Voyage Savannah Interviews Hilton Head Audubon’s Patricia Kappmeyer

Today we’d like to introduce you to Patricia Kappmeyer.  

Hi Patricia, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.

I have always found solace in nature. That bond has deepened as I’ve followed my passion to create beautiful art photographing the incredible variety of birdlife in the Lowcountry. I am happiest when I am laying in pluff mud, wandering the marshes or forests seeking out birds. Each bird has a soul and personality that I try to capture through my photography. I spend a great amount of time with my subjects observing their habits and quirks so that my image tells a story that is unique to the bird and its environment. Through my images, I seek to educate, inspire and uplift people to conserve and preserve the fragile ecosystems of Hilton Head Island and the low country. 

My desire to spread awareness and education of the need for conservation through photographic images lead me to connect passion with purpose and action. Two years ago, I joined the Board of Directors for Hilton Head Audubon, one of the area’s oldest environmental organizations dedicated to the preservation and protection of coastal marshes, beaches, maritime forests, and other habitats that support declining bird life. My focus has been to reinvigorate the organization’s website, newsletter, and social media presence to align with the organization’s mission and connect with a broader audience. My images grace the pages of the Hilton Head Audubon website and have been transformed into graphic art to create new logos and banners for the monthly Ecobon newsletter. I write a column for the newsletter titled “Feathers Through Our Lense” and am a frequent contributor to Camera in the Wild magazine, the quarterly digest of the Carolina Nature Photographers Association. In addition, I have had the pleasure to go out on speaking engagements to bird, photography, and garden clubs both individually and on behalf of Hilton Head Audubon. 

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?

It has evolved organically for me once I started sharing my photographs online, submitting articles, and finding like-minded people. The hardest part is to put yourself out there and overcome self-doubts and fears of imposter syndrome. It has driven me to increase my time in the field to observe behavior in all types of environment and conditions in order to create inspiring photography. Continuous learning is important to me. I strive to educate myself in every possible way about birdlife, biology, conservation and advocacy, and the technological tools to storytell and share awareness. 

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?

I photograph birdlife, primarily shorebirds and wading birds, around Hilton Head Island and the low country area. I use my images for non-commercial use to spread awareness and education of the plight of birds being squeezed out by loss of habitat. However, my love and appreciation of art and photography runs deeper, and I call on those influences when I am creating an image. There are photographers, old and contemporary, that grab me emotionally. Among them are Doris Ulmann, Sally Mann, Art Wolfe, Thomas Mangelson, and Allan Cruickshank. Ulmann and Cruickshank are inspiring not only for their work but for the historical context. 

Doris Ullan was an American photographer best known for her depression-era portraits of the people of Appalachia and perhaps lesser known for her portrayal of the Gullah people of the Sea Islands (1929-1933). Her black-and-white images of people and place are haunting. I call upon her photographs when I am in a rice field or marsh and hear the wind weeping with sadness at the tragic and horrible human condition of slavery. So, when I photograph a clapper rail or marsh sparrow, I call upon this and remember where I am. 

Alan Cruikshank, an ornithologist, was the National Audubon’s Society official photographer for 37 years (1936-1973). He produced groundbreaking work photographing birds in their native wilderness particularly along the southeast coast. His shorebird and wading bird photos are taken in locations along the South Carolina and Georgia coast that I frequent. It is comforting to know that others have worked these areas with the same purpose – to educate and protect. 

I am most proud of two things: how my photography has evolved and how time invested in the field has made me a better photographer, and the use of my images to support the mission of Hilton Head Audubon. 

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?

Some lessons I have learned: you must be your own advocate and best friend; you need to do the work, and getting out of your comfort zone leads to growth. 

Republished with permission from Voyage Savannah.