I had a great visit with filmmaker, conservationist and friend, Tom Opre about his upcoming film, Killing the Shepherd. Tom is the founder of The Shepherds of Wildlife Society, which according to it's website, is a collective of world-renowned wildlife filmmakers, photographers, sportsmen and women, and conservationists who possess the talent, knowledge and experience to uniquely communicate the impact humanity has on animals and wildlife habitats. They are storytellers on a mission to educate others about the pressing need for modern wildlife conservation measures. Western society's disconnect with nature has resulted in a limited understanding of how human encroachment is destroying wild places and the creatures who live in them.

The film is a great story of wildlife and it's relationship to the restoration of humanity in Zambia. Here's the synopsis from the web release:

A remote community in Africa, led by a woman chief, attempts to break the stranglehold of absolute poverty by waging a war on wildlife poaching. For decades illegal wildlife poaching by both subsistence and bush meat gangs has led to the government declaring this community’s homeland “depleted” of wildlife.

The chief finds help in the form of a safari operator and they work together to bring stability to the community. But all was not well. Disease, food stability, and rampant alcoholism hamper basic needs like health care and education. Even young girls, just after reaching puberty, are sold by their parents as child brides in order to feed their family for one year. Dark forces including South African land speculators, criminal poaching gangs, and her own people conspire against the chief. Even elements from the modern world work against the chief’s wishes.

     Will the chief and her community see success?

Here's the trailer: https://vimeo.com/473140879

Be sure to follow the work of Shepherds of Wildlife Society:

https://www.shepherdsofwildlife.org

https://www.facebook.com/shepherdsofwildlifesociety/

https://twitter.com/wildshepherds

https://www.instagram.com/shepherdsofwildlife/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oozI2LsGaWs

As well as Tom's work:

https://www.instagram.com/tomopreofficial

This week I had a great visit with another former student who is doing amazing things. Hayes Scriven has followed his career path through the historical society genre, but four years ago took his dream job in the dream location, Splitrock Lighthouse on Minnesota's north shore of Lake Superior.

In the past year, Hayes has rediscovered his love for photography and being in a special place, he's had quite the canvas to work from. 

We talk about the lighthouse and an amazing northern lights display from a few weeks back.

In this episode, I had a great (two part, lightning interrupted) visit with one of the most talented photographers and storytellers in the world, Adam Bannister.

Adam runs the photography studio at Angama Mara (www.angama.com), one of the most incredible safari lodges in the world sitting on the rim of the Great Rift Valley overlooking the Maasai Mara in Kenya. I had the chance to work alongside Adam and his team in 2019 with GRITMEDIA, experiencing all the Mara has to offer under the guiding of Adam and his staff. In this episode we talk about literally having the key to the Maasai Mara during the COVID lockdown, watching the ecosystem evolve, understanding animal behavior and photo tips on how to best capture them while on safari. We also discuss The Greatest Maasai Mara Photographer of the Year Contest (https://thegreatestmaasaimara.com) which Adam has been instrumental in organizing the past four years. This episode is a real treat and shows off some mind-blowing photos that Adam has been able to capture throughout his experience on the Mara.

Check out Adam's work on Instagram: @Adam_Bannister_Wildlife