Beyond The Lens with Richard Bernabe

The Tilcayo Cat and Photojournalist Fernando Faciole.

The tilcayo (Leopardus tilcayo) is a small wild feline native to the high-elevation cloud forests of the Bolivian Yungas, officially described by science in September 2026 as the first new living cat species recognized in over a century. 

The National Geographic Society dispatched Brazil-based National Geographic Explorer and photojournalist Fernando Faciole to create some of the first images of this new wild cat. Faciole's visual storytelling has earned international acclaim, including the Impact Award at Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025, Public Award at the Environmental Photography Award (2024 and 2025), the Panda Award at the Wildscreen Festival (2022). He is also a member of the International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP).

Notable Links:

Fernando Faciole Website
Fernando Faciole Instagram
Photos of the Tilcayo on National Geographic
Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz
Doug Gimesy, Conservation and Wildlife Photojournalist

*****

Request a free copy of the Muench Workshops Destinations Magazine, and it will be mailed it straight to your door. It’s packed with photography education, ideas, and some of the remarkable places Muench Workshops explores around the world: https://muenchworkshops.com/request-a-magazine/

*****

National Geographic Museum of Exploration - Discovery begins here.

*****

This episode is brought to you by Kase Revolution Plus Filters. I travel the world with my camera, and I can use any photography filters I like, and I’ve tried all of them, but in recent years I’ve landed on Kase Filters.

Kase filters are made with premium materials, HD optical glass, shockproof, Ultra-Low Reflectivity, zero color cast, round and square filter designs, magnetic systems, filter holders, adapters, step-up rings, and everything I need so I never miss a moment.

And now, my listeners can get 10% off the Kase Filters Amazon page when they visit. beyondthelens.fm/kase and use coupon code 10BERNABE

Kase Filters, Capture with Confidence.

Follow Richard Bernabe:

Substack: https://richardbernabe.substack.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bernabephoto/

Twitter/X: https://x.com/bernabephoto

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bernabephoto

Charlie Hamilton James is an award-winning wildlife photographer, documentary filmmaker, director, and author renowned for his work with National Geographic and the BBC. Beginning his career at age 16 working on Sir David Attenborough’s The Trials of Life, he has spent decades documenting conservation, animal behavior, and human ecology, earning international acclaim for his deep visual studies of kingfishers, river otters, the Peruvian Amazon, and the East African Serengeti. Recipient of the National Geographic Photographer’s Photographer Award alongside multiple Emmy and BAFTA nominations, he is widely recognized for his raw, intimate storytelling that bridges natural history and pressing environmental realities.

Notable Links:

Charlie Hamilton James Website
Charlie Hamilton James Instagram
Image: Scrolling to Indifference
Image: The World's Going to End, But You Can Buy Cool Stuff
Billy and Molly - An Otter Love Story

*****

Request a free copy of the Muench Workshops Destinations Magazine, and it will be mailed it straight to your door. It’s packed with photography education, ideas, and some of the remarkable places Muench Workshops explores around the world: https://muenchworkshops.com/request-a-magazine/

*****

This episode is brought to you by Kase Revolution Plus Filters. I travel the world with my camera, and I can use any photography filters I like, and I’ve tried all of them, but in recent years I’ve landed on Kase Filters.

Kase filters are made with premium materials, HD optical glass, shockproof, Ultra-Low Reflectivity, zero color cast, round and square filter designs, magnetic systems, filter holders, adapters, step-up rings, and everything I need so I never miss a moment.

And now, my listeners can get 10% off the Kase Filters Amazon page when they visit. beyondthelens.fm/kase and use coupon code 10BERNABE

Kase Filters, Capture with Confidence.

Follow Richard Bernabe:

Substack: https://richardbernabe.substack.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bernabephoto/

Twitter/X: https://x.com/bernabephoto

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bernabephoto

Margot Raggett and the Newest Wildlife Photographers United Book — Remembering Giraffes.

Margot Raggett MBE is a British wildlife photographer and the founder of Remembering Wildlife, a series of collaborative photography books that has raised more than million dollars for conservation projects across Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Her images are published worldwide, and in 2015 she won the Animal Antics category of the Nature's Best Photography Awards.

After encountering a poached elephant in Laikipia, Kenya, Margot launched Remembering Wildlife in 2015, bringing together the world's leading wildlife photographers to donate their work for a single cause. What began with Remembering Elephants has grown into eleven books, including rhinos, great apes, lions, leopards, tigers, and now Remembering Giraffes. In 2023 she was awarded an MBE for services to international conservation.

