Author Visits | Presentations
 
 

Rick Lieder brings the outside world – its herons and katydids, finches and fireflies – inside your school, library, nature center, or group.

Join Rick for an exciting multimedia presentation, including video and still images of the fascinating world overhead and beneath our feet.

Experience Rick’s amazing wildlife photography, showcasing the magic of birds in flight, fireflies mating in twilight fields, luminous bees, newborn praying mantis nymphs emerging from their egg cases, and many more beautiful up-close encounters with the natural world.

Rick also shares personal and humorous anecdotes, including experiencing spectacular bites and stings in some pretty uncomfortable places.

His presentation can be customized to your group’s needs and interests, ranging from a discussion and Q&A on wildlife photography, photographic techniques, to programs suitable to the youngest viewers, just learning to see the beauty of the world all around us.

His acclaimed picture book collaborations with award-winning poet Helen Frost, STEP GENTLY OUT, SWEEP UP THE SUN, AMONG A THOUSAND FIREFLIES and WAKE UP! are especially suitable for schools and libraries.
Online Skype presentations are also available.

Rick’s wildlife images have been featured in a special exhibit at the Detroit Zoo, at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art and published in magazines and books worldwide, including Natural History Magazine, KIDS DISCOVER, Backpacker Magazine, ORION and Greenpeace Germany. His wildlife filmmaking was featured on PBS NOVA for National Geographic TV..

To schedule a presentation or discuss the needs of your organization, contact Rick.

Presentation Schedule:

 UPCOMING VISITS:

   SELECTED PAST VISITS:

  • 2021: Wissahickon Valley Public Library; PA
  • National Center For Nature Photography Exhibit
  • NERDcamp 2017
  • May 2017: St. Thomas Aquinas School, Indianapolis
  • July 2016: Oak Park Schools Presentation
  • November 2015: College for Creative Studies▸ Detroit.
  • July 2015: Oak Park Schools Presentation
  • June 2015: Fort Wayne Museum of Art: Exhibit & book signing
  • May 2015: Independent Bookstore Day at Book Beat
  • March 2015: Ed Spicer: Allegan Schools Presentation
  • July 2014: Oak Park Schools Presentation
  • April 2014: Photography workshop▸
    Canton Acts of Culture week
  • March 2014: Featured speaker: Orion Township Public Library Battle of the Books awards ceremony.
  • July 2012: Canton Public Library Workshop
  • June 2012: Huntington Woods Library Teen Program
  • May 2012: Acts of Culture – Canton Arts week, Canton, MI
  • April 2012: Fort Wayne Museum of Art: Exhibit & book signing
  • March, 2012: Nova Scotia Community College • Skype school visit
  • March 2012: Exhibit & book signing. Oak Park, MI
  • January 2012: Crossroads Sierra Club
  • October 2011: Grosse Pointe Audubon
  • May 2011: Macomb Audubon Society
  • April 2011: Royal Oak Nature Society
  • November 2010: Hardy Plant Society

 

      

              Testimonials

 

“Rick Lieder’s presentation was the highlight of our Battle of the Books Awards Ceremony. 241 5th graders sat enthralled by Rick’s photographs and stories of how his book came to be. They had all read Step Gently Out and were so inspired when they learned that many of the photographs of the book were taken in Rick’s own backyard.”
“Rick answered questions & encouraged everyone to appreciate the beauty of the natural world all around us. We would definitely invite Rick back to do another library program.”

♦ Orion Township Public Library

 

“I am so excited to have had Rick do a presentation at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art. His work is so beautiful and captures things that are around us all the time and we forget to appreciate them as he does.”
“Rick’s enthusiasm for his subjects, his work, and his process is captivating. His ability to speak to a audience consisting both small children and those interested in the technical aspects of photography was amazing to see and all learned a great deal and had fun!”

♦ Anne Hall – Librarian, Fort Wayne Museum of Art

 

“Rick Lieder’s presentation of his work, methods and philosophy touched a sympathetic chord with the CCS art students attending his lecture. As a true “artiste multi-disciplinaire”, the audience was impressed by the wide range of Rick’s interests and the enthusiasm that he brings to his art.”
“Rick is a professional photographer, illustrator, and artist whose work and attitude clearly was inspiring for the students who were present for his lecture”

♦ Robert Quentin Hyde – Librarian, College for Creative Studies, Detroit

 

“Truly an amazing presentation with photos that take your breath away. Our audience ranged in age from very young children to senior citizens and everyone was completely mesmerized by Rick’s patience, skill and knowledge. I highly recommend Rick and his book “Step Gently Out” to everyone. Prepare to be stunned by his images.”

