SPRINGFIELD, Vt. – Galley at the Vault is excited to present “An Illusion of Proximity,” a show by wildlife photographer Steve Costello, on display from Aug. 5 –Sept. 22. A reception will be held on Friday, Aug. 14, from 5-6:30 p.m. It is a chance to meet this exceptional photographer.
Costello credits his special interest in wildlife, especially his love for birds and animals, to three mentors. Growing up in Burlington, a childhood friend’s father introduced him to the outdoors and wildlife. Costello later attended St. Michael’s College, where photography professor Chazz Sutphen’s critiques and inspiration helped him fall in love with the camera.
After a 10-year journalism career, Costello met bird advocate Meeri Zetterstrom on his first day at work at Central Vermont Public Service (CVPS), the electric utility serving Milton, Vt., where she lived. Zetterstrom, a native of Finland, had seen a single osprey, a species that had been wiped out by DDT in the 1930s in Vermont. She wanted the state and CVPS, which owned the lake above which Zetterstrom lived, to help restore the elegant raptors to Vermont skies.
Costello, about 30, and Zetterstrom, in her 70s, became fast friends, and a partnership was born. Working with Zetterstrom, CVPS, later Green Mountain Power (GMP), and the Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife, Steve helped make Zetterstrom’s dream come true. A pair of ospreys eventually produced a single chick on a platform just below Zetterstrom’s lakeside home, and thanks to Zetterstrom’s relentless efforts and support from CVPS and the state, the birds expanded. Within a decade, dozens of ospreys were fledging in Vermont each year. In 2005, they were removed from the Vermont endangered species list.
Throughout that effort, Costello learned at Zetterstrom’s hand how to photograph wildlife without affecting it, and how to use photography to move people to support wildlife conservation. Most of this collection was photographed from substantial distances with long telephoto lenses.
After retirement from GMP four years ago, Steve returned to his roots, writing wildlife stories and shooting photos for The Rutland Herald and The Times Argus on a regular basis.
“One of my primary objectives is to provide the viewer with a look at wildlife they might not normally be able to see themselves, to put them face to face with these beautiful and interesting species,” Costello said. “I aim to create portraits of the birds, animals, and even reptiles, and what I call the illusion of proximity.”
Bring your family, enjoy and come away with a renewed reverence for these wonderful creatures.
Gallery at the Vault is located at 68 Main Street in Springfield, Vt., and is open Wednesday–Saturday, from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Fore more information, call 802-885-7111, email galleryvault@vermontel.net, or visit the gallery’s Facebook, Instagram, website, www.galleryvault.org. Gallery at the Vault is accessible.