The National Geographic photography-and-writing husband-and-wife team of Frans Lanting and Chris Eckstrom will present a talk titled “Bay of Life: From Wind to Whales” in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences building’s Room 1401. 

The talk, from 5:30 - 7 p.m. Friday, March 15, coincides with the opening of the couple’s “Bay of Life” exhibit in the CAHSS first-floor gallery.

Lanting, originally from the Netherlands, is considered one of the best nature photographers around. 

Thomas Kennedy, former director of photography at National Geographic, called him a “singular, extraordinary talent.” The BBC said he “set the standards for a whole generation of wildlife photographers.”

He’s lived among and photographed animals in their habitats in the Galapagos, the Congo, Antarctica, India, New Zealand and more. He’s turned these carefully wrought photos into many books, exhibits and fine-art prints. 

Eckstrom is a Pennsylvania-born writer, editor and videographer of the natural world. She was a staff writer at National Geographic for 15 years, and has worked with Lanting on many assignments around the world. 

They live in Santa Cruz, California. And for their latest project, Bay of Life, they turn their focus on the Monterey Bay as one of the richest environments for biodiversity in North America, and as a model of ecological conservation and harmony. 

“It is a story of hope as we are faced with new challenges ranging from expanding access to nature for more communities to improving natural resource stewardship, extending habitat connectivity, and adapting to climate change,” Lanting said. 

“We are working with [CSUMB professor] Enid Ryce and her students to extend the ideas from Bay of Life into their own creative engagement with the watersheds of the Monterey Bay,” he continued. 

Similarly, Lanting and Eckstrom hope other attendees will be inspired to support people’s understanding of, and balance with, nature. The talk concludes with a question-and-answer session, and includes a visit to the CAHSS gallery. Go online to RSVP.