ARTIST STATEMENT While I love photographing nature in general, birds hold a special place in my heart. The beauty of birds has been both appreciated and exploited throughout history. We are living in an age of conservation, a time when photography can highlight the fight to save the natural world from destruction and the ethereal beauty none of us should live without seeing in our lifetime. I choose beauty. I study and observe birds year round, particularly during the breeding season when bill colors change and feathers sway in the wind to attract a mate. This style of artwork never fails to create conversation with the viewer, allowing me to explain the importance of these birds to the ecosystem they live in. My photographs are taken in natural environments, the wildlife exhibiting natural behaviors. The artsy twist with backdrops creates a piece that enhances a living space or workspace. My goal with this work is that a little peice of the conservation message lives on, and that the stories I tell about my time in the field with these magnificent creatures will be retold. ARTIST BIO Jackie Schletter is a nature photographer that enjoys exploring the essence of her subjects, often birds, in her creative style of artful photography and post processing. Her award-winning photographs are regularly juried into exhibitions in the US and abroad. Her work has been awarded by the American Photographic Artists, the American Society of Media Photographers and the International Photographic Awards amongst others, and recently two category winners in the FotoNostrum Julia Margaret Cameron Award for Women Photographers. Photography has been a lifelong love fostered from a young age; after almost 20 years in veterinary medicine Jackie began once again pursuing her love of photography as a means to create nature based art and raise awareness of our vanishing natural world. She also leads photography workshops as well as providing individual mentoring for other enthusiastic photographers. In 2022 she completed the Lowcountry Master Naturalist curriculum to learn more about her unique coastal environment.