Meet Vegan Artist Diana Rebman
Diana Rebman, Berkeley resident, is an anesthesiologist currently specializing in infertility procedures and married to a gourmet vegan chef (Barry Schenker) the owner/producer of Genuto. She is also a wildlife photographer with no formal training in photography, just a deep passion for animals and a relentless drive to take the most compelling images.Very early in her photography career two of her gorilla photos were winners in the two most prestigious wildlife photography competitions—Wildlife Photographer of the Year and Nature’s Best. This meant that one photo was on exhibit in the Museum of Natural History in London while another was in the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC. She gained great exposure around the world and most importantly, allowed her to get a message out about animals.Inspiration
Diana Rebman has been an animal advocate for many years. In 2006, she fulfilled a life long dream of experiencing the Japanese Snow Monkeys in Jigokudani, Nagano, Japan. At that time she only had a point and shoot camera but was able to capture some of the amazing social interactions. People were genuinely moved by the photos. That was the beginning of her passion for wildlife photography. Traveling to remote areas, she strives to take photos that grab the viewer and put them face to face/eye to eye with a sentient being, showing the world the incredibly complex lives these animals live. If she could she would shake people and say, these are intelligent beings who have every right to live and thrive. She has learned the techniques of photography from some really great photographers and that the emotion has to come from within.At the opening reception of a recent show “An Eye on Wildlife” a gentleman came up to Diana and said “I could anthropomorphize about every one of these animals. No show has ever made me feel that way before." This is the reaction that Diana tries for, wanting the viewer to identify with the animal, to feel what the animal is feeling. It is much harder to kill or abuse that which you identify with!Capturing the emotion In the field, Diana is invigorated, spending every moment of every day (except for a few hours of sleep) out in the wild observing, waiting for that moment of tenderness, emotion, interaction. Her career as an anesthesiologist prepared her well for that watching and waiting. "You cannot just go out for a few minutes and take some snapshots and get those photos. The more time one spends with the animals, the more they show you. I feel it is an honor when they let down their guard, relax, and go about their lives."Travels to BorneoBorneo has just suffered the most devastating fires in over 20 years. Over the years most of the forest has been burned for palm oil (some logging). Every year there are forest fires (despite laws against this practice) but in an El Nino year, the drought is prolonged and the rains delayed. This year was a perfect storm. The land burning is peat. This burns differently than a “normal” forest fire, producing massive amounts of smoke and CO2. She went to Tanjung Putting National Park which has one of the highest densities of remaining orangutans. The smoke was so bad we had to wear masks at all times. Even in our hotel rooms at night, the smoke permeated everything and made breathing difficult. This has been devastating for the local populations with many dying from the smoke.For the orangutans it is much worse. Already suffering from severe habitat destruction, the fires have burned much of what was left. In addition, orangutans are very similar to humans and so are suffering respiratory illnesses. The young and old are most vulnerable. In addition, since there is very little area left to run to, orangutans are at risk of being burned to death. The rains have now come, and most of the fires are now extinguished. It will be several months before the various organizations will be able to assess the toll taken on the orangutan population.Being part of the Solution for BorneoAvoid palm oil. Most processed foods contain palm oil. Labeling is also a problem as manufacturers attempt to avoid palm oil on the ingredient list by using a different name. Here is a photo I found online showing products that contain palm oil. This is only a small sampling!
Anecdotes from Diana's TravelsOne of my most memorable trips was the one to Rwanda to photograph the Mountain Gorillas. Gorillas are amazing, gentle giants. One day we were watching some gorillas when an adolescent male charged from the forest, stopped immediately in front of us and beat his chest. That sound is one that you will never forget! He looked at us, seemed satisfied with the response and then proceeded to lay down in a meadow and do what appeared to be gorilla yoga :) But the most impressive thing to me was his interaction with a small disabled male. He looked after him with great tenderness including feeding with him. I took a photo of the two of them sharing a leaf. This adolescent will make a strong, kind silverback someday! And then there was the mother with twins! Too many stories!Next TravelTanzania to photograph elephants, lions, cheetahs etc.Where can you see Diana's WorkCheck out her website dianarebmanphotography.com It now includes a page of awards and a page of shows with 13 images of gorillas and lemurs in a show “Wildlife Beyond Borders” at PhotoCentral in Hayward. One wonderful thing about that exhibit is Aurasma. If you install the app on your smart phone and then point your phone at one of the aurasma photos, you will see a video about that photo and hear what gorillas (or lemurs) really sound like in the wild. That exhibit will be running through December 31. It will then be touring the Bay Area. Check back to the website to find out the current location. There are also 8 photos of Moms and Babies at Marin General Hospital.All photos can be purchased online or for a fine art print signed by Diana, contact her directly.Why VeganDiana has been vegetarian for over 20 years and vegan for over 10 years. She chose to be vegan for animal rights reasons, which is the reason she photographs. From our Family to yours,Sanctuary Bistro