♦ Marcia Barker – Program Specialist, Canton Public Library

 

“Well, you did it! You could have heard a pin drop at your presentation at Macomb Audubon. Everyone was mesmerized at the spectacular shots, midair of birds and bugs. Your presentation was our highlight of the month!”

♦ Macomb Audubon Society – Macomb County, MI

 

“Rick’s presentations are not to be missed. Rick collaborated with award-winning poet Helen Frost on “Step Gently Out,” a symphonic relationship of words and photographs. In Rick’s presentation, attended by children and adults, it was the children who asked the most fundamental questions, like “How do you get insects and birds to stand still so you can take their picture?”

“Rick is as patient with 5 and 6 year olds as he is in going out in his backyard to take a thousand shots of sparrows in flight against a bright sky to get one ‘just right’ photograph’ that nails it.”

“Are the ants, praying mantises, bees and birds actually posing for their portraits? It would seem so, because the insects and birds in the photographs are so intimately portrayed going about the daily business of finding food and mating. (Perhaps in our world we could learn something from the insects?)”

♦ Bob Mosher – Photographer

 

“Our Nature Photography for Kids and Adults were outstanding programs. It was blistering hot, but Rick and all attendees carried on with curiosity and appreciation of his thoughtful help.
The Canton Public Library is blessed with outdoor space including a well-used and well-vegetated pond and trees and natural greenery along a tributary of the Rouge River. The two back to back sessions (one for tweens and one for adults) were very well received. Rick is equally proficient at interacting with children and adults and many were thrilled with their photos as a result.
I highly recommend Rick and encourage you to view his amazing photos”

♦ Marcia Barker – Program Specialist, Canton Public Library

  
 
 

 

“Rick, your slide show was fabulous! Our staff especially appreciated the message of looking carefully in your own backyard for the natural beauty that surrounds us. Showing students that we must be patient and risk making mistakes over and over again is a great complement to the daily work of learning.”

♦ Ed Spicer • Children’s book reviewer & teacher

 

“On behalf of the Crossroads Group of the Sierra Club, I want to thank you for your fine presentation featuring nature slides and videos! It was clear that the audience enjoyed your photography a great deal and was quite impressed with how well you captured birds and insects in flight.
Your images really blur that line between photographs and fine art. So many of them were quite stunning. I believe you inspired some of the attendees to grab their cameras and venture into their own backyards to see what they can capture on film…or should I say on disk. It was an enjoyable evening for all.”

♦ Lee Burton • Crossroads Chair

 

“It was a privilege to watch Rick Lieder interact with children and nature during the Canton Culture Commission’s Acts of Culture Week at the Canton Public Library. Rick patiently and skillfully taught a nature photography workshop. Beyond technical photography skills, the children learned how to respect nature and to prepare to be amazed by the natural wonders surrounding them.
He reminded me of my father, Howard E. Weaver, Ph.D., a highly respected outdoor educator who possessed the unique talent of leaving his students in awe of nature with a new-found respect for its delicate ecosystems.”

♦ Susan Weaver Schwandt • Chairperson
Canton Commission for Culture, Arts & Heritage

 

“During our virtual presentation, Rick not only shared with us his breathtaking nature and wildlife photography, but stories about each one, plus some of his camera equipment, as well.
He captured the audience’s interest and was more than willing to answer plenty of questions!”

♦ Erin Mazzoni – Librarian, Wissahickon Valley Public Library

 

“Rick’s images are beautiful, yes, but they are so much more than pretty pictures. They are a thought-provoking journey into a world that is nearby but one that we rarely pause to consider. The best benefit of Rick’s presentation is that viewers are rewarded with insight.”

♦ Bill Rapai – Grosse Pointe Audubon, Grosse Pointe, MI

 

“This evening I went to Rick’s presentation for the Grosse Pointe Audubon Society. The time fled by as Rick showed us slide after slide and video after video of his utterly magnificent photos of micro-life (the critters who share our ordinary yards yet present themselves in extraordinary ways) and of common backyard birds in flight.
The drama is astounding: a starling grabbing another’s beak in flight! A sparrow putting his claws on a rival’s throat, also in flight! A fledgling grackle begging for food from the parent, with its foot on the parent’s shoulder.
These are not only magically beautiful, but they show us actions that are stunning and that go unseen.”

