PHOTOGRAPHER RODNEY BURSIEL IS PRESERVING OUR WORLD, AND SHARING IT, IN HIS WIMBERLEY GALLERY
WORDS BY ASHLEY BROWN | PHOTOS BY RODNEY BURSIEL
Photographer Rodney Bursiel spends much of his time traveling the world, taking every opportunity to get up close and personal with wild horses in France; with elephants, rhinos and wild cats in Africa; with sharks and whales; and with the occasional musician. His homebase, though, is Wimberley, where he’s recently opened his own gallery, WILD LIFE. The new gallery features his captivating photos of wild animals, African tribes and musicians as well as jewelry and home goods he’s brought back from his travels.
Bursiel grew up scuba diving with his father, who also taught him to take photos underwater (he remembers one of his first subjects was a purple and yellow sea sponge). And while it took a while for him to find his way to photography professionally as an adult, it made sense that when he did, he was going to head back to where the wild things are — both under the sea and on the land.
Bursiel settled in Wimberley in 1993, where he built three rental cabins that would allow him the freedom to explore other interests, including briefly working as an actor in L.A. After taking some vacation snapshots on a trip to Costa Rica that turned out surprisingly well, he began developing his growing talent for photography. He shot everything from outdoor concerts to fashion to wildflowers to cowboys and horses in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
“I kept getting reinforcement that I was good, but I was always exploring, trying to find my niche,” he says. He soon found that niche in the music scene where his passion, and patience, to get what he calls “that shot” — a photo that perfectly captures the musician’s spirit — earned him a reputation as a respected photographer. Over the years, he has done shoots of the likes of Robert Earl Keen, Lyle Lovett, Willie Nelson and Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top.
But things really took off when one of his favorite musicians, Donovan Frankenreiter, invited him to his surf camp. Bursiel bought underwater housing for his camera and headed off to Indonesia. When he got back in the water with a camera for the first time since childhood, it ignited something in him, “I was always looking for something new to do (with photography), to stand out from the crowd.” He was hooked.
Soon after, he booked a cage-diving trip to Guadalupe Island to photograph great white sharks. “I couldn’t get enough. I would spend the entire day in the cage under water,” he says. From there he was off to the Socorro Islands for more challenging diving, deep in the ocean with severe currents to capture manta rays and sharks. “I wasn’t prepared for that kind of diving,” he admits, “But I thought, I’ve got to go do this.” He described the weightlessness one feels under water, the silence that surrounds you except for the bubbles of breathing and the absolute focus on the animals. He says it is something nobody can truly understand until they experience it.
These soulful encounters with animals continued as he constantly expanded his horizons and said “yes” to every opportunity, the stories of which are told on the walls of WILD LIFE, which Bursiel opened in March 2023. Visitors often gasp as they enter the front room, featuring large photographs of the beautiful white wild horses of Camargue in France. In the next room are awe-inspiring images of the largest tusker [elephant] in the world, giraffes in the distance against a striking black and white horizon, lions and more elephants, as well as the Indigenous people who live among these animals. The next two rooms host music photography and creatures of the sea. Artifacts, jewelry and other collectibles and gifts inspired by and brought home from his travels are also for sale at the gallery.
It’s easy to spot WILD LIFE, located just off the Wimberley Square on RR 12, because of the large sculpture out front, representing “Wimberley the Rhino.” Just as Bursiel became passionate about ocean conservation and correcting misunderstandings about sharks, his time in Africa led him to learn about and get involved in the plight of rhinos. In 2021, Rodney heard about the last two northern white rhinos on the planet and ultimately became close friends with James Mwenda, the grand ambassador and former ranger for the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya.
Shortly after that, Bursiel hosted a fundraiser in Wimberley to educate people about the near-extinction of these rhinos. In recognition of the donation he was able to make to Ol Pejeta thanks to the fundraiser, they named a baby southern white rhino “Wimberley.” WILD LIFE continues to support conservation efforts with the sale of Wimberley the Rhino merchandise — mugs, t-shirts, hats and more. The gallery is not just a place to find beautiful things; it exudes a respect and love for animals, travel and culture. Bursiel’s deep connection to the animals he’s been lucky enough to encounter shines through each photo, and when he’s not off shooting more, he’s there to share the stories with visitors.
One photograph of an orca stands out as a turning point in Bursiel’s life. He recalls that he had been swimming day after day with a humpback whale and her calf growing attached to them, especially the playful baby. After three days of photographing them, the crew was getting ready to leave when they heard a disturbance. Two orcas were after the calf. Bursiel dove back in the water, witnessing the heartbreaking (but all part of the cycle of life) hour-long hunt before they took their prey away into the depths. The mom swam in continuous circles, mourning her loss. The divers ultimately left her to grieve alone.
Having witnessed firsthand the beauty, personalities and complex feelings of these animals, Bursiel explains that the experience rewrote his DNA.“It really did change who I was emotionally and how I viewed the world,” he says. “Originally I was just trying to find something new and exciting to shoot, but I see how the photos are bringing awareness to the animals and their environments.” It’s the personalities of each and every animal that resonate with him. These wild souls have inspired in him a deep love and respect for all life forms and their habitats, and he’s grateful that his photography may inspire awareness and a connection to animals in others.
WILD LIFE Gallery is located at 13620 RR 12, Suite 1 in Wimberley. You can also find Bursiel’s work on rotating exhibit at TROVADOR, 1204 East Chavez St, Suite B, 11am-5pm Tuesday-Saturday. Or visit rodneybursielphotography.com.
About the Contributor
Writer and editor Ashley Brown lives in Wimberley with her family of rescues: a dog, two cats, and two donkeys. In addition to animal welfare, her passion is exploring the Hill Country’s natural beauty, small farms, eateries and drinkeries.
