Tim Laman

Tim Laman is an American ornithologist and wildlife photojournalist who in 2007, published his first article about the birds of paradise for the National Geographic. He is known to be the first photographer who photographed all of the species of birds of paradise in their natural habitat. In 2016, he won the top prize in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards, for his image of an orangutan climbing a tree to feed on figs.^[1]

Tim first traveled to the rain forests of Borneo in 1987 and the Asia-Pacific region has been a major focus for both his photography and scientific research ever since. His pioneering research in Borneo’s rain forest canopy led to a PhD from Harvard University and his first National Geographic article in 1997 which he both wrote and photographed. Since then, he has pursued his passion for exploring wild places and documenting little-known and endangered wildlife as a regular contributor to National Geographic magazine, where he has published 21 feature stories. Tim has also published more than a dozen scientific articles on rainforest ecology and birdlife, and is a research associate in Harvard University's Ornithology Department.

Tim has a well-earned reputation for being able to come back with images from the wild of nearly impossible subjects, including the Sunda flying lemur and other gliding animals in Borneo, displaying birds-of-paradise, and some of the world’s most critically endangered birds: the Nuku Hiva pigeon and the Visayan wrinkled hornbill, both found in the Philippines. He relishes such challenges, and firmly believes that promoting awareness through photography can make a difference for conservation. Tim’s work has garnered numerous awards, including the highest honor of the North American Nature Photography Association in 2009: their annual “Outstanding Nature Photographer” Award. Ten of his images have won recognition in the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards; and he has won several prizes in the Nature’s Best International Photography awards including first place in the Underwater category.

Tim recently completed his most ambitious project to date: the first comprehensive photographic coverage of the extraordinary Birds of Paradise, a collaboration with ornithologist Edwin Scholes. They are the world’s most spectacularly ornamented birds but inhabit rugged and remote regions where they pose an extreme challenge to locate and photograph in their dense rain forest homes in the rugged and remote regions of New Guinea. He and Ed spent over 18 months doing fieldwork in the New Guinea region over an eight-year period with support from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Conservation International, and the National Geographic Expeditions Council. Their book, BIRDS OF PARADISE: REVEALING THE WORLD'S MOST EXTRAORDINARY BIRDS, was published by National Geographic Books in 2012. This work is also featured in a National Geographic Channel documentary, a new National Geographic magazine article in December 2012, and a major traveling educational museum exhibition, all in the hopes of protecting these magnificent birds and New Guinea’s biodiverse rain forests.

Tim has led many expeditions as a National Geographic Expert with Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic Expeditions. Not only does he teach photography but also educates participants on the local wildlife and natural history. He has helped people go beyond the basics of how to use their camera in many remote locations around the world including the Galapagos, Antarctica, South Georgia, Botswana, and Rwanda. Recently he has brought his expertise in wildlife photojournalism to Wildlife Of The World By Private Jet, which includes exploring the underwater world of the Maldives. Tim’s experience in executing expeditions in remote parts of the world along with his knowledge of ecology and natural history always informs and entertains his students.

^[2] visit his website at www.timlaman.com

Tim Laman's tree-climbing exploits and doctoral research feature in Chapter 7 of Mike Shanahan's 2016 book Ladders to Heaven: How fig trees shaped our history, fed our imaginations and can enrich our future, republished in North America as Gods, Wasps and Stranglers (US).^[3][4]

References

External links

• Official Site