Posted by Florian – February 8, 2011
Die Premiere von "Ruf der Wildnis II " beim Wunderwelten Festival in Friedrichshafen am Bodensee.
( English version see below)
Es dauerte einige Wochen in denen Emil und ich intensiv an unsere neuen Multivisionshow “Ruf der Wildnis II” arbeiteten. Dann war es soweit. Die Premiere beim Wunderwelten Festival am 7. November 2010 in Friedrichshafen. “Ruf der Wildnis” – eine Homage an Jack London, der meine Leidenschaft für die Wildnis Nordamerikas geweckt hat. Es war ein unglaubliches Gefühl zu sehen, wie sich das Graf Zeppelin Haus immer weiter füllte bis ich zuletzt vor einem Ausverkauften Saal stand und 1000 Besucher vor mir hatte. Die gewaltige Leinwand von über 12 m Breite ließ die Bilder zur vollen Wirkung kommen. In der neuen Show hatte ich die Gelegenheit, viele meiner Erlebnisse in der Wildnis Nordamerikas – zwischen Alaska und Baja Kalifornien, Mexiko – an die Zuschauer weiterzugeben.
Visions of the Arctic event with Earthjustice in the Times Building in New York City
Auf WunderWelten folgte dann eine Tournee in der Schweiz, Vorträge in Nord Amerika und weitere Festivals, so dass ich in den letzten 3 Monaten an über 7000 Besucher meine Bilder und Erlebnisse weitergeben konnte. Ich muss ehrlich sagen, es ist anstrengend, wenn man oft Tag um Tag auf der Bühne steht. Aber ich habe es lieben gelernt, denn das Medium des “Live-Vortrags” ist etwas besonderes. Menschen nehmen die Bilder, die Erlebnisse und auch die Botschaft ganz anders wahr, als z.B. in einem Dokumentarfilm aus dem Fernsehen oder etwa im Kino.
Florian speaking at a Earthjustice event in New York
Für mich war es ganz besonders, die eindrücklichsten Erlebnisse unserer Reisen und Expeditionen für unsere Multivisions-Show aufzuarbeiten. Es gab mir nämlich die Chance mich an die verschiedenen Orte zurückzuversetzten und mich daran zu erinnern, was ich damals gefühlt habe. In den Vorbereitungen der Show achten wir ganz besonders auf die Bilderfolge um die Witterungen und Lichtstimmungen in der Wildnis weiterzugeben. Emil hat besondere Fähigkeiten in der Muskikauswahl und der Abstimmung auf die Bilder, so dass wir das Erlebte als gefühlte Atmosphäre weitergeben können. So können wir unsere Zuschauer in die Wildnis entführen.
Gleichzeitig gibt es mir die Möglichkeit über wichtige Naturschutzprojekte zu sprechen und auch auf direkte Gefahren für einige der Wildnis-Regionen, in denen ich arbeite, hinzuweisen. Das Rückmeldungen bisher waren überwältigend! Gerade gestern habe ich wieder eine ganz besondere Email erhalten, von der ich einen kleinen Auszug zitieren will: ” Selten habe ich Menschen um mich herum so mitfiebern sehen. Die Geschichte vom Karibu-Kalb, die Wölfe und Bären, das, was Du von Euch erzählt hast – grandios ! …….
Von der Macht der Bilder bin ich immer überzeugt gewesen, doch dass sie so eine intensive Wirkung haben können, dass sie direkt “ins Herz gehen “, hätte ich nicht für möglich gehalten ! “
Über 1600 Besucher bei der Mundologia in Freiburg - bisher unser größtes Publikum
Vor Jahren habe ich einmal einen Zeitungsartikel über die Fotografie im Zeitalter des Films geschrieben. Obwohl ich auch kleine Filmabschnitte in meinem Vortrag habe, wurde mir wieder klar wie besonders das stehende Bild ist. Man kann einfach die Augen eine Weile lang auf den Fotografien ruhen lassen. So kann man z.B. den heruaspringenden Wal wirklich erfassen. Das Medium des “Life-Vortrags” bringt etwas ruhe in unseren hektischen Alltag.
