Gerrit Vyn

Roles: Director

Gerrit Vyn is a Seattle-based photographer deeply committed to conservation and connecting people more intimately with the myriad creatures we share this miraculous and fragile planet with. His work often focuses on birds because they are such powerful and visible indicators of environmental health and change. Connecting people with birds is often a first step in opening people’s eyes to the natural world around them – and to the unprecedented environmental crises now unfolding. Vyn’s purpose is to help conservation groups better communicate their stories to individuals and policy makers through powerful compelling media. Vyn’s images have been used by most major conservation organizations and appear regularly in books and magazines including National Geographic, Audubon, Living Bird, BBC Wildlife, Natural History, National Wildlife and New Scientist. He was the primary image provider for the 2009 and 2011 State of the Birds reports that were delivered to the Obama administration and congress by a coalition of leading environmental organizations. As a natural sound recordist, Vyn has contributed thousands of recordings to the Macaulay Library collection at Cornell University and have produced and authored two CD compilations, Voices of North American Owls and Bird Songs of the Pacific Northwest. Vyn’s audio and video work have been featured on radio and television programs including NPR’s Morning Edition, PRI’s Living on Earth, Birdnote, PBS News Hour and CBS Sunday Morning. Vyn is a Producer for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and an Associate Fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers.