Peace on Earth

May the beauty of the season bring you peace.

Jim Brandenburg's Leaping White Wolf Image Offered at Christie's New York Today

In celebration of 125 years of The National Geographic Society, Christie's is auctioning 232 pieces from The Geographic's The Art of Exploration collection. Jim is honored to have his Leaping White Wolf image as part of the collection and part of the auction today. The 20"x30" limited edition fine art photographic print was hand-signed and numbered and represents one of his favorite and most memorable projects from his career.

 

The National Geographic Collection: The Art of Exploration

Thursday, 6 December 2012

Christie's, 20 Rockefeller Center, New York

New Wolves & Thoughts from Jim

I first came to the Boundary Waters 40 years ago from the treeless prairie.  I picked this area because of the waterfall near Moose Lake. The local animal lore shared with me that this was a special place that animals were frequently seen.  Through amazing circumstances, I was able to obtain the waterfall property and build my home, which I call Ravenwood.   The wolf was the prime animal that drew me to the north woods and over the past 30 years I have indeed been blessed with many lifetimes worth of photographic memories including one particular image – Brother Wolf – that changed my life.  Through these years, I’ve learned much about the individual body language and coloration of the neighborhood wolf pack’s progeny. When I first came to Ely, the locals called the black wolves Siberian wolves.  I haven’t heard that term in a long time. 

In the past three years my attentions have been focused on projects in Europe and I had not been paying particular attention to the local packs of wolves. But this fall, upon returning to Ravenwood after a month’s absence, I noticed an unusual amount of wolf sign near my house.  I decided to start following my instincts again and focused in on the wolves for a day.  I was pleasantly surprised when I came upon these three pups.  They are approximately six months old, and represent the three color phases of wolves I have seen through my years: 
the lightest, black and the reddish. 

 The following photographs represent the last three generations of our neighborhood pack.

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This year’s three pups

Blond Pup

Blond Pup Catching Flies

Blackie Pup

Rusty Pup

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This is the mother of the three pups; we call her "Mama Blackie."   I made this image about 4 years ago.  I just saw Mama Blackie  on November 5, two days after 
writing this post, and she is now all silver.

Mama Blackie

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Grandpa Blackie has his tail sticking straight up on the right, Grandma Blondie is on the left with her tail elevated and two of their pups in the middle (one being Mama Blackie). All the black wolves I’ve seen from this pack eventually turn silver gray after four years, if they live that long.   

 Grandpa Blackie had very large feet, in fact, one of our hunter neighbors thought Grandpa Blackie’s tracks were of a mountain lion because they were so big.   

My Neighbors

Blackie at Dusk

Wolf Pack Rests

Wolf Pack Howling on Lake

A number of years ago the area pack reached 19 wolves.  I had photographed every member of the pack and had given each one a name for my own identification.  Sadly, during hunting season, Grandpa Blackie was killed. Several other members of his pack also disappeared.  Grandpa Blackie’s radio collar had been cut off and discarded near Ely – with no sign of his body.  The disruption to the pack caused a major disbursement of the other members. I have seen how extremely sensitive a wolf family can be; but now as you see with this year’s three pups,

they have slowly started to make a comeback.  

-Jim Brandenburg

Jim is currently creating an extensive book on wolves (which will also be available as an iPad app). This book will feature his latest work and highlight elements from his award winning books White Wolf and Brother Wolf.  Check back for updates.

Large Brandenburg Wolf Exhibit in France, March 20 - 28

Fifty photographs of timber and white wolves presented in an enormous specially constructed cave transporting the public to northern Minnesota and the Canadian Arctic.  Vendee Nature Festival, France, March 20 - 28, 2010.

The photos below are of the exhibit setup, including the calibration of the large movie screen.  We will post more images as they arrive from France!

Milestones in Wildlife Photography -- National Geographic

In Canada’s northernmost reaches, an arctic wolf gingerly tests the water near Ellesmere Island.

And the winner is...

Last Thursday, Defenders of Wildlife asked their supporters to help choose the photo that will grace the cover of the 2009-2010 Defenders of Wildlife calendar. In just a few days time, nearly 61,000 wildlife lovers cast their votes.

The winner -- with more than 22,800 votes -- is this gorgeous photograph by Jim Brandenburg!

These adorable wolf pups will be featured on the next calendar and seen in more than 1 million homes, offices, classrooms, break rooms and other public areas. The calendar will serve as a powerful reminder to people all across America of the importance of protecting wolves and other amazing animals.

Make sure you get your Defenders of Wildlife calendar. Join Defenders of Wildlife today!

In the last three weeks alone, donations from caring people like you have enabled Defenders of Wildlife to…

Launch emergency legal efforts in state court to stop Governor Sarah Palin’s helicopter assault on wolves near the Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve, near the area made famous by the 1890s Alaska Gold Rush. In just five days her hired gunmen killed 84 wolves. Ironically, the state ended its helicopter attacks just one day after we went to court.
Mobilize wildlife supporters to stop a senseless slaughter of Yellowstone’s famous wild bison. Defenders activists in Montana helped stop a bill in the state legislature that would have consigned more than 100 wild bison to their deaths.
Fight reckless fishing practices that kill threatened and endangered sea turtles. Contributions from concerned people like you helped us generate almost 50,000 comments to the National Marine Fisheries Service against deadly bottom longline fishing in the Gulf of Mexico.


… And that’s just a few of the efforts made possible by caring people like you. Please join Defenders of Wildlife today and help them make a difference for wolves and other wildlife.

Again, thank you to all the wildlife supporters who took the time to help them choose the next cover for the Defenders calendar… and thanks for all that you do to help save wildlife.

P.S. To join Defenders of Wildlife, visit the link below or call 1-800-385-9712
http://www.defenders.org/