♦ Anca Vlasopolos – Author of “The New Bedford Samurai”

 

“My husband and I attended Rick’s presentation at the Grosse Pointe Audubon Society. We were utterly astonished at the stunning glimpse into the normally invisible world of both bug and bird.
From hour upon hour of patient waiting and seeking, Rick gleans exquisite moments of daring, aerial brinksmanship, tenderness and even scenes echoing “Romeo and Juliet”!
Although most of us walk (or perhaps stomp) through our day thinking that nothing in the grass or air bears any direct relationship to us and our magnificent concerns, Rick shows us that at our very feet lie worlds that are every bit as important and complex.
The video that showed the deep pulse of a firefly’s light becomes as meaningful and as much a beacon for guidance as a lighthouse. When I left at the end of the evening some of my habits had forever changed and I do indeed step out more gently.
Thank you, Rick, for showing us this amazing world.”

♦ Erica Chappuis – Grosse Pointe Park, MI

 

“I am so glad I attended Rick Lieder’s workshop at Secor Metropark today. Rick, thank you so much for fielding the many questions by us and sharing your artistic vision and approach to photography. It was an inspirational experience for me, with my own artistic approach being changed for the better, just by talking with you and seeing your work.
I learned so much, from the technical aspects of the equipment to the knowledge that it takes more than just a good camera; a good shot can be accomplished by using a much simpler, less technical camera.
Your suggestion to frame (compose) the shot as if it were a theatrical stage will certainly find its way into my future photography sessions.
Thanks for personalizing the needs of your students today. You answered our questions with infectious enthusiasm. You were and are truly inspirational.

♦ Debi Vollmar • Toledo, OH • 2017

 

  

 

“Summer school is never an easy time to hold fourth graders’ attention, especially the final week of summer school. Not only did Rick hold their attention for over an hour during this challenging time; he quickly garnered their enthusiasm. The students were enthralled with the images he showed. They listened to his stories and information and responded with lots of questions and personal stories about the critters in his presentation. I dare say they even learned a few science facts.
Many students were moving their chairs closer to him as he spoke, the better to get his attention. In the end it was the teachers, not Rick, who had to end the presentation, as it was time for lunch. As a bonus he brought praying mantis’ egg sacs to show and pass out to students.”

♦ Harry Onickel
Einstein Elementary School

 

“Rick’s Skype presentation was incredibly inspirational for the arts students at the Annapolis Valley Campus of the Nova Scotia Community College. They were extremely impressed with his talent, his artwork, his easy going manner, and his valuable advice on how to be successful as an artist. Thanks again Rick for a fantastic learning experience!”

♦ Terri Robin Vernon – teacher
Annapolis Valley Campus of Nova Scotia Community College

 

“Rick’s presentation was well organized and fascinating! His work reflects a keen eye and photographic expertise; the techniques of which, he is eager to share with his audience. The personalized instruction and tips he gave our
participants were invaluable.”

♦ Joyce Krom
Youth Services Assistant
Huntington Woods Public Library

 

“My family attended Rick’s presentation of pictures and video, hosted by the Crossroads Sierra Club.
The portrayals of everyday natural life on an intimate scale were beautiful, intriguing, and even humorous at times, leaving each of us delighted and inspired. Rick proves again and again that you don’t have to leave Michigan, or even your own backyard, to appreciate the world’s natural wonders: pulsing fireflies at dusk, teeming crowds of tiny mantises emerging by the hundreds from their egg case, vibrantly supple birds twisting in flight to engage adversaries–every feather’s edge alive with energy.
You may think you’ve seen images like these before, but trust me: never like this. The freshness and immediacy of the images make you feel that you’ve been granted a window into an ever-present world you’ve never really seen before. Thanks, Rick!”

♦ Mary Walsh • Ann Arbor, MI

 

“Rick’s photography is beautiful, he has a fantastic eye for lighting. His pictures are creative and fun. It makes me want to take my own pictures.”

♦ Jessie Cook • Student, 12 years old

 

“The presentation with Rick Lieder was a wonderful show.  His art is wonderful and his photography is simply amazing. …  The best part about Rick is he seems like a laidback, casual and fun kind of guy, nothing like this imposing and intimidating person I was expecting.”
His portrait photography was great.  They conveyed a lot of emotion and you could definitely find a story in the expression and posture of the models.  His wildlife photography was simply breathtaking.  I learned that while he put a lot of time into his photography, it wasn’t a lot of work needed to go into it and it was something anyone can do.  I really liked his book cover illustrations; it was great to see the combination of photography and illustration.
One thing I did find really helpful from his presentation, is when he said to pursue whatever it is we love because we will achieve the best work with it.

♦ Amanda – Student
Nova Scotia Community College

 

“I so enjoyed your presentation at the Secor Metropark. Your photographs are inspirational both for the esthetic beauty and technical achievements they represent. You set the standard very high for nature photography. Thank you for bringing your talent to Toledo.”

♦ Michelle Rondinelli • Toledo, OH • 2017