Photographer Profile:
Jay Cossey
Jay Cossey was Images' first full-time employee. For more than 30 years, Jay gained a wide range of valuable experience in professional photography, graphic design, print, radio and television advertising, publishing, promotion and many other aspects of the industry.
While Jay was enjoying his long career with Images, his private passion was Nature, an interest he pursued at every opportunity.
In February of 2008, Jay realized a life-long dream— working as a nature photographer. On the advice of a friend, Dr. Steve Marshall, he contacted Dr. Paul Hebert at the University of Guelph in Canada. Hebert soon created a full-time position specifically for Jay at the Biodiversity Institute of Ontario (BIO) at the University of Guelph.
BIO is the home of the Barcode of Life Initiative, a global effort to establish a digital database of all life on Earth, based on DNA Barcoding. Hebert, the father of DNA Barcoding, believes this is achievable within a generation, thanks to iBOL, an international partnership of 27 countries around the world.
It is now Jay's privilege to be involved in this very ambitious and worthwhile project!
In Jay's Story...
Jay always had a keen interest in nature. In his late teens, this interest evolved into a passion for photographing butterflies, moths, and other insects in their natural habitats. Over the years, Jay has quietly accumulated thousands of professional quality images in both digital and transparency formats.
Jay's insect photographs have been published widely: Audubon Society publications, Robert Bateman Naturalist's Diary, The Butterflies of Canada, Kaufman Focus Guide to Insects, National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Insects and Spiders, and many other nature related books, text books, journals and periodicals worldwide.
In 2003, the photo editor for National Geographic's calendars stumbled upon this website and approached Jay to contribute to their very first butterfly calendar. They ultimately selected 24 of Jay's photos for the 2004 National Geographic Butterfly calendar.
In 2008, the Entomological Society of Canada honoured Jay with the Norman Criddle Award. This award is given to non-professional entomologists for outstanding work in teaching, research, community projects, publicity, writing, slide presentations or any activity that enhances the image of entomology.
Jay's
Natural History
My father, Eric Cossey, started collecting butterflies and moths when he was a teenager in the 1940s. As a young boy I became fascinated with the wonder of these creatures. They were always in our house, and a part of every camping trip we took as a family. Once exposed to these marvels of metamorphosis, my curiosity became unquenchable. I found myself chasing butterflies madly about the garden or meadow at every opportunity. I learned much of what I know from my father’s experience and supplemented that by reading every magazine, book and field guide I could get my hands on. Every bug book in our public or school libraries eventually turned up at our home, and before long I had many of my own first-hand observations from nature.
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Nature
publications occasionally showed great photographs of live butterflies
on their pages, and I dreamed of taking pictures rather than catching
and killing these beauties. While my father took great care setting and
preserving the specimens he kept, no one could capture the elusive beauty
that expired once their lives were extinguished.
When my father purchased an inexpensive 35mm SLR in the early 70s, I couldn’t
wait to attempt to photograph butterflies myself. My first excursion’s
results led me to believe it could be done! I could actually take pictures
that surpassed the splendor of our butterfly collection, and show butterflies
being butterflies. Equally important, I could now record life cycles not
represented by our collection of pinned adult specimens.*
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Jay’s
Photo Philosophy
Priorities
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To reflect and document the diversity and beauty of nature as revealed through insect life.
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To show each subject in its natural environment with as little interference as possible.
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To show as much detail as is technically or practically possible with completely portable, self-contained, and affordable equipment.
One of my college instructors taught me that photography is the art of compromise. Actually, few activities in the real world are devoid of compromise, but whenever I have to choose between technical limitations that arise and difficulties with approaching certain insects, I always try to accommodate the guidelines listed above. One of the beauties of doing this on my own time is that I only have to please myself. I don’t have a deadline pressing me to get a particular shot at all cost. This affords me the luxury of not having to resort to tricks, like covering all the flower heads but one with pillowcases, or temporarily stunning butterflies in a fridge or killing jar. As a result, virtually all of my photographs are taken of live, free-range insects with virtually no interference from me beyond my mere presence.
