Rosing, Norbert 1953-

views updated

Rosing, Norbert 1953-

Personal

Born 1953, in Germany; married; wife's name Eleonore.

Addresses

Home—Germany. Agent—National Geographic Image Collection, 1145 17th St., NW, Washington, DC 20036-4688. E-mail—[email protected].

Career

Photographer and writer.

Member

Polar Bears International, International League of Conservation Photographers, North American Nature Photographers Association, Gesellschaft Deutscher Tierfotografen, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Photographie, Gesellschaft für Bild und Vortrag.

Awards, Honors

First prize for wildlife photography, Nature's Best magazine, 2002; photograph of Bavarian Forest National Park was selected to appear on German stamp; numerous other awards.

Writings

AND PHOTOGRAPHER

Unbekanntes Deutschland, Tomus (Munich, Germany), 1992.

(With Fritz Pölking) Cheetahs, Tecklenborg (Steinfurt, Germany), 1993.

Im Reich des Polarbären, Tecklenborg (Steinfurt, Germany), 1994, translation published as The World of the Polar Bear, Firefly Books (Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada), 1996.

Yellowstone: America's Playground, Firefly Books (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 1998.

Im Reich der Eisbären, Tecklenborg (Steinfurt, Germany), 2006, translation published as The World of the Polar Bear (different from 1996 work of the same title), Firefly Books (Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada), 2006.

(With Elizabeth Carney) Face to Face with Polar Bears, National Geographic (Washington, DC), 2007.

Wildes Deutschland, National Geographic (Hamburg, Germany), 2007.

Contributor of articles and photographs to periodicals, including National Geographic (U.S. and German editions), Naturfoto, BBC Wildlife, Terre Sauvage, and GEO.

OTHER

(Photographer) Carmen Bredeson, Animals That Migrate, F. Watts (New York, NY), 2001.

(Photographer) Garry Hamilton, Arctic Fox: Life at the Top of the World, Firefly Books (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 2008.

Sidelights

Born in Germany, Norbert Rosing is an internationally renown photographer who is recognized for his stunning wildlife photos. A frequent contributor to National Geographic and other magazines, Rosing has traveled extensively throughout Africa, to the national parks of Germany, and to the Canadian Arctic, and he is well known for his pictures of muskoxen, walruses, snow foxes, and, most famously, polar bears. His photographs of polar bears have appeared in a number of books and periodicals, as well as on calendars and postcards. In the words of Andrew E. Derocher, writing in Arctic, Rosing "can capture the essence of a polar bear in a diversity of situations."

Rosing's interest in polar bears began in 1983, during his first visit to Canada. After arriving in Churchill, Manitoba, Rosing spotted his first polar bear, although he was unable to take photographs of it because an ice storm blanketed the area and ruined his camera and film. Rosing was fascinated by the carnivorous mammals, however, and he returns to the area every year to document the bears' lives. Rosing has won numerous awards for his work; a photograph of a sleepy polar bear graced the cover of National Geographic's "100 Best Wildlife Photos" issue, and his photo taken in the Bavarian Forest National Park was selected for use on a German postage stamp.

In The World of the Polar Bear, Rosing follows the magnificent animals through the four seasons, capturing

images of polar bears leaving their dens in the spring, hunting for food on land during the summer and autumn, and returning to the sea ice in winter. Many of the photographs were taken during Rosing's visits to Churchill and the surrounding area, including Wapusk National Park. His images also feature other Arctic creatures, including caribou, muskoxen, and snow geese.

The World of the Polar Bear garnered strong reviews. According to Cassandra Drudi in Quill & Quire, "Rosing's striking images … evoke the cold, unrelenting beauty of Canada's North," and Deborah Emerson, writing in Library Journal, stated that the "volume is filled with spectacular color photos and [an] informative text." The book "should have a broad appeal to those interested in Arctic wildlife and particularly in polar bears," Emerson noted, adding: "Rosing has emerged as a superb polar bear photographer, and with [The World of the Polar Bear] … he is likely to delight those that seek a glimpse into the life of one of the world's most charismatic species."

In Face to Face with Polar Bears, coauthored with Elizabeth Carney and illustrated with photographs, Rosing presents a wealth of information about the enigmatic creatures, including their diet and physical characteristics. He also discusses the potential climate change might have on the polar bears' environment. A contributor in Kirkus Reviews observed of Face to Face with Polar Bears that Rosing's "smoothly written text complements [his] striking photographs, some close-up and some showing bears in their usual habitat."