Meet Wildlife Beyond Borders Local Artist and Photographer Susan
(Her Journey From Lawyer To A “Craniac”)
Sandhill Cranes
Susan Carnahan, a former managing attorney at Hewlett-Packard, has been photographing for over thirty years. Her award-winning photographs have been exhibited in California, Washington, New York, Vermont, and several venues in Russia.
Upon her retirement in 2002, Susan began to study digital photography at Foothill College. However, she did not abandon her film camera for a serious digital camera until a chance trip to Hokkaido, the northern island of Japan, in 2007. There, her love of Asian art and in particular, the Red-crowned crane, transformed Susan’s art when she saw and photographed these cranes for the first time.
“ I was amazed at the grace and beauty of these birds; I watched them rise at dawn from their river roost, dance in the snow, and fly in together at nightfall. I was disheartened to discover that ten of the fifteen crane species are endangered. I soon became a “craniac”, passionate about helping the cranes. I also learned about the herculean conservation efforts of the International Crane Foundation and vowed to photograph all fifteen crane species.”
“Cranes are ambassador or umbrella species. Protecting the cranes’ habitats will protect all of the other species residing in the wetlands and marshes where the cranes breed and roost.”
“My goal is to evoke wonder at the spirit and elegance of the cranes and raise awareness that these birds, celebrated in art and revered as sacred, are now at risk. They depend on us for their continued survival.”
Susan has photographed the Sandhill crane in the California Delta, New Mexico, and Nebraska and traveled twice to the intercoastal waterways of Texas to photograph the rare Whooping crane. She has accompanied the International Crane Foundation to China, Russia, Japan, and South Korea to photograph the Red-crowned, Siberian and White-nape cranes. Susan will be photographing Demoiselle and White-naped cranes with ICF this summer, in Mongolia.
Website: www.susancarnahan.com
Vimeo: www.vimeo.com/susancarnahan
Learn more about Susan and her art from her personally at the Wildlife Beyond Reception at Keeble and Shuchat Gallery on Saturday, April 16, 2016, from 2:00 PM to 5.00 PM.
The Wildlife Beyond Borders show runs from April 13 to May 11, 2016 at Keeble and Shuchat, 290 California Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94306.
Participating Artists: Mary Aiu, Susan Carnahan, Wendy Hannum, Oliver Klink, Diana Rebman, and Bruce Finocchio