Northern Michigan University English professor and author James McCommons will present “George Shiras III vs. the Nature Fakers” at the next NMU Science on Tap event. McCommons' talk, which relates to his new book titled Camera Hunter: George Shiras III and the Birth of Wildlife Photography, will begin at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 10, at the Ore Dock Brewing Co. Admission is free.
In 1906, George Shiras III (1959-1942) published a series of nighttime wildlife photographs in National Geographic. The pictures celebrated American wildlife at a time when many species were going extinct because of habitat loss and unrestrained hunting. As a congressman and lawyer, Shiras joined forces with his friend Theodore Roosevelt and scientists in Washington, D.C., to shape the conservation movement during the Progressive Era.
Camera Hunter recounts Shiras' life and craft as he traveled to wild country in North America, refined his trail-camera techniques and advocated for the protection of wildlife. The biography serves as a record of Shiras' accomplishments as a visual artist, wildlife conservationist, adventurer and legislator.