GWC founder Suzi Eszterhas (Suzi Eszterhas Wildlife Photography) wrote “[The article is] about women in wildlife photography and why I founded Girls Who Click. With the current situation across the globe, it is doubtful that anyone will be in their hotels to read it. But I am still so pleased that this kind of magazine would be interested in the issue enough to ask me to write about it. That means that our awareness campaigns are making a difference, and though we have had to cancel recent workshops, I remain so hopeful and proud of this little organization and what we will continue to accomplish.”
We are very proud of Annabel and encourage all of our participants and followers to enter photographs into local and national contests: you never know what the results might be!
Annabel was a participant in our August workshop in New Jersey. The workshop was taught by Ashleigh Scully and Denise Ippolito. It took place at The Raptor Trust, a wild bird rehabilitation center in Morris County, New Jersey. Workshop participants were allowed to learn about these amazing creatures and photograph them outside of their enclosures. This was a rare treat for our participants: it is not often that we get to see these birds at a close distance. These birds can be dangerous and we were lucky to have Raptor Trust staff present to work with the wild birds. The Raptor Trust captured some great photos from all participants.
Annabel is a sophomore in high school. She’s loved photography since 8th grade because she’s “able to find unique things and capture them.” Her mother encouraged her to develop her skills and Annabel eventually invested in a nicer digital camera.
The GWC New Jersey workshop! Photo courtesy of Denise Ippolito and The Raptor Trust.
Annabel uses a digital SLR and zoom lens. Her winning photograph was taken when Raptor Trust handlers took out the Kestrel falcon from its enclosure. The striking aspect of Annabel’s photo is she was able to remove the background through zooming in on the subject while also capturing the falcon’s direct gaze. Capturing an animal’s direct gaze helps the viewer relate to the animal and creates a personal connection — one that can develop into a deep appreciation of nature, even at a young age! Conservation photographers depend on building these relationships between subject and viewer in order to create awareness about conservation.
We got the chance to ask Annabel a few questions after she won big!
What was your favorite moment during the workshop? My favorite moment in the GWC workshop was taking photos of the barred owl. When I used my zoom lens and looked at it, I got really excited because I knew the pictures would come out good. One of them was actually used in a Raptor Trust Facebook post!
Did Denise and Ashleigh teach you anything in particular that helped you improve your photography? Denise and Ashleigh were great teachers; they were nice and they let us work independently yet they were there for us when we needed some advice. Advice they gave me that made my photography more appealing was using the “rule of thirds” guideline in making our compositions.
What did you learn about raptors and conservation at the Raptor Trust? The Raptor Trust is a great place for injured birds of prey. They try to cure them so they can be released back into the wild.
Last month in Florida, the amazing Karine Aigner joined forces with local biologist and University of Florida graduate student Alli Smith, for our July photography workshop. They took a group of ten girls out in the breath-taking Corkscrew Swamp, a National Audubon Society sanctuary located in southwest Florida; just North of Naples. Girls Who Click awarded two scholarships for the workshop. These girls were able to use professional cameras provided by Borrowed Lenses.
Karine Aigner starts her workshops discussing composition, light, and focus — but the real work, she says, is “learning to see.” She wants her students to look past their initial gut observation. It’s not just looking at a flower: it’s noticing what is on it, around it, in it; seeing it as a part of the landscape, or, individually, or in terms of the pattern and designs of its shape. The farther the group progressed into Corkscrew Swamp, the more they saw.
Photo credit: Alli Smith, biologist
Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary occupies approximately 13,000 acres in the heart of the Corkscrew Watershed in Southwest Florida, part of the Western Everglades. It is primarily composed of wetlands. These include the largest remaining virgin bald cypress forest in the world (approximately 700 acres), which is the site of the largest nesting colony of Federally Endangered Wood Storks in the nation. In addition to the Wood Stork, Corkscrew provides important habitat for numerous other Federal and State listed species, including the Florida Panther, American Alligator, Gopher Tortoise, Florida Sandhill Crane, Limpkin, Roseate Spoonbill, Snowy Egret, Tricolored Heron, White Ibis, Big Cypress Fox Squirrel and the Florida Black Bear. Several rare plants are also found here, most notably the Ghost Orchid.
Photo credit: Alli Smith, biologist
The girls not only got to experience the watershed up-close-and-personal by walking the wooden boardwalks through it, but they also got to see the Ghost Orchid, as well as some of the wildlife it’s known for! They spotted alligators and otters, and even survived a short Floridian squall that lent itself to some amazing shots with water droplets. At one point, an over-habituated and over-friendly juvenile ibis approached the group looking for food (see above). Karine and Alli took the opportunity to explain that while it is a fun experience to have a wild animal approach you (and in this case gnaw on your fanny pack) a tame ibis is not a good thing. While it seems fun, the ibis has learned that it’s easy to get food out of humans, but most human food is not nutritionally valuable to the bird. Some parts of Florida have problems with people feeding ibises so much bread that they essentially don’t eat anything else—and they’re in very poor body condition because of it; bread is not nutritious.
Thanks to the kindness of our donors, Girls Who Click has had an incredible first year. From the start, we had an overwhelmingly positive response from the nature photography and conservation community, which reaffirmed the need for our work and the timeliness of it. We ran workshops this year in California, Texas, Washington, D.C., and Oregon. It takes a lot of work to pull off each workshop. We help our photographer instructors plan the workshop, and then GWC works hard to organize the logistics, secure necessary permissions, promote the workshop to local schools and youth groups in order to recruit girls, distribute application materials to interested students, review the applications, select candidates, and communicate with parents about preparation. This year we have been able to develop a team of talented volunteers, which has helped us adhere to our small budget and keep spending to a minimum.
