Today we’d like to introduce you to Benjamin Olson.
Hi Benjamin, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Growing up as an avid fisherman and hunter, I was given the opportunity to view the natural world through a different lens by my grandfather, a camera. The next few years this camera accompanied m and e on all of my outdoor endeavors, to the point I started leaving the fishing and hunting equipment at home. From the time I was gifted that camera at 16 until present day I’ve spent a minimum of 3-4 months a year in some of the most remote places on earth just exploring and having adventures. It was in 2009 I decided to pursue my undergraduate degree in biology and combine my love of the natural world with photography. It was here that I became interested in using my work to help with conservation efforts. Fast forward 16 years and I am a full-time conservation and wildlife photojournalist. I work almost exclusively in boreal forests, a biome that wraps around the entire northern hemisphere of the world and contains some of the largest and most intact forests in the world, and sequesters more carbon than any other ecosystem excluding the ocean, making it an asset to combat climate change. My focus is climate change, habitat fragmentation, and human-wildlife conflicts.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
It definitely has not been a smooth road, and it still isn’t at times. It took a better part of a decade to build a strong portfolio, network, and build relationships with editors and biologists and to be taken seriously in this industry. It is very much a labor of love. My biggest struggles include the overhead cost of this career path, enough time in the field, and the high risk of failure. Between the equipment, field time, and costs of day-to-day living my operation costs are extremely high and typically account for half of all my generated income. I also never have enough time in the field. Being out every day would be ideal, but it’s just not realistic when being a husband, father, and business owner. Most days I produce nothing worthy of inclusion in my portfolio or within a story I am working on. I would say 95% of the time I walk away with nothing. That’s the downfall and the draw of what I do. It’s the struggle and the difficulty of what I do that continually gives me motivation and drive to succeed, but at the same time it can also be incredibly discouraging and stifle motivation and drive.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Benjamin has spent half of his life studying and chasing light in ephemeral seasons. Working in a natural environment with no control over ambient light and fleeting atmospheric conditions. This forces spontaneity and constant previsualization. When it comes to being an environmental photographer, bridging the gap between society and nature has become a way of life for him. His background in sciences coupled with his love for photography has led to a life-long pursuit to illustrate the innate beauty of nature, while communicating the importance of the natural world. He approaches this by documenting the intrinsic intimate beauty of his home, while incorporating environmental stories that are relevant to the communities of Minnesota. He focuses on iconic species and defining ecosystems by capturing the quintessential essence of his subject matter. His life revolves around the wilderness. The majority of his time is spent out in the forests with his camera. He hopes to elicit emotion in others using photography while inspiring them to embrace the wonders of the natural world. All of the images represented here are depictions of reality. Minimal post-processing is applied to each image. All wildlife images are wild animals captured in their natural environment without the use of bait, feeding or playback calls. He strives to capture nature as it is, with minimal human impact, by abiding to the philosophy of “leave no trace” very rigidly. He is currently working on multiple visual research projects along the North Shore of Lake Superior, the surrounding northeastern and north central areas of Minnesota to document the impacts of climate change through photography, time-lapse and videography. His emphasis includes forest succession, and the spatial relationships between endemic boreal species and the northward movement on non-boreal species. His supporting partners include the Superior National Forest, Beltrami Island State Forest and Norris Camp, Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness, Arc’teryx, the International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP), Blue Earth Alliance, and Cognisys Inc. His work has been seen in and published by the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, the Washington Post, Patagonia, Arc’teryx, National Wildlife Federation, Ranger Rick, Audubon, the Conservation Volunteer, Quetico Superior Wilderness News, and many more.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
Be patient. In your approach, your execution, and the time it takes to achieve your goals. Building a career in nature/photojournalism photography is not a quick process. I started down this path at the age of 18, and now at the age of 35 I am finally photographing nature full-time. Most people in this industry don’t get their “big break” or have the ability to do it full-time until they’re in their mid-to-late 30’s. Comparing yourself to others is a slippery slope and easy to do, which is why I avoid social media as much as I can.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://benjamin-olson.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/benjaminolsonphotography/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BenjaminOlsonPhotography
