PICTURES ARE PARAMOUNT

HANG GLIDER DESCENDING IN FRONT OF A HUGE SAND DUNE, SOSSUSVLEI, NAMIBIA

By Elizabeth Shane

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JIM ZUCKERMAN

GWALIOR FORT, GWALIOR, INDIA

Photography is an art that captures true beauty in the eyes of the beholder at a particular moment in time. It is a creative expression used to capture stunning and awe-inspiring moments. Jim Zuckerman, a Franklin resident, has a gift for capturing those moments locally and around the globe.

CHEETAH MOTHER AND CUBS, MASAI MARA NATIONAL RESERVE, KENYA

In 1970, Zuckerman left his medical studies to pursue his love of photography. With no formal training in art, it took several years to develop his style and learn how to market his work. His photography has been highly sought after for the past five decades and has been published in hundreds of magazines including the National Geographic Society, Time-Life, Conde-Nast Traveler, Life Magazine, The Economist, and Outdoor Photographer. Zuckerman’s work has also been sold to jigsaw puzzle manufacturers, poster companies, greeting card publishers, mural companies, corporate annual reports, calendar publishers, and advertising agencies and he has also penned more than 26 books about photography.

FEMALE SNOWY OWL IN FLIGHT, NORTHERN CANADA

6-YEAR-OLD GIRL PARTICIPATING IN THE JEMBER FASHION CARNAVAL, JEMBER, EAST JAVA INDONESIA

STAIRCASE IN THE LELLO BOOKSTORE, PORTO, PORTUGAL

Many years ago, Zuckerman realized amateur photographers wanted to travel and take beautiful pictures of wonderful places and unique subjects. Because of this demand, he began leading photography tours, first domestically and then internationally, in which he teaches clients how to take stunning photographs in a wide variety of locations. As he explains, “My philosophy in leading photo tours is simple. The pictures are paramount. The people who travel with me know they will take the best pictures of their lives.”

VEILED WOMAN IN MOROCCO, "THE BLUE CITY"

Zuckerman seeks to capture the beauty of our world, leaving the dark side of life to other photographers. He never specialized in a particular genre of picture taking, but his diversity of subject matter is unique in the professional area. He says, “It’s all about taking great photographs.”

HORSES OF THE CAMARGUE RUNNING AT THE CAMERA THROUGH THE MARSH, SOUTHERN FRANCE

Groups are typically small, with 6-10 people, and as a result of his exhaustive research and decades of traveling, his clients are privileged to see and photograph spectacular things such as African wildlife, interiors of awesome cathedrals, dazzling festivals, colorful birds, and exotic cultures. Zuckerman instructs them on which lenses to use, how to overcome exposure challenges such as when shooting on snow, what camera settings to use for capturing action, how to photograph the Milky Way, and how to set up an HDR sequence to reveal as much detail as possible in contrasty lighting conditions.

Zuckerman leads domestic photo tours which include intriguing destinations such as the Louisiana swamps, the Hudson River Valley, the Bisti Badlands of New Mexico, autumn in Vermont, and lighthouses in New England. His international tours span the globe, and they encompass exotic destinations like Morocco, Mongolia, Namibia, Uzbekistan, and Indonesia.

ST. MAGDALENA VILLAGE AND THE DOLOMITE RANGE, NORTHERN ITALY

For great architecture, Zuckerman’s favorite destinations are Europe and Russia. The castles, palaces, and cathedrals are awe-inspiring. For spectacular wildlife photography, there is nothing like the plains of East and Southern Africa, but he also loves the Pantanal region of Brazil where wild jaguars hunt caiman in serpentine rivers and where there is a tremendous diversity of magnificent birds. For unparalleled photography of people, there is no place like India according to Zuckerman. When it comes to landscapes, his favorite places for breathtaking scenery are the American Southwest, Patagonia, Central China, and the Dolomite Range in Northern Italy. For seemingly going back in time 20,000 years, nothing compares to the Omo River Valley in Ethiopia.

TWILIGHT IN THE VILLAGE OF VERNAZZA ON THE CINQUE TERRE COAST, ITALY

PARTICIPANTS IN CANIVAL IN A MEDIEVAL PALACE, VENICE, ITALY

Photography tours are a complete immersion experience. Leisurely breakfasts and lazy time by the pool are not on the agenda. Zuckerman always tells his clients they can rest when they get home! Often groups are up very early to capture dawn and sunrise lighting and sometimes bad roads have to be covered to get to a particularly great waterfall, ice cave, tribal village, or landscape viewpoint. Winter photography means clients have to prepare for the serious cold, and at other times extreme heat typical of deserts and tropical rainforests have to be tolerated. In a large city with a dynamic skyline, night photography might keep the group out late. When foreign models have been scheduled, such as a ballerina in Cuba, Balinese dancers in Indonesia, an eagle hunter galloping on a horse with his golden eagle in Mongolia, clients have to understand the meal schedule has to be flexible. Everyone knows and understands on one of Zuckerman’s tours, they will return home with a wealth of remarkable images. It’s all about taking outstanding photographs and experiencing the world in ways most people never do.

For information on an upcoming tour or workshop, visit jimzuckerman.com. You can also subscribe to a free monthly eMagazine, Photo Insights, which features articles on photography and Photoshop.