"Ruf der Wildnis II" bei der Mundologia 2011
Die Zeit der Vorträge ist nun vorbei und ich werde mich nun wieder auf die Arbeit im Feld konzentrieren. Falls Sie bei Ruf der Wildnis waren, bedanke ich mich für Ihr Kommen. Hoffentlich dann bis zu unserer nächsten Show über die Arktis.
Posted by Florian – April 6, 2010
Wrapped in layers of clothes I am laying on my stomach, watching a large group of longhaired beasts, that seemed to be from a prehistoric world. The wind has picked up in the course of the night to 40 miles and hour. It whips up the mountain sides and sweeps up small ice crystals that hit my skin like needles. In different areas blowing snow becomes thick and travels across the ground like a ghost of fog.
As parts of my face start to get colder and want to turn numb; and my hands can’t handle my camera anymore, I am thinking how lucky I am to be hit with this weather. It is these types of conditions, that I was hoping for. In my photography I really want to convey a sense of place – take people out into the field with me. For that, my images need to convey the harsh weather conditions, the powerful elements of the wind and the cold.
I am laying on the ground to get a unique perspective. The blowing snow creates this mystical atmosphere and ads to my interpretation of an animal that rather belongs to a children’s fairytale than to this world. I also have learned that the Muskoxen are much less mindful of my presence if I stay low to the ground. They often just eye me with curiosity.
As I am out there observing them many hours a day, I become ever more fascinated. What puzzles me the most is how they can live of a few lichen on the barren tundra, that they scratch up from underneath the snow. How can they possibly receive sufficient energy from this bit of vegetation to withstand constant arctic winter conditions?
What gets me even more, is that I seem to always find them on the most exposed and windy spots on the mountain sides and hilltops. They appear completely indifferent to the wind and the cold. It becomes obvious how well they have adapted to their environment. Their wool apparently has 6 times the insulating qualities of regular wool. No wonder they stay warm.
I am wrapped in several layers of underwear, polar fleece and outer shells that keep me warm. I had never paid much attention to high-tech clothes in the past. Part of that was probably the price tag: out of reach for a broke photographer who spends all of his money on camera gear. This time around however, I had received a sample of Patagonia´s winter clothes. I have to say I was totally impressed. The combination of inside layers and outer shells completely kept any wind from getting to me. It allowed me to hang out with the muskox patiently waiting for those special moments that make up a great image.
Posted in: Adventure, Alaska, Arctic, Experience, Photography, wilderness, Wildlife | Tagged: Alaska, Arctic, Florian Schulz, musk oxen, muskox, Photography, wilderness, Wildlife, wildlife photography, winter
Posted by Florian – July 14, 2009
It is the worst trying to hold the lens still, when you feel the mosquitos landing on your hand starting to sting
Remember this moment, when you peacefully lay in bed on a warm summer evening, you close your eyes and want to finally relax and slip off into dream world……. and then suddenly you hear this single little mosquito flying around your head. You hear the ziiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii ziiiiiiiiii coming closer to your face and you try to feel where this damn mosquito lands, so you can hit yourself over the head and hopefully smash the little bugger. Most of the time however your face may flinch in anticipation of the oncoming hand, giving this mosquito just enough time to escape its fate.
Well now multiply this mosquito by a thousand, NO! by tenthousand and you may be able to imagnine the kind of hell you might find yourself in on an arctic river in summer. The noise level of mosquitoes resembles a concert of dog wissles that are just within the realm of the human ear.
So you are still with me? – ok; then you imagine my idea to wade through a river and sit patiently in the tundra near a wolf den to see if I might get lucky to get a photograph. Well yeah, this is the thing with me. If I have a glimpse of hope, my will can be pretty strong. ( Read about my story on PATIENCE )
So what was I after? I had know about this wolf den the year before. Together with my pilot we checked the location this year again to confirm that the wolves were actually still present. We did one round over the den and saw a grey wolf peacefully resting on the river bank. I got one image and this observation gave me reason to come back. When we planned to come back in July we thought about mosquitoes; I bought a mosquito net last minute, because I had forgotten mine. Thank god! As we arrived at the river and flow over the den site we still saw a black wolf nearby. That wolf never even looked up but just shook his fir. It was a sign. As soon as we landed, we know what was going on. This poor creature was so miserable, it could care less what we were all about. Aerial wolf-hunters? Who cares! Put me out of this misery!
