Florida's Springs & Rivers

In this episode of Wild Developments Studio, wildlife photographer Linda Wilinski shares her insights on capturing the essence of nature and the importance of conservation through photography. From her favorite gear and techniques to her most memorable wildlife encounters, Linda provides a glimpse into how passion and respect for the natural world shape her work. Tune in to learn how to deepen your connection with nature and become a better steward of the environment.

Linda's Website
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Wild Wisdom:

1. Passion Fuels Connection

   Photography is more than equipment—it's about passion. A deep connection with your subject brings out the best in your work and allows you to communicate the heart of nature to your audience.

2. Be a Steward of the Environment

   Whether you're a photographer or not, each of us has a role in conservation. Small actions like planting native species, reducing fertilizer use, and supporting conservation organizations can make a big difference.

3. Spend Time Observing Nature 

   The more time you spend in nature, the deeper your understanding of it will grow. Respect the space of the animals you encounter, and you'll be rewarded with incredible moments that few people experience.

Let’s hear your story! Click here to submit your tale.

 New England Fall Foliage Trip: October 13-19, 2024
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Intro & Outro: Bernie Baggs

Transcript

That's the best connection by being out there and witnessing from small little insects to big, 

you know, predators. 

I mean, it's all connected. 

Welcome to Wild Development Studio. 

Join us as we venture into the breathtaking realm of wildlife arts and untamed adventures. 

With captivating stories from the field and ideas to dive into the visual arts, 

we'll ignite your passion for conservation. 

Conservation. Get ready to develop something wild. 

Welcome to Wild Developments. 

I'm your guide, Lauren, and today I am thrilled to introduce Linda Walensky, 

an award -winning wildlife photographer and conservationist dedicated to protecting Florida's freshwater springs and rivers. 

Linda's work, which has been featured in prestigious exhibits at Lou Gardens, Mount Dora, 

and Cedar Keys Art Center, tells powerful stories of natural Florida. 

Florida through breathtaking imagery. 

As a certified Florida Master Naturalist and Spring. 

Ambassador, she uses her art to raise awareness and inspire others to become environmental stewards. 

Her passion for conservation extends beyond photography. 

She is a board member of the. 

Rainbow River Conservation and works closely with organizations like the International Otter. 

Survival Fund. Linda's love for nature began in childhood and that deep connection has fueled fueled her journey as a conservation photographer. 

She captures the beauty of wild spaces with respect, putting the well -being of wildlife first. 

Through her lectures, photography, and advocacy, Linda hopes to inspire us all to take action and protect the natural world before it's too late. 

Hi, Linda. 

Thank you for being here today. 

Hey, Lauren. 

How are you? 

I'm doing good. 

How are you? 

Good. 

Good. 

Are you currently in Florida? 

Yes, I am. 

You're so lucky. 

Central Florida. 

Yeah. 

I'm stuck in ohio oh yeah have the manatees all left the area pretty much uh once the water you know gets over 68they move out and go back in the ocean mostly but there are some that stick around in the in the spring fed rivers so just so our listeners know you are a conservation photographer. 

What got you started in this line of business? 

My husband and I moved to a spring fed river about three years ago. 

We've been on the river camping and things like that. 

But once we actually lived here and I saw the wildlife and the water itself on a daily basis, 

I wanted to do something more than just take pictures. 

I wanted to tell a story because I felt like I needed to connect people with what we have here. 

I'm glad you said that because I wanted to ask you, in your opinion, 

what is the difference between just photography and conservation photography? 

You know, you don't have to work for National Geographic because a lot of people are intimidated by that title, 

conservation. 

I am intimidated by itself, too. 

But it really is just telling a story behind the picture so it goes beyond the pretty image and I always tell people I'm flattered when people say oh that's such a beautiful picture but if someone goes out there and tries to advocate for those places that is really the biggest thing that I'm aiming for so I use my photography as a bridge to tell the story about the things that I care about. 

And you did a photograph for Riverside Conservancy for. 

Manatee Rescue, the last stand of a Florida treasure. 

What message was conveyed through that photograph? 

So the picture has a funny story. 

I almost deleted it because it wasn't the quality that I wanted. 

