Snapshot of the "Pelican Lady"

When it comes to photographing nature, Rosalie Winard has the eye of a painter and the soul of an environmental activist. Using these talents, her black-and-white images, captured on infrared film, somehow manage to make the mysterious nature of birdlife all the more intriguing. That’s why her May/June 2009 Audubon photo essay remains one of my favorites. Currently, the “Pelican Lady,” as Winard is often called, is featured on YouTube talking about how she manages to create such evocative avian portraits, what captivates her, and how she uses her art to inspire action.

Winard’s present projects include fundraising for a photo archive of the Birds of the Great Salt Lake, speaking about conservation and photography at events such as the annual Mono Lake Basin Bird Chautauqua and the upcoming Morro Bay Winter Bird Festival in California (January 15-17). She is also busy photographing urban birdlife in New Jersey’s Meadowlands and cuttlefish in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. For more about Winard’s work and upcoming events, visit her website.