Today we’d like to introduce you to Kirsten Hines.
Kirsten, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My story stems from my innate curiosity about the natural world. I’ve always been an explorer, happiest tromping barefoot through the mud, along a stream, in a tidepool or anywhere I might find something new and exciting to experience in nature. Whether I was in a big city or some remote jungle, I was always seeking unusual plants and animals regardless of whether it was a single flower peeking from a crack in a sidewalk or a troop of howler monkeys swinging through the trees. And I experienced both since my family moved to the Philippines when I was eight and spent several years commuting between a concrete-heavy section of urban Manila and a sprawling tree-studded campus in the rural province of Cavite. We didn’t have TV, so the outdoors was my playground and I thrived in it.
When it came time to choose a career, I thought I’d combine my passions for nature, travel, and exploration by becoming a biologist. I moved to Miami for graduate school and specialized in tropical herpetology (amphibians and reptiles), studying poison dart frogs in Costa Rica and endangered rock iguanas in the Bahamas. I loved spending time in the field working with the animals, but I realized that I didn’t want to be a researcher. I didn’t want to limit my engagements to just a few animals and places; I wanted a stronger conservation component; and for me, the objective world of scientific writing and data points robbed nature of its magic. I finished my Master’s degree in biology and took off to travel the world for inspiration. As I was leaving Miami for what proved to be a three-year trek, friends gave me my first digital camera. It was a small point-and-shoot with limited resolution but it opened my eyes to the junction between science and art.
Today, I’m a writer, photographer and environmental educator based in Coconut Grove. My passion continues to be nature and I strive to connect others to its magic through my writing, photography, presentations, and exhibitions. My goal is to restore balance in our increasingly technology-dominated culture, to lure others more deeply into the natural world than they might venture on their own, and to inspire the re-greening of South Florida’s urban corridor.
What do you do? What do you specialize in?
I’m a storyteller. In my writing and photography, I seek to provide an intimate perspective on nature by reflecting wildlife, their behaviors, habitats, and associated environmental issues and conservation concerns. My photography includes both an unaltered documentary-style and a more interpretive abstract style achieved in-camera to convey the emotional experience of the moment. I minimize post-processing and avoid digital manipulation both in an attempt to stay as true to the moment as possible and because nature is impressive without human intervention.
To date, I’ve published four Florida non-fiction books with one more in the press, another under contract and several more in the works. Two of these books, ‘Attracting Birds to South Florida Gardens’ (University Press of Florida; 2015 Florida Book Awards gold medal, Home & Garden), and ‘Birds of Fairchild’ (Acclaim Press; 2015 Florida Book Awards gold medal, Coffee Table Book), are illustrated with my photography and were written specifically to encourage the re-greening of urban areas in South Florida. My most recent book, ‘Biscayne National Park’ (Arcadia Publishing), was written at the Park’s request to celebrate the Park’s 50th-anniversary. It covers pre-history to modern times in text and imagery, including a final chapter with my photography celebrating the Park as it is today. My other history books include ‘Key Biscayne’ (Arcadia Publishing; 2015 Florida Book Awards gold medal, Florida Adult Non-fiction) and forthcoming ‘Dry Tortugas National Park’ (Arcadia Publishing), to be released in winter 2019-20. My writing and photography have also appeared in Shutterbug, Expressions, Audubon, Miami Herald, Coconut Creek Life, Travel Gumbo, and on my own blog at www.KirstenNatureTravel.com. I’m currently working on a photography-based coffee table book under contract to the University Press of Florida entitled ‘Wild Florida: The Animals of the Sunshine State’, that will provide an overview of the current wildlife situation in Florida, featuring naturalistic images of our native species, particularly Florida specialties, but also pointing out our conservation challenges by including images of invasive species and wildlife management.
I’ve displayed my photography in a dozen solo exhibitions across South Florida, including at Biscayne National Park, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Frost Museum of Science, and Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center. I’ve additionally been part of the public art programs at the cities of Hollywood, Homestead and Coral Springs, have participated in roughly 50 juried exhibitions, art festivals, and nature photography showcases locally, nationally and internationally. My Wildlife Impressions exhibit is currently on display at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Biscayne Nature Center in Key Biscayne through the end of August, my Into Africa exhibit will be on display at the FRANK Gallery in Pembroke Pines from July through mid-August and my studio gallery, Kirsten’s Kottage is open by appointment in Coconut Grove.
Is there a specific childhood memory that influenced your work?
I’ve been fortunate to have a textured life quilted from unusual experiences, but two memories from my childhood in the Philippines most sparked my passion for environmental conservation. The first was a bird – the kind of flamboyant bird one imagines from the tropics with bright colors and elaborate plumes. I’d never seen a bird like it in our yard but as I raced to the window for a better view, a young stranger shot it from the tree with a slingshot. The bird was bagged and gone before we had a chance to protest. I never saw another like it.
The other memory wasn’t a single event but rather the progressive change in scenery along our weekly commute between Manila and our rural home in Cavite. Slowly but steadily stilt-houses in small coastal fishing villages and thatch huts in luscious rice fields succumbed to bulldozers and concrete. The last time I took the route, 25 years ago by now, the city had all but engulfed our formerly provincial compound. I could count on one hand the remaining patches of green. I mourned for the children I saw playing at the highway’s edge. They would never chase the end of a rainbow through meadows and mango orchards to find a pool of golden light at the end as I once had.
Pricing:
- My books are available from my website, local bookstores and online retailers starting at $21.99.
- Matted prints are available through my website or at my studio gallery at $25 for 8×10 and $40 for 11×14.
- Please contact me for custom orders.
Contact Info:
- Address: 3109 Grand Ave, PMB 619
Miami, FL 33133 - Website: www.KirstenHines.com
- Phone: 786-368-7848
- Email: KirstenNatureTravel@gmail.com
- Instagram: @kirstennaturetravel
- Facebook: Facebook.com/KirstenNatureTravel
- Twitter: @KirstenNatTrav
Image Credit:
Kirsten Vignes, James Kushlan, Kirsten Hines
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