Day to Night: In the Field with Steven Wilkes

A photography exhibition showcasing stunning images by Stephen Wilkes that capture the passage of time. The exhibition features expansive and powerful mega-prints of captivating bird migrations, measuring roughly 7 feet tall and 12 feet wide.

The prints focus on migratory species and their habitats that are under threat due to climate change and human impact, such as commercial fishing and menacing tourists. Visitors get an intimate look at: Black-browed albatrosses, Northern gannets, Sandhill cranes, and Lesser flamingos. 

Behind the scenes of each massive image, visitors learn about the species, the location where Wilkes photographed them, and what makes them integral to the ecosystem. Wilkes’ photography can be used as an instrument for change, inspiring solutions to help protect species and habitats that are at risk.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website 

Image: Black-browed albatrosses and southern rockhopper penguins, STEEPLE JASON, FALKLAND ISLANDS  
Albatrosses roost by the sea, sharing the grassy incline with penguins. While these albatrosses sit on their nests, warming and protecting their chicks, their partners soar above the ocean, swooping down to catch prey. The birds winter on the Patagonian Shelf and in estuaries in Argentina, and return to the same colony. To reach this remote location, Wilkes made his way through a phalanx of angry striated caracaras. Standing on a mound of tussac grass for a better vantage, he took 926 photos in 26 hours, using about 80 to make this image. PHOTOGRAPHED WITH PERMISSION OF THE WILDLIFE CONSERVATION SOCIETY.  Photo by Stephen Wilkes/National Geographic