Sleeping amongst wolves

Thank you for your support.

The goal has been achieved and is already guaranteed the book's publication. All this, thanks to you.

During the two weeks remaining of the campaign I just launch a new challenge: to produce an exhibition on the Iberian wolf. It will consist of large format photographs of Iberian wolves in the wild that show the animals in their natural habitat. The exhibition will be traveling in Spain visiting at least 6 cities or towns between autumn 2104 and winter 2015. The exhibition will feature recent photographs and some of my previous exhibition "La Mirada Salvaje" like the one you can see below these lines.

The locations and dates of the exhibitions will be defined later.

Listening to a pack of wolves howling on a summer evening has been one of the most intense and mysterious moments I've ever experienced. Spectacular! It gives you goose bumps and your imagination returns to the beginning of time. Listen to these howls recorded in Picos de Europa in late summer last year.

Sleeping amongst Wolves is a book about the Iberian wolf. It's about the magic of a mythical and mysterious wild animal. The books contains the photographs of wild wolves, that I have taken during the past 20 years, accompanied by a first-person account with stories and anecdotes for those images. This book has emerged from those exciting moments with wolves: meeting a pack of thirteen wolves, a mother wolf feeding her cubs, an wolf walking through the snow in winter, the frantic playing of the pups in a forest..... Sunrises, sunsets and thousands of hours waiting for them to appear. Dreaming every night about their howls. And all of this in the most rugged landscapes of the Peninsula, from the old oak and beech forests of the Cantabrian Mountains to the lush valleys and high peaks of the Picos de Europa.

I took my first photographs of wolves in the Sierra de la Culebra (Zamora) in the nineties. I then continued searching for wolves in the mountains of Asturias, of Degaña and Somiedo, in Galicia and Cantabria. But it has been in Riaño and the Picos de Europa where I have concentrated my work in recent years. There I took my latest photos of wolves, in late 2013. You can watch this one minute vídeo for a quick review of my recent work.

The book also has an excellent text by Juan Carlos Blanco, biologist and member of the Wolf Specialist Group of IUCN, regarding wolf ecology, conservation status and the threats to the species. The Iberian wolf Canis lupus signatus lives in Spain and Portugal. There are estimated 2,000 wolves living in the wild. The wolf has disappeared from much of its former range, and in places like Sierra Morena is in serious danger of extinction.

My challenge is to publish the book Sleeping amongst Wolves with the help of people who trust and believe in the project. If this goal is successful it will have been achieved thanks to all who have supported this initiative. Thank you all for your help in the project!.

ABOUT THE BOOK?

It's a photography book of 180 pages and 150 photographs. Hardcover 29.7 x 22cm. Paper FSC (Forest respectful). The book will feature two written sections: one of Juan Carlos Blanco about the biology and conservation of wolves in Spain and complemented with updated data. And another section written by me, with the stories and anecdotes that describe the different situations I experienced while photographing the wolves. Some content of this book was published a few months ago in a multi-touch eBook for iPad and is available at the App Store. The paper edition of the book in Verkami is longer and has been updated with new photographs and text. Designed by Alfons Gumbau and Sandra Villar.

It will be a bilingual edition in Spanish and English.

There will be a book launch in Barcelona and Madrid. Those who wish may receive the signed book and dedication during the presentation.

You can see some sample pages here.

REWARDS

Rewards include the book (different options available) along with postcards, fine art prints, a photography workshop or photographic trip to the ' land of wolves '.

Fine art prints

Fine art prints have different sizes and are Giclée prints on Hahnemühle paper. Signed and if desired they can be dedicated. You can choose any picture of the book you like (from 150 images that appear in the book). The last option for the fine art cpies (measuring 110x73 cm) has a spectacular wooden frame made of oak beams of an abandoned house from the XII century. It weighs about 45kg and is hung with iron chains. These frames are part of the exhibition 'La Mirada Salvaje' ('A Wild Look') that was present in the museums of Natural Sciences in Madrid, Valencia and Valladolid. You can choose the picture of the book you want.

