The Photo Ark: One Man's Quest to Document the World's Animals

Ever wonder about those wildlife photographers who risk life and limb to get the perfect shot? That pretty much is the story behind Joel Sartore's 25 years with National Geographic. Joel is one of my favorite photographers because he is not afraid to show the challenges behind the perfect shots we see. The extreme patience, the eye for detail, and the courage to work with some odd and dangerous creatures. My fascination with Joel's work started when I discovered The Photo Ark: One Man's Quest to Document the World's Animals. The idea behind the book was to document every animal in captivity, with a focus on the growing list of endangered species and those facing extinction, to create studio portraits of over 12,000 species. His mission was to get the public to care and save species from extinction. As Joel beautifully states: "To know these animals is to save them." There is so much to Joel's story that I have not even tapped into here (still trying to get him on The Virtual Campfire).

Check it out here.