By Laura Whildin  

 “I got a camera for Christmas one year, and I just started playing with it.  I found out I really had a knack for finding animals.”  

 Tim Rollman, who manages Niwot Rental and Feed with his parents Steve and Kay Rollman, has found his talent and calling in wildlife and landscape photography.  He likes the opportunities it gives him to travel, climb peaks and learn about animals.  Without any specific training, he has taught himself to use a wide range of camera equipment and to understand and interact with animals to catch them in their best poses.

 Tim was born in Thornton and attended Horizon High School.  His parents have owned Niwot Rental and Feed for 20 years, and he has worked there full time since he graduated in 1991.  He is proud of the store and likes interacting with the Niwot community.  He especially likes the way people in the Niwot area “take care of each other.”  Tim said even though the area has grown a lot, from a ghost town where they could see a cornfield from the store, to the bustling community today, “the people are still good, and that’s what matters.”

 Working in the store has also influenced Tim’s photography and love for animals.  “One of the things I used to do is take my camera with me on all deliveries and take a lot of pictures of the animals around here.”  He also said this area is ideal for photography because, “We have some of the best sunsets you could ask for, and the mountains make a perfect backdrop.”  Once a year he hikes to a 12,600 foot base camp, which provides a nice opportunity to capture animals with less exposure to humans.

 Tim’s favorite subjects are bears because, “They’re intelligent. Most people fear them, but they are very misunderstood.”  One amazing photograph on display in the store is that of a white grizzly.  Tim tells excitedly of another time when he photographed a polar bear in Churchill, Canada.  The bear rolled in the kelp and played with driftwood, “and did everything I would want from a subject.”  

 Later that day a man got out of his truck near her and the polar bear charged.  “In an instant this cute polar bear that we had been watching all day reminded us that she was still a predator.”

 Besides the inherent dangers of photographing wildlife, there are other occupational hazards Tim has to deal with.  He dislikes the hassle of flying with his equipment, the mosquitoes and black flies and careless tourists.  He said that sometimes tourists will see him and they will start to chase after an animal without fully understanding its behavior, putting both him and themselves in danger.

 For Tim the best thing about photography is, “It gets you out there, and gives you an excuse to do things you normally wouldn’t do.”  It also has given him a great opportunity to research wildlife and animal behaviors.  

 To future photographers Tim advises, “Just get out there.”  There are so many areas of photography that it is a field anyone can enjoy.  He warns however, that he has hired guides and learned about the animals he’s photographing and that it is important to study your subject.  He advises taking a lot of pictures and trying new things to see what works.  “I think the photography itself is its own training.”

 Tim’s next planned adventure is a trip to Kenya or Tanzania, Africa,  to photograph the “big cats.”  

 Tim Rollman’s photographs are currently for sale at the Niwot Rental and Feed, and will be displayed, starting in January, in galleries in Boulder and Lakewood.  For more information contact Niwot Rental and Feed, 291 Second Ave., 303-652-2900.
 

Photo by Laura Whildin

Tim Rollman displays one of his wildlife prints for sale at Niwot Rental and Feed.