ABOUT ME

“When we contemplate the whole globe as one great dewdrop, striped and dotted with continents and islands, flying through space with other stars all singing and shining together as one, the whole universe appears as an infinite storm of beauty.” ~ John Muir

I love photographing wild things . . . and urban things . . . the visions and experiences that paint my world. I’m a freelance writer and also a researcher for a bestselling author. My volunteer work in wildlife rehabilitation fueled my passion for nature photography. And, my lifelong engagement with animals continues to form my creative narrative.

I was born in the States and spent formative early years as an expat in Geneva and Amsterdam — which makes me a bit of a misfit and hybrid on either continent. But nature has been my constant. I’ve never outgrown my geekiness about flora and fauna, even as I juggle my love for city, cinema and coffee houses. I enrolled in pre-vet studies for all of two arduous semesters before I finally admitted that word patterns made sense in my brain, whereas chemical formulas did not.

I saw my first Aurora Borealis from the cockpit of a 747 when I was five, and that set me up to expect outrageous phenomena from the sky and sand. Phenomena like thousands of tundra swans and snow geese brushing alabaster across the horizon . . . or a giant herd of elk grazing and bugling under Colorado snow drops . . . or the pulse of an orca pod stirring the waters beneath. No less important, appreciating the agave plant — pollinated ever so kindly by long-nosed bats who make tequila possible … who make life bearable, and who should hereafter be known as gods.

MY METHOD

The well-being of my animal subjects — both wild and domestic — is more important to me than any image. That principle guides my photography. You can read my more detailed philosophy here.

My approach is photo journalistic in that I don’t take issue with the imperfections of ambiance, even as I work to capture the best possible composition and frames within a given environment. My intent is to freeze a moment, a scene, an inspiration or an emotion in such a way that you might see what I saw in that blip of time and space.

One of my favorite themes is regeneration and restoration. As such, I’m particularly fond of environments, urban or industrial, where nature has been allowed to move back in, either formally or informally — in patchworks of habitat or in long stretches of greenway.

MY PHOTOS

My photos have appeared in a variety of publications, online journals and websites, and in commercial and nonprofit promotional materials.

Enjoy your browsings and drop me a line if you have any comments or need more information. Thanks for stopping by!

My Seattle photo blog: SEATTLEOGRAPHY.

~ Ingrid Taylar
Email me at the Free Quark

Photos, writings, cartoons and graphics are copyrighted to me — as is all content at The Free Quark (except work by others, used here with their permission).

GALLERIES | PUBLISHED PHOTOS | WRITING CLIPS

Feel free to use excerpts of articles or text — if you link back to the original post. And please attribute the work. Or, e-mail me if you’d like permission to use any content or material in full. I keep a selection of photos at my Flickr site — most of which are available under a Creative Commons attribution license. These can be used freely with attribution and a link back to my website.

ADVOCATING FOR ANIMALS

I don’t avoid controversial topics that are important to me. At the same time, I’m open to discussion, disagreement and perspectives different from my own, so please feel free to post in the comments if you have something to say on what I’ve posted. I’m not a scientific expert, but I do make every effort to inform my writings and opinions with accurate information. I enjoy animated debates, and I don’t block or moderate reader comments unless they are defamatory or otherwise inappropriately personal or vitriolic. Even then, I prefer to interject rather than block. My spam catcher will moderate comments with multiple links them. I do my best to approve them in a timely way.

My views are strictly my own and do not represent any animal, wildlife or professional organization with which I’ve volunteered or trained.