National Geographic Explorers Symposium

National Geographic explorers—anthropologists, archaeologists, conservationists, photographers, educators, oceanographers, epidemiologists, paleontologists, geneticists, geographers, linguists, urban planners, and more—gather at the Society’s Washington, D.C., headquarters to share their latest discoveries and insights with one another and the National Geographic staff.The annual Explorers Symposium has become a forum for visionary individuals across a range of fields to meet and find ways to collaborate on innovative projects. Participants include the new class of National Geographic Emerging Explorers, along with Explorers-in-Residence, Visiting Fellows, and others. The 2009 symposium featured two days of panel discussions on topics ranging from cultural heritage to our ocean’s future, engaging communities in conservation to the power of the image.

Find out more at www.nationalgeographic.com/explorers/projects/explorers-symposium/

New Fine Art Prints

Order your Beverly Joubert Prints today. Each high quality print is printed on a selection of Canvass or Fine Art Paper. Costs of prints are dependent on size & choice of paper, exclusing packaging and postage.

Click here to view prints

For enquiries and orders, please email Lorna Gibb atlorangib@absamail.co.za

TED: Beverly and Dereck Joubert: Life lessons from big cats

Beverly and Dereck Joubert live in the bush, filming and photographing lions and leopards in their natural habitat. With stunning footage (some never before seen), they discuss their personal relationships with these majestic animals - and their quest to save the big cats from human threats.

Visit our TED Profile for more information.

Beverly Joubert’s Biggest Fine Art Print To Date

“My fine art photography going big for elephants at Silverstone International.  It’s the biggest print to date and we hope that it will be another powerful reminder of their beauty and current plight.”

Elephant Conservation Talk at ABC Home in New York

On the 24th March 2014, Beverly and Dereck Joubert gave a talk about elephant conservation at ABC Home in New York at Beverly’s Exhibition ‘The African Elephant’. Co-presented by National Geographic the evening was called ‘Living with Elephants: Stories from the Wild’.  The exhibition and talk was an exploration of these deeply intelligent and soulful animals and the tragic effects of wildlife poaching.  Beverly and Dereck discussed why now, more than ever, the African Elephant needs our protection.

https://www.abchome.com/beverly-joubert-explorer-in-residence/

Women of Vision

A new exhibit that highlights the pioneering role women photographers played at National Geographic Magazine.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304906704579111293950410398.html

Then and Now: Jouberts

National Geographic Explorers-in-Residence Dereck and Beverly Joubert have been filming and researching African wildlife since the 1980s. Recently, their research has focused on the steady decline of big cats across the globe, a trend that has been heavily affected by habitat loss and hunting. In an effort to pull the world’s wild cats from the brink of extinction, the filmmaking duo spearheaded the Big Cats Initiative. This National Geographic program is dedicated to the preservation of big cats—lions, tigers, jaguars, cheetahs, and more—through education, conservation projects, and a worldwide awareness campaign.

Moments like these were not always easy to capture, even when wildlife was relatively plenty. At the time of this 1982 expedition, the Jouberts’ Arriflex 35mm film cameras called for rationed shooting. “If I had a good day and had filmed three magazines and captured 15 minutes of action, I would have to shut down,” says Dereck Joubert of the now outdated technique. “I would open a black bag and in darkness unload each magazine, replace that exposed film with a fresh roll, remove the exposed roll, tape the ends, wrap that in a black plastic bag, and insert it into a can—all by feel in the darkness of a black bag in 100˚ heat, while the lions continued to hunt.” The process could take as long as ten minutes, and many priceless memories went un-photographed.

Photograph courtesy Wildlife Films

Beverly Joubert’s cameras could capture up to 36 images before requiring a film change. This process took as long as 60 seconds, which in the heat of action made the difference between an award-winning moment and a lost opportunity. When exposed, the Jouberts’ film rolls needed to be buried or refrigerated before they were shipped off to London for processing. Then they began a three-week wait for the results.

Modern high-definition cameras have paved the way for rapid shooting and instant review. Despite such modern conveniences, finding a power source in the middle of the wilderness can prove problematic. This, compounded with hours spent transferring footage to a stable hard drive, often counterbalances the benefits of modern cameras. “The end result is possibly marginally better today, but not 180 degrees divergent,” Dereck Joubert says.

Wildlife, however, has changed dramatically in the intervening years. While hunting has decreased as a management style and conservation efforts have blossomed, endangered animal populations continue to dwindle throughout Africa. In response to depleted wildlife, the Jouberts established the Big Cats Initiative, a program with 39 projects in 17 countries to date. This podium has come with a heavy responsibility. “We carry the burden of knowing the situation—one where we lose a rhino every nine hours, five lions a day, and five elephants an hour in Africa,” Dereck Joubert says.

Married life in a tent. How do they do it?

Could you spend 16 hours a day trapped in a vehicle with your husband? Road trips have left many a relationship in tatters, but for Beverly and Dereck Joubert — the wildlife photographers profiled this week on 60 Minutes — spending long days together in a truck and nights in a tent is just part of the fun.

“We designed our lives so that we could be together,” says Dereck. “We never wanted the life where I would go off to the office and come back late at night, cranky, have a scotch, and spend an hour or two with Beverly, who had a completely different life.”

So, these high school sweethearts moved to Botswana and began making their dramatic wildlife films together. Beverly and Dereck work in isolation, going months without seeing other humans; and they told Lara Logan that four days is the longest they’ve spent apart in years. And they’re still married!

Watch the video here