John Weinstein – Photos from the Field Museum
Jul 2023
um in Chicago at one time or another – many of us several times. July’s speaker is John Weinstein, currently The Morton Arboretum Photographer and formerly the Head Photographer of the Field Museum. John will be talking about the technical aspects of photography, equipment, and techniques of some of the projects he was part of at the Field. Projects he will be discussing include:
- SUE: the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus Rex specimen ever discovered. John will talk about how he worked with a Field scientist to photograph each of the T-Rex’s 250 fossil bones, from six different standardized angles.
- The Lions of Tsavo: John accompanied Field Museum scientists to photograph a field expedition in Africa’s Tsavo National Park, the largest national park in Kenya, while the scientists researched the origin of The Man-Eaters of Tsavo.
- The renovation of the Gem Hall, where he photographed many of the gemstones, raw minerals, and finished jewelry pieces – and the photographic challenges he faced.
- The Book of Eggs: A Life-Size Guide to the Eggs of Six Hundred of the World’s Bird Species: a large, coffee table book for which John photographed specimens from the museum’s large collections of fragile and often over 100-year bird eggs.
John wrapped up with a discussion of the projects he has worked on as part of the Marketing and Communications team at The Morton Arboretum, including Fall Color and the openings of The Grand Garden.
Really great presentation… thanks John! Some images from John’s program – all photos courtesy of John and is for MAPS members’ viewing only.
About the Speaker
John Weinstein is a professional photographer. Prior to becoming The Morton Arboretum Photographer last July, he was Head Photographer at The Field Museum for 30 years. He got his start as a professional working for a few seasons as a newspaper photographer in Montana and at a commercial studio photography business he owned in Chicago. John’s educational background includes art and photography studies at New Trier High School, the Fine Arts program at Ohio University, and the Rhode Island School of Design, where he earned his B.F.A. Johns’ photography has been seen in many exhibitions and books, as well as in marketing and advertising materials. His work has appeared on the covers of the journals Science and Nature, in the pages of National Geographic magazine, and in many art books, encyclopedias, and scientific publications.