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  • 8 years
  • Over 275,000 kilometers
  • 244 pages
  • 1 goal

laura crawford williams

Wildlife and conservation photographer Laura Crawford Williams traveled in southern South America for more than 8 years. This book is the result of her work with scores of conservation-minded individuals committed to protect wildlife and wild lands in countries such as Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, and Brazil. Her passion for wildlife and wild lands conservation shines on each beautifully designed page.

President Mauricio Macri of Argentina joins Laura’s call to action. In the book’s foreword, he writes: “The richness that surrounds us is changing at an accelerated speed. The planet is undergoing significant changes due to human activities. This context of climate change and extinction crisis forces us to think in new paradigms.”

about the photographer

Discover a thoughtful and breathtaking collection of images that celebrate the beauty and diversity of life.

Known internationally for her award-winning images, Laura’s keen ability to evoke an emotional response within one brief, beautiful moment is what makes this collection of images so special. In addition to its beauty, the book is the first of it’s kind to assemble such a diverse and complete collection of the animals found within the Southern Cone. The beautiful imagery is only part of what this 244-page book has to offer, for it is intellectually compelling as well.

LOOK inside the book

Exploring wildlife in South America's wild lands.

Wetland, grassland, desert, mountain, forest, shoreline–there is no habitat that Laura and her partner, German Ambrosetti, have not explored. They created Frontera Wildlife Adventures, a non-profit company dedicated to helping projects such as the historic creation of Patagonia National Park. Wildlife in Wild Lands was created to celebrate beauty and diversity! It was also created to acknowledge and honor the tremendous labor of love made by scientists, researchers, students, and volunteers working for conservation in southern South America. This collection of images would not exist without the amazing help received from each one of these generous individuals.

about the project

Trinidad, Bolivia

In order to reach an extremely remote area of the Gran Chaco, our equipment-filled trucks had to be ferried across the river. We were in search of one of the rarest birds in the world, the Blue-throated Macaw.

Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

Snorkeling while photographing fish communities commonly found in river ecosystems of the Pantanal. These are two big, scary fish.

San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina

We arrive before dawn to photograph Andean Condors as they warm up their wings and leave the evening roost.

Valle Chacabuco, Chile

Time to refill the gas tank in one of the most beautiful valleys of the Andean Cordillera.

Tierra del Fuego, Argentina

Traversing a beaver dam through a Magellanic subpolar forest. The North American Beaver, responsible for building this dam, is an invasive species in South America.

Patagonia NP, Argentina

German and Laura recover after a surprise encounter with a Puma. Before Tompkins Conservation purchased the land, Puma were killed to protect grazing livestock. This was one of the first seen after the protection and restoration began.

The middle of nowhere, Chile

Just one of a multitude of flat tires we experienced while traveling along the worst roads in southern South America.

Misiones Province, Argentina

Photographing Yacare Caiman on the shores of the Esteros del Iberá wetland, one of the largest fresh water wetlands in the world.

La Meseta del Lago Buenos Aires, Argentina

While warming up in a Gaucho casita, Laura and German review video taken of species and ecosystems found in the future Patagonia National Park.

Laura Kayaking

Photography from a kayak is much less threatening to wildlife than it is on foot or in a land vehicle.

Falkland Islands/Las Malvinas

Sand blows in Laura’s face and equipment as she photographs various species on a cold, windy beach.

Patagonia Team

Volunteers and researchers from Proyecto Macá Tobiano and Aves Argentina are having a little fun for the camera.

Valdes Peninsula, Argentina

The unique Orca of the Península Valdés are the only population of Orca known to rush out of the surf and on to the beach to catch sea lion pups at the water’s edge.

Santa Cruz Province, Argentina

An orphaned Guanaco befriended us near Lagos las Coloradas, Patagonia. There was very little we could do to help, as we were extremely far from civilization.

Patagonia National Park

Volunteers watch over a Hooded Grebe colony to protect nestlings from predators such as the invasive Mink and native Kelp Gull. The Hooded Grebe is a critically endangered species.

Torres del Paine National Park, Chile

These two Pumas rested, played, and hunted as we spent time with them one snowy afternoon. It was one of our most inspiring experiences with wildlife.

On a roadside in Patagonia, Chile

Guanaco often get caught when attempting to jump barbed-wire fence and die when unable to free themselves. It was a pleasure to set this one free and watch as she reunited with the herd grazing in the distance.

Falkland Islands/Las Malvinas

German records King, Magellanic, and Gentoo Penguins as they leave nesting colonies nearby and return to the ocean to hunt.

Esteros del Iberá, Argentina

This young Giant Anteater is being fed by the staff at Tompkins Conservation. The organization has been successful in re-establishing a thriving population of Giant Anteater in Iberá.

LABOR OF LOVE IN SOUTHERN SOUTH AMERICA
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My Wild Life

Before becoming a professional photographer, Laura Crawford Williams earned undergraduate degrees in visual art and scientific illustration. She attended The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and completed a master’s degree in biomedical art. When combined with her professional experience in designing and producing software, Laura has developed a unique blend of scientific knowledge, technical expertise, and visual skill. This diverse mix gave her an advantage in becoming successful in the competitive world of professional wildlife and conservation photography. Laura has earned multiple national and international photography awards, been published by National Geographic magazine, and exhibited in the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. In 2015, she was published beside many of the world’s best wildlife and nature photographers – in Sublime Nature: Photographs that Awe & Inspire, produced by National Geographic Books. These examples are only a few of the impressive accolades she has acquired.

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8 years and over 275,000 km throughout South America.

Beautiful photographs of the 113 species chosen for the book were captured within 25 different eco-regions across Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, and several Atlantic islands:

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  • "I consider Laura Williams to be one of the best wildlife photographers working today and we have been privileged to have her working inside some of our conservation areas in Chile and Argentina. There are plenty of photographers who are technically skilled, but Laura is tireless in her efforts and actively uses her photographs to protect those species and places that she has come to love—this, to me, is essential for photographers today and she is one of the great defenders of wildlife."

    Kristine McDivitt Tompkins, Co-Founder of Tompkins Conservation, Conservation Land Trust, Former CEO of Patagonia, Inc. visit website

  • "In the scale of modern society, the wildlife and ecosystems found in South America have intrinsic value. The current market demand for comfortable, user-friendly products is a major cause for the disappearance of wildlife and wild lands for the simple reason that this is where the major resources of raw material can be found. Yet, only a small percentage of protected areas remain worldwide. With this book, Fundación Parques Nacionales and Laura Crawford Williams offer us a key to opening a door toward protecting, and educating about, the value of wildlife and natural ecosystems that are so essential for our life-supporting systems on Earth. Wildlife and wild lands are not simply a source of natural capital for future generations; they are where we access the gene pool of millions of years of evolution. The universal energy capable of regenerating life for the next million years can be found in the complexity of the ecosystem needed to support Puma, to the smallest atom in a water molecule."

    Alex Pryor, Co-founder and Chief Brewer at Guayaki Yerba Mate visit website

  • "We understand that, in the past, man has not had an active role in caring for the environment—something that we should be leaders in conserving and regenerating. Above and beyond the basic role the state has in regards to the natural protected areas, the support of the private sector and the non-governmental organizations is indispensable in the execution of this massive task, part of which Laura Crawford’s wonderful book reflects."

    Rafael Smart, President and co–founder of Cielos Patagónicos visit website

  • "I am very fortunate to have met the producers of Wildlife in Wild Lands. I recognize the time, effort, expertise, patience, and love that not only Laura, but the entire Frontera group and their many assistants have put into this project. As part of a regional NGO dedicated to the conservation of the Argentine Patagonian Andes, we heartily support this beautiful book. It is an extraordinary tool for any environmental education project. I am sure that this effort, and particularly Laura's photos, will bring everyone closer to one of the last wild places in this ever-changing world."

    Lorenzo Sympson, Presidente, Sociedad Naturalista Andino Patagónica visit website

  • "At Aves Argentinas, we’ve worked since 1916 to reevaluate the bond people have with their natural environment, dedicating spaces for nature lovers, developing conservation projects and activities, research, education, and spreading of that information. Because of this, we support this book, which awakens emotions and love for nature, and consequently, desires to protect it."

    Hernan Casañas, Aves Argentinas, Buenos Aires Based Organization visit website
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