Making of the Show

The moment it became clear

When Art saw the rough cut of the reverent episode filmed in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, he experienced a moment when it hit him-"this is why I'm doing this series." The delicate birds and hearty animals that thrive in America's last untamed wilderness convey a clear message-there is an unequivocal need to preserve this wondrous habitat.

This episode brings Art's philosophies-his desire to convey a clear message through his imagery and make a compelling argument for conservation-into perfect synchronization. It's a beautiful, quiet episode that uplifts and inspires. And, that's why Art makes this television series, which can reach more people than all his books and talks put together.

Art's message

Through Travels to the Edge with Art Wolfe, Art wants to

  • Entertain you with great adventures,
  • Inspire you to jump out of your chair and travel our beautiful planet, and
  • Share his strong environmental ethic in the hopes that you will contribute, even in the smallest way, to preserving our beautiful planet-one person can make a difference.

Art's inspiration for the series

In the 1950's on their first television, Art and his family watched High Adventures with Lowell Thomas. A precursor to Indiana Jones, this show followed the intrepid world traveler, adventurer, and journalist, Lowell Thomas, to exotic locations in search of lost tribes. Through this show, Thomas planted a seed of imagination and exploration in Art that's still growing today. Art has been to many countries around the globe, but if you ask him where he'd like to go next, islands, countries, and cities-Mykonos, Egypt, Barcelona, Yemen, Burma-tumble off his tongue with the enthusiasm of someone who's going on their first high adventure.

Art's favorite moments making the series

One of Art's favorite moments of the season was different from anything he's ever done-photographing the largest religious gathering on the planet in India, where the exotic color and mystery hanging in the air are just as intoxicating as great photographic opportunities in good light. Another moment that comes to Art's mind is floating down the Kongakut river in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge-then almost crashing. He jostles among chanting holy men and navigates arctic rivers, all with photographic equipment slung over his shoulder and his film crew in tow, which brings us to another subject-the challenges faced when making this series.

Challenges Art faced making this series

Time, scope, scale: Those were the main challenges. Then, add getting from point A to B with a film crew, local guides, a lot of equipment, and uncooperative weather. Challenge is putting it mildly.

Time: Art and his crew had ten days to shoot each episode. That may sound like a lot of time, but for a series of this caliber and scale, a ten-day shoot is short and requires intense coordination.

Scope: They had to focus on one story per location. Art wants to convey a clear message in his imagery so the crew had to find only a few subjects that told the story best. Clutter would dilute the message, and in Art's words, "If someone has to ask me what one of my images means, I've failed."

Scale: Art had to choose locations that deliver extraordinary scenery, wildlife, and people while varying the locations across the planet. He had to make difficult choices, narrow the list of countries, and hope everything worked out for the best.

Getting from point A to B: Try missing your flight and traveling to a remote mountain range in Ethiopia during the monsoon where no cars have been for six months. Then, traverse overgrown vegetation woven into goop-certainly not a road in the traditional sense. Even the crew's sturdy vehicles couldn't traverse that soupy, organic carpet of mud, so 30-40 people had to pull the vehicles up the mountain range. Toward the end of the shoot, the crew had only one vehicle left-travels to the edge indeed.

How Art's team overcame the challenges

Adaptability, adaptability, adaptability-it's everything. The four-person crew for the series was small, resourceful, and tenacious. Because of their size, they could adapt to any situation and make decisions quickly. If they arrived on location expecting to film a herd of animals that were nowhere in sight or a mountain peak against a blue sky that was not so blue, Art and the crew drew on their endless imagination and chose a new subject. A true artist, like Art, can photograph that organic carpet of mud mentioned earlier and bring out the lovely colors and intricate patterns of the vegetative weave. Every step brings another story to tell, and as Art says, "Many times the footnote becomes the story."