Jim Brandenburg
Encyclopedia
Jim Brandenburg is an environmentalist
and nature
photographer and filmmaker based near Ely
, Minnesota
. His career includes over 10 years as a newspaper
photojournalist, over 30 years as a contract photographer for the National Geographic Society
, and commissions from such groups as the United States Postal Service
, NHK
and the BBC
.
Jim Brandenburg is a Fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers
in the farms and prairies of Southwestern Minnesota. After studying at Worthington Community College, he went on to attend the University of Minnesota Duluth
, where he majored in art history and worked for the local public television station. Upon graduating, he returned to Worthington, Minnesota
and began working as a photojournalist for the Worthington Daily Globe. Within months, he began submitting work to the National Geographic Society
as a freelance photographer, and in 1978 he became a contract
photographer for National Geographic Magazine
. Additionally, his photography has been published in a number of National Geographic Society
books including "Journey Into China", "Heart of a Nation" and "Discovering Britain and Ireland", in which his photos of the Highlands in Scotland
were featured.
His work has been included in many other magazines, such as Life
, Newsweek
, The Smithsonian, and GEO
and has been featured on all the major television and radio networks including ABC’s Prime Time Live and CBS News Sunday Morning
and Dateline NBC
as well as National Public Radio's All Things Considered
.
Brandenburg was commissioned by the United States Postal Service
to create a set of wildlife stamps. They were released on May 14, 1981.
In 1980, Brandenburg learned of a population of wolves on Ellesmere Island
who had not yet had the fear of man instilled into them. Brandenburg therefore traveled to Ellesmere and worked to create his bestselling book, “White Wolf”. He later went on to co-produce and direct a documentary of the same name and subject matter, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival
and was produced by National Geographic Society
and the BBC
. It has since aired in over 120 countries across the globe.
. The resulting shots made up his book Chased by the Light, NorthWord Press 1998.
Listed among his influences are environmentalists such as Aldo Leopold
and Sigurd F. Olson
. Some personal influences include Jim Vance - publisher of the Worthington Daily Globe, Glenn Maxham - a photojournalist at the public television station where Brandenburg worked in college, and Art Aufderheide, who introduced him to the Inuit people of the Northwest Territories, Canada.
for his work in National Geographic. He was named Wildlife Photographer of the Year
in 1988 at the annual competition owned by BBC Wildlife
and The Natural History Museum, then sponsored by Kodak .
In 1991, for his work with the Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center, his creation of the Concerts for the Environment non-profit organization, his work with the Nature Conservancy, and other numerous achievements, Jim Brandenburg was awarded the Global 500 Environmental World Achievement Award. This United Nations
sponsored recognition was presented to him by the King of Sweden Carl XVI Gustaf.
The documentary Chased by the Light: A Photographic Journey with Jim Brandenburg was nominated for an Emmy
in the 2002-2003 awards.
In 2006, Jim Brandenburg was awarded with an honorary degree, Doctor of Humane Letters, by the University of Minnesota
.
Jim Brandenburg was a Hasselblad
Master in 2002, a Nikon
Legend Behind the Lens in 2001 and a Canon Explorer of Light photographer 2005 - 2008.
Four of Jim Brandenburg’s images were chosen for inclusion in a collection that represents the 40 most important nature photographs of all time. The Top Forty nominations include the work of 25 photographers including the Ansel Adams
, Edward Weston
, and Eliot Porter
. Four of Brandenburg¹s images were included in the final selection, more than any other photographer. The four Brandenburg images selected were: Oryx on Namib Desert, Namibia, southwest Africa; Gray Wolf near BWCAW, Ely, Minnesota; Leaping Arctic wolf, Ellesmere Island, Canada; and Bison on Frozen Landscape, Blue Mounds State Park, Luverne, Minnesota. They were chosen by members of the International League of Conservation Photographers
(iLCP) a fellowship of the world's top professional conservation photographers.
Outdoor Photography Magazine included Brandenburg in "40 Most Influential Nature Photographers."
Jim Brandenburg's well-known image of the leaping arctic wolf was named one of 100 most important photos in Canadian history and was included in the book "100 Photos that Changed Canada".
, established the Brandenburg Prairie Foundation in 1999 . Its mission is to promote, preserve and expand the native prairie in southwest Minnesota. Through numerous projects, the Brandenburg Prairie Foundation heightens awareness of the prairie’s irreplaceable beauty and significance. Brandenburg’s spirit resides in the prairie - it is his childhood home and is where his career began to bloom. By establishing the Foundation, he has turned his passion for the prairie into a lifetime commitment.
The Brandenburg Prairie Foundation, along with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, has purchased over 808 acres (3.3 km²) of untilled prairie land in Rock County, Minnesota
creating the “Touch the Sky Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge.” Together, they have developed a 15-year management plan for its restoration. With time and continued effort, hundreds of native species will return – the tall grasses, the songbirds, flora and native wildlife. Their dream is to see the bison roaming “Touch the Sky Prairie” again.
Environmentalist
An environmentalist broadly supports the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that seeks to improve and protect the quality of the natural environment through changes to environmentally harmful human activities"...
and nature
Nature
Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world, or material world. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general...
photographer and filmmaker based near Ely
Ely, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,724 people, 1,912 households, and 916 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,369.5 people per square mile . There were 1,912 housing units at an average density of 703.2 per square mile...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. His career includes over 10 years as a newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
photojournalist, over 30 years as a contract photographer for the National Geographic Society
National Geographic Society
The National Geographic Society , headquartered in Washington, D.C. in the United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational institutions in the world. Its interests include geography, archaeology and natural science, the promotion of environmental and historical...
, and commissions from such groups as the United States Postal Service
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
, NHK
NHK
NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
and the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
.
Jim Brandenburg is a Fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers
International League of Conservation Photographers
The International League of Conservation Photographers is a nonprofit organization dedicated to furthering environmental and cultural conservation through ethical photography...
Early life and career
Jim Brandenburg was born and raised in Luverne, MinnesotaLuverne, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,617 people, 1,968 households, and 1,247 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,356.1 people per square mile . There were 2,161 housing units at an average density of 634.7 per square mile...
in the farms and prairies of Southwestern Minnesota. After studying at Worthington Community College, he went on to attend the University of Minnesota Duluth
University of Minnesota Duluth
The University of Minnesota Duluth is a regional branch of the University of Minnesota system located in Duluth, Minnesota, USA. As Duluth's public research university, UMD offers 13 bachelor's degrees in 74 majors, graduate programs in 24 different fields, a two-year program at the School of...
, where he majored in art history and worked for the local public television station. Upon graduating, he returned to Worthington, Minnesota
Worthington, Minnesota
Worthington is a city in Nobles County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 12,764 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Nobles County.The city's site was first settled in the 1870s as Okabena Station on a line of the Chicago, St...
and began working as a photojournalist for the Worthington Daily Globe. Within months, he began submitting work to the National Geographic Society
National Geographic Society
The National Geographic Society , headquartered in Washington, D.C. in the United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational institutions in the world. Its interests include geography, archaeology and natural science, the promotion of environmental and historical...
as a freelance photographer, and in 1978 he became a contract
Contract
A contract is an agreement entered into by two parties or more with the intention of creating a legal obligation, which may have elements in writing. Contracts can be made orally. The remedy for breach of contract can be "damages" or compensation of money. In equity, the remedy can be specific...
photographer for National Geographic Magazine
National Geographic Magazine
National Geographic, formerly the National Geographic Magazine, is the official journal of the National Geographic Society. It published its first issue in 1888, just nine months after the Society itself was founded...
. Additionally, his photography has been published in a number of National Geographic Society
National Geographic Society
The National Geographic Society , headquartered in Washington, D.C. in the United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational institutions in the world. Its interests include geography, archaeology and natural science, the promotion of environmental and historical...
books including "Journey Into China", "Heart of a Nation" and "Discovering Britain and Ireland", in which his photos of the Highlands in Scotland
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
were featured.
His work has been included in many other magazines, such as Life
Life (magazine)
Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
, Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
, The Smithsonian, and GEO
GEO (magazine)
GEO is a family of educational monthly magazines similar to the National Geographic magazine. It is known for its profound reports, which are accompanied by opulent pictures.The first edition appeared in Germany in 1976...
and has been featured on all the major television and radio networks including ABC’s Prime Time Live and CBS News Sunday Morning
CBS News Sunday Morning
CBS News Sunday Morning is an American television news magazine program created by Robert Northshield and original host Charles Kuralt. The program has aired continuously since January 28, 1979 on the CBS Television Network, airing in the Eastern US on Sunday from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m...
and Dateline NBC
Dateline NBC
Dateline NBC, or Dateline, is a U.S. weekly television newsmagazine broadcast by NBC. It previously was NBC's flagship news magazine, but now focuses on true crime stories. It airs Friday at 9 p.m. EST and after football season on Sunday at 7 p.m. EST.-History:Dateline is historically notable for...
as well as National Public Radio's All Things Considered
All Things Considered
All Things Considered is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio. It was the first news program on NPR, and is broadcast live worldwide through several outlets...
.
Brandenburg was commissioned by the United States Postal Service
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
to create a set of wildlife stamps. They were released on May 14, 1981.
In 1980, Brandenburg learned of a population of wolves on Ellesmere Island
Ellesmere Island
Ellesmere Island is part of the Qikiqtaaluk Region of the Canadian territory of Nunavut. Lying within the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, it is considered part of the Queen Elizabeth Islands, with Cape Columbia being the most northerly point of land in Canada...
who had not yet had the fear of man instilled into them. Brandenburg therefore traveled to Ellesmere and worked to create his bestselling book, “White Wolf”. He later went on to co-produce and direct a documentary of the same name and subject matter, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
and was produced by National Geographic Society
National Geographic Society
The National Geographic Society , headquartered in Washington, D.C. in the United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational institutions in the world. Its interests include geography, archaeology and natural science, the promotion of environmental and historical...
and the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
. It has since aired in over 120 countries across the globe.
Style and influences
Jim Brandenburg has established a certain style among nature photographers, notably in technique. In his over 25-year tenure with National Geographic, he traveled the world taking pictures for the magazine. On the projects, he found himself taking up to 300 rolls of film only to have a few dozen selected for the published articles. In 1994, feeling "increasingly dissatisfied" with his art, he undertook a personal project wherein he limited himself to take only one photograph per day between the autumnal equinox and winter solsticeWinter solstice
Winter solstice may refer to:* Winter solstice, astronomical event* Winter Solstice , former band* Winter Solstice: North , seasonal songs* Winter Solstice , 2005 American film...
. The resulting shots made up his book Chased by the Light, NorthWord Press 1998.
Listed among his influences are environmentalists such as Aldo Leopold
Aldo Leopold
Aldo Leopold was an American author, scientist, ecologist, forester, and environmentalist. He was a professor at the University of Wisconsin and is best known for his book A Sand County Almanac , which has sold over two million copies...
and Sigurd F. Olson
Sigurd F. Olson
Sigurd F. Olson was an American author, environmentalist, and advocate for the protection of wilderness. For more than thirty years, he served as a wilderness guide in the lakes and forests of the Quetico-Superior country of northern Minnesota and northwestern Ontario...
. Some personal influences include Jim Vance - publisher of the Worthington Daily Globe, Glenn Maxham - a photojournalist at the public television station where Brandenburg worked in college, and Art Aufderheide, who introduced him to the Inuit people of the Northwest Territories, Canada.
Recognition
Over his career, Jim Brandenburg has been honored by numerous organizations for his works. In 1981 and 1983 he was named the Magazine Photographer of the Year by the National Press Photographers AssociationNational Press Photographers Association
NPPA is the acronym for the National Press Photographers Association, founded in 1947. The organization is based in Durham, North Carolina and its mostly made up of still photographers, television videographers, editors, and students in the journalism field...
for his work in National Geographic. He was named Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Wildlife Photographer of the Year is an annual international wildlife photography competition owned by the Natural History Museum and BBC Wildlife. Its sponsored name is currently Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year...
in 1988 at the annual competition owned by BBC Wildlife
BBC Wildlife
BBC Wildlife is a British glossy, all-colour, monthly magazine about wildlife, founded by BBC Worldwide and published through the BBC Magazines Bristol division, also trading as Bristol Magazines Ltd....
and The Natural History Museum, then sponsored by Kodak .
In 1991, for his work with the Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center, his creation of the Concerts for the Environment non-profit organization, his work with the Nature Conservancy, and other numerous achievements, Jim Brandenburg was awarded the Global 500 Environmental World Achievement Award. This United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
sponsored recognition was presented to him by the King of Sweden Carl XVI Gustaf.
The documentary Chased by the Light: A Photographic Journey with Jim Brandenburg was nominated for an Emmy
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
in the 2002-2003 awards.
In 2006, Jim Brandenburg was awarded with an honorary degree, Doctor of Humane Letters, by the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
.
Jim Brandenburg was a Hasselblad
Hasselblad
Victor Hasselblad AB is a Swedish manufacturer of medium-format cameras and photographic equipment based in Gothenburg, Sweden.The company is best known for the medium-format cameras it has produced since World War II....
Master in 2002, a Nikon
Nikon
, also known as just Nikon, is a multinational corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, specializing in optics and imaging. Its products include cameras, binoculars, microscopes, measurement instruments, and the steppers used in the photolithography steps of semiconductor fabrication, of which...
Legend Behind the Lens in 2001 and a Canon Explorer of Light photographer 2005 - 2008.
Four of Jim Brandenburg’s images were chosen for inclusion in a collection that represents the 40 most important nature photographs of all time. The Top Forty nominations include the work of 25 photographers including the Ansel Adams
Ansel Adams
Ansel Easton Adams was an American photographer and environmentalist, best known for his black-and-white photographs of the American West, especially in Yosemite National Park....
, Edward Weston
Edward Weston
Edward Henry Weston was a 20th century American photographer. He has been called "one of the most innovative and influential American photographers…" and "one of the masters of 20th century photography." Over the course of his forty-year career Weston photographed an increasingly expansive set of...
, and Eliot Porter
Eliot Porter
Eliot Furness Porter was an American photographer best known for his color photographs of nature.-Early life:...
. Four of Brandenburg¹s images were included in the final selection, more than any other photographer. The four Brandenburg images selected were: Oryx on Namib Desert, Namibia, southwest Africa; Gray Wolf near BWCAW, Ely, Minnesota; Leaping Arctic wolf, Ellesmere Island, Canada; and Bison on Frozen Landscape, Blue Mounds State Park, Luverne, Minnesota. They were chosen by members of the International League of Conservation Photographers
International League of Conservation Photographers
The International League of Conservation Photographers is a nonprofit organization dedicated to furthering environmental and cultural conservation through ethical photography...
(iLCP) a fellowship of the world's top professional conservation photographers.
Outdoor Photography Magazine included Brandenburg in "40 Most Influential Nature Photographers."
Jim Brandenburg's well-known image of the leaping arctic wolf was named one of 100 most important photos in Canadian history and was included in the book "100 Photos that Changed Canada".
Philanthropy
Jim and Judy Brandenburg, with the help of dedicated supporters in Luverne, MinnesotaLuverne, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,617 people, 1,968 households, and 1,247 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,356.1 people per square mile . There were 2,161 housing units at an average density of 634.7 per square mile...
, established the Brandenburg Prairie Foundation in 1999 . Its mission is to promote, preserve and expand the native prairie in southwest Minnesota. Through numerous projects, the Brandenburg Prairie Foundation heightens awareness of the prairie’s irreplaceable beauty and significance. Brandenburg’s spirit resides in the prairie - it is his childhood home and is where his career began to bloom. By establishing the Foundation, he has turned his passion for the prairie into a lifetime commitment.
The Brandenburg Prairie Foundation, along with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, has purchased over 808 acres (3.3 km²) of untilled prairie land in Rock County, Minnesota
Rock County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 9,721 people, 3,843 households, and 2,705 families residing in the county. The population density was 20 people per square mile . There were 4,137 housing units at an average density of 9 per square mile...
creating the “Touch the Sky Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge.” Together, they have developed a 15-year management plan for its restoration. With time and continued effort, hundreds of native species will return – the tall grasses, the songbirds, flora and native wildlife. Their dream is to see the bison roaming “Touch the Sky Prairie” again.
Photographic Books
| Title | ISBN | Date Published |
|---|---|---|
| White Wolf -- Living With an Arctic Legend | ISBN | 1988 |
| Minnesota - Images of Home | ISBN | 1990 |
| Brother Wolf - A Forgotten Promise” | ISBN | 1993 |
| To the Top of the World - Adventures with Arctic Wolves | ISBN 0-8027-8219-1 | 1993 |
| Sand and Fog - Adventures in Southern Africa | ISBN 0-8027-7476-8 | 1994 |
| American Safari - Adventures on the North American Prairie | ISBN 0-8027-8319-8 | 1995 |
| Scruffy- A Wolf Finds His Place in the Pack | ISBN 0-8027-8445-3 | 1996 |
| Chased By The Light - A 90-Day Journey | ISBN 1-55971-671-1 | 1998 |
| Looking for the Summer | ISBN 1-55971-838-2 | 2003 |
| Face to Face with Wolves | ISBN 1-4263-0242-8 | 2008 |
Brandenburg's National Geographic work
| Title | Date Published |
|---|---|
| The Tallgrass Prairie: Can it be Saved? | January 1980 |
| Heart of the Canadian Rockies | June 1980 |
| Bamboo the Giant Grass | October 1980 |
| South Dakota Badlands | April 1981 |
| The Natural World of Aldo Leopold | November 1981 |
| Namibia, Nearly a Nation? | June 1982 |
| They’re Killing off the Rhinos | March 1984 |
| American Waterfowl: Trouble and Triumph | November 1984 |
| Viking Trail East | March 1985 |
| In Bounty’s Wake: Finding the Wreck of H.M.S. Pandora | October 1985 |
| North to the Pole | September 1986 |
| Red Deer | October 1986 |
| The Captivating Kiwi Fruit | May 1987 |
| At Home with the Arctic Wolf | May 1987 |
| Life in the High Arctic – Ellesmere Island | June 1988 |
| The Land They Knew: An American Portfolio | October 1991 |
| The American Prairie – Roots of the Sky | October 1993 |
| North Woods Journal | November 1997 |
| Boundary Waters | June 2003 |
| Collector’s Edition Series, Best of Wildlife | 2002 |
| Collector’s Edition Series, Best of America | 2002 |
| Collector’s Edition Series, Best 100 Images | 2002 |
| Special Edition Series, Guide to Digital Photography | 2006 |