Amy Gulick – Salmon path
Amy Gulick photographer/writer
Amy Gulick was concerned with telling stories since she was a small child. Before she could read and write, “he just did what naturally came to people”, telling stories. “Maybe it’s about what I experienced or something I saw … I just loved telling stories as a child.” From oral stories to the usage of words and drawings, to the usage of photographic photos, Gulick’s life and profession focused on telling stories. This focus finally led For which Gulick will receive an award from the environmental impact from Nanp and Roger Torae Peterson Institute on the Nanpa 2025 top. Gulick may even present sessions broken in his work. Do not miss your probability to see her and other leaders in Nature and Conservation Photography at the highest, May 15-17, 2025 at Tucson Arizona.
Evolution of a photographer/storyteller
During the exploration of many points of telling stories as a baby, Gulick won the Kodak pocket camera. “Now I laugh at it, right? Because everyone has a camera in your pocket. It happens that it is also a phone,” she said. But not everyone with the camera becomes a wonderful protection photographer.
Gulick was surprised by the capabilities offered by the camera. She loved outdoors. “I was one of these wild children,” she said and commenced to photograph her world – her friends, climbing trees, swimming in streams. This developing passion for outdoor, telling stories and photography began with these adventures and never left it.
She began publishing her work, sometimes writing, sometimes photography, sometimes each. She checked out individual species – their habitat, roles in ecosystems, all the things that she could find out about them. She simply told outdoor recreation and the natural history of some areas.
Over time, Gulick began to go deeper into the areas of untamed nature, quite distant and really wild. She learned that “these places are so wonderful, there were clear threats to them, regardless of whether they were some kind of industrial exploitation or climate change.” She got here back and told people, shared her story and experiences. She quickly discovered that “many people, although they could never go to these places, took care and wanted to do something.” Gulick saw the ability of her stories, her photographs, to take places that they will never visit in order that they care about species that they will never see. Which not directly leads .
© Amy Gulick Brown Bear with female salmon McNeil Alaska USA behavior: Salmon incorporates a big a part of the coastal brown bear weight loss plan in Alaska. At the tip of a superb season, salmon bears can afford picky and attack the richest parts of fish – eggs, skin and brain. Just before spawning, the feminine salmon is so filled with eggs that even a small amount of pressure used will force eggs from their bodies.
As a resident of the island of Whidbey, within the Salish Sea, Washington, Gulick spent quite a lot of time visiting the north -west coast and Alaska. In Alaska Panhandle lies the Tongass National Forest, which incorporates the biggest racks of the old, moderate rainforest. Since the ecological integrity of the forest was threatened by a transparent industrial scale, Gulick desired to make a project to “help people understand what makes this place so special.”
By examining Tongss, she got here across a scientific article entitled “Interath flow of nutrients from sea sea in a ground environment.” Through the scientific language, this text was mainly that there may be salmon on the trees. This was surprised by Gulick. “This is the coolest thing I’ve ever heard,” she said, “And if I can help others understand how the salmon is on the trees, people will fall in love with this place and understand why it is so important.”
When he says that Tongss is a spot where there may be salmon on the trees, attracts people’s attention and wish to know what she means. How is that this possible? This is a story covering the migration of salmon, bears, trees cores and nitrogen 15. Nanpa 2025 peak.
This project led to exhibitions, public presentations and introducing the book to decision makers, because, Gulick says: “This is what we do when we start using our paintings to save nature. We do not stop after creating photos. We use these photos to influence people, especially decision -makers who have the right to adopt regulations and create politics.
During the work, Gulick interviewed many people and began to understand the importance of Tongass for wild and human communities in south -eastern Alaska. She discovered that there were many different communities in the region, but “one thing that everybody had in common was their relationship with salmon, how essential salmon was … Salmon built these communities.” This made her wonder: “If the salmon is so essential and is a typical thread within the lives of individuals in south -eastern Alaska, are in addition they a crucial and customary thread in the entire condition?”
So she began to branch out of Tongass and spent time with native people whose whole cultures have been around salmon for thousands of years. She spent time with commercial fishermen, sports fishermen and guides. Everyone has a strong but different relationship with salmon. What does this fish mean to them, economically, socially, culturally, artistically? It was the beginning.
© Amy Gulick
Making a difference
Gulick met the deceased Gary Braasch (founder of NANPA of the Management Board, a senior member of the International League of Security Photographers and the Ansel Adams Award at Sierra Club for a protective photograph) at the NANPA summit a few years ago. During their conversation, Braasch “told me something that I’ll always remember. He keeps my head and I try to present it to younger photographers who wish to use their work to guard.” Braasch said that if we want to keep nature, the highest and best use of our photos is to get them before decision -makers. Being “in the sphere is wonderful, but probably won’t do much to maintain what all of us love,” noted Gulick. “Whenever I’m a bit of overwhelmed with a protection project and ask” how best I can use my work “I all the time return to what Gary said. I like getting a job before people and see where all the things goes, because it’s kind of like snowball. It starts with small, after which builds and builds, and media queries and invitations to talk begin to are available in.
Publishing the book gives it a level of credibility, which was helpful in reaching a wider audience and establishing partnerships with other protection protection organizations. The book is something that it or other interested environmentalists can use to start out a conversation or leave a call -maker within the office. His waves arranged outside in all directions.
Gulick also created a journey for each projects. “This is another way to get the same story before a larger number of eyeballs to get more media reports. I do all this to raise awareness and reach as many people as possible. Exhibitions give me the opportunity to be there personally and conduct public conversations that generate even more media relationships.”
The answer was satisfying. People from Alaska sent Gulick photos from her books. She even received one showing that Senator Alaska Lisa Murkowski was holding his book, and personally gave the book to Senator Murkowski, in addition to other members of the United States Congress and members of the state laws of Alaska. The advantage of cooperation with other groups is that they will often reach Gulick decision -makers. They can enter the Senator’s office to lobby for safeguarding the present salmon habitat or restoring the salmon stream and leave the book. “It’s comforting when the work goes, whom he touches and whom he reaches.”
© Amy Gulick Castnetting Sweetheart Creek Alaska USA
From the highest of the debutant to the icon
“Maybe 20 years ago I went to the summit of Nanp for the first time and all my heroes were there,” said Gulick. “All the people I looked at, all the people I admired were there personally. I could talk to them. I could meet them in the corridor and introduce myself and ask them questions that I would always like to ask. When you have these informal conversations, you cultivate the relationship. I would ask:” Can I proceed with you about my work, do I even have questions later? “And of course I said so. says.
“I used to be capable of sit and listen and see how my heroes present their formal presentations and find out about their work, how they used their photos to guard, what challenges they put primarily, what approaches they took. Again, invaluable. I do know that I’d not be where I’m without the primary peak today.”
Now Gulick is one of those main photographers that people are looking at. The pay is ahead with such things such as her commitment to the girls who click [https://girlswhoclick.org/]. Started by Suzi Eszterhas, the mission of the organization is a mentor, supporting and encouraging young girls to enter the field of nature photography. Gulick is one of the volunteer instructors and led workshops to teenage girls in the program. “When I used to be their age, it is not that I could not get to the sphere – I did it clearly – but I do not remember any mentoring or support.”
What next
“I’m beginning to develop something that I’m not able to speak about. But I’ll say that in my whole work, no matter this, I’m most concerned with helping people between nature and humanity. Why is nature essential? Why should we care if most individuals live in urban areas, and our noses stuck on the screens all day? Why, on earth, we care about what is occurring outside?
© Amy Gulick Clear Water
Five Mile Creek – Copper’s tributary
Titina
Down
USA
