Benjamin Olson
Biography
Benjamin has spent half of his life studying and chasing light in ephemeral seasons. Working in a natural environment with no control over ambient light and fleeting atmospheric conditions forces spontaneity and constant pre-visualization. When it comes to being an environmental photographer, bridging the gap between society and nature has become a way of life for him. His background in sciences coupled with his love for photography has led to a life-long pursuit to illustrate the innate beauty of nature, while communicating the importance of the natural world. He approaches this by documenting the intrinsic intimate beauty of his home, while incorporating environmental stories that are relevant to the communities of Minnesota. He focuses on iconic species and defining ecosystems by capturing the quintessential essence of my subject matter.
His life revolves around the wilderness. The majority of his free time is spent out in the forests with his camera. He hope to elicit emotion in others using photography while inspiring them to embrace the wonders of the natural world. All of the images represented here are depictions of reality. Minimal post-processing is applied to each image. All wildlife images are wild animals captured in their natural environment without the use of bait, feeding or playback calls. He strives to capture nature as it is, with minimal human impact, by abiding to the philosophy of “leave no trace” very rigidly.
He is currently working on multiple visual research projects along the North Shore of Lake Superior, the surrounding Arrowhead Region, and north central Minnesota to document the impacts of climate. His supporting partners include the Superior National Forest, Beltrami Island State Forest and Camp Norris, Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness, Arc’teryx, the International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP), and Cognisys Inc. His work has been seen in and published by Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, the Washington Post, Patagonia, Arc’teryx, National Wildlife Federation, Ranger Rick, the Conservation Volunteer, Quetico Superior Wilderness News, and many more. All printing, woodworking, framing and matting is done himself in his in-home studio.
He has a bachelors in biology with an emphasis in ecology, ethology and evolution from Bemidji State University, and a A.A.S. in digital imaging technology from Dakota County Technical College. Ben currently resides in the Twin Cities metro of Minnesota with his wife Emily and his two sons, Louis and Charles.