So I'm very short. 

And in order to do that split image, I had to like propel myself with my fins to the surface and once I was in on the surface for you know split seconds I just clicked the shutter button so um you know the image isn't as great as I wanted it to be but it had the drama it had the feeling and I think that's why River Conservancy really wanted that picture because um it was dramatic in a way because there's this lonely lonely manatee by itself in a spring and. 

You know, springs are in trouble. 

So it wasn't the cheery little cute, you know, manatee swimming up to people. 

It was a lonely manatee and we don't know kind of what happened to the mom. 

Did it starve? 

You know, things like that. 

So I think they chose it because it made people think more. 

Excellent. I travel to Crystal River every year, at least. 

We love that area. 

It is so beautiful with all the nature and how the manatees come in by the hundreds every year when it gets cold. 

I know I personally love manatees. 

Why do you feel passionately about sharing their story? 

I think they're the posted child of Florida Springs. 

Everybody loves them because of their gentle demeanor that they have. 

And I think for people to really be compassionate about preserving something they have to love it first and the manatee is just the perfect example of of you know love and one big chunky mermaid absolutely agree uh so is photography your full -time profession or do you do something else unfortunately it's not um i still work for the state of florida but um plan to retire within within the next five years and right now it's just a beautiful hobby that I have and I greatly enjoy what is your favorite animal to photograph otters absolutely I mean otters and more otters and they're because they are a conservation story in itself we've pretty much tried to kill them off in any way that we could. 

First, they were hunted almost to extinction. 

Then we poisoned the waterways and then we eradicated a lot of wetlands, 

but they're still here. 

So I feel like it's not just their charismatic demeanor that they have, 

but it's also, it's a story of hope because they're still here. 

So what is it about the otter that you love photographing? 

Everything about them. 

I mean, from the tail flipping into the air to them crunching down on the crayfish, 

you know, feeding, teaching their offspring how to how to swim and how to feed. 

It's it's incredible. 

So I'm very, very fortunate to be able to to see that. 

And I've missed a lot of photo opportunities in order to somehow establish a connection. 

Connection, I think some of the images only happened because of that, because I wasn't chasing after the shot. 

It was more like, okay, I'm in their home. 

You know, I don't want to make myself feel unwelcome or, you know, 

storm in their little house. 

It's just, I was just gently knocking on their door and say, hey, 

do you mind having me? 

And they did. 

I was accepted. 

So but that comes with a lot of respect for the wildlife and like I said a lot of missed photo opportunities I was going to say I've been to Florida many times and I think that's one of the few animals I have yet to see in the wild did you have to do that by kayak or do you have a special spot that you go because I imagine they're a pretty skittish animal yes absolutely and very very fast. 

So I'm usually, I'm yeah, a hundred percent on my kayak. 

Um, there was an incident where, um, the otters were actually on a dock and, 

um, I padded upstream and let myself drift down and took a picture and then drifted, 

padded back up, drifted back down. 

So, um, you know, and I got closer and closer, the more I realized they're no longer like paying attention to me. 

You know, with wildlife, I always see there's three different stages. 

First, they're cautious, right? 

And then they become curious and then they become comfortable. 

So those three things I always keep in mind. 

So the otters actually let me hold on to the dock and I had my camera lens rested on the dock to shoot the images. 

But that's a very rare occasion. 

Well you thought it was an amazing amazing experience yeah you bring up an excellent point though because people looking at a picture of an animal i mean that is a split second in time but they don't understand all the hours in time that it takes sitting in a place or getting in the animals used to your presence in order to map that picture so yeah that's great that that you were able to do that. 

Do you have any other tips for anybody that would like to do wildlife photography? 

Put yourself in the animal's shoes. 

I think that is really the biggest thing. 

Conservation photography should be done ethically. 

Sometimes you don't gain friends with that. 

The reason I'm saying this is because sometimes I don't disclose locations just because it's a a sensitive area um you know and people tend to not like that you know they're like well you got to take a picture I want to take a picture but um especially with offspring um I got to the point where I don't even um post any type of offspring pictures in certain areas until they're kind of more grown and they don't depend on the mom as much to you know not because I want to just you you know. 

