April 2020 Featured Artist
Oregon-Based Landscape & Wildlife Photographer
Belinda Greb
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Belinda Greb Poses in Front of her Work
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Belinda Greb is an Oregon-based, landscape and wildlife photographer. She grew up in the rural environs of Calabasas, California, lived briefly in Oregon, and then lived for several years in New York City.
Shortly after moving back to Oregon, the September 11 terrorist attacks occurred. This horrific day in history reinforced her desire to focus her life on what she truly loved, so she began to pursue a neglected passion for photographing the beauty of the natural world and animals. Her photographs are a representation of her passionate belief that we can only live as our authentic selves if we reverently acknowledge our essential relationship to the world that we inhabit and share with all living beings. Her work has been exhibited at New Zone Gallery in Eugene, Oregon and has sold internationally. Belinda’s work has also been featured in numerous online publications. One of her photographs, “Cougar Reservoir on a Snowy Day,” was published in the UK Sunday Times for a featured interview with the environmental writer, Barry Lopez. |
Clear Lake, Fall 2018
(Willamette National Forest, Oregon) © Belinda Greb |
Spirit Falls with Reflections
(Umpqua National Forest, Oregon) © Belinda Greb |
Fending Off Another Mustang to Protect Her Foal
(South Steens Wild Horses at the Waterhole) © Belinda Greb |
Mother Vervet Monkey Stopping to Nurse Baby, No. 3
(Okavango Delta Tributary, Botswana) © Belinda Greb |
Belinda shares her journey as a photographer and her passion for capturing the beauty of our natural environment.
I was brought up with sensitivity to beauty. As a family, we often visited museums and took trips to national parks. When I was young, I rambled about with my dogs in the beautiful, rural area of the Santa Monica Mountains in Southern California. When I’m struck by something I find beautiful, I have this intense reaction, and photography is a way for me to encapsulate and safeguard that feeling.
In high school, I signed up for a photography class, but the camera I had planned on using, an old Leica of my Dad’s, didn’t work, so I had to drop out. I bought myself an SLR camera as soon as I started working. However, I didn’t really hone my skills as a photographer until after I moved back to Oregon and had more time to devote to photography - learning more about the camera as a tool and just getting out there and taking photos.
I was brought up with sensitivity to beauty. As a family, we often visited museums and took trips to national parks. When I was young, I rambled about with my dogs in the beautiful, rural area of the Santa Monica Mountains in Southern California. When I’m struck by something I find beautiful, I have this intense reaction, and photography is a way for me to encapsulate and safeguard that feeling.
In high school, I signed up for a photography class, but the camera I had planned on using, an old Leica of my Dad’s, didn’t work, so I had to drop out. I bought myself an SLR camera as soon as I started working. However, I didn’t really hone my skills as a photographer until after I moved back to Oregon and had more time to devote to photography - learning more about the camera as a tool and just getting out there and taking photos.
White Faced Ibis Flock Rising, No. 1
(Burns, Oregon) © Belinda Greb |
Zebras at Chudob Waterhole
(Etosha National Park, Namibia) © Belinda Greb |
You have incredible shots of wildlife! Do you have a close-call or unusual story you'd like to share concerning your shots in this arena?
I try not to have close-calls. I photograph animals because I love them, and I want others to love them...so the last thing I want to do is put them at risk. That is the beauty of telephoto lenses. Of course an animal will know you’re there, often before you even know they are there, but I want to respect their boundaries. If I feel I am making them uncomfortable, I will back off.
I rarely photograph animals in captive situations because I find those situations generally sad - more importantly, I learn and understand so much more about the animals when I see them in a natural habitat or naturally interacting with each other. For instance, if I’m out photographing wild horses, I don’t want to make them run. Sometimes they might, if they have foals or they are unsure about my presence, but I don’t try to instigate that behavior for my photography. Of course, sometimes, you catch them playing or fighting with each other and those are experiences I’m so grateful to be able to observe.
That being said, I had one close call when I was first renewing my interest in photography. While exploring Grand Teton National Park, I got up at dawn one morning to walk near a trail above Jackson Lake. I wanted to get some morning shots of the lake and the Grand Tetons. As I was heading back, a big black bear came out of the trees. It was about 50 yards away. I froze, and as the bear wove back into the trees, I dropped to the ground, flat on my stomach with my hands over my head. I was following the instructions that were posted all around the area. (I later learned those are mainly instructions for grizzly bears not black bears.) Fortunately, the bear ignored me. It gave no sign it was even aware of me, but its proximity was frightening and exhilarating at the same time. I didn’t even have my telephoto lens with me. The one shot I took was blurry since I took the picture with the camera at my stomach, not wanting to make any sudden movement to bring the camera to my eye.
