And perhaps most extreme of all is the team of Donna and Stephen James O’Meara, who in addition to sharing a marriage also share a hobby of documenting the eruptions of more than 100 volcanoes around the world with breathtaking photographs of molten rock and dark clouds of ash. Threats to their safety as they go about their work include having their clothes catch fire and suffering sunburn-like effects to their skin from the tremendous heat.
     To be sure, there are more practical ways of photographing nature’s most treacherous scenes. The Smithsonian Institution’s newly launched website “Smithsonian Wild” is home to a gallery of images revealing Giant Anteaters and Striped Hyenas, among many other rarely observable species, in their natural surroundings. The clever new devices used to take these photos are motion-triggered cameras installed around the world by researchers for study purposes. It’s an industrious approach, but the most artful and deeply felt stills of Earth’s hidden wonders continue to require their producers to be there in person to snap the shot. At least for now.
     Thankfully, we have gifted photographers like those represented in the Annenberg exhibit who are willing to travel far and wide, no matter the trade-offs, all for the sake of that one precious moment in nature’s sanctuary and the indelible image that results.