A! Magazine for the Arts

"Among the Branches" focuses on a Brown-Hooded Kingfisher in South Africa. Fine Art Photography by Benjamin Walls.

"Among the Branches" focuses on a Brown-Hooded Kingfisher in South Africa. Fine Art Photography by Benjamin Walls.

The Fine Art of Photography

January 27, 2009

"Just as having a brush and paint does not make one a painter, being able to operate a camera does not make one a photographer." -- Anonymous


Benjamin Walls is recognized as one of the world's premier nature photographers. His passion, persistence, and sense of adventure are rivaled only by the grandeur of the subjects he seeks. Yet, behind his commitment to the perfection of his craft is a profound respect for his subjects and a desire to share, not only the beauty of nature, but also the importance of nature conservation.

To that end, Walls chooses to create images of our natural world for fine art display. His efforts have been rewarded by impressive accolades:

* In 2006 Walls was honored by the Natural History Museum of London and BBC Wildlife Magazine for winning an award in the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition, the most prestigious awards of its kind in Europe. Not surprisingly, he was honored for his creative vision of natural subjects.

* In 2007, Walls was honored by the Nature's Best Photography Competition, the most prestigious of its kind in the U.S., and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History for his African landscape image "Watching the Sunrise."

Walls loves taking images in our wild world, but right now, his daily adventure is working on his new photography studio in a 107-year-old building at 701 State Street in Bristol, Va., at the corner of Piedmont and State, right beside the Cameo Theatre.

Recently, Walls took time to answer a few questions for A! Magazine for the Arts.

READ ON:

-- Is Photography Art?

-- Wildlife Art & Environment

-- Returning to His Roots

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