Be my pictures, but it's because I don't want to add any more stress to the, 

to the mom and trying to raise her baby. 

So it's, um, it's always good to keep in mind the wildlife comes first. 

Um, and the sec, the second is the shot. 

So, um, that's my biggest advice. 

And because, um, eventually you will get rewarded for those missed opportunities. 

It really does come around I cannot say that enough beautiful and I was going to bring up because manatees are federally protected what are some considerations that you have to take into account when taking pictures of these animals because I being in Crystal River I've seen people from very much out of town grabbing babies and doing all sorts of things that they really should should not be doing um because like you said they're they're so gentle and uh that kind of puts them in a position where they can get mistreated like that so what are some special considerations you have to you know it's a it's a touchy subject literally yeah so um i avoid crystal river most of the time just because um. 

Just because it's, it's a sensitive thing, but I do think that everybody needs to be on the water and see them for the first time. 

But over time, I think, you know, less being on the water is better. 

And it's also important for people to realize that, that um manatees have had a hard time with seagrasses and things like that so they literally have to choose between feeding themselves or staying warm and the manatees choose to stay warm while starving so when we're out there um in a spring and there's no vegetation and we're you you know. 

Chasing after them, they're not only losing their energy, but we're also risking them to have cold stress. 

So it's very, you know, you always have to put yourself in the manatees or in the wildlife's shoes. 

Do you really need to be there? 

Do you really need to be that close? 

And at what price does it come? 

So I think, you know, over the last winter, I decided to challenge myself to take pictures without being in the water. 

I'm not saying that nobody should swim with manatees. 

I think it's a beautiful experience. 

But because I've done it plenty of times, I felt like I needed to lessen my impact as well. 

So I took that challenge to myself to take the pictures out of my kayak. 

So what I did was I kayaked in the area where there's manatees, 

but without really really exactly seeing the manatees on the water. 

I just dumped my heavy underwater housing into the water and just kept shooting. 

And luckily some of the images turned out, but, um, I, I, it felt really, 

really fulfilling because I reduced my impact and I felt like it was just a better way to, 

you know, photograph them. 

I saw that video on YouTube. 

Tube I was going to ask you about that because you are essentially shooting that footage blind which is super impressive because the footage was absolutely incredible I did you waste a lot of film because you were like your angle was off or anything or it was just like time and patience and everything came together for you um a lot of um a lot of motrin for back pain because of holding. 

Of holding the, the heavy underwater housing, you know, you know, in and out of the kayak. 

But, um, it would, it was a lot of images. 

It was a lot of images that I also deleted just because I really didn't know, 

you know, the pose that they had or if they were close, if they were far away. 

Um, but it was, it was almost like a Christmas present, you know, 

you didn't know what it was in the package until I got the SD card out and looked at it on my laptop. 

So I was pleasantly surprised. 

Yeah, I in the footage was incredible, like I said, and then anybody that's listening, 

I'm going to be tagging that video in your website in the show description so they can check out your work because it is beautiful. 

Now, do you have a favorite piece of equipment that you use for photography? 

And it doesn't have to be like a specific camera or anything. 

It could could be a favorite bag or hiking shoes or anything like that you know I think my favorite tool is people that inspire me I I really listen to a lot of podcasts and my my circle of friends is also very inspiring so I know that's probably not the typical answer but um it's very it's very important to have passion I think in photography because I don't think you can photograph too many many things or feel deeply without having passion and kind of to to really show that in your images so besides that um i have my favorite above water for otters and other wildlife is of course a zoom lens 400millimeter just because it keeps me safe and it keeps the wildlife safe so um that's pretty much my my favorite and of course underwater i love underwater photography I have lots to learn. 

But, um, it's just so much fun because a lot of people don't get to see underwater. 

And for me to take images and show people that will never snorkel and show them what it looks like. 

And it's, it's really, really my favorite. 

So you do all snorkeling and I know you do from the kayak, 

like you were saying, but do you scuba dive at all? 

No, I don't. 

I stay on the surface, just snorkeling. 

