The Blue Hill Public Library is sponsoring a talk with local photographer Gary Harmatz on 'Big Cats of Africa' on Thursday, September 5 at 7PM in the library's Howard Room. 

What is it about our fascination for the “Big Cats of Africa”? Is it that they remind us of our lovable domestic house cats? Is it the beauty and elusiveness of the leopard, the grace and speed of the cheetah, or the power and majesty of the “king of beasts,” the lion? Perhaps it is all of this. 

Gary Harmatz, noted wildlife and travel photographer, will explore these questions and more, with exquisite images of these fascinating big cats in the wild. He will share his knowledge of their natural history and the environment of these magnificent animals.

Gary Harmatz has been a wildlife, nature, travel, people, and underwater photographer for over 35 years. As a wildlife photographer, his pursuit of adventure and those rare moments of capturing that intimate connection between man and animal have taken him around the planet. Whether it is photographing nearly extinct mountain gorillas in Central Africa, orangutans in the rain forests of Borneo or to the frozen north to capture images of polar bears or baby harp seals, he has been able to capture the essence of these animals.  He has an extensive library of the major groups of animals from east, central and southern Africa.

Gary’s nature and travel photography has taken him throughout Europe, Japan, Southeast Asia (Myanmar, Laos, Sri Lanka), the Bahamas, North and South America, Antarctica and Africa. He specializes in unique images from the grand scenic and exotic marketplaces to the fall foliage of New England. Gary’s most recent adventures have brought him to Morocco (the Sahara Desert), Jordan (Petra and Wadi Rum) and Israel. Underwater photography has brought Gary to the waters of Belize, Mexico, the Caribbean, the Bahamas, Palau, Chuuk (Truk) Lagoon and the Maldives. More recently, he has focused on photographing portraits of interesting people from around the world. The use of color in nature is his passion, whether photographing the magnificent fall foliage of New England, exotic and colorful foreign lands, or the muted colors of the American Southwest. Gary’s sense of color, light, composition and his ability to tell a story with his photography makes him a unique photographer and lecturer. He makes his home on Clearwater Beach, Florida and on the coast of Maine.

This program is free and open to all, and will be held in the library's Howard Room. For questions or more information, please email Assistant Director Kayleigh Thomas at kayleigh.thomas[at]bhpl.net or call the library at 374-5515.