130 countries. 32 territories.

Countless international flights, boat trips, and hikes.

By Nicholas Niendorf, GEAS Guest Blogger

From Mongolia to Chile, Antarctica to the Northwest Passage, Marian Herz has been photographing flora and fauna across the globe for decades.

Often on the move, Herz recently returned from a four-week trip to Algeria, Tunisia, and Malta. “More of a cultural trip,” she said, although she finds birds everywhere she travels.

Herz, who is presenting on birds she’s encountered in Botswana and Zambia to Golden Eagle Audubon on April 18th, was a nature lover before she became a traveler. That passion for the outdoors blossomed when she was seven and attended a Girl Scouts camp in Sparta, New Jersey.

“We went two weeks every year and that was like the highlight of my year,” Herz said. “So I would say that's probably where it started really solidifying.”

It Started with a Kodak Retina 1a

It was a perfect match when Herz got her first camera at age 10—a Kodak Retina 1a—and she began documenting the world around her. After years as more of a hobbyist photographer, things changed when she entered the Kodak International Salon of Photography.

“I won first place for amateurs in the nature print,” Herz said. “And so that was like, ‘Oh, wow, maybe I'm pretty good at this. And maybe I should try to get better.’”

Verdin by Marian Herz

Images from Around the World

She started HerzImages in the late ‘80s and has captured countless species since. Seeing penguins in the wild on a trip to Antarctica—one of her favorite destinations—helped convince Herz to take her photography abroad on a more regular basis.

“I said, ‘Well, you know, the world is changing, and I might not see them again, so I want to see all of them in the world, wherever they live,” Herz.

Herz has never kept a list of species she’s seen and she’s not one to get competitive about who’s seen what (although her list would likely be the envy of most birders on the planet).

It’s About the Pictures Not the Checklist

“Usually I separate from the group, and if I get one really good photo of one or two species I'm happy,” Herz said. “I don't need to go check off 25 species on that particular stop. It's more about getting a great picture of one species or two species.”

Rather than pulling out a field guide or Merlin after getting a shot, Herz prefers to keep her head on a swivel and save the identification for when she gets home, lest she risks missing the next piece of action. Photography is also a way for her to catch details she misses in the moment, whether it be an abnormal feather pattern, particularly goofy pose, or just a sweet interaction between a parent and its offspring.

It all boils down to Herz’s focus on staying present and in tune with her surroundings, whether she’s taking in the sights or actively photographing. Oftentimes that involves a lot of waiting, which she says is critical for getting the perfect shot.

Lilac-breasted Roller by Marian Herz

“My motto is just be patient, you have to sit there in one spot, and watch and see what's happening,” Herz said. “You can find the food source or the water source, but then just sit there and wait. One picture I took of a bellbird in New Zealand, it took four and a half hours. And I heard the bird, but I didn't get a good shot for four and a half hours. So you just have to be patient.”

Join Golden Eagle Audubon on April 18 at 6:30 pm at Idaho Fish and Game (600 S Walnut St, Boise) for Marian’s presentation on Birds of Botswana.

Photos courtesy of Marian Herz

GEAS volunteer Nick Niendorf is originally from Illinois and enjoys bird feeding, movies, and writing in his free time.