Notable Links:

Margot Raggett Photography
Margot Raggett Instagram
Remembering Wildlife Website

*****

Request a free copy of the Muench Workshops Destinations Magazine, and it will be mailed it straight to your door. It’s packed with photography education, ideas, and some of the remarkable places Muench Workshops explores around the world: https://muenchworkshops.com/request-a-magazine/

*****

This episode is brought to you by Kase Revolution Plus Filters. I travel the world with my camera, and I can use any photography filters I like, and I’ve tried all of them, but in recent years I’ve landed on Kase Filters.

Kase filters are made with premium materials, HD optical glass, shockproof, Ultra-Low Reflectivity, zero color cast, round and square filter designs, magnetic systems, filter holders, adapters, step-up rings, and everything I need so I never miss a moment.

And now, my listeners can get 10% off the Kase Filters Amazon page when they visit. beyondthelens.fm/kase and use coupon code 10BERNABE

Kase Filters, Capture with Confidence.

Follow Richard Bernabe:

Substack: https://richardbernabe.substack.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bernabephoto/

Twitter/X: https://x.com/bernabephoto

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bernabephoto

Complexity is the Next Step — Street Photographer Julia Coddington on Moving Beyond Simple Images, Flow State, and Compositional Evolution.

Julia Coddington is an Australian photographer specializing in street and documentary photography. She's the co-founder of the Unexposed Collective, administrator of Women in Street, and member of the Little Box Collective, Julia championsdiverse voices in contemporary street photography. 

Julia embraces complexity in your images, capturing intimate, unguarded moments that reveal the fascinating diversity of human behavior, emotion, and connection, seeking to capture the joy in humanity in return, experiencing joy through the photographic process.

Notable Links:

Julia Coddington Photography
Julia Coddington on Instagram
Unexposed Collective on Instagram
The Pool Project
Beyond The Lens Episode 114. Books That Matter: John Szarcowski And ‘The Photographer’s Eye’ — The Thing Itself, The Detail, The Frame, Time, And Vantage Point – on Apple Podcasts

*****

Request a free copy of the Muench Workshops Destinations Magazine, and it will be mailed it straight to your door. It’s packed with photography education, ideas, and some of the remarkable places Muench Workshops explores around the world: https://muenchworkshops.com/request-a-magazine/

*****

This episode is brought to you by Kase Revolution Plus Filters. I travel the world with my camera, and I can use any photography filters I like, and I’ve tried all of them, but in recent years I’ve landed on Kase Filters.

Kase filters are made with premium materials, HD optical glass, shockproof, Ultra-Low Reflectivity, zero color cast, round and square filter designs, magnetic systems, filter holders, adapters, step-up rings, and everything I need so I never miss a moment.

And now, my listeners can get 10% off the Kase Filters Amazon page when they visit. beyondthelens.fm/kase and use coupon code 10BERNABE

Kase Filters, Capture with Confidence.

Follow Richard Bernabe:

Substack: https://richardbernabe.substack.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bernabephoto/

Twitter/X: https://x.com/bernabephoto

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bernabephoto

Photographer Nick Brandt: African Animal Portraiture to Environmental Injustice and the Climate Crisis — 25 Years Behind The Lens

Nick Brandt is a photographer, author, and conservationist whose work explores the intersection of animals, humanity, and environmental collapse. He is the author of nine books, including the acclaimed trilogy On This Earth, A Shadow Falls, and Across the Ravaged Land, along with Inherit the Dust, This Empty World, and the ongoing global series The Day May Break. In 2010 he co-founded Big Life Foundation, which today protects nearly two million acres of wilderness across Kenya and Tanzania.
His work has been exhibited in solo shows across New York, London, Berlin, Paris, and Stockholm, and all four chapters of The Day May Break are currently on view together for the first time at the Gallerie d’Italia in Turin.

Notable Links:

Nick Brandt Website
Nick Brandt Instagram
Image: Ranger with Tusks of Killed Elephant
Inherit The Dust
The Day May Break: SINK / RISE

*****

**MUENCH WORKSHOPS GIVEAWAY** Win a free workshop with me to Bosque del Apache, New Mexico in January, 2027. Application is free! CLICK HERE to learn more.

*****

This episode is brought to you by Kase Revolution Plus Filters. I travel the world with my camera, and I can use any photography filters I like, and I’ve tried all of them, but in recent years I’ve landed on Kase Filters.

