Author Earl Nottingham was chief photographer for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for twenty-five years. With Wild Focus, Nottingham shares images that he captured during that time as part of the Department’s mission: “To manage and conserve the natural and cultural resources of Texas and to provide hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation opportunities for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.”
Divided into three sections (Wild Places, Wild Things, and Faces), this impressive anthology includes approximately 200 photographs representing the state’s magnificent diversity, as well as essays contributed by Carter P. Smith and Lydia Saldaña regarding Texas conservation and the legacy of visual storytelling.
Among the captivating images that Nottingham shares are panoramic views of Palo Duro Canyon, distant thunderstorms in the Davis Mountains, Aztec caves in Franklin Mountains State Park, a cattle drive at Big Bend Ranch States Park, and horses grazing at the Texas-Mexico border wall near Brownsville. He also shares heartwarming images of sea turtles being returned to the Gulf of Mexico, a delicate hummingbird being tagged and released in Rockport, and student volunteers planting new pine seedlings following the Bastrop State Park wildfires.
A beautiful tribute to the natural wonders of Texas and the individuals who care for them.
About the Author
Earl Nottingham, former chief photographer of Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, is known for his work in Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine. His photography has appeared in numerous state and national publications including Texas Highways, Texas Monthly, Southern Living, National Geographic Traveler, and Smithsonian Guide to America.
Publisher: Texas A&M University Press (December 6, 2021)