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Saturday Presentation:
"The Birds of the Jack
Pine"
(click on the image for a larger
view)
Saturday Presentation:
"The Birds of the Jack Pine":
The jack pine habitat of northern Michigan that’s so imperative
for the survival of the Kirtland’s warbler is also home to dozens
of other bird species. Ron Austing presents stunning, world-class
photos and narrative of more than 20 of these species, plus the
best images ever taken of the Kirtland’s warbler. He relates fun
facts about these species and some of the interesting anecdotes he
has experienced in their pursuit. And don't forget
to visit Ron at his booth in the Student Center where you can see
and purchase many of these prized photos.
(click on the image for a larger
view)
Ron Austing
Ron Austing was born in Cincinnati,
Ohio on August 5, 1931 and grew up In the then sparsely-settled
suburb of North College Hill. The numerous beech woodlands of the
area were his early playgrounds and by age 10 he had developed a
close kinship with the many creatures that lived in those woods.
A hunter and collector by instinct, Ron went through all the
stages of a boy growing up in the country. "The status symbol of
every 12 year old was a BB gun", Ron recalled, "and the thing to
do was shoot birds. I shot plenty of birds - sparrows and
starlings - but not for the sport of it. I needed food to feed my
‘pet’ hawks and owls. Every country boy used to keep a wild pet or
two over the summer months."
Ron soon found himself consumed with a fascination for raptors,
which soon came to include all birds, and eventually the entire
web of life. "I was interested in photography from the very
beginning, at first merely to have a remembrance of one of my pets
after I released them." From the start, he processed his own
negatives and made his own prints, in a self-styled darkroom in
the basement of the Austing residence. As he further recalled,
“It’s amazing my parents put up with me. For about 5 years I went
through all of the evolutionary stages common to most photo-buffs,
never being satisfied with one particular camera. All at the
expense of my ever-patient father, who seemed to recognize a
latent ability. My Dad was my earliest critic and I used to
secretly resent most of his comments, especially when I would come
up with something I thought was really good, and everyone else
would rave about how pretty the picture was. But Pop could always
spot the slightest flaw in a ferrotyped glossy, a dust speck
whatever. He knew nothing about photography itself, but he sure
knew what the result should look like. How lucky I was to have had
such a demanding critic! As the years passed, a smile and
affirmative nod more often would accompany his judgment, and I
knew I had ‘arrived’."
Ron has become internationally known as a wildlife photographer
and has written innumerable articles on birds and photography, as
well as five books. He has traveled extensively, done a number of
assignments for AUDUBON in past years, but prefers to spend his
time afield in the midwest. In addition to conventional
photography he shoots with a video camera and delivers slide and
video presentations to many audiences.
After a 30 year career as a park ranger and wildlife manager, he
retired in 1983 to his 100 acre wildlife preserve in southeastern
Indiana where photography is almost a daily pursuit. "Except for
Ft. Myers Beach in late February, Point Pelee in May and
September, perhaps the southern Appalachians in June, and Hawk
Mountain and Cape May in October, I have more than enough subjects
upon which to focus sight here in my own backyard."
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