About
Where are you from? –I always have to smile when I hear this question – It’s not a quick answer. I was born in North Dakota, but moved to Africa when I was four years old. I lived in South Africa for seventeen years and then moved back to North Dakota. I’ve studied photography at the University of North Dakota, and now I live and work here.
As I’m sure you can imagine, since my formative years were spent in Africa, it’s had a substantial effect on who I am as a person. At a very young age I was already fascinated by wild African animals and their behavior. As a six year old I want to “be a lion”, and as a 9 year old I wanted to be a scientist and write books on cheetahs. It was a natural progression that I would turn to photography as I got older.
For as long as I can remember I’ve loved the beauty of the natural world. I love to watch the way the light changes a landscape, I love seeing the grace of a gazelle as it moves through the gently swaying grass. Long before I ever took up photography I was already mesmerized by the African savannah and it’s gently rolling hills.
Since I now live in the United States I’ve started searching out places and wildlife here that provide that same enthrallment with their beauty and grace. The forests and lakes of Minnesota lure me to them. The stark beauty of the Badlands also has its allure. Deserts have a captivating effect on me and I’m planning to see and photograph more of the North American deserts.
I still return to Africa as often as I can. I’ve heard that if you’ve watched and African sunset that you will leave part of your heart in Africa. I do believe it as I’m quite sure that part of my heart is still there, and I do long to return whenever I’m away.
When I photograph, my goal is to create a photograph that will show you how I see the world, and inspire you to feel these same feelings. To be mesmerized and fascinated by the beauty and grace of wildlife and to enjoy the way the light plays on and changes the landscape. My hope is that you, through my photographs, will feel this same appreciation and fascination with the natural world.
Namibia by Beth Wold
Cheetahs by Beth Wold
Follow me on Facebook: