SCIENTIST WITH A CAMERA: CAPTURING LIGHT - ECOLOGY CONSERVATION STORY TELLING DR. MARK COOK 4/2/24

00:00:00 Member Annual Meeting
00:34:55:25 Dr. Mark Cook Presentation

This presentation will cover two aspects of nature photography. Dr Mark Cook will first describe how he uses photography both as a scientific tool and as a means to help communicate his science and the immense value of nature and its conservation. In the second part he will outline the basic framework he uses to create compelling nature images (i.e., the art behind his scientific photography). He will outline how to visualize and compose images based on various artistic concepts such as visual perception, the importance of foreground and background, light quality, and artistic composition. He will also reveal how ecological knowledge of the subject can help tell a more compelling story and considerably elevate the power of the image. These basic but fundamental concepts will benefit both novice and more advanced photographers alike, regardless of the photographic equipment used.

About the Presenter:

Dr. Mark Cook is a British born avian ecologist and restoration scientist who has studied bird behavior and conservation ecology for over 28 years. Mark has a BSc Honors degree in Marine Zoology from the University of Bangor, Wales, an MSc in Ecology from Durham University, England, and he received his PhD from Glasgow University, Scotland, where he specialized on life-history and breeding strategies of arctic seabirds. After his PhD he spent four years as a post-doctoral researcher at the University of California, Berkeley studying nesting strategies of Neotropical passerines in Puerto Rico. His scientific research has broadly investigated the ecology and evolution of bird behavior and how it relates to environmental conditions. This has involved studying species as diverse as wading birds and waterfowl in the Everglades, songbirds in the rainforests of Puerto Rico and Spain, parakeets in the Llanos of Venezuela, seabirds (guillemots and puffins) on uninhabited islands off Scotland and northern California, and general conservation work in Tanzania.

Mark is currently the Section Leader of the Systemwide Everglades Research Group in the Applied Sciences Bureau of the South Florida Water Management District. For the past 20 years, Mark’s research has focused on the restoration and management of birds and aquatic fauna in the Everglades and Florida Bay. It involves understanding the relationships among bird reproduction (storks, herons, ibises and spoonbills), aquatic prey (fish, and crayfish) availability and wetland hydrologic conditions, as well as the potential impacts of non-native plant and animal species. His current research also investigates the role of wildlife in wetland nutrient cycling. Mark has published over 50 manuscripts, book chapters and reports on the ecology of birds, fishes, crayfish and the effects of non-native animal species. He is the editor of the widely reported annual South Florida Wading Bird Report. Mark recently received the 2023 Everglades Champion award from Audubon Florida.

As his career developed, Mark began to see the critical importance of photography in his work. What initially started as documentary evidence to support his scientific work soon blossomed into an artistic passion to highlight the wonder and the beauty of the swamp. With his unique understanding of animal ecology and behavior, as well as his access to some of the wildest corners of South Florida, Mark uses his photography and other forms of communication to educate and inspire a much greater appreciation of our local natural heritage with the ultimate goal of effecting its conservation. His images have been widely published in scientific journals, books, and multiple media outlets such as the Miami Herald, BBC, and Guardian as well as publications such as Wildlife Photographic Magazine. Mark’s photography has received awards in multiple prestigious international photography competitions including Natures Best, Bird Photographer of the Year, and the Mangrove Photography Awards, and his local photographic essays for Jupiter and Stuart magazines have been awarded two Charlie Awards. His work has been displayed and used to promote conservation both locally (e.g., at the Arts Council for Martin County), and internationally (COP 28: UN Climate Change Conference, United Arab Emirates).

You can see more of his work here:
Instagram: @itchaddict/
Facebook: @CookPhotography