Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Earth.
In It Together. Top Story - May 2021. Created with: Untamed Photographer.
View print sizes for In It Together by Melissa Groo: Story Behind the Photograph: In It Together The Pantanal is the world's largest tropical wetland, straddling the borders of Brazil, Paraguay, and Bolivia--with Brazil containing the lion's share. This tropical wetland soaks up the rainfall of the rainy season, turning from a purely terrestrial setting into a snaking waterway dotted with land masses. The dry season takes this overfilled-sponge of land and provides water when the rains are long gone, slowly using up and eventually squeezing just about all the water out of the land. The Pantanal’s biodiversity is vast; the bird diversity alone of the Pantanal is staggering: 700 species.
By Melissa Groo5 years ago in Earth
Just the Two of Us. Created with: Untamed Photographer.
View print sizes for Just the Two of Us by Brian Moghari: Story Behind the Photograph: Just the Two of Us There is not a doubt in my mind the strongest bond in the natural world is between a mother and her offspring. I am fortunate to have filmed and photographed this motherly bond with humpback whales and their calves in Costa Rica’s Gulfo Dulce. It’s one of the best places to film via drone as these whales nurse their calves and teach them to breathe in their first weeks of life. The gulf is surrounded by mountains on three sides, offering glassy waters for much of the year and allowing you to easily see their interactions from the air. Capturing their images beneath the water, however, is pretty difficult due to subpar visibility. When the opportunity came to film and photograph them in the middle of the South Pacific, I couldn’t resist. The visibility there seems endless and gave me a new perspective of these gentle giants.
By Brian Moghari5 years ago in Earth
Misunderstood Predators. Top Story - May 2021. Created with: Untamed Photographer.
View print sizes for Misunderstood Predators by Brian Moghari: Story Behind the Photograph: Misunderstood Predators I grew up surfing at a beach notoriously known for having sharks and lots of them. New Smyrna Beach Florida is best known for being the shark bite capitol of the world and knowing sharks like Great Hammerheads were just beneath the surface petrified me. There was not a day that I surfed there and did not see a shark in the water. Spinners. Black tips. But back then, the idea of intentionally diving with sharks was out of the question, that was until I began to understand their role as the oceans’ top apex predators. Sharks remove the dead, the dying, and the diseased. They are key to cleaning our oceans, making them stronger and healthier, yet humans continue decimating shark populations. As a wildlife photographer and filmmaker, my responsibility is to accurately illustrate wild animals and the ecological issues they face, including sharks. To fulfill this responsibility I needed to become more comfortable with them and overcome my childhood fear.
By Brian Moghari5 years ago in Earth
A New Beginning. Created with: Untamed Photographer.
View print sizes for A New Beginning by Brian Moghari: Story Behind the Photograph: A New Beginning Just after sunrise, a green sea turtle calmly rests in a small coral cave along the reef's edge. I’ve been fortunate to spend many hours with sea turtles, both on land and at sea, but this encounter was a bit different from previous ones. Usually as I approach sea turtles in the water, they quickly swim off wanting little to do with me, but this individual reacted differently. It was aware of my approach and responded by continuing to rest. It was so unfazed by my presence that at one point I turned my camera off and floated to about 2 feet away where we made direct eye contact with each other. A lot of times whenever I make direct eye contact with a creature, I wonder what is its level of consciousness? I wonder about what they do to survive, how they perceive the world around them— I feel certain their level of consciousness is much higher than we perceive it to be. We don’t know what is going on in their minds, but I sense a connection. I feel extremely fortunate to be able to photograph and film wildlife as my profession, but sometimes you get tunnel vision with your camera’s eyepiece and miss actually experiencing what’s right in front of the lens. After a short time examining each other, I slowly floated a few feet back and snapped this photo.
By Brian Moghari5 years ago in Earth
Sonic Sea. Created with: Untamed Photographer.
View print sizes for Sonic Sea by Brian Moghari: Story Behind the Photograph: Sonic Sea You never know what you might encounter when you're out in the ocean. All of us on board were all packing up our gear after an excellent afternoon of filming and photographing Great Hammerheads off the coast of Bimini. The dive boat was a jumble of fins and masks, regs and empty tanks, dunk buckets and soggy neoprene. The captain had hinted that we might, just might see some dolphins on our way back to the dock. Sure enough, we crossed paths with a small pod.
By Brian Moghari5 years ago in Earth
Pacific Feathers. Created with: Untamed Photographer.
View print sizes for Pacific Feathers by April Bencze: Story Behind the Photograph: Pacific Feathers The eagle is a bird of prey who evokes symbolism as much as any other iconic species of wildlife. I know for me, eagles have always been beacons of freedom, of strength, and of precision. They are birds worthy of respect and reverence.
By April Bencze5 years ago in Earth
Fishing with Spirit Bears. Created with: Untamed Photographer.
View print sizes for Fishing with Spirit Bears by April Bencze: Story Behind the Photograph: Fishing with Spirit Bears There's something slightly impersonal about a rod and a reel after watching bears fish for salmon. Long claws, sharp teeth, and a quickness you would not assume from a bear slowly meandering their way up a river. The dance of predator and prey awakens something primal in us, oft dormant in those born to a city. The relationship between life and death; raw and integral in reminding us of the interconnectedness of all things.
By April Bencze5 years ago in Earth