Kase filters are made with premium materials, HD optical glass, shockproof, Ultra-Low Reflectivity, zero color cast, round and square filter designs, magnetic systems, filter holders, adapters, step-up rings, and everything I need so I never miss a moment.

And now, my listeners can get 10% off the Kase Filters Amazon page when they visit. beyondthelens.fm/kase and use coupon code 10BERNABE

Kase Filters, Capture with Confidence.

Follow Richard Bernabe:

Substack: https://richardbernabe.substack.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bernabephoto/

Twitter/X: https://x.com/bernabephoto

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bernabephoto

Scott Wilson is a Denver-based conservation photographer and photo advocate for America's wild mustangs. Originally from Glasgow, Scotland, he spent over twenty years as a landscape photographer and corporate communications executive before a stage 4 colon cancer diagnosis changed the course of his life. Sunlight restrictions during chemotherapy pushed him to photograph wildlife from the shade of his car, and that habit led him to Colorado's Sand Wash Basin, where an encounter with a wild pinto stallion named Picasso set him on an entirely new path.

What began as an artistic pursuit became an advocacy mission once Wilson witnessed the toll of a federal roundup on the herd he'd come to know. He is an independent conservation photographer and contributor to the We Animals photojournalism agency and Skydog Sanctuary. His black and white portrait "Anger Management" won Open Photographer of the Year at the 2022 Sony World Photography Awards, and his work has appeared in the BBC, the Daily Telegraph, and international galleries. In this conversation, Scott talks about the moment his lens turned from landscapes to advocacy, what he's learned photographing wild horses in their final free spaces, and why he believes the fight for their survival is really a fight for freedom itself.

Notable Links:

Scott Wilson Website
Scott Wilson Instagram
Image: Adonis
Image: Picasso
Image: Anger Management
Image: Wild Unfree
Skydog Ranch and Sanctuary
Photo Advocacy

*****

**MUENCH WORKSHOPS GIVEAWAY** Win a free workshop with me to Bosque del Apache, New Mexico in January, 2027. Application is free! CLICK HERE to learn more.

*****

This episode is brought to you by Kase Revolution Plus Filters. I travel the world with my camera, and I can use any photography filters I like, and I’ve tried all of them, but in recent years I’ve landed on Kase Filters.

Kase filters are made with premium materials, HD optical glass, shockproof, Ultra-Low Reflectivity, zero color cast, round and square filter designs, magnetic systems, filter holders, adapters, step-up rings, and everything I need so I never miss a moment.

And now, my listeners can get 10% off the Kase Filters Amazon page when they visit. beyondthelens.fm/kase and use coupon code BERNABE10

Kase Filters, Capture with Confidence.

Follow Richard Bernabe:

Substack: https://richardbernabe.substack.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bernabephoto/

Twitter/X: https://x.com/bernabephoto

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bernabephoto

Living on Mars with National Geographic Explorer and Photographer, MacKenzie Calle.

Mackenzie Calle is a photographer and National Geographic Explorer based in Brooklyn. Her work has been recognized by institutions that include World Press Photo, Magnum Foundation, and the Sony World Photography Awards.  She’s a graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts with a degree in Cinema Studies and was awarded the Director’s Fellowship to attend ICP’s Documentary Practice and Visual Journalism program. 

Prior to her photography career, she was a Photo Producer at NBCUniversal across networks that include NBC, MSNBC, and Bravo. Clients include National Geographic, NBCUniversal, The Washington Post, GAYLETTER, Discovery, Versant, The Wall Street Journal, and Flair Airlines.

Richard and MacKenzie talk about doing photography, living, and traveling to Mars, the July 2026 National Geographic cover photo, and the World's Biggest Analog, funded and made possible by the National Geographic Society.

Notable Links:

MacKenzie Calle Website
MacKenzie Calle Instagram
The World's Biggest Analog
MacKenzie's TEDx Talk
National Geographic July 2026 Issue
National Geographic Society

*****

**MUENCH WORKSHOPS GIVEAWAY** Win a free workshop with me to Bosque del Apache, New Mexico in January, 2027. Application is free! CLICK HERE to learn more.

*****

This episode is brought to you by Kase Revolution Plus Filters. I travel the world with my camera, and I can use any photography filters I like, and I’ve tried all of them, but in recent years I’ve landed on Kase Filters.

Kase filters are made with premium materials, HD optical glass, shockproof, Ultra-Low Reflectivity, zero color cast, round and square filter designs, magnetic systems, filter holders, adapters, step-up rings, and everything I need so I never miss a moment.

