An Eye on the World

As guest of honor at The Nature of Wildworks Benefit held recently at the Beach Club, Terry Sheridan Matkins exhibited a sampling of her photographs from around the world and here at home as the official wildlife photographer for The Nature of Wildworks. The benefit sale raised $32,000 for the care of the animals and educational outreach. A longtime resident of Pacific Palisades, Terry enrolled in photography classes more than 30 years ago in order to take better pictures of her children. Then she began traveling, learning from some of the best photographers around, constantly honing her craft and meeting people. In 1998 she joined the Grosvenor Council, which supports The National Geographic Society. Being a member of the Council allowed her to indulge her two passions, traveling and photography. Terry sailed with Bob Ballard, discoverer of the Titanic, while he searched for evidence of prior human life under the Black Sea. She went on expeditions with Wade Davis (Explorer-in-Residence for National Geographic) to Nepal and Tibet. She traveled on horseback through Mongolia, her photographs helping to raise funds for Mongolia’s park system. Her photos of Peru can be found throughout Carol Cume’s book, ‘Journey to Machu Picchu.’ Terry has been to Africa, where she recorded the birth of a baby giraffe, an almost impossible feat. She has been to Laos, Cambodia, Egypt and Mexico. Here in Los Angeles she spent time in South Central taking photographs of ex-gang members for a benefit honoring Father Greg Boyle and the Homeboy Industries. And this fall she heads off to India. Since she is often in countries where she doesn’t speak the language, photography gives Terry the chance to respond to people in a nonverbal way. ‘It’s not even about taking the photograph or the photograph itself,’ she says. ‘ It’s the interaction with the people as well as the animals that I enjoy. I try to express the respect I have for them and their culture through my photographs.’ For Terry, different cultures offer different opportunities. India draws her because it’s colorful, exotic and fascinating. In Africa it’s about capturing the majesty of the animals, the immensity of the land, the agelessness of the people. In Peru and Mongolia, it’s the generosity of the people. ‘They invite you into their huts and share their last bits of food with you. It’s incredible,’ Terry says. This experience and her appreciation for their endless generosity of spirit is what Terry tries to capture in her photographs and bring back for others to see. ‘In general, they are just people, and we have more in common with them than not.’ Once home, like photographers in their dark rooms, Terry begins to work wonders on her computer. Using watercolor paper and archival ink, she turns a photograph of zebras into a blend of photographic realism and watercolor impressionism. A cheetah sitting in the grass takes on the look of an oil painting. Other photographs she changes to sepia then sharpens and softens them until she gets the effect she wants. And often there is a call from The Nature of Wildworks to come up and photograph a new arrival. Capturing the images of a baby mountain lion in perpetual motion as it springs from one side of its enclosure to another is no easy task. Nor is it easy to catch the alertness of a young fox’s eyes when its nose is smudging your lens and a second baby fox chews on your camera straps.