Ty Smedes, nature photographer

11/5/2025

Bright sun reflecting on an egret. A herd of camels trekking across the sand dunes. An elusive bird of paradise flitting in the wild. 

These are a few of the photos that Ty Smedes has captured in his career as a nature photographer.

Smedes’ favorite photo took a mere three seconds to set up and capture. He was on a safari in Zambia, Africa. The group took a night drive, and the guide shone a light on an impala (a type of antelope). Smedes viewed a leopard as it took the antelope down. When the leopard crouched over its prey, hyenas arrived and aggressively attacked the feast. The leopard drug the antelope to a log. 

“She was surrounded by hyenas and finally let the impala go, and she ran off into a tree,” he explains. “Then all this commotion took place.”

Baboons began barking in the trees, and a herd of elephants rushed over. 

“She looked around, then jumped off a tree. It was then that I got the shot. It was crazy chaos and a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” he recalls. “I only had three seconds to get a photo.”

Smedes has taken photos of various wildlife, and his talent attracted attention from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, which published his photos in the Iowa Outdoors Magazine. His photos also appeared in magazines, including The Iowan, Our Iowa and others. He then quit his job as an information technologist to pursue photography full time.

He took photos for the Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom and the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation. He’s published three books, including one on bald eagles, and is working on a fourth that includes photos interspersed with his travel stories.

As photography has evolved over the years, Smedes says the technology was easy to transition from film to digital cameras. 

“I watched the reviews and wanted to make sure it worked before getting rid of the film. In about 2005, once digital equalized film, everything had advanced so quickly,” he explains. “I’ve even used my cell phone camera to capture some travel shots. You can’t always tell the difference.” 

Patience and waiting for the right moment equals success. When he shot a bird of paradise in New Guinea, Australia, he contemplated using his flash but had conflicting reports that a flash on color might not work. 

“I dropped the power level on the flash, and it came out just right,” he says.

Smedes continues to travel all over the Midwest and other countries, where he documents cultures and nature through his photography. 

“People ask why I travel. Life is like a book, and those who don’t travel don’t get past the first chapter,” he reflects. “Travel opens up your world to learn new customs.”

He has given presentations, combining his photography with nature talks. 

“I feel like we’re losing so much in nature. I want to teach people how to make better choices when it comes to nature,” he explains.

His joy of nature and sharing his photography is why he keeps snapping photos. 

“I love nature. I don’t want to ever quit learning. It’s important to reach other people so they care about the natural world and what we are losing. I want people to appreciate what we have.”

For more information on Smedes’ presentations or photography, visit www.smedesphoto.com. ♦