See samples of Michael's work	Michael Runtz WHAT Nature Photographer, Author, Naturalist WHERE Cranberry Lake, ON, 613-387-2503 Biology Dept., Carleton University, Ottawa mike_runtz@carleton.ca SHOW Philip Wood Gallery, Feb. 1-23, 58 Mill St., Almonte WHY "My passion for nature" Previous Artist Trading Cards

Michael Runtz - A Passion for Wild Things
By Sally Hansen

Nature ranks high on my personal list of favourite art subjects, so when I fortuitously bumped into the gorgeously photographed nature books of Michael Runtz at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Kleinsburg, I bought two of them. I called theHumm's editor as soon as I discovered that Runtz was from Arnprior and had spent decades photographing and writing about this region's wild things.

The Nature of Wild Things
Michael Runtz' passion for nature has governed his behaviour since he was five years old. Thanks to a stroke of genius on the part of his next door neighbour in Arnprior, Cecile Baker, Runtz became "the Bird Man" at school from a very tender age. To divert Michael from pestering his older sister and the neighbour's daughter while they were playing in her backyard, this resourceful woman stuck a pair of binoculars in the little boy's hands and marched him around the yard to look at birds. Then she showed him pictures in her Peterson Field Guide of the nesting orioles he had just seen through the binoculars. He was hooked.

Decades later, Michael Runtz is enjoying the multi-faceted career that has resulted from his abiding passion for nature. Long gone, but not quite forgotten, is the teasing of the other kids in school that caused him to be a closet birdwatcher. Now his Natural History course at Carleton University attracts hundreds of students each semester, and several times has been the most popular such course in Canada, with 1,400 students enrolled. Runtz attributes its popularity in part to the photographs that play such an integral part in his teaching. "In my opinion, there's no better tool for educating people about nature than to show them what I'm talking about." Certainly it was his stunning photographs that drew me to his books at the McMichael Gift Shop.

A Natural Career Progression
After working for seven years for Noranda Metals in the 70s, Runtz headed to Carleton University to study biology. He abandoned work on his Masters to start writing about and photographing nature as a means to an end. "I love nature - my life is nature. I have to be out there, to experience it and see it and understand it."

Runtz' first book, Moose Country, was a Canadian bestseller within weeks of it's coming out, followed by Algonquin Seasons. He has also written The Explorer's Guide to Algonquin Park, and The Howls of August: Encounters with Algonquin Wolves. He worked as a naturalist in the Park for many seasons, and it remains one of his favourite haunts. A few years back Runtz hosted a 13-part TV series titled Wild by Nature, aired by both Canadian and U. S. networks and aired again this fall in Canada. As you can imagine, he is a lecturer sought after by a great diversity of groups.

Respecting Wild Things
Runtz has authored a beautiful trilogy of respect to nature: Wild Things - The Hidden World of Animals, Wild Flowers - Beauty and the Beasts, and Wild Wings - The Hidden World of Birds. (Jim Flynn shares photo credits for Wild Wings.) When I comment on his amazing photos, Runtz corrects me - "amazing plants and animals." And this is his gift - to make amazing wild things accessible to all of us through his words and photos, without harming the wild in any way.

Runtz' words and pictures have greatly broadened my observation and appreciation of the wild plants and animals with whom I share my environment. Now when the Great Blue Heron stands at the edge of the river preening its feathers with its bill, I watch for the second act. To groom the patches it can't reach with its bill, it rubs its bill over its preen gland and then passes its foot over its bill before scratching the top of its head with its foot. And now I know why the stunning iridescence on the throat (gorget) of the hummingbird is only visible from certain angles. Learning that chastity belts were a pale imitation (my conclusion) of the animal kingdom's wide range of "copulatory plugs" was another surprise.

Best of all, I assimilated this knowledge enjoyably, lured by the nectar of Runtz' spectacular photos to his clear explanations written in layperson language.

In his books, as well as during the interview, Runtz is forceful about his conviction that "...it is highly improper for us to consider wild things merely as objects for our pleasure or profit. We all have an inherent responsibility to do our utmost to respect and preserve these irreplaceable living marvels."

The Art of Photographing Wild Things
Anyone who has struggled valiantly and mostly in vain to get a great shot of their family pet will be consumed with curiosity (and envy) as they study the photographs in Runtz' nature books. How does he do it? How does he capture a crystal-clear photo of an all-but invisible immature Great Horned Owl puffing up its feathers to intimidate an attacker? Or the specialized teeth gleaming white against the red tongue and wide-open jaws of the carnivorous Red Fox?

Runtz' answer makes inescapable sense: "It really takes a fairly intimate knowledge of nature. You not only have to know how to look, but when and where to look." It also takes incredible patience, years of practice, and a mastery of equipment and techniques. Runtz makes his task even more daunting and rewarding by his commitment to photograph his elusive, fragile and sometimes dangerous subjects in their natural, unmanipulated and undisturbed settings.

The Art of Wild Life Photography
Perhaps most importantly, you have to focus the eye of the artist on the canvas of the film to capture the extraordinary images that Runtz offers up in his life's mission to share his passion for nature. At the moment, the best way to see and share these photographs is to buy Michael Runtz' books, available in Almonte at The Miller's Tale (256-9090), at the Arnprior Book Shop (623-8800), and at the Valley Book Shop in Perth (267-5532). In February the Philip Wood Gallery at 58 Mill St., Almonte (256-6133), will be featuring Runtz' photographs in a show entitled Algonquin. You can also contact Michael directly by phone at 387-2503 or by email at mike_runtz@carleton.ca.