Max Seigal, a nature photographer based in Boulder, will be the featured speaker/competition judge at the monthly Flatiron Photo Club meeting from 7-9 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 12, at Har HaShem Synagogue, 3950 West Baseline Road.
Seigal works on conservation biology jobs around the world and takes his camera wherever he goes.
“With degrees in biology and environmental science, I’ve spent the last four years travelling the world working on a number of conservation ecology projects promoting sustainability,” Seigal writes on his Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/MaxSeigalPhotography. “Fortunately for me, this work often takes me to some of the most beautiful and remote locations imaginable, providing an excellent opportunity for me to pursue my passion in nature photography.”
Seigal prints on a variety of media, including aluminum. Part of his presentation will include information about his metal prints.
Seigal has won numerous awards, including a National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest award and several National Geographic Photo of the Day contests, the Shoot The Land International Photography  contest, and he won fourteen awards in the 2013 International Photography Awards (IPA) contest.
“I’ve had some of the best times of my life with my camera by my side, whether it be studying marine mammals off the coast of Alaska, tracking rhinos in the Okavango Delta of Botswana, or developing a more eco-friendly lobster farming mechanism in South East Asia. While these destinations truly are a dream come true for any wildlife photographer, I consider myself especially privileged to work on conservation efforts and contribute to research projects that aim to preserve some of our planets great remaining wilderness areas.”
More information about Seigal and galleries of his works is at http://www.maxwilderness.com.

For me, the best thing about photography is being out taking photographs. You are immediately surrounded by a pulsing, 360-degree-multi-sensory environment. The art of photography is reducing this mind’s- eye sensory experience into an aesthetically pleasing, two-dimensional image by blending technology with deliberate, intentional, and personal artistic seeing. The beauty and interest of a scene is what first pulls the photographer in, but eventually the image comes somewhere from within the artist—quite literally from the inside out as a kind of self-portraiture. This subtle, and at times, unconscious process, transcends the photographer’s personal style and becomes the first level of “meaning” the photograph may have.
In this presentation, we will consider the personal and artistic side of the photographic process by visualizing the “many images” that precede releasing the shutter. Why do we release the shutter when we do?
Lastly, the next best thing to taking photographs is to talk about them. Those who are willing will have an opportunity to project their images and say a few words about each. This should be an interesting evening and I invite you to join the discussion!
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I have taught university-level ancient Greek and Roman history for twenty-plus years. But I also take photographs. My company, Wild Basin Photography and Gallery, is located in the North Boulder Art District. My portfolio is filled with images of Boulder, Colorado, and the Rocky Mountain West, but also images from Rome, Florence and Northern New Mexico (Santa Fe, Abiquiu, and Ghost Ranch—-Georgia O’Keefe’s landscape).

Announcing the end-of-the-year member competition featuring a three judge panel. The following artists will be participating in this year’s event: Dan Baumbach, Glenn Randall, Kari Treadwell. Please join us for this annual celebration.

James Frank will talk about The Art of Photography – Learning to See. He will discuss his journey about learning to see as a photographer and visual artist, including watersheds in understanding the process and what makes photography unique as an art form.

James Frank is an interpreter of nature and a creator of simple and dynamic images. His photographs display a thoughtful understanding of the nuances of light and atmosphere and their effect upon tone, color and the expression of a subject. Practicing keen observation of our natural world, he combines an extraordinary eye for design with patience and determination when making photographs. For more than 35 years, Frank has lived near Rocky Mountain National Park, photographing the unique beauty of this wild place in all its moods and seasons.

Frank’s photographs have been published world-wide in numerous books and magazines. His commercial credits include such clients as DuPont, L.L. Bean, and American Express. Nature and landscape photographs of his work are displayed for sale at his gallery, Aspen and Evergreen, in Estes Park, Colorado. He and his wife, Tamara, are the gallery owners. Earthwood Gallery on Pearl Street Mall in Boulder also displays his fine art prints. Frank’s publishing company, Our Natural Heritage Publishing, now publishes his books and annual scenic calendar of Rocky Mountain National Park, released each spring.

Five books about Colorado places have been published featuring the photographs of James Frank. Magic in the Mountains: Estes Park, Colorado, was published by Our Natural Heritage Publishing and is a regional best-seller. Three previous titles – James Frank’s Colorado, A Portrait of Rocky Mountain National Park, and A Portrait of Pikes Peak Country, quickly became Colorado best-sellers upon their releases.

Frank’s calendar, books and fine art prints are available on-line at JamesFrank.com and in many bookstores along Colorado’s Front Range and Estes Park.

For the last twenty-plus years or so, I’ve taught ancient Greek and Roman history at a university in Denver. From that long perspective, there’s not much new under the sun. But I also take photographs—-and I’m as passionate about those as I am the ancient Romans. My company, Wild Basin Photography and Gallery, is located in the North Boulder Art District. My portfolio is filled with images of Boulder, Colorado, and the Rocky Mountain West. But it also includes images from Rome, Florence and Northern New Mexico (Santa Fe, Abiquiu, and Ghost Ranch—-Georgia O’Keefe’s landscape).
For me, the best thing about photography is being out taking photographs. You are immediately surrounded by a pulsing, 360-degree-multi-sensory environment. The art of photography is reducing this mind’s- eye sensory experience into an aesthetically pleasing, two-dimensional image by blending technology with deliberate, intentional, and personal artistic seeing.
So on many levels, the process of making photographs is more complicated than it appears. The beauty and/or interest of a scene pulls the photographer in; but memorable photographs come from within the photographer—quite literally from the inside out as a kind of self-portraiture. This transcends the personal style a photographer may have and becomes the first level of “meaning” a photograph may have.
In this presentation, we will look at a series of images and raise some of the many issues related to this artistic and personal side of the photographic process.
Lastly, the next best thing to taking photographs is to talk about them. This should be an interesting evening and I invite you to join the discussion!