Scott’s interest in photographing nature stems from a childhood exploring the woods and shorelines near his home on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. He soon discovered a passion for birds, and began developing as a naturalist.
A nature photographer, environmental author and a life-long naturalist his photographs have been published around the world and he is represented by the prestigious natural history photo agency Minden Pictures. Scott’s writing and photographs have appeared in numerous magazines, both in Canada and abroad, and he is author and photographer of a four volume series on North American avian life: Sea and Coastal Birds of North America; Wetland Birds of North America; Woodland Birds of North America; and Grassland and Desert Birds of North America, each with the sub-title A Guide to Observation, Understanding and Conservation. In addition, he photographed and wrote Bay of Fundy, A Natural Portrait.
His latest book is 100 Under 100, The Race to Save the World’s Rarest Living Things published Spring 2012 by HarperCollins.
In 1992 he co-founded an organization called the Tobeatic Wilderness Committee (TWC). The TWC was fighting to protect the largest virgin wilderness in the Canadian Maritime Provinces. It was at this point that Scott began to see how the power of photography and words could achieve conservation goals and educate the public about the natural world. His photographs and articles were used extensively to win the support of Canadians for the Tobeatic’s preservation. In 1995, the 250,000 acre Tobeatic Wilderness was designated as a protected wilderness area.
In addition to his topside work, he has over 3000 dives as a photographer, a diving instructor, and a commercial sea urchin diver in Canada’s Bay of Fundy.
Scott has won several awards for photography and writing, including two recent Atlantic Journalism Awards, a nomination for a Canadian National Magazine Award, and The DOPPS International Bird Photography competition in Europe, among others.
As a guide and teacher with a deep passion for conservation and the photographic craft, his style is relaxed yet always focused on teaching photographers the best techniques learned from 25 years in the field, and inspiring them to discover and express their own vision.
He lives in Bear River, Nova Scotia with his wife Paula, their dog Rosie, and cats Pebbles and Cashew.
Scott Leslie joined Fine Art America on August 30th, 2012.
