A Science and an Art

Chris Neri and Nova Mackentley combine their biology backgrounds and photography prowess at Night Flight Images

By Deb Dent | Dec. 10, 2022

Chris Neri and Nova Mackentley, owners of Night Flight Images, have always had a passion for wildlife. The duo photographs the great winged wonders of the world from raptors to butterflies—plus other creatures too—in an effort to not only show the beauty of the natural world but also to inspire others to help protect it. (What’s that about a picture being worth a thousand words?)

Neri’s interest in birds started in his youth, and though his pursuits and studies shifted from photography to guitar to biology, he never lost sight of that avian fascination. Mackently, meanwhile, is a classically trained pianist and a graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy. She attended Carnegie Mellon University and then Oberlin College, where she also decided on a biology major.

They happened to meet briefly in the fall of 2004 at an overlook at Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory in Duluth, Minnesota. Neri says of the initial encounter, “We were both totally bundled up and didn’t see much more than some cheeks and eyes.”

In 2005, Neri and Mackentley ended up working together when they were both hired to band migrating owls along the Lake Superior shores at Whitefish Point Bird Observatory in Paradise, Michigan. They like to joke that it was a long-eared owl that introduced them years prior to them actually meeting; in 2004, Mackentley had captured an owl at Hawk Ridge that Neri had banded at Whitefish Point in 1999. And the rest, as they say, is history.

The Big Picture
At that point, Neri was already an established photographer and Mackentley was an aspiring one. And although they both loved the work they did with birds for nonprofit organizations as seasonal field biologists, they soon learned that this line of work did not provide a living wage and they needed to do something to help supplement their incomes.

They decided to combine their passion for conservation with their love of photography, and Night Flight Images was created. (As you can guess by the business name, Neri and Mackentley’s favorite animals to shoot are birds, specifically owls.)

Slowly but surely, the photography business went from a side hustle to a profession. The pair booked their very first show at the Wild Blueberry Festival in Paradise, Michigan, in 2008, where they set out to sell some of their wildlife images. “There was a steep learning curve on doing an outdoor show in Lake Superior,” Mackentley says. “I think our first canopy only lasted that one show—a nice northwest wind bent the legs all up!”

All their photographs are personally printed at their home on a professional Epson printer, using K3 archival inks that will last for up to 100 years without fading. After a few years of shooting, they started to research frames that they could put their prints in to sell so they would be ready to hang when purchased, but they weren’t having any luck finding ones that they liked.

The lesson, in this case: If you want it done right, do it yourself. The Night Flight owners decided to expand their business and try their hand at creating unique frames for their photographs. Neri and Mackentley knew they wanted to use birch bark; though it can be challenging to work with, they liked the look.

They use boards that they harvest from property owned by Mackentley’s family, plane them, and then cut them to make the base of the frame. Then, using birch bark from dead and downed trees in the area, they painstakingly adhere the bark to the wood.

There are eight pieces of molding for each frame that must be hand painted and coated, and the mats for the prints are also hand cut. It’s not an easy or quick process, but both Neri and Mackentley thoroughly enjoy creating each frame as a unique piece of art and believe it adds a natural touch to their photographs.

On the Owl Prowl
When asked how they balance their artistic and scientific sides, Mackentley says, “I think actually that biology and some sort of artistic side go together very well. They almost sort of need each other.”

Neri adds, “The research rules our lives during the field seasons. At the same time, we find ourselves in amazing places and try to make the best of our free time to take advantage of photographic opportunities when they present themselves.”

They have indeed traveled all across the country, photographing loons in the Upper Peninsula, flycatchers in Texas, moose in Colorado, bobcats in California, and hummingbirds in New Mexico. (Just to name a few.)

Currently, both Neri and Mackentley work with Michigan Audubon—a conservation organization within the state of Michigan that strives to connect both birds and people through education and research efforts—at Whitefish Point Bird Observatory. They also work with Project SNOWstorm, an organization that studies the movements of snowy owls, tagging the owls with GPS-GSM transmitters in the wintertime. Within the next couple of years, their hope is to be able to collaborate on a project on northern saw-whet owls, too.

When Neri and Mackentley are out in the woods during the day taking pictures, owls are usually trying to sleep, so the humans try their hardest not to disrupt them. “A successful photographic experience is when we can photograph them without flushing them or disturbing their natural behaviors. But really any bird or animal can be really interesting to watch. If you stay quiet and move slow, they can exhibit some really interesting behavior.”

Learn more about Night Flight Images at nightflightimages.com. You can also check out some of their work in person at the following local galleries: Blue North Arts in Suttons Bay, Lake Effect in Manistique, and Art in Abundance in Munising.