Wildlife Photographer – Education

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Introduction

Wildlife Photographer: Karl Maslowski is a one-hour documentary about one of Cincinnati’s most acclaimed nature writers, photographers, and filmmakers. Karl Maslowski (1913 – 2006) helped introduce generations of Americans to the natural world through his newspaper columns, wildlife photographs and pioneering films. The documentary combines archival photographs and film, interviews and HD video for a compelling look at Maslowski’s long career from his impoverished childhood to his work as a conservationist. The documentary is a co-production of Steve Maslowski, a son of Karl Maslowski, and Voyageur Media Group, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to the creation of educational media.

Karl Maslowski (1913-2006) rose from modest means to become a nationally acclaimed wildlife photographer, filmmaker, and conservationist. He contributed thousands of photographs to books, calendars and magazines, including National Wildlife, Ranger Rick, Time and Life. Maslowski was a pioneer in nature filmmaking, contributing to some of the first wildlife films of Disney, National Audubon Society and National Geographic. He also wrote over 2,500 weekly nature columns for The Cincinnati Enquirer, and hundreds of articles for national publications. During World War II, Maslowski served as a combat cameraman under the famed director William Wyler. His film of air battles and camp life was incorporated into the 1947 movie Thunderbolt! His work as a conservationist, brought to light challenges facing ecosystems and wildlife, including bald eagles. Maslowski also helped establish nature preserves, including the Cincinnati Nature Center, Oxbow, Inc., and the Edge of Appalachia Preserve System as a board member of the Cincinnati Museum Center. See About for more biographical materials on Karl Maslowski.

How can this documentary be used by educators?

Lessons for upper elementary (grades 3-5), middle school (grades 6-8), and high school (grades 9-12) have been written to introduce students to the life and work of Karl Maslowski. Themes of perseverance, pursuit of passion, and service are explored as well as scientific concepts of conservation, interconnectedness of living things, and diversity of species. Students are given opportunities to build, photograph, read, write, and make presentations in these lessons. The lessons have been developed by Emily Morgan in collaboration with Steve Maslowski and Tom Law, Voyageur Media Group, Inc. Ms. Morgan is the co-founder of Picture-Perfect Science, which designs award-winning lessons to help teachers integrate science and reading into classroom education. Morgan holds a Master of Science In Education from the University of Dayton, and a BA in Science Education from Wright State University.

EDU Media

Viewing and retaining all the information presented in the full documentary can be challenging for students. Clips from the film have been selected to use within the lessons below, and you may also want to share some of the information above about Maslowski before or during the lessons.

How to watch the full documentary

Public Television: Wildlife Photographer: The Life of Karl Maslowski is being provided to regional public television stations for broadcast and streaming via the PBS Passport system. The documentary will be shown this spring on CET/Think TV (Cincinnati/Dayton/Oxford), KET (Kentucky Educational television), and WOSU (Columbus, SE Ohio). See Distribution for updated information on regional public television broadcasts and streaming.

Vimeo Pro: After the regional public television premiere window, the full documentary will be available free for viewing and download on Voyageur’s Vimeo Pro website for personal, research and educational purposes.