You are here

The Sarcastic Lens: An Ordinary Couple's Photographic Journey Through The Animal Kingdom

Author : Richard & Amy Lynn
Published : 2014

Going through this photo-rich book, one can't help but envy the travels Richard and Amy Lynn took to collect the images of more than 100 wildlife species, many captured in their national park habitats.

They visited Caraca National Park in Brazil for shots of a Maned Wolf, traveled to Keoladeo National Park in India to snap some frames of Pond Herons, and trekked to Mantadia National Park in Madagascar for images of Panther Chameleons.

And that's just for starters.

The Sarcastic Lens: An Ordinary Couple's Photographic Journey Through the Animal Kingdom is a self-published collection of vacation shots, though taken with a bent to capture the animal in its wild state.

Launched by a 1985 visit to Kenya, where the couple shot 41 rolls of film, the book should not be expected to be a professional's tightly focused and edited work product. Rather, as you're paging through its images, imagine that you're sitting with your aunt or uncle going through their vacation shots.

As for the "sarcasm"?

"This book tries to weave our sarcastic view of life throughout the content," Richard notes in the foreword. "After all, with all those hours patiently waiting for wildlife to appear, what better way to pass the time than with a few sarcastic comments? And animals are a perfect foil for this, because they cannot be insulted. They do not pout and vow never to speak to you again. Of course, they could jump out of some hiding place when you least expect it and try and eat one of us. Then, hopefully, as the joke goes, at least the other one will get a very good picture."

Some of Richard's sarcasm surfaces alongside photos of brown bears he took at Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska.

In explaining the need for several plane flights to reach Katmai, he notes that, "Often you must do this through challenging weather conditions. In fact, when I went, the first flight was delayed while we waited for a special fog pilot. A special fog pilot? Talk about a good news, bad news situation. The good news: they are bringing in a special pilot expertly trained to handle such adverse conditions. The bad news: I will be flying in such adverse weather conditions that such a specialized, expert pilot is required."

Not all the images in the book are sharp and crisp. That, no doubt, is partially the result of what the couple had to go through to get the shot. For instance, explains Richard, "In order to photograph Komodo dragons, we flew to South Korea, then to Malaysia, then to Bali, and then to Flores, Indonesia. From Flores we then took a four-hour boat ride to get to Komodo Island. We did not do all that to then have the Komodo dragon not make the book. It may be only a reptile, but the difficulty factor ensured the Komodo dragon a lofty spot in the first 100 (animals)."

An editor in a publishing house no doubt would have been more scrupulous in deciding what should, and should not, go into this book. Indeed, if the Lynns took a more disciplined approach, the result likely would have been a more alluring coffee table book.

Still, who wouldn't want to compile their favorite images, whether of wildlife, landscapes, or urban areas, in their own book? The roads we travel in our lives make up who we are, and pictures taken along those roads do a great service in helping to define us.

The Lynns, obviously, love to travel and love wildlife. And it shows.

Add comment

The Essential RVing Guide

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

The National Parks RVing Guide, aka the Essential RVing Guide To The National Parks, is the definitive guide for RVers seeking information on campgrounds in the National Park System where they can park their rigs. It's available for free for both iPhones and Android models.

This app is packed with RVing specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 parks.

You'll also find stories about RVing in the parks, some tips if you've just recently turned into an RVer, and some planning suggestions. A bonus that wasn't in the previous eBook or PDF versions of this guide are feeds of Traveler content: you'll find our latest stories as well as our most recent podcasts just a click away.

So whether you have an iPhone or an Android, download this app and start exploring the campgrounds in the National Park System where you can park your rig.