Photographers take viewers into the wild at ‘Extreme Exposure’ exhibit at Annenberg Space for Photography

Clyde Butcher thinks nothing of spending hours in an alligator-infested Florida swamp to capture the perfect image. Paul Nicklen will brave sub-zero temperatures while submerged in arctic waters for an up-close encounter with its unique inhabitants. Michael Nichols treks into African jungles and spends days camped out in a tree to get the perfect shot of a lowland gorilla.

One gets the idea that these are not your ordinary shutterbugs.

These photographers’ unique and stunning images are on display in the exhibit “Extreme Exposure” at the Annenberg Space for Photography. Whether they’re dancing eruptions of scalding lava captured by Donna and Stephen O’Meara or leopard seals and polar bears inches from a camera lens or a 300-foot Californian redwood that took 19 days and 84 composite shots to piece together, the photographs taken by these five photographers require going where few others would.

“We are not on a suicide mission,” says Stephen O’Meara. “But volcanoes don’t just erupt up. You can be 10 miles away and be incinerated in 90 seconds, and we have definitely been in that 90-second zone.”

The O’Mearas, who were married on the slopes of the volcano Kilauea in Hawaii, have dedicated their lives to photographing volcanic eruptions and educating people about the dangers.

“We are so thrilled to be a part of this exhibit,” says Donna O’Meara from their home in Volcano Village on the big island of Hawaii. “I think what unites us is our goals go far beyond taking images. We all live on the edge and we all have a passion to show the Earth.”

“I’m really considered the person that has brought the swamps to the public,” says Butcher, speaking from his home and gallery in the Big Cypress National Preserve in Florida. “People would always just shoot gators and birds and think that’s what Florida is about. Most people don’t want to get out into the swamps, but it’s as primeval a place as you can find and it’s beautiful.”

Butcher shoots in black and white on a big format camera that was first used back in the Civil War. It means lugging 65 pounds of equipment into the swamp and waiting days for the right exposure. “People think I’m a dinosaur,” the affable photographer says laughing. “But digital can’t compete with the quality I get on film.”

Visitors to the exhibit will also learn why he has chosen to shoot exclusively in black and white. “When I first came to the Everglades I was still shooting in color, but when we lost our 17-year-old son in a drunk driving accident in 1986 it made me refocus and I realized black and white has much more impact. My photos say everything in nature has the same importance and that’s what black and white brings to it. You see the whole image, not just a blue sky or green space.”

The Annenberg Space for Photography, which opened last year, is a state of the art building that incorporates new technology to showcase its exhibits.

“I think people expect bamboo floors and white walls like a traditional gallery but it’s quite different than that,” says Leonard Aube, executive director of the Annenberg Foundation, which supports the Space for Photography. “We wanted to also embrace the digital world and really push the limits.”

Beyond the exhibit of 93 prints, there is also a circular rotunda in the heart of the space that forms a digital gallery framed by two large 7-by-14-foot screens projecting in high definition Blu-ray. They continuously stream 823 additional images from the featured photographers. There are also Microsoft surface tables, which give the chance to manipulate and interact with the photos.

“This is really unique,” says Butcher. “I’ve displayed my work in many different galleries but never in this quantity. It’s a great way to get the message of the environment out there in a very small space.”

A 20-minute documentary shot especially for the installation allows the photographers to tell their own stories and explain their work. “We incorporate them heavily into the experience for the visitor,” says Aube. “I think when you hear them speak about their lives you feel a much more intimate connection to the work.”

“This is not just a picture gallery. This is full-body immersion — a mind-body-soul experience,” says Donna O’Meara. “I don’t think anything prepares you for the visual impact. When I first saw how they put this together, it made me cry. It was so emotional. It’s like photographic heaven.”

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