Wildlife Photographer Determined to Photograph Endangered Species and Environments

Photographer Joel Sartore is a 20-year contributor to National Geographic magazine. His assignments have taken him to every continent to document the world's most beautiful and challenging environments. He is on a mission to document endangered species and landscapes, before they disappear, in order to show a world worth saving.

His book RARE: Portraits of America's Endangered Species features portraits of some of the country's most endangered species. "Some of them are likely to go extinct without people ever knowing they existed. Rare shows what we stand to lose if we don’t act now. The good news is that there is still time, and this book highlights what each of us can do to save these unique creatures —and ultimately ourselves."

A bog turtle at Zoo Atlanta.

Woodland Caribou. Less than 40 live in the United States since they rely on old-growth forest habitats.

An ocelot from the San Diego Zoo.

A polar bear from the Tulsa Zoo.

A California condor at the Phoenix Zoo.

A grey wolf at the New York State Zoo in Watertown, NY.

In addition to the work he has done for National Geographic, Joel has contributed to Audubon Magazine, Geo, Time, Life, Newsweek, Sports Illustrated and numerous book projects.

You can purchase his books and fine art prints here.

Japanese Grandmother and Her Odd-Eyed Cat

Japanese photographer Miyoko Ihara has been documenting the life of her grandmother, Misao, for 13 years. One day, Ihara's grandmother found an odd-eyed kitten in the shed. She named the cat “Fukumaru” in hope that “God of fuku” (good fortune) comes and everything will be smoothed like a “maru” (circle)”. The two have been inseparable ever since.

“Under the sun, everyday is a good day. Another good day, Fukumaru”, Misao.

“We’ll never be apart!”, says Misao to Fukumaru. Both of them live in a tiny world, with dignity, with mutual love. Still today, under the blue sky, Misao and Fukumaro work in the fields and in these natural surroundings, where they shine like the stars.”

This touching and beautiful photo book captures the everyday life of elderly Misao and her steadfast feline companion, following them as together they work in the fields, admire spring blossoms, or nap in the sun. Both friends are hard of hearing, so it is endearing to witness the strength of their connection, enacted through sight and physical presence.

We think these photos are simple lovely, and touching. What do you think?

You can buy the book here. 

Photographer Captures Wild Animals in Supermarket

Indonesian photographer Agan Harahap has posed a new series, Garden Fresh which presents what animals would look like if browsing aisles in the supermarket. Visual and stunning, these amusing images play with the ironic idea of animals, food availability and the line between humans and wildlife.

"Garden Fresh series investigates the shifting boundaries between humans and animals in today’s environment and the complex relationship between art and nature. It is like a fable about a journey undertaken by the animals when they venture into our daily lives. The animals are confronted by a new reality that is in conflict with their natural habits and habitats.

At the same time, when we see these ‘zoo-trapped’ animals in supermarkets, their most outstanding characteristics are isolated as their ‘only’ characteristics. The animals are stripped of their own identities and are used as empty vessels to be filled with the human drama of parody, satire and allegory. We cannot help but see animals from a human vantage point, and therefore in some sense all the works in the present exhibition are actually about us." - Agan Harahap