Photographer to discuss journey for whale images

The Newport Harbor Nautical Museum will begin its Waterman lecture series at 7 p.m. Thursday with a talk by marine photographer Bryant Austin.

Austin will travel for at least 14 months with an exhibit of his large photographs of whales to whaling nations, including Norway and Japan.

His talk is titled “Last Lecture: An insight on whales as a new paradigm in photography and conservation.”

Bryant’s vision began 40 years ago, when the NASA Mariner Space Program brought images of planets and moons from space with high-resolution photo mosaics. Austin took NASA’s approach to produce life-size photographs of whales. Bryant gets within 12 feet of whales to take his photographs.

Tickets for the lecture Thursday at the Newport Harbor Nautical Museum’s East Wing Gallery cost $10 for museum members and $35 for non-members.

Non-member tickets include a complimentary museum membership for one year.

For more information or to make reservations, call (949) 675-8915 or e-mail RSVP@nhnm.org.

— Brianna Bailey