The story about America’s endangered species was called Countdown to Extinction, and it appeared in the January, 2009, issue of National Geographic. Joel Sartore took the photos, and given his passion for the subject, the article developed into a book project that resulted in the publication last year of Rare: Portraits of America’s Endangered Species. “Almost all of the photographs for the book were studio portraits,” Joel says. “A few were taken in the fleld just to show in a basic way how animals get in trouble because of the loss of their habitats.”

What made the portraits possible was the cooperation of the zookeepers, researchers and handlers responsible for the welfare of the animals. “The goal is to get the animals photographed quickly so there’s little or no stress on them. We don’t want to handle them more than once.” In the case of the black-capped vireo, Joel had time for only one frame. “I was shooting under the watchful eye of a biologist. I took one shot and he said, ‘That’s it, the bird seems to be a little stressed.’ “

Joel’s backgrounds for the photos consisted of either white PVC board or black velvet. His lighting consisted of Dynalite studio strobes and SB-800 Speedlights. “I’m constantly checking the back of the camera. It’s critical that I know I got the shot and can move on. Again, we want no stress on the animals, and I want to keep the handlers cooperative. I never handle the animals; I always work with someone who is permitted to do that and who is skilled at it.”

Joel’s long association with environmental concerns will open doors for him. “I’ve had working relationships with a lot of places for a long time,” he says, “and the other thing that’s extremely helpful is that the zoos know I’ll give them copies of the pictures. That’s my best advice to any photographer: share your photographs with the people who help you.”

Not every door opens, though. “Sometimes I don’t get in. For the book I wanted to do endangered birds at a breeding center, but I never could get access. They just didn’t want to stress their birds, and that’s certainly their right. They’re the guardians of the birds.

“To me the people who run the zoos, aquariums and captive breeding facilities of the nation are the heroes. They live with these animals; their struggles are the animals’ struggles and vice versa. They’re the people who should get all the credit. A lot of these species would be extinct without captive breeding efforts and without good people to shelter these animals.”

And, perhaps, without photographers to take their pictures. As Joel says, “For a lot of the smaller species—frogs, turtles, smaller birds—these pictures may be the only chance they ever get to be seen or noticed, the only national exposure they ever get. There are thousands of species that haven’t yet been listed [as endangered], so it’s critical we get some sort of a record of them.

“The thing about photography that’s so wonderful is that it preserves colors perfectly. The only record we have for what certain extinct species actually looked like in life are photographs.”

You can see more images from Rare, learn about Joel’s books and projects and view a wide selection of his images at www.joelsartore.com.