SANP May Meeting: Wildlife Photography Through the Eyes of a Biologist

We are pleased to announce that our speaker for the May meeting is Hill Henry.  Hill is a recently retired wildlife biologist specializing in documentary and fine art wildlife photography. In his early years, Hill worked for a commercial photographer in Huntsville, Alabama to develop and print the work of studio, sport and commercial photographers in the region. To pursue his interest in nature, Hill acquired degrees in Wildlife Management and Zoology at Auburn University. His studies focused on cave ecosystems and the foraging behavior of endangered species along the Tennessee River in North Alabama. At the beginning of his professional career, Hill worked as a terrestrial zoologist and natural resources policy official for the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) where he assessed potential impacts of TVA’s energy-development projects and worked with other policy officials to develop utility industry standards to minimize avian electrocutions on transmission and distribution systems across the country. Hill later became TVA’s commercial photographer until he retired in 2024 where he focused on industrial and natural resources imagery for the agency. 

Hill is a member of the Professional Photographers of America (PPA) where he obtained his Professional Photographer Certification and is working towards his Master and Craftsman of Photography PPA Credentials. As part of this process, several of his images were recently added to PPA’s Merit and Imaging Excellence collections at National and State levels. Upon receiving his Master of Photography, Hill will undergo formal training to judge image competitions. Hill is a board member of the Southern Appalachian Nature Photographers (SANP) where he manages the quarterly photo challenge, and the Professional Photographers of East Tennessee. 

An ardent observer of wildlife throughout much of his life, Hill focuses his efforts on documenting charismatic as well as often overlooked species largely by studying their biology and behavior. He enjoys traveling locally and abroad with friends to capture images of individual species and document their connection to habitats and other species. 

Hill will discuss his approach for locating and photographing targeted species in a variety of habitats, that can be very useful for quickly locating subjects when traveling to unfamiliar locations. Hill will also highlight various biological behaviors and adaptations that he’s observed and captured over time.

Photos by Hill Henry