Joel Sartore Exhibit

Today at the MSV

This is the final weekend for "Photo Ark" at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley so I made time to go. It features wonderful portraits of animals, many of which are endangered species, by National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore. 

The pictures are portrait-style and feature animals that are in captivity and could be brought into a studio-style setup with plain backgrounds and controlled lighting. Thus your attention is on the uniqueness of the individual without the distraction of the environment. This reminds me of Richard Avedon's approach in his book, "In the American West." 

Sartore's project has result in several books, including some for children.

Unlike many exhibits, this one allowed photography, although not flash. They encouraged "selfies" to post online with the hashtag #SaveTogether with a goal of spreading awareness of endangered species. 

It is said that people will only save what they love.  Sartore believes that every species has a right to exist.

[Note: If you purchase a book through my links to Amazon, I may earn a credit toward a purchase. This is not something I push so I haven't gotten any credits in over the year.  I do not consider this blog to be a source of income.]