And now, my listeners can get 10% off the Kase Filters Amazon page when they visit. beyondthelens.fm/kase and use coupon code BERNABE10

Kase Filters, Capture with Confidence.

Follow Richard Bernabe:

Substack: https://richardbernabe.substack.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bernabephoto/

Twitter/X: https://x.com/bernabephoto

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bernabephoto

Photographer Art Wolfe on Acts of Faith, Religion, Culture, and Celebrations of Humanity Through Photography.

Art Wolfe is an American photographer and conservationist, internationally known for color images of landscapes, wildlife, and native cultures. He's photographed wildlife, scenes, and people on every continent.

Wolfe has published more than 120 books over his 50-year career including Vanishing Act, The High Himalaya, Water: Worlds between Heaven & Earth, Tribes, Rainforests of the World, and The Art of Photographing Nature. His newest book, Acts of Faith, will be released in October, 2026.

Notable Links:

Art Wolfe Website
Art Wolfe Instagram
Order Art's new book,  'Acts of Faith'

*****

**MUENCH WORKSHOPS GIVEAWAY** Win a free workshop with me to Bosque del Apache, New Mexico in January, 2027. Application is free! CLICK HERE to learn more.

*****

This episode is brought to you by Kase Revolution Plus Filters. I travel the world with my camera, and I can use any photography filters I like, and I’ve tried all of them, but in recent years I’ve landed on Kase Filters.

Kase filters are made with premium materials, HD optical glass, shockproof, Ultra-Low Reflectivity, zero color cast, round and square filter designs, magnetic systems, filter holders, adapters, step-up rings, and everything I need so I never miss a moment.

And now, my listeners can get 10% off the Kase Filters Amazon page when they visit. beyondthelens.fm/kase and use coupon code BERNABE10

Kase Filters, Capture with Confidence.

Follow Richard Bernabe:

Substack: https://richardbernabe.substack.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bernabephoto/

Twitter/X: https://x.com/bernabephoto

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bernabephoto

Books That Matter for Photographers: Elizabeth Gilbert's ‘Big Magic' — Recalibrating Your Relationship with Fear While Living a Bold, Creative Life.

Fresh off a month in Botswana, Richard tackles Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert for the 'Books That Matter' series, and makes the case that fear isn't the enemy of creativity: it's a necessary ingredient. Seneca, mall cops, perfectionism, and why fear is just plain boring, all in service of one idea: stop waiting to feel ready and make the next frame anyway.

Big Magic (2015) is Elizabeth Gilbert's book on creativity and fear, arguing the two aren't opposites but constant companions, so the goal isn't to eliminate fear but to keep it out of the driver's seat. Organized loosely around courage, permission, persistence, trust, and letting go of perfectionism.

Notable Links:

Big Magic
Elizabeth Gilbert Website
Books That Matter: Episode 106 — Stephen Pressfield and 'The War of Art'
Books That Matter: Episode 114 — John Szarcowski and 'The Photographer's Eye'

*****

**MUENCH WORKSHOPS GIVEAWAY** Win a free workshop with me to Bosque del Apache, New Mexico in January, 2027. Application is free! CLICK HERE to learn more.

Follow Richard Bernabe:

Substack: https://richardbernabe.substack.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bernabephoto/

Twitter/X: https://x.com/bernabephoto

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bernabephoto

National Geographic Photographer, Anand Varma on Zombie Parasites, Wonder, Mystery, and Photographic Problem Solving.

Anand Varma is a National Geographic Explorer and photographer based in Berkeley, California. He has devoted years of his life to developing innovative and creative techniques to create intimate, dramatic and surprising images of nature most people never see. He earned a degree in integrative biology from University of California and he's become a photographic regular contributor to National Geographic.

Anand's ultimate goal is to spark a sense of wonder about our natural world. He highlights creatures whose incredible details typically go unseen, and discovers new stories behind the science along the way.

Notable Links:

Anand Varma Website
Wonderlab
Invisible Wonders by Anand Varma
TED Talk: The First 21 Days of a Bee's Life

*****

**MUENCH WORKSHOPS GIVEAWAY** Win a free workshop with me to Bosque del Apache, New Mexico in January, 2027. Application is free! CLICK HERE to learn more.

National Geographic Museum of Exploration - Discovery begins here.

Kase Filters - My listeners can get 10% off the Kase Filters Amazon page when they visit. beyondthelens.fm/kase and use coupon code BERNABE10 

Follow Richard Bernabe:

Substack: https://richardbernabe.substack.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bernabephoto/

Twitter/X: https://x.com/bernabephoto

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bernabephoto