By Fran Pelham
For Jerry Heffner, wildlife photographer and artist, living full-time on Long Beach Island fills him with gratitude for the gifts of nature. “I look around and experience the beauty of nature.” For Jerry, living at the shore provides a sojourn into nature in all its stunning magnificence.
“We have it all here,” he says. “Whales that breach. Dolphins that play. Beautiful birds like egrets, pelicans, herons, and osprey, who mate, nest and feed their young. All of God’s creation is here all year long.” Although he travels to Europe, there is no need to travel to far-away destinations. Heffner’s artistic repertoire includes work in local parks and beaches in New Jersey that keep his creativity fired up.
Heffner made a quantum leap to art after three decades of work as an engineer working for AT&T and Verizon, managing teams of engineers building the nationwide cellular network. Now retired, he lives year-round on Long Beach Island with his wife Barbara, and Teddy, their beloved yorkie.
His attention to detail as displayed in his work was inspired by his father, a watchmaker. “My father had magic hands, moving into place dozens of minuscule screws and bits into a watch.” Another inspiration for his success comes from a former teacher and former president of Pine Shores Art Association, Tom Rutledge, a gifted artist who “is always willing to share his knowledge, and generous in teaching his techniques. He was always positive in his comments about my work.” Heffner’s work features subjects ranging from photographing sunsets to mating egrets.
In taking photographs of wildlife in natural settings, Heffner advises, “Wildlife photography is an exciting and challenging field that allows a photographer such as myself to capture the beauty of nature and its inhabitant creatures.” According to Heffner, wildlife photography can be an exhilarating and fulfilling experience.
Heffner emphasizes and practices ethical wildlife photography:
• Respect animals and their habitats and enable them to thrive in their natural environment.
• Obey interaction rules for both human and animal safety.
• Never do anything to endanger wildlife or their offspring.
• Promote understanding and appreciation for wildlife and the importance of conservation efforts.
• Understand animal behavior and their habits such as feeding patterns, behavior, and activity.
“Be patient and calm,” he says, “Sometimes we need to wait for the spontaneous to happen in nature. Again, I use my zoom lens, but I keep a distance and obey interaction rules for both human and animal safety.”
Embarking on wildlife photography opens new perspectives through a stunning lens of discovery on wildlife. His work has been rewarded with a plethora of awards from Pine Shores Art Association and Judges Choice Awards.
Heffner pours his heart and soul into his work. He says that his aim is to showcase “the Creator’s earth in the most beautiful light.” He does this in landscape and seascape, and I think in what poet Gerald Manly Hopkins describes as “inscape,” the raw experience of beauty itself.