Story do you have any safety considerations are you going out with somebody else yeah it's it's funny because people always ask me they're like you know you swim with sharks and you swim with an alligator in the everglades and aren't you scared and i always tell them i said i -75is scary you know if you look if you look at the statistics you know there's about four thousand car accidents or fatalities in a year versus alligator attacks. 

Maybe 20in the last 30.

40years. So, you know, I always kind of try to put that in perspective. 

Of course, you know, common sense. 

The wildlife has an instinctive fear of people, but it's always good not to, 

you know, snorkel at dusk or dawn, you know, feeding time, things like that. 

Don't get too close to a mama gator you know because you know what she's gonna do so common sense um is is is a it's a really good safety thing yes i agree now i find there are two schools of thought for wildlife photographers when it comes to iso do you do low iso or do you let that go go high? 

I think with every type of art, you kind of have to find your way and see what works for you. 

I usually do a high ISO. 

But again, everybody kind of has to figure out what works for them the most. 

With a friend of mine, he does amazing photography, but his settings are completely different than mine. 

Even though I would like to copy what he does, because I like his stuff so so much I found that if I have the setting his settings it doesn't come out the same it's it's kind of strange but I think um you find your your your way to to photograph things of course you know common you know ISO aperture and shutter I mean it's all you know depending on light but um to fine -tune it I think it's it's everybody's um own little thing to develop up I was taught to do a very low ISO and that does not work a lot of the times especially I've tried to get birds and insects in flight a lot of times so that doesn't usually work out too well for me so I went to high ISO and it I like it better but yeah like you said it's just a different style than somebody else is used to absolutely yeah so every time I travel I research local events and when I was in Crystal River in February I believe you were doing some sort of photography event or something and I think it was closed or like members only or something like that and I'm like oh man I really wanted to go oh see you should have called me yes it was uh it was a photography club that invited me and I was actually very intimidated by it because these are people that have done photography older than I am you know longer than I'm old so to go into this room full of professionals really and to tell them you know little things was very it was it was highly intimidating let's just say because I wasn't sure how they would react to it but obviously they wanted me there so it was very well received I I received a lot of clapping and emails follow -up emails after that thanking me for for my time and kind of widening their perspective on photography so it was very interesting it was a very very good experience I'm glad I did it because I almost didn't I'm like man what what can I teach those people you know that's fantastic I'm glad you followed through and continued to do it I mean that can be very intimidating especially when there are people that have you know they grew up on film and stuff like that exactly that's a whole another world of photography that yeah absolutely I am not used to uh do you have any special way to organize your your files because that is the most boring part of photography for me I hate that part you know my trick is to do it right away because I feel like that's that's it's just discipline part of discipline the first thing I do when I get off the water is to get it off the SD card and to put it in a folder depending on location and with otters I have found that I also need to do like a subfolder and depending on you know if I have a lot of images of of let's say the river I I have subfolders for animals and then I have subfolders for landscapes things like that because if I have a lot of images. 

I don't want to just go to this folder and look at 5,000pictures trying to, 

you know, find a landscape picture. 

So yeah, the more pictures I have, the more subfolders I have. 

That's, I think that's the best tip I can, I can give. 

Do you use Lightroom or anything like that? 

I do use Lightroom. 

I have not tried Photoshop and Lightroom has taken me about five years to convince myself I'm not cheating because I always felt like I'm like no but I didn't take it that way and a friend of mine just came up to me she's like you know Clyde Butcher has a dark room right and and what he does is kind of like a light room so then it clicked I'm like okay okay I'm okay I'm I'm okay using it. 

Yeah, somebody, when I was doing a photography class, they compared Lightroom to developing the film. 

And then I'm like, I was the same as you. 

I'm like, okay, now I'm okay with it. 

Yep. 

So if somebody wanted to get started in wildlife photography, what advice would you have for them? 

To really go outside and take in nature. 

I think that's the best connection by being out there and witnessing from small little insects to to big you know predators I mean it's it's all connected and the more you're out there the more you're going to understand and I see you do a lot of it looks like art shows is that been helpful for you to get your name out there I do art shows because it's like a necessary evil right you know I do about two two to three a year. 

