Steve is a resident of Soquel and specializes in conservation photography. His goal is to have viewers of his images gain a greater appreciation of wildlife, and raise their awareness about the rapidly declining populations of wildlife globally, many of which are threatened with extinction. His images have appeared in books, magazines, the New York Times, and for the past five years have been selected for the Smithsonian Natural History Museum’s wildlife photography exhibition. You can learn more about Steve at www.mandelphoto.com.
“Wild Things” will start off on Thursday evening, Oct. 2 with a lecture by Steve about techniques for wildlife photography, including learning what it takes to capture an image at just the right moment. Steve specializes in robotic devices to capture photos of wild animals from unique angles. He has built and used photographic drones, a robotic camera car, and a robotic boat with cameras above and below water.
The free Opening Reception of the exhibit will take place as part of First Friday festivities on Oct. 3 from 5-8pm, and will be a wonderful opportunity to meet the photographer, view the exhibit, and mingle with other conservationists and art lovers. Light refreshments will be provided. The exhibit will be on display until Jan. 3 2015.
On Saturday Oct. 4 there will be a workshop where you can enjoy an afternoon with Steve Mandel and learn how to capture wildlife and nature photographs like the pros. This four-hour session will cover the basics of using your camera to capture better wildlife and nature images.
All three events will be at the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History, located at 1305 East Cliff Drive in Santa Cruz. For more details, please call (831) 420-6115 or visit www.santacruzmuseum.org.