I try not to have close-calls. I photograph animals because I love them, and I want others to love them...so the last thing I want to do is put them at risk. That is the beauty of telephoto lenses. Of course an animal will know you’re there, often before you even know they are there, but I want to respect their boundaries. If I feel I am making them uncomfortable, I will back off.
I rarely photograph animals in captive situations because I find those situations generally sad - more importantly, I learn and understand so much more about the animals when I see them in a natural habitat or naturally interacting with each other. For instance, if I’m out photographing wild horses, I don’t want to make them run. Sometimes they might, if they have foals or they are unsure about my presence, but I don’t try to instigate that behavior for my photography. Of course, sometimes, you catch them playing or fighting with each other and those are experiences I’m so grateful to be able to observe.
That being said, I had one close call when I was first renewing my interest in photography. While exploring Grand Teton National Park, I got up at dawn one morning to walk near a trail above Jackson Lake. I wanted to get some morning shots of the lake and the Grand Tetons. As I was heading back, a big black bear came out of the trees. It was about 50 yards away. I froze, and as the bear wove back into the trees, I dropped to the ground, flat on my stomach with my hands over my head. I was following the instructions that were posted all around the area. (I later learned those are mainly instructions for grizzly bears not black bears.) Fortunately, the bear ignored me. It gave no sign it was even aware of me, but its proximity was frightening and exhilarating at the same time. I didn’t even have my telephoto lens with me. The one shot I took was blurry since I took the picture with the camera at my stomach, not wanting to make any sudden movement to bring the camera to my eye.
I Got Your Back - Bear Cubs, No. 4
(Brown Bears at Lake Clark National Park, Alaska) © Belinda Greb |
Family Time
(A Family of Wild Horses from the Palomino Butte Herd, Oregon ) © Belinda Greb |
What do you hope to inspire through your work?
I want to inspire people to appreciate, respect and protect the natural environment that we have left and to understand that animals are sentient beings who have social structures as complex and emotional as our own. Too many of us are divorced from nature and tend not to think about it.
Last fall, I traveled to Namibia and Botswana. I stayed for a couple of days at a conservancy that had multiple, southern white rhinoceroses butchered over a year ago, and there was a fear that another incident was imminent. The host and members of an anti-poaching team that were there explained that cartels hire locals to scout the areas. The horns are sold to China or other South Asian countries where people buy it for purposes based on superstition – virility, status, etc.
Everyone needs to be aware of animal-based products, such as down for pillows, leather for car seats, real fur used in clothing, etc. My hope is that people learn to make more conscious consumer decisions.
I want to inspire people to appreciate, respect and protect the natural environment that we have left and to understand that animals are sentient beings who have social structures as complex and emotional as our own. Too many of us are divorced from nature and tend not to think about it.
Last fall, I traveled to Namibia and Botswana. I stayed for a couple of days at a conservancy that had multiple, southern white rhinoceroses butchered over a year ago, and there was a fear that another incident was imminent. The host and members of an anti-poaching team that were there explained that cartels hire locals to scout the areas. The horns are sold to China or other South Asian countries where people buy it for purposes based on superstition – virility, status, etc.
Everyone needs to be aware of animal-based products, such as down for pillows, leather for car seats, real fur used in clothing, etc. My hope is that people learn to make more conscious consumer decisions.
Haystack and the Needles
(Rock Formations at Cannon Beach, Oregon) © Belinda Greb |
Wild Flowers and Mt. Rainier
(Mount Rainier National Park, Washington) © Belinda Greb |
Many artists love the creative work but are uncomfortable with the business aspects - promotion, pricing, shipping, etc. Please share a challenge you've managed to conquer.
This is so true! I am not the strongest person in regards to the business end of things.
One thing I have been doing well is sharing my work and my passion for nature on Twitter. I thought about what I wanted to accomplish, and I realized that I wanted to both showcase my work and promote consciousness. I pair images with the stories behind the images, inspirational quotes or educational information. It makes promoting my work more enjoyable for me and allows for a deeper engagement for the viewer as well.
This is so true! I am not the strongest person in regards to the business end of things.
One thing I have been doing well is sharing my work and my passion for nature on Twitter. I thought about what I wanted to accomplish, and I realized that I wanted to both showcase my work and promote consciousness. I pair images with the stories behind the images, inspirational quotes or educational information. It makes promoting my work more enjoyable for me and allows for a deeper engagement for the viewer as well.
