155: Clay Bolt - Using Photography as a Tool for Communication

Welcome to Episode 155 of the F-Stop Collaborate and Listen podcast. This week's episode features one of the most inspirational photographers of our generation, in my opinion. He has focused the attention of his lens on things that matter. Welcome Clay Bolt to the podcast. Clay Bolt is a Natural History and Conservation Photographer specializing in the world’s smaller creatures who regularly partners with organizations such as the National Geographic Society and the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation . His current major focus is on North America’s native bees and the important roles that they play in our lives. He was a leading voice in the fight to protect the rusty-patched bumble bee under the Endangered Species Act , which became North America's first federally protected native bee in 2017. In 2019, Bolt became the first photographer to document a living Wallace's Giant Bee —the world's largest bee—as a part of a four person exploration team to rediscover the species in the Indonesian islands known as the North Moluccas. In his current role as Communications Lead for World Wildlife Fund's Northern Great Plains Program he is developing strategies to fight insect and grasslands biodiversity loss by gaining a greater understanding of the effects that Neonicotinoid pesticides have on wildlife. Clay is a Fellow in the Linnean Society of London, Associate Fellow in the International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP), and past president of the North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA). Over on Patreon this week, join Clay and I for a conversation about macro photography. Clay gives us some tips on how to get started in this mysterious sub-genre of nature photography. Please consider supporting the podcast on Patreon ! There's a ton of bonus content over there for subscribers! Here are the photographers Clay recommended for the podcast: 1. Morgan Heim . 2. Steven David Johnson . Other items mentioned on the show: 1. Neonicotinoid pesticide study . 2. Rusty Patched Bee movie . 2. Gary Randall Kenai Peninsula Workshop . I love hearing from the podcast listeners! Reach out to me via Instagram , Facebook , or Twitter if you'd like to be on the podcast or if you have an idea of a topic we can talk about. Join the discussion over on Nature Photographer's Network! We have weekly discussions about each episode of the podcast. It's also free! We also have an Instagram page and a Facebook page for updates. Thanks for stopping in, collaborating with us, and listening. See you next week. As a reminder, you can also support the podcast by shopping at B+H for your photography gear using our Affiliate Link .