After 5: Art Review: Call of the Wild

On display through April is the work of Missouri Department of Conservation photojournalist Noppadol Paothong.

The photos capture a wide variety of animals – a rugged bison, a soft cardinal, a glaring mountain lion and a harmless dragonfly – and natural landscapes, such as flowing streams and flowering pastures. With each shot, it’s clear that the artist goes to great lengths to become one with the subject and setting.

Some images took three hours of waiting, and others required wading through marshes or waist-deep waters.

“That’s the hard part about being a wildlife photographer – you can’t control your subject,” Paothong says.

Sometimes Paothong visualizes what he wants; other times, images just happen “by nature, by luck,” he adds. “But you can make luck happen by being there and being consistent.”

Up close

The pictures seem to blend in with the Nature Center’s surroundings, perhaps because of the low-key display (it’s not an art gallery, after all) or perhaps because of the content (there’s nature all around them). These images would have much greater impact in larger formats – the largest prints are 20-by-30 inches.

Still, they’re engaging, educational and bring viewers close to nature.

Paothong lets viewers into his mind by providing background of each picture: location, time of day, strategy and sometimes history about the animal species or landscape. And for budding photographers, Paothong provides his “technical tips,” sharing the type of camera, lens and particular settings and lighting techniques used to achieve the desired photo.

“I just want to give people inspiration, and I want people to learn something,” Paothong says. “I learn from people all the time, and I appreciate getting tips.”

Nature Center Manager Linda Chorice says that viewers are stopping to read about the stories behind the images.

“People love it,” Chorice says of Paothong’s work, adding that six to eight exhibits are on display each year and most are photographs.

The next exhibit is of pencil sketches coming in May.

About the Photographer

Noppadol Paothong is a Thailand native, who has been a professional photographer for six years. He worked for the Joplin Globe and Springfield News-Leader before taking the full-time photojournalist job at Missouri Department of Conservation in Jefferson City. Paothong is responsible for images in the department’s monthly magazine, Missouri Conservationist, and in department books, calendars and post cards. He also freelances for Field & Stream, National Wildlife and Shooting Sportsman magazines.

Big Gig

Paothong is preparing a portfolio of his work to send later this month to National Geographic. Paothong has received word that the magazine is interested in working with him.

Editor’s Picks

Best of Show

“Spring Thunderstorm,” taken at Diamond Grove Prairie, right, near Joplin

This one jumps off the wall more than any other print. There is sudden contrast between a purple flower and a moth sitting atop and the storm rolling in behind it.

Incidentally, this image is Paothong’s favorite, and it earned him three national awards. “It looks so surreal,” he says, noting that it took 60 frames to get the desired result. “That was the last frame I took because that was a tornado in the background.”

Most Engaging

“Eye on You,” taken at Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge, in northwest Missouri

The piercing eyes of a least bittern bird cause a double-take. The image also has abstract values to it. Paothong traveled through marshes to catch the elusive bird in its “bittern stance,” with its head positioned vertically.

Most Powerful

“Rising from Winter Storm,” taken at Prairie State Park, near Lamar

How does a small herd of bison staring you down make you feel? The bison in this picture would be downright intimidating on a larger format image. The photographer calls this one a dream come true; he’d always wanted to capture bison in the snow. He was rewarded with this picture after spending four days scouting and a few hours at one spot amid seven inches of ice and -10 F wind chill.

“I spent the next few hours walking ahead of them,” he says.

Event Details

What: Nature photos exhibit by Noppadol Paothong, a Missouri Department of Conservation photojournalist

Where: Springfield Nature Center, 4600 S. Chrisman, near Glenstone Avenue and James River Freeway

When: The Nature Center lobby is open 8 a.m.–5 p.m. daily

Cost: None[[In-content Ad]]