This month John Weller will give a presentation based on his recent publication, The Last Ocean: Antarctica’s Ross Sea Project: Saving the Most Pristine Ecosystem on Earth.

John’s Bio: John Weller is a critically acclaimed photographer, writer and filmmaker based in Boulder, Colorado. Nature photography has been his passion since childhood, and after graduation from Stanford University with a degree in Economics, John began pursuing media full time. John’s first book of photography and essays, Great Sand Dunes National Park: Between Light and Shadow won national and international attention and engendered a greater appreciation for the delicate dune ecosystem. For the last ten years, John has worked on conserving the Ross Sea, Antarctica, a region deemed to be the last pristine marine ecosystem on Earth. John has made four photography trips to the Ross Sea, compiling a vast library of photographs along the way, all of which have been used in the international fight to protect the Ross Sea. John’s new book, The Last Ocean, offers a rare glimpse into life at the edge of the world – from Emperor and Adelie penguins to silverfish, seals and minke whales – Weller takes the reader on an unprecedented journey above and below the ocean surface. The Last Ocean is more than stunningly beautiful photography. It is a story central to our own: our struggle to sustain a population in a changing climate and with exponentially increasing pressures on world resources.

Summary of issue: The Ross Sea is under attack – unsustainable fishing is already spreading observable ripples of depletion through the entire system. But we still have a chance to act before it is too late. And we must. The Ross Sea story is not just that of a fish, or of the incredible creatures that live at the edge of the world. It is our story – the story of our struggle to become sustainable.

On the book (with links to press): Since its release, the book has received rave reviews in the NY Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/08/books/review/southern-light-and-the-last-ocean.html?_r=1&), The Washington Post (http://www.washingtonpost.com/pb/national/health-science/the-last-ocean/2013/12/05/53ee3cc0-5e05-11e3-bc56-c6ca94801fac_gallery.html#item0), Outside Magazine (http://www.outsideonline.com/photo-galleries/adventure-travel/antarctica/The-Last-Ocean.html), Scientific American (http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/book-review-the-last-ocean/) and many others. He was recently featured on NPR’s national program, Science Friday (http://www.sciencefriday.com/guests/john-weller-.html#page/full-width-list/1).
“The Last Ocean uses images as the hook to pull us more deeply into the science, lore and heroic history of [Antarctica]. The world is a careless place. We fish far from home. We pollute in ways we cannot see, hear or feel. This book will open your eyes, first to the beauty of a world that lies beyond your sight. And more important, to the possibility of sustaining that far-off world that, in turn, sustains us.” – The New York Times

We are fortunate to live in one of the most beautiful places on earth. My goal is to share the beauty of Colorado by drawing viewers into my images. I do this through the use of a technique known as photomerging. Some of my merged pictures consist of hundreds of individual photographs seamlessly quilted into a single panorama. The resulting prints are large and highly detailed. Another key advantage of this technique is that it permits me to achieve extreme depth of field by using multiple focus settings.The result can provide the feeling of being in the image.

My presentation covers the evolution of panoramic photography, how I merge multiple images, what I do with them with the resulting photos and where this photographic technique fits into the future of digital photography.

Rich Wolf 2/2014