Grey Wolf watching the den. Nikon D3x, 70-200mm/f2.8
Good thing we were of the other kind! Longer story short: After crossing the river, I sat down near the den for a couple of hours. For some reason the mosquitoes always found away to work their ways to my skin. I tried to stay calm and the dream of the wolf images kept me pretty upbeat. The bigger problem for me was that I saw not much sign of activity on the river bank. The sand seemed not disturbed from tracks of playing wolf pups, nor was there an obvious path where they would emerge. I checked out different angles but I just could not convince myself that these wolves would ever appear in the open, if they were there at all. So I decided to leave, one of the many times where a hope for an image did not result in success.
Maybe it saved my life, that there were no fresh signs! With my stubbornness I may have stayed out there until the mosquitoes would have sucked the last drop of blood out of me and just left my dried up outer shell – mummified; of course with camera in hand.
Posted in: Adventure, Alaska, Expeditions, Experience, Photography, wilderness, Wildlife | Tagged: Adventure, Alaska, Arctic, determination, Florian Schulz, mosquitos, patience, Photography, summer, Wildlife, will, wolves
Posted by Florian – July 13, 2009
Grizzly on the coastal planes in the Alaskan Arctic
Hey everybody…….
I know I have been promising to write about my arctic aerial expedition. To tell you the truth, I am in kind of restless state where my thoughts are all over the place right now. The experience that I had in the arctic was so incredible. Some of the impressions were so profound, that I feel I cannot express it in a blog that I just write in a few minutes. I need to find a little more space first.
To get an idea of the vast arctic landscape touched me deeply. To see caribous by the hundred thousands was a long life dream of mine, that became reality in wonders that I hardly dared to imagine. I am aware that I see the last truly wild and wide ranging animals on this continent. I saw not caribou – I saw a larger organism: The herd as a whole.
I have some very difficult issues to go through right now and it is interesting how the landscape and the ancient rhythm of nature gave me not only a sense of place of being at home in nature and on this planet, but it also seemed to balance out some of the different realities we are living in. Nature is something very grounded, something pure and real. It gave me perspective. Maybe these are my spiritual moments. A friend just said to me: “When you are out there in wilderness – your are at church, Florian!” So much on this planet is full of wonder. I am fascinated to observe the interconnectedness of the natural world and to document some of the special moments I witness. It is a deep passion that seems to guide my life.
In our modern lives we are immersed in a very changed environment. Our realities change from city to city,work place, friends, peer groups and family. It is our sense of perception and those influences. If one spends more time in nature it seems one can find more to one`s self.
Up in the arctic I immersed myself into a world apart. When this grizzly wondered down towards the riverbed he stood tall catching his balance, I felt welcome to wilderness.
So be patient with me. I will write about this incredible adventure of witnessing the caribou, seals on the ice and the polar bear…… hopefully soon!
Posted in: Adventure, Alaska, Expeditions, Experience, Photography, wilderness, Wildlife | Tagged: Alaska, Experience, Florian Schulz, nature, spirituality, wilderness, Wildlife, wildlife photography
Posted by Emil – January 28, 2009
Florian Schulz was honored by the Nature’s Best Photography Windland Smith Rice International Awards and the National Wildlife Federation as the Conservation Photographer of the Year 2008
This Conservation Photographer of the Year Award was created to recognize a special individual who has used his or her skills as a nature photographer to implement meaningful and measurable conservation efforts and to inform and educate the public about environmental concerns. The CPY Award is presented in alliance with the National Wildlife Federation, the largest nonprofit conservation organization in North America.
Visions of the 