Workshop in Newport, Oregon with Jaymi Heimbuch
Our girls come from all walks of life, and we are pleased to say that we had many minorities and low income students go through our workshop this year. It means the world to us that these workshops are accessible to all teen girls, regardless of cultural background or economic status.
After receiving a lot of interest from girls living outside the USA, we created a program called Global Photo Challenges. These are simple photo assignments that we post on social media and encourage girls all over the world to share their photos.
Looking back on the year, our greatest achievement is that we have managed to reach so many girls, not only through our workshops, but through our social media outreach, Global Photo Challenges, and the media.
Next year we have plans to increase the number of workshops offered throughout the USA and offer our first international workshops to girls as far away as Germany and Mozambique. We also plan on offering girls the opportunity to apply for and receive a free portfolio review or career advice consultation with professional female photographers over video Skype.
September was a busy month for Girls Who Click! Workshops that spanned the nation were offered simultaneously, reaching teen girls who have one thing in common – a love for nature photography.
Karen Kasmauski offered a workshop at the Kenilworth Aquatic Park and Gardens in Washington DC. The ladies got a lucky break in the weather and practiced photography skills and met with a National Park Service Ranger.
Karen Kasmauski is a filmmaker, photographer, project manager and educator. During her two decades as a National Geographic photographer, Karen produced 25 major stories for the magazine. Karen is a senior fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers.
I want to be a photographer and this program encourages girls to learn more in-depth strategies about the art and practice of photography. -Samantha
In Texas, a group of young ladies braved the rain to spend the day with Kathy Adams Clark at the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory. They learned about conservation photography and the unique challenges one faces while photographing migrating hummingbirds.
Kathy is a photographer, naturalist, and teacher. Her goal is to promote photography and the natural world through teaching. When people understand photography they can enjoy it for a lifetime. When people experience the natural world they will work to preserve it for future generations.
…We not only took photos … but also learned about careers in science…This program really helped cement for me that the science field is where I belong. – Kathryn
Photo Credit: Stacy Frank
And on the west coast, a large group of teens spent the day in Moss Landing, California, with wildlife photographer and GWC founder, Suzi Eszterhas. Not only did the girls learn what it’s like to be a female in a male-dominated career, they practiced their skills in a reserve and also from a boat on Elkhorn Slough.
Suzi Eszterhas is best known for her work documenting newborn animals and family life in the wild. Her photographs have been published in over 100 magazine cover and feature stories in publications such as TIME, Smithsonian, BBC Wildlife, GEO, Popular Photography, Ranger Rick, and National Geographic Kids.
Dear Suzi, Thank you for the amazing photography workshop! I had so much fun and learned so much! I will never forget it! – Julia
In October, GWC led a members-only event at the California Academy of Sciences with Suzi Eszterhas. Not only did the girls learn about photography, but they met with staff scientists, got some behind-the-scenes tours of incredible specimens, and got to take a special tour of the living roof.
Our first workshop of 2018 was offered by Jaymi Heimbuch in Newport, Oregon at the Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area. During their workshop, teen girls had the chance to learn about the profession of wildlife photography and got the opportunity to photograph a wide diversity of wildlife, including tide pool creatures, harbor seals, seabirds and the beautiful landscape of coastal Oregon.
Learning about Nature in Newport
Along with photography lessons from Heimbuch, students learned about wildlife and ocean safety from naturalist Leslie Palotas, and enjoy a talk from special guest Dr. Renee Albertson, a scientist from Oregon State University’s Marine Mammal Institute, about how photography is used in scientific research and conservation.
Photo by Jaymi Heimbuch
Jaymi says, “Some of the girls came from towns two or three hours away to attend this workshop. It’s fantastic to know that we can provide something so valuable to teens, and to know that their parents are so dedicated in encouraging them in their interests! We went through a ton of information in the workshop, from shooting and editing techniques to ecology of marine animals to ocean safety. It made for a long, but very fun day. The girls were engaged and enthusiastic, and really loved wandering the tide pools creating their shots.”
Our Donors Make It All Possible!
The profession of nature photography has been male-dominated for far too long. Girls Who Click is partnering with professional women photographers to empower teen girls to enter this important and fulfilling career. YOUR donations are making our free nature photography workshops for teen girls possible. We can’t thank you enough!
Photo by Jaymi Heimbuch
“This workshop exceeded my expectations. I loved that we got the chance to meet people who actually use photography in their jobs.” C.B.
“It was exciting to learn about different ways that photos can be used. I love photography and wildlife, and this was an opportunity for me to learn and explore both.” L.D.
“This workshop went above my expectations…We got to have lots of freedom to take photos, which I really liked. It was SO much fun!” G.P.
“I give this workshop a 10.5 out of 10!” P.C.
Please support our new crowd funding campaign by donating or spreading the word about our work. Girls Who Click (GWC) is a new nonprofit organization that aims to inspire a new generation of female nature photographers. Through a network of the US’ most esteemed female nature photographers, GWC will offer FREE workshops for teen girls across the country. Participating students will engage with a role model who helps them to gather the confidence and skills to pursue their passion and apply it as adult photographers.
