“My whole idea is to inspire folks to get back out into nature and to engage by taking photos while doing that.”
So says Kristie Killam, a photographer and former U.S Fish and Wildlife park ranger. Her focus these days is documenting the vast variety of marsh birds, reptiles and complex meshwork of creatures and foliage that make up the integral, humming and living ecosystem that is the Florida Keys.
Killam will host a photography presentation and workshop starting at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 25 at the Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden.
Visitors will be treated to Killam’s technicolor — often breathtaking — images of the wildlife she encounters as a self-described “nature nerd.” The digital shots tell compelling stories about the animals and plants native to this area of vast and quietly unseen diverse species.
Organized in collaboration with the garden’s executive director Misha McRae, Killam will begin a three-part speaker series and hands-on photography workshop kicking off at 1 p.m. “The program is going to include inspiring stories about nature,” Killam said last week. “I’m going to show practical ways in which to engage or re-engage with photography as a way of connecting to the natural world that’s all around us.”
Preservation of those natural resources, Killam added, is crucially integrated with her digitally captured works of art.
“I’ve always had conservation as my top priority while doing this,” she said.“I’d like to share this type of storytelling — through photography — with others. It’s all about what you can do to help and at the same time learn a new skill or develop advanced ways of using a camera to capture the beauty of the wildlife in the Keys.”
McRae agreed, saying he came up with the idea of adding such events to the garden’s calendar with an eye toward bringing more visitors to the nature retreat on College Road.
“This last year we decided we wanted to do more involved, extensive programs. Kristie’s presentation is part of our continuing plan to bring art and nature together,” McRae said.
He added that Killam is “known throughout the Keys for her wildlife photography. Especially for her shots of the marsh birds and the marshlands and the sunsets. She knows the camera and how to pick a subject. She’s an expert who can turn a photo into a piece of art.”
The Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden is special in many ways, one of which is its status as the only “frost-free” vegetation and bird sanctuary in the continental U.S., McRae noted. “We’ve been designated as a wildlife refuge as far back as 1914 by the government. We have both flora and fauna species that exist nowhere else in the world.”
Though now retired from her ranger career, Killam’s decades of local experience has given her, she says, a unique perspective that helps snare her subjects in the lens.
While she does use sophisticated equipment like a Sony mirrorless digital camera, the “nature nerd” emphasizes that a simple phone will do. “Some people might not be able to afford a more expensive camera or lens, but that’s OK. You can do cool stuff with light and perspective and be imaginative and creative. All you need is a way to record those images.”
Simply put, Killam said, “The best camera in the world is the one you happen to have on you.”
Her photography program on Feb. 25 is free for garden members and $5 for nonmembers, and will be the first of three presentations offered this spring, with the next one scheduled for March 11. Visit keywest.garden to find out more.
