ABOUT

Benjamin has spent half of his life studying and chasing light in ephemeral seasons. Working in a natural environment with no control over ambient light and fleeting atmospheric conditions forces spontaneity and constant previsualization. When it comes to being an environmental photographer, bridging the gap between society and nature has become a way of life for him. His background in sciences coupled with his love for photography has led to a life-long pursuit to illustrate the innate beauty of nature, while communicating the importance of the natural world. He approaches this by documenting the intrinsic intimate beauty of his home, while incorporating environmental stories that are relevant to the communities of Minnesota. He focuses on iconic species and defining ecosystems by capturing the quintessential essence of his subject matter.

Photo by Joe Sulik

His life revolves around the wilderness. The majority of his free time is spent out in the forests with his camera. He hope to elicit emotion in others using photography while inspiring them to embrace the wonders of the natural world. All of the images represented here are depictions of reality. Minimal post-processing is applied to each image. All wildlife images are wild animals captured in their natural environment without the use of bait, feeding or playback calls. He strives to capture nature as it is, with minimal human impact, by abiding to the philosophy of “leave no trace” very rigidly.

I am currently working on multiple visual research passion projects along the North Shore of Lake Superior in northern Minnesota, the surrounding northeastern and north central areas of Minnesota to document the impacts of climate change through photography, time-lapse and videography alongside with the Superior National Forest and Beltrami Island State Forest. My project emphasis includes forest succession, and the spatial relationships between endemic boreal species and the northward movement on non-boreal species. My supporting partners include the Superior National Forest, Beltrami Island State Forest and Norris Camp, Arc’teryx, the International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP), Blue Earth Alliance, Gitzo, Roofnest, Stella Prolights, Geneverse Energy and Cognisys Inc. My work has been published by National Geographic, Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, the Washington Post, Audubon, National Wildlife Federation, Ranger Rick, and many others.

 

 

 

Accolades:

2023 – Honorable mention in the Big Picture Photography Awards

2023 – Top 100 Audubon Society Photography Awards

2022 – iLCP (International League of Conservation Photographers)Associate League Photographer.

2022 – Honorable mention in the Big Picture Photography Awards

2022 – Top 100 Audubon Society Photography Awards

2020 – Recipient of Adobe Creative Residency Fund for my work on climate change and moose.

2020 - Recipient of Arc’teryx Minneapolis environmental grant for my work documenting climate change.

2019 – Recipient of Arc’teryx Minneapolis environmental grant for my work documenting climate change.

2018 – Honorable mention in Nature’s Best Photography Windland Smith Awards with “Sprinting”

2018 – iLCP (International League of Conservation Photographers) Emerging League Photographer.

2017 – Winner of the Luminous Endowment Antarctica XXI Grant.

2016 – Honorable mention in Nature’s Best Photography Windland Smith Awards with “Time for a Nap“ – On exhibition in the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C.

2016 – Winner of the Luminous Endowment Art Wolfe Next-Generation Photographers Grant.

2014 – Honorable mention in Nature’s Best Photography Windland Smith Awards with “Phantom of the Arctic“

2013 – Recipient of the NANPA Summit College Photography Scholarship.