For the past five years I’ve been predicting that the day was not far off where we would see the convergence of still and video images. About 3 or 4 years ago a new video camera was introduced called Red One. It shoots such high quality video that you can actually pull still images from the files it creates and use those individual images in printed materials.  Take a look at the current upcoming cover of Esquire magazine. I’m often asked by my workshop students, university students I work with here in Bozeman and others from across the web, how to get in to the business of wildlife and nature photography? My standard response in the past several years has been, “don’t even think about becoming a still shooter. You need to learn how to shoot moving images. Movies are the future. It won’t be long before the still shooter is nothing different than the guy who used to shovel coal in to steam trains and eventually lost his job due to trains moving to diesel power.” Still shooters could very well go the way of the dinosaur.

I wasn’t exactly excited about this move I knew I would have to eventually make, but…… I’ve done it. I recently took a course from a gentleman named Bill Gentile of American University in Silver Spring, Maryland. It was sponsored by PBS. Bill was originally a still photographer working in South America documenting wars, poverty etc. That was back in the 70′s and 80′s and he saw the train coming then. He moved in to video production in the early 90′s and has been shooting for some of the top news organizations evert since. Clients such as PBS, ABC TV and many others. Bill’s course was called Backpack Journalism and it was a great way for me to jump in head first. So without further ado I would like to present my first semi-serious film. It was shot with a Canon XH G1 HD video camera and was produced using Final Cut Pro. It’s not wildlife or nature but it’s about one of my other favorite subjects–Art

If I recall correctly we had 15 students in our class. We were instructed to come up with an idea, shoot it, edit and produce the final piece all in four days. As a group we voted on what we thought were the best films with the winners  honored by being featured on the PBS web site. You can see the winning entries for yourself at Backpack Journalism & PBS. I won’t be winning any Academy Awards with it but it’s a start.

Take a look at A New Face in Town

A New Face in Town from Daniel J. Cox on Vimeo.

There are few people on this earth who truly represent kindness, goodness and a sense of holiness. Fewer still are able to project that aura to the masses, inspiring others with a sense of wonder, respect, admiration and a desire to follow. Meeting the standards of a saint, or maybe an angel, is a tall task. I’ve heard people like Mother Teresa, Ghandi and the Dali Lama described in such a manner, but until last week I had never met such a person—aside from my mother, who represents many of those traits within her own  family. That changed when I was fortunate enough to meet Dr. Jane Goodall at a recent workshop. See the photos from the workshop with Jane Goodall.

I had traveled to the beautiful city of Ottawa, Ontario, to work with my friends and colleagues, Julene Reed of Roots & Shoots and Robert Buchanan of Polar Bears International (PBI). PBI had volunteered to help Dr. Goodall’s prosperous and growing conservation group, Roots & Shoots, by hosting a workshop at Algonquin College. Roots & Shoots is described on its website as   “The Jane Goodall Institute’s global network of youth taking action to make the world a better place. With tens of thousands of members in almost 100 countries, Roots & Shoots connects youth around the world who are creating positive change for people, animals and the environment.”

PBI’s role at the conference consisted of a workshop for young people interested in how climate change will effect the Arctic and polar bears in particular. Since the main theme of the conference was water, it was important for us to connect the consequences of the world’s dwindling water supply with the effects this will have on polar bears and other species, including humans. Robert, Julene and I talked to the students about how essential ice is for polar bears and how life for this species will end without it.  I compared the Arctic’s melting ice pack with the disappearing glaciers in the Himalayas. I emphasized that this warming climate will not just affect polar bears, but millions and millions of humans as well–humans in places such as India where they desperately need the water that flows from the glaciers in the surrounding mountains. As the arctic ice melts so goes the ice from the Himalayan peaks that has watered the masses for eons in the valleys down river.

The morning began with lots of sobering news and negative information, but ended in the afternoon with a message of hope. Hope that with enough action on the part of today’s youth, we can stop humanity’s role in contributing to the global melt-down. Hope that we all have the capacity to change and that change we must. It was inspiring to see so many young people concerned and determined, and I was proud to be a small part of that energy.