Ray Kammer, 90 has traveled the world to shoot wildlife

Ray Kammer got his first camera in 1945, but his avocation as a nature photographer didn't really take off until 1990 when he retired from a career in sales and marketing with McGraw-Hill publications.

For the past 25 years, Kammer has traveled the world's seven continents - capturing images of giant pandas in China, polar bears in the Arctic, and cheetahs in Africa.

"I started this after I refocused," said Kammer, now 90.

Kammer's refocus has resulted in hundreds of images that include penguins, albatrosses, bald eagles, snow monkeys, lynx, zebras and a rather ornery-looking porcupine.

Villa St. Benedict in Lisle, where Kammer now lives with his wife, Pat, recently held an exhibit of Kammer's work that drew outside visitors every day for the two months it was up, he said.

Visitors' comments left in a guest book include: "Your photos are remarkable!" "It's obvious that you have a poet's eye," and "You are amazing!"

The largely self-taught photographer is a past president of The Morton Arboretum Nature Study and Photography Club (which has been replaced by The Morton Arboretum Photographic Society) and a member of the Mayslake Nature Study and Photography Club.

Kammer, who has taken and taught photography workshops, said it's not unusual for photographers like himself to return to a spot to capture just the right lighting or wait for the perfect moment to shoot an image.

"Being a nature photographer makes you more susceptible to the world around you," he said. "In nature, you have to be prepared all the time with your focus and exposure."

Gary Saunders of Naperville, a fellow member of the Mayslake Nature Study and Photography Club, said he has known Kammer for at least 25 years and marvels at his work.

"I consider myself a pretty fair photographer, then I saw Ray's work and said I have a lot to learn," Saunders said. "I've always been impressed (that) he's able to get an absolutely stunning photo of whatever subject he is pursuing."

Bill Dixon of Lemont, another member of the Mayslake Nature Study and Photography Club, said he has gone on local photo trips with Kammer and watched him work.

"He's very focused," Dixon said. "He knows what he's looking for and goes after it." Dixon, who replaced Kammer as the Mayslake club's membership chairman, said Kammer also willingly shares his knowledge with others.

"He made me very welcome when I first came into the club," he said.

Focus on nature

Kammer now uses a digital camera, but said he didn't switch until he knew digital cameras could produce the same quality of images as film. He has sold his work and entered it in competition.

Kammer, who also shoots landscapes, said he strengthened his focus on nature after visiting the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in Italy 15 years ago and being inspired by the saint who loved animals and the environment.

He has shot many of his pictures while on photographic tours and also has traveled on his own. What he considers his most challenging photos - a series of images of a polar bear jumping over ice in the Arctic - was shot from the safety of a tour boat.

"You treat all these animals with respect and distance," he said.

Kammer's favorite location was Antarctica, where he captured images of king penguins and reveled in the photo opportunities to shoot wildlife and icebergs. He also has traveled to a game farm in Montana and photographed snow monkeys in Japan and zebras at a watering hole in Namibia, Africa. Kammer noted that a National Geographic photographer got caught when he photoshopped a picture of zebras.

"With zebras, all the stripes are different," he said. "They are as individual as the fingerprints on your hands."

Kammer's favorite nearby photo spots include The Morton Arboretum, Starved Rock State Park and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Life well-lived

Age-related falls and concerns for his wife's health have slowed Kammer's travels, but he's still active and engaged in the world around him.

"I'm mistaken a lot of times for 70," said Kammer, who turned 90 last November.

A World War II veteran, Kammer asked that guests at his 90th birthday celebration make contributions to Operation Support Our Troops.

"We collected 90 pounds of food," he said.

Kammer also was able to go on a Chicago Honor Flight last summer to Washington, D.C.

"That was fantastic," he said.

A native of the South Side of Chicago, Kammer attended Purdue University on the GI Bill and met his wife, Pat, there. The two have been married 67 years and have five children and seven grandchildren.

Kammer's career took his family to a number of locations, including 14 years in New Jersey, before a promotion brought him back to the Chicago area. The family moved to Glen Ellyn and then spent 37 years in Naperville, where Kammer was a founding member of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish. The former Eagle Scout also was active in Boy Scouts as a youth and adult.

Looking at his photos, Kammer said he is well satisfied with the life he has lived.

"When I go back to some of these images it brings me in that presence and the realization of what I have accomplished," he said.