Photography workshops

There is photography workshop and a wolf trip. The trip to the land of wolves in the Pyrenees will be on a weekend (Friday- Sunday), including the costs and up to four people. You will be based in a place in the Catalan Pyrenees in the presence of the Italian subspecies of wolf (Canis lupus italicus ) which arrived in this area naturally several years ago. They are difficult to observe but we will travel on foot in the territory through which they move, where you can see and photograph chamois, deer, roe deer, vultures, etc. At night we will review the material taken during the day, Photographs will be screened and discussed by the fire.

WHY PARTICIPATE IN THE PROJECT?

1. Support an independent project that today is possible thanks to the support of people like you.

2. Get to know the situation of the Iberian wolf in Spain which is again in serious jeopardy. The wolves are still chased and killed legally and furtively. This book aims to join forces for the wolf to be recognized as a protected species.

3. Enjoy a high quality book with photographs of wild wolves taken with respect, commitment and passion in their natural environment.

WHERE WILL YOUR MONEY GO?

The money will be used to cover some of the numerous costs in getting the book in to print: printing, design, color proofing, editing, proofreading, translation, etc. If the minimum amount is exceeded, the rest goes directly to increase circulation and an edition in Portuguese and French.

Update 22/4: Instead of going for a print edition in Portuguese and French the goal now will be to increase the circulation of the book (spanish and english edition) and for the production of the Exhibition.

WHEN WILL THE BOOK BE READY?

The photographs, texts and layout are ready. The printing of the book will take place in summer. The books will be sent in August and September.

MAKING OF

In the book you will find the answer. But the key for the fieldwork is patience. I have devoted several years to this and the usual technique are long waits during the first and last hours of the day, during all seasons.

I wish to acknowledge the indispensable help of Juan Carlos Blanco, Bernardo Canal, Iñaki Reyero , Sergi Garcia, Javier and Manuel Gallego Talegón "Manolin" (rest in peace) through all these years.

Photographing Iberian wolves at Picos de Europa (photo by John Sackleton)
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LINKS
Andoni Canela
Book layout
Project video
Project page
Ebook in Tresky books
Ebook review in La Vanguardia
Ebook review in El Correo del Sol
Interview in Red Natura 2000

MY LATEST WORK

I have published about a dozen books . Among others 'The brown bear ', 'The Spanish imperial eagle ', ' The Wild Look ' and 'Looking for fochas '. These books have been edited by various publishers or entities such as Blume, Mediterrània, P.A.U. and BBVA Foundation.

This will be my first self-published book. I think that publishing a book independently with the help of people who believe in it is the best way to do a project like this.

ABOUT THE IBERIAN WOLF

The Iberian wolf Canis lupus signatus lives in Spain and Portugal where there are about 2,000 wolves. It has been disappear from many of its former territories and in places like Sierra Morena are almost extinct. Wolves have represented for millennia the wild and untamed spirit of nature..

A few decades ago the wolf was in serious danger of extinction all over Spain. And if it were not for Felix Rodriguez de la Fuente, is likely to have disappeared. In the nineties Iberian wolves began to regain some of its former territories. Recently wolves have come to Madrid and Avila. However in the last two years it seem persecution has been growing again in many parts of the Iberian peninsula.

The way the wolf appears in the media is almost always negative highlighting the ancient conflict between this animal and man. Practically everything that is published (except for a few articles) shows the wolf as a bloodthirsty animal or vermin which must be eliminated. Wolves live near where the man has his interests (or vice versa). There is no denying that the wolf attacks on livestock and sometimes cause serious damage. But solutions must be sought to minimize conflict and the use of mastiff dogs , electric fences or payment of damages. It is vital to find out a consensus among farmers, rural residents , hunters, environmentalists and experts studying the wolf so this radical confrontation doesn't get bigger.

Within my project Looking for the Wild (a trip 7 continents in search of iconic animal species) the Iberian wolf is an animal that starts and closes the journey. Part of the photos of this book has appeared published in print on 'BBC Wildlife', in January 2014 and 'The Magazine ' of 'La Vanguardia ', November 2013.