When Kimberli asked me to be part of the Autumn 2006 issue of Whisper in the Woods, of course I was honored. However, I had no idea that one of my favorite photographers, Jim Brandenburg, would be the featured photographer in this issue. In fact, it was only a couple of weeks ago when I was discussing with a few other photographers our most memorable nature photographs. Since I couldn’t pick only one, I pointed out that two of Jim’s images have stuck in my mind since the day I saw them. First, his image of Prairie Smoke that I saw as part of a Fujifilm ad, and later saw it published a few other places. It is a plant with very strong graphical qualities, and its vibrant red color looks great when juxtaposed against a field of green. I hope to photograph these myself someday.

Second is his image of White Wolf leap, a wolf jumping across flowing ice sheets. One day I hope to hear some more of the story behind this image, because it is one of those images where you just can’t help but think – ‘how the heck did he capture that?!’ The wolf is leaping from a smaller ice sheet to a larger one in the middle of a lake – but there doesn’t appear to be any way off the larger one. It is an engaging photograph of a once in a lifetime moment.

Both of these images appear in the Autumn 2006 issue of Whisper in the Woods, along with a wonderful collection of other images from Jim. Look for a copy of this great journal on your newsstands because these images look great in print, or order directly from the Whisper in the Woods website. Oh yes, 3 of my images appear in this issue, including the back cover.   The entire issue is dedicated to wolves, with stories and images that further explore our relationship with them and the special place they hold with so many.

It is an honor to appear in such an issue, dedicated to the wolf, and in the company of one of my favorite photographers and so many other talented artists and writers.