So you can usually find me leisurely strolling through a meadow, down a path or country roadside, photographing whatever I encounter—whether it be insect, bird, reptile, amphibian, or flower—whatever captivates my attention. None of my family or friends can stand going with me, because I usually don’t arrive at any predictable destination—and certainly not on schedule. Most companions just end up frustrated because they can’t identify with not have a geographical goal and time-frame in mind. Since I don’t enjoy infuriating my friends, my photography is frequently a solitary experience—in terms of human company at least. The lives I encounter and relationships I engage in during these precious outings rejuvenate me. I may follow one butterfly for hours, or as long as it tolerates my intrusion. Time practically stands still on summer afternoons while I meander seemingly aimlessly, led by whatever happens along the way. It's what I love to do.
Occupational
Hazards |
There is something romantic and exciting about photographers who risk life and limb to get their pictures: hiding out in blinds for days on end, stalking dangerous creatures like wolves, bears or sharks. Okay, I must confess that the hazards I face are rather dull. I’m allergic to grass pollen and only cope by taking medication before embarking on my adventures. Poison Ivy is also a major contributor to my discomfort. Some meadows are infested with the stuff, and you may not know until days later that you touched it. Bee stings have been fortunately uncommon even though I frequently brush past stinging insects or nuzzle up to them for an intimate portrait.
Ouch! |
Mosquitoes and biting flies are far more distracting than bees and wasps. I hate using DEET (gets in my eyes or mouth, and feels sticky on the skin), and only resort to it when biting insects make it impossible to stand still for even a second. Other occupational hazards include having to crawl on my belly down a country road or path to get a shot of a tiger beetle or “puddling” butterfly, worried that a car or ATV might come over a hill or around a corner to nail me. I also frequently venture out onto a bog or into a swamp to get closer to my quarry, which has its associated risks and rewards.
Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly |
“You must have an incredible camera” people say. I try not to be offended by this well-intended comment. To a photographer, that’s almost like telling Robert Bateman that he must have a nice paintbrush. While I have, over many years, accumulated some very nice tools that help me make these photographs, some of my favorite pictures were taken using very inexpensive cameras and “cheap” optics. Go to my "Focus On" page to read more on this.
Silver Spotted Skipper |
“It must take a lot of patience” is another one I hear a lot. What they probably mean (and are too polite to ask) is “Don’t you get bored chasing these silly things around all day?” The answer is an emphatic NO! In fact, I treasure the time I can spend without timetable or destination in mind. There is something deeply satisfying about just being. I mean “being” as opposed to “doing”. Being where I love to be, in nature; enjoying, witnessing, and discovering the creation that Someone obviously put so much thought into.
Do you sense a spiritual moment coming on? Okay, I confess that I believe in the Biblical Creator as opposed to a creation myth fabricated by human intellect. Without turning this into a religious essay, let me just explain that I see evidence in all of creation of a Creator. I personally cannot fathom how all this beauty and interdependence could be the result of random chance in cahoots with natural selection. I just don’t have that much faith in what passes for scientific fact. (After all, much of what they taught me as scientific fact back in high school is today considered bupkis.)
Suffice it to say that there is an undeniable spiritual dimension to this activity of mine. My soul is irrefutably rejuvenated by these close encounters with nature, and I frequently sense that the Creator Himself is interacting with me on some level through His creatures with which I gambol. Is this just some colossal ego trip on my part? No; I think if some Being is awesome enough to create all of this, It could be quite capable of squandering a few moments of timeless eternity even on little old you and me. But I digress…
I hope you benefit from the time I have invested in taking the photographs on display on this website. While I enjoyed every mosquito (slap!)--I mean moment spent taking these pictures, my ultimate hope is that you too are engaged by the beauty of nature and might be encouraged to devote just a smidgeon (gesundheit!) more attention to the wonders of creation. Thanks for taking the time to read these thoughts. I hope you like my pictures.Go To Focus On: Photographing Butterflies
P.S. I welcome your comments. Let me know if you spot any errors or omissions, missing links, or if you have any suggestions. Thanks, Jay.
*I do not intend to suggest that I no longer “net and set” butterflies for our collection (I maintain my father's extensive collection). A well-maintained and documented butterfly collection is an extremely valuable asset, and I do contribute to ours from time to time. Many of the specimens were collected more than half a century ago and still look wonderful. Also, consider that these beauties were rescued from a destiny that includes far more horrible and long-forgotten fates. Their lives will never be for naught, for their beauty has been lovingly preserved to inspire future generations to study and appreciate the wonder that is nature!