February 2008: Cal Vornberger
Like many photographers I am inspired by my subjects. I am endlessly fascinated by birds and bird behavior yet deeply saddened by the realization that some of the species I am photographing may be disappearing from the planet forever. I hope my photographs can raise awareness of the situation and inspire others to do something about it.
About Cal
Cal Vornberger is a professional nature photographer who makes his home in New York City and whose work has been published in books, magazines, newspapers, and calendars around the world. His article, “Birds of Central Park,” was published in the March 2007 issue of Outdoor Photographer magazine. Most recently many of his photos appeared in the new book Bird by David Burnie, and in Nicolas Hulot’s book La Terre en Partage. His profile in the August/September 2007 issue of National Wildlife magazine included many of his most popular photographs.
His interest in photography began at an early age when his father taught him to develop and print black and white photographs in their basement darkroom. In high school he documented his stay in Chile as a foreign exchange student and his photos of Chile’s Mapuche Indians were published in a local newspaper upon his return.
From 1988 to 2000, Cal was the President of Tumble Interactive Media, Inc., an interactive agency he founded. In 2000, he sold Tumble to a public company and became Chief Creative Officer of the firm. In 2001, he left the company to pursue his passion for photography.
Before founding Tumble, Cal was an award-winning art director for television, stage, and film. He worked on numerous Public Television programs including the Emmy award-winning series “Joseph Campbell: The Power of Myth.” He has designed scenery for all types of television and film productions including commercials, cable programming, corporate videos, music videos, political campaigns, live events, and documentaries.
Cal is a graduate of the University of Michigan where he attended the Residential College. He holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in Design from Wayne State University and has been a member of the faculties of the University of Texas, New York University, Hunter College, Pratt, and The Katharine Gibbs School, where he is currently an adjunct professor. Cal is also the chair for the New York City Audubon Photography Special Interest Group (PhotoSIG) and has constructed an informational Web site for the group’s membership.
Cal spends much of his free time roaming New York City’s Central Park with his camera, documenting the park’s abundant wildlife. His book, Birds of Central Park, was published by Abrams in September, 2005.
His work can be seen on his Web site: http://www.calvorn.com