I don't do too many just because my focus right now is not the monetary part. 

It's just, it's really educating people, but it does get the word out on, 

hey, you know, if you're interested, I'm giving this class. 

So it is a tool of making people aware and inviting them to any type of upcoming talks and things like that, 

because I give the talks free just just because I'm very passionate about educating people because I think that's when changes happen. 

Agreed. What are some of the things that you talk about? 

So I have a talk on conservation photography that just goes over, you know, 

how to photograph wildlife, what to do, what not to do, things like that. 

And then I also have a talk about. 

Florida in general with focus on freshwater springs. 

So that includes, you know, the good good pictures and the bad pictures because um i think part of conservation photography is not to just show the prettiness but also um show the perils that were uh that we're seeing in in in the decline of of springs what are some ways that we can be better stewards of florida springs because they are if nobody's listening if let me start that over again people that are listening thing. 

If you've not been to Florida Springs, they are absolutely pristine and gorgeous in some areas and in other areas they are heavily trafficked and polluted in some areas. 

What are some things that we can do to help them out? 

The first thing is it really starts in your backyard by planting natives. 

Wherever you live in Florida, you're impacting the aquifer. 

So it starts with planting natives because it reduces the fertilizer which is fueling you know that algae um also joining non -profits florida springs institute florida springs council any type of non -profit local group is always good um you know educating people adhering to the things that state parks ask you you know don't trample underwater vegetation if you have a boat don't anchor in on a water water. 

Vegetation. 

And yeah, just try to educate yourself, do some research on springs and try to share as much as possible. 

Social media makes it so great to spread awareness. 

I mean, that is one thing I love about social media. 

You can really get a message out. 

Yeah. 

What has been your your favorite experience out in the field with wildlife? 

Definitely an otter mom teaching her cub that must have just gotten out of the den how to hunt. 

That was an incredible experience because I just sat in my kayak and I could barely hold the camera still because I was just so excited and nervous that um she actually um the the pup was was on a log and um the mom dove down within seconds she came up with a little turtle and she flipped the turtle on its back so it couldn't get away which is like brilliant right brutal but brilliant and um it just pretty much taught its baby how to how how to eat a turtle I mean it was it was incredible it was I mean it was if if a if a person would have done what they did to the turtle I would have been up in arms you know but it was just such it's a completely different energy when it when an animal hunts you know so um yeah that was it was very heartwarming and touching because he let me be there yeah you know so it was it was was an incredible experience yeah that was something I meant to ask you earlier when you were talking about getting close to the otters do you think that you have witnessed or encountered behaviors that people otherwise don't know about I think so I don't know if I really have a connection with them a lot of people say oh you know you're the otter whisperer but I feel like. 

Like everybody can do that, you know, you just have to respect them enough. 

And it's not just otters, it's any type of wildlife. 

Once they know that you're respecting them enough and you give them enough space, 

I think they're growing more okay with you being in the area. 

Yeah, I agree. 

You put in the time and we need to learn how to interact with nature. 

Preacher and it sounds like you're being a great example in teaching others how to do that too. 

I try to, I really try to because all the preaching doesn't work if you're not an example. 

Absolutely. Where can people find you? 

So I'm on Instagram. 

That's where most of my pictures are at Linda W photography. 

I also have a YouTube channel with short little videos. 

That's also also under Linda W. 

Photography, as well as the Facebook page. 

It's pretty much everything is under Linda W. 

Photography. I do have a website. 

It's not very active. 

You know, I just take too many pictures to update my website. 

So that's kind of like on the back burner. 

Yeah. And again, I'll be sure to tag all of those things on the show description so people can check that out. 

And before we go what is one tip you have for someone that would like to reconnect with nature to go outside you know and uh learn about your area learn about the good things learn about the bad things try to make the bad things better by being an advocate that is great advice thank you so much for being on the show today linda no problem it was my honor thank you so much thank. 

Thank you, and until next time, get outside and see what develops. 

Thanks for joining Wild Development Studio. 

We hope this exploration into the world of wildlife arts and adventure has sparked a desire to get outside and connect with something wild. 

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Until next time, keep connecting to the wild and see what develops. 

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