Thomas D. Mangelsen

One of the most prolific nature photographers of our time, Thomas D. Mangelsen has traveled throughout the natural world for nearly 50 years observing and photographing the Earth’s last great wild places, from polar bears in the Arctic to vast herds of game on the plains of Africa.

As much a conservationist as he is an artist, Mangelsen was named the 2011 Conservation Photographer of the Year by Nature’s Best Photography, placing his work in the permanent collection at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. He was named one of the 40 Most Influential Nature Photographers by Outdoor Photography. His image “Polar Dance“ was selected by the International League of Conservation Photographers as one of the 40 Most Important Nature Photographs of All Time. Mangelsen was chosen as one of Dr. Jane Goodall’s Heroes of the Animal Planet and profiled in the television series of the same name. He was named one of the 100 Most Important People in Photography by American Photo magazine and honored with Nikon’s Legend Behind the Lens recognition. The North American Nature Photography Association named him Outstanding Nature Photographer of the Year, and Mangelsen also received the prestigious British Broadcasting Corporation’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year Award.

Mangelsen’s photographs have been exhibited internationally, shown at the Natural History Museum in London, the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha, Nebraska and in a major exhibit at the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson, Wyoming, and the San Diego Natural History Museum. He has produced several fine art and conservation focused books including Images of Nature: The Photographs of Thomas D. Mangelsen, Polar Dance: Born of the North Wind, Spirit of the Rockies: The Mountain Lions of Jackson Hole, The Natural World, The Last Great Wild Places: Forty Years of Wildlife Photography by Thomas D. Mangelsen and Grizzlies of Pilgrim Creek: An Intimate Portrait of 399.

Mangelsen’s work has also been published in National Geographic, GEO, Le Figaro Magazine, BBC Wildlife, Life, Audubon, National Wildlife, Smithsonian, Natural History, Newsweek, Wildlife Art, American Photo, Nature’s Best Photography and many other publications. Tom has also been profiled on The Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN’s World News, CBS News, ABC’s World News Tonight with Peter Jennings, and 60 Minutes with Anderson Cooper. In addition, Mangelsen is co-founder of The Cougar Fund, a founding Fellow of The International League of Conservation Photographers, on the international advisory council for the Jane Goodall Institute, and a board ambassador for the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance.