautiful flowers won’t be seen now if weren’t clicked then
Why is Nature Photography Day celebrated?
Nature Photography Day isn’t just a day to take a leave and sit at home, its your chance to reconnect with the earth in its most natural form. Photography could be to study the tiniest details using macro photography or studying the greatness of wildlife through a telephoto lens.
Image Source : FREEPIKThe beautiful leaves on the ground and walk on the path.
How to celebrate Nature Photography Day?
Celebrating this day is an easy task, just get your feet off the bed and drag yourself outside with your cameras.
You could spend your time capturing the fleeting birds that are visible to the properly for not more than a few seconds.
You could go to a public garden and take pictures of the blooming flowers, the hearty and healthy shrubs and bushes, the tall aging trees etc.
You could stay up all night and get that perfect shot when the sun rises from the horizon.
You could go bird watching, with your binoculars around your neck and your camera in your hand, be ready to experience the vast species the earth possesses.
There are a million ways how you can celebrate this day and it doesn’t have to be with fancy cameras or specific moments that only you were able to capture, it is about enjoying and taking in nature with every click. Be it a specific moment or just a moment fleeting by, be it in your surroundings or requiring an extra trip, the aim is just to try to connect with nature through photography.
Alvernia University’s Miller Gallery presents its Summer 2023 Exhibit: Robert Lanshe Nature Photography.
Lanshe owned and operated a construction company for 10 years before venturing into photography in 1988. He discovered a passion in photographing nature, capturing colorful pictures of wildlife and the beauty of the outdoors. Though retired from construction, Lanshe still utilizes his carpentry skills, making frames for his photos.
Miller Gallery, located in Francis Hall, is open to the public Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Other times are available upon request. All artwork is available for sale.
