Heartfelt Stories Photography Blog — Kathy Karn Photography

How to Find a Leopard

You know how to find a leopard? asked Kupai, as we bumped down the track in the Toyota Land Cruiser.

A Win for Conservation

No water, no life. No blue, no green. - Sylvia Earle

Safari Dreaming

Beware, once you’ve spent the first night under a blanket of brilliant stars snuggled safely in your bed while listening to the roar of a distant lion or the rumble of contented elephants you may never want to go home…

Celebrating Stories

I’m celebrating on several fronts this week. I was thrilled to learn The Wisdom of Elephants is a semi-finalist in the North Street Book Competition for self-published books! It was very encouraging to learn the book was among the top 4% of 1,946 books submitted.

Conservation Heroes

Restoring and preserving the environment has a positive impact on the people, the wildlife and the land. When this orphaned black rhino was rescued he was so tiny the staff at Reteti Elephant Sanctuary could carry him in their arms. He thrived under the care of his dedicated keepers and is now released back into the wild under the protection of community members.

Africa's Unicorns

To witness an elephant in the wild is thrilling. To witness a giraffe in the wild is enchanting. To witness a rhino in the wild is to be catapulted back to prehistoric times.

Notes from Kenya

This note is a special thank you and update about how your support is helping youth and wildlife in Kenya.

Photography as Change Agent

Photography can play a role in positive change and climate action. A world without elephants is unimaginable. Your vote helps put conservation and saving elephants in front of a wider audience.

Gratitude

You cannot get through a single day without having impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference. You just have to decide what kind of a difference you want to make. - Jane Goodall

Ticket to Change a Life

“The world is your oyster when you are educated.” Nellie Cheboi Kenyan award winning social entrepreneur, co-founder of Techlit Africa and CNN hero of the Year.

Heartfelt Endeavours, Wildlife, conservation, storytelling, Africa, Elephants, Animal Stories, climate changeKathy KarnDecember 14, 2022Sheldrick Wildlife TrustKathy Karn, Photography, Kenya, Africa, climate change, girls education, conservation KenyaComment

Educate a Girl - Strengthen a Nation

Girls are part of the solution for climate change. They want to help their communities and their wildlife. They are the conservationists of tomorrow.

Heartfelt Endeavours, Wildlife, conservation, storytelling, Africa, Elephants, Animal Stories, climate changeKathy KarnDecember 7, 2022Sheldrick Wildlife TrustKathy Karn, Photography, Kenya, Africa, climate change, girls education, conservation Kenya Comments

Saving Giraffes

There is something so engaging about giraffes, their elegance, their size, their huge eyes, their beautiful spots, their graceful movement and sweet nature.

Heartfelt Endeavours, Wildlife, conservation, storytelling, Africa, Elephants, Animal Stories, climate changeKathy KarnNovember 30, 2022Sheldrick Wildlife TrustKathy Karn, Photography, Kenya, Africa, climate change, Healing, #giraffesComment

Room With a View

Research shows that patients who have a room with a view of nature take fewer painkillers and recover faster from surgery. If a room with a view is good for the spirit, going on safari is like a wellness retreat for the traveler.

Heartfelt Endeavours, Wildlife, conservation, storytelling, Africa, Elephants, Animal Stories, climate changeKathy KarnNovember 23, 2022Sheldrick Wildlife TrustKathy Karn, Photography, Kenya, Africa, climate change, elephant, HealingComment

The Littlest Elephant

How many of us have tried to console a toddler’s separation anxiety? A tiny baby elephant, days, weeks old at most, stood anxiously at the edge of the road waving its tiny trunk for mom who was out of reach and up to her elbows in water!

Heartfelt Endeavours, Wildlife, conservation, storytelling, Africa, Elephants, Animal Stories, climate changeKathy KarnNovember 16, 2022Sheldrick Wildlife TrustKathy Karn, Photography, Kenya, Africa, climate change, elephant, parenting, #separation anxietyComment

Love Builds Resilience

Nature is an unending source of delight for me. From an ostrich playing peek a boo to laughing cheetahs, there’s always something that captures my imagination and lifts me up.

Heartfelt Endeavours, Wildlife, conservation, storytelling, Africa, Elephants, Animal Stories, climate changeKathy KarnNovember 9, 2022Sheldrick Wildlife TrustKathy Karn, Photography, Kenya, Africa, climate change, elephant Comments

We Change Through Delight

Nature is an unending source of delight for me. From an ostrich playing peek a boo to laughing cheetahs, there’s always something that captures my imagination and lifts me up.

Heartfelt Endeavours, Wildlife, conservation, storytelling, Africa, Elephants, Animal StoriesKathy KarnNovember 2, 2022Sheldrick Wildlife TrustKathy Karn, Photography, Kenya, Africa, climate change, Ostrich, CheetahsComment

We are all connected.

Stories about the power of nature to heal both ourselves and our environment, is one of the goals of my wildlife photography.

Heartfelt Endeavours, Wildlife, conservation, storytelling, Africa, ElephantsKathy KarnOctober 26, 2022Sheldrick Wildlife TrustKathy Karn, Photography, Kenya, Elephant, Africa, climate change Comments

Black and White or Colour? The photographer’s dilemma.

The choice to process an image in black and white comes with experimentation post processing. What is my intention? How can I best convey the mood, the emotion? Here’s the story behind my decision to choose black and white for this image of a magnificent bull elephant from Amboseli.

Heartfelt Endeavours, Wildlife, conservation, storytelling, Africa, ElephantsKathy KarnOctober 19, 2022Sheldrick Wildlife TrustKathy Karn, Photography, Kenya, Elephant, Africa, climate change, human wildlife conflict, black and white photography Comments

If you can sing, you can dance.

There is a visceral sense of joy and healing that comes with African singing and dancing. When I’m in Kenya and people begin to dance, I can’t help but join in. My feet tap, my head and shoulders bob to the music. I sing along even when I don’t know the language. It is contagious! It is joyful. It connects us to others. It builds community.

Heartfelt Endeavours, Wildlife, conservation, storytelling, AfricaKathy KarnOctober 12, 2022Sheldrick Wildlife TrustKathy Karn, Photography, Kenya, Elephant, trauma & healing, Africa, Singing, DancingComment

A Heroic Rescue

Unfortunately, it has barely rained in northern and southern Kenya since 2020. The drought is devastating for wildlife and pastoralists alike. Animals are dying from lack of food and water. I was shocked when I visited Samburu country in the north and Amboseli in the south last June.

Heartfelt Endeavours, Wildlife, AfricaKathy KarnSeptember 28, 2022Sheldrick Wildlife TrustKathy Karn, Photography, Kenya, ElephantComment

Stories by Kathy

—Michael C., Registered Psychotherapist

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