Granby Photographer Gary Melnysyn Puts Love Of Nature Into His Work

Granby artist Gary Melnysyn’s work can be deceiving – his photographs of natural landscapes and wild animals are so vivid and well composed that they look like paintings from a distance, especially when printed on canvas.

Melnysyn, a park ranger who works in Yellowstone National Park four to five months each year, has strengthened his lifelong love of nature and wildlife through his career, his photography and educational offerings — giving lectures on nature and conservation topics including bear and wolf safety as well as leading workshops on nature photography.

“I use my photographs as vehicles to get the point across,” he said.

Besides his ranger position, Melnysyn has credentials as a master wildlife conservationist (through the state of Connecticut) and certified master naturalist (through the University of Florida).

A self-taught photographer, Melnysyn has been focused on photographing animals and nature for the past 15 years.

“I really embraced it then in a more serious fashion,” he said.

He said it took a while to get comfortable and find his style but his investment of time and of money for equipment has definitely paid off. He started off working with film cameras but has transitioned to digital, as have many other photographers.

“It’s a whole different world now,” he said.

Melnysyn said he now spends less time worrying about technical details and pitfalls like film speed, running out of film, the type of lens used, keeping undeveloped film hidden from light and more, and can focus on getting the perfect picture. Considering the environments he shoots in — from the Alaskan tundra to the wilds of Canada, the natural splendor of Yellowstone and beyond — focusing on the shot and not the technical limitations has aided his work.

Conservation is key for Melnysyn, whose love of nature and wildlife is readily apparent when speaking with him. His work helps him share the message of conservation and responsible, peaceful coexistence with animals. The vivid and enthralling nature of his work comes from a true fondness for the subjects depicted in his photos as well as his extensive knowledge of nature and wildlife.

“It’s a combination of loving nature, understanding animal behavior and capturing that behavior in a medium,” he said.

He said understanding animals is very important from a photographer’s standpoint as well.

“If you’re going to go shoot wildlife, understand the species and their behavior,” he said, encouraging aspiring wildlife photographers to do their research and know the animals they’re photographing before heading out into the field.

He also said action is important in photographs and often tells new photographers to get action in their photos.

Check out a few of Melnysyn’s photographs in the photo gallery above and be sure to visit his home studio at 5 West Lakeview Drive in Granby as he takes part in the Granby Artists Association’s Open Studio event on Saturday, Oct. 13 and Sunday, Oct. 14 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

You can learn more about Melnysyn and see more of his work at his website.