FLC Welcomes Nate Dappen PhD

The Season of Creation 2025

The Season of Creation began when the Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios I proclaimed 1 September as a day of prayer for creation for the Orthodox in 1989. In fact, the Orthodox church year starts on that day with a commemoration of how God created the world. This new season is a time to renew our relationship with our Creator and all creation through celebration, conversion, and commitment together. During the Season of Creation, we join our sisters and brothers in the ecumenical family, from the World Wide Pentecostals to the Anglican Communion,  in prayer and action for our common home.

The World Council of Churches, of which our Church body the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is a partner, was instrumental in making the special time a season, extending the celebration from 1 September until the Sunday closest to the Feast of St. Francis, which is on October. 4. Following the leadership of Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios I and the WCC, Christians worldwide have embraced the season as part of their annual calendar. Pope Francis made the Roman Catholic Church’s warm welcoming of the season official in 2015.

For our second Sunday in the Season of Creation “Peace With Creation: Voices of Science and Media” we welcome Nate Dappen. He will lead our Forum featuring his film “San Diego, America’s Wildest City” and segments from the PBS series “Human Footprint."

Nate Dappen is an award-winning photographer and filmmaker based in San Diego. His images, films, books and other projects have been featured by organizations and publications like National Geographic, Vogue, The Washington Post, Scientific American, The Guardian, The World Wildlife Fund, and many others. Along with Neil Losin, he founded the award-winning production company Day’s Edge Productions. Nate is an affiliate member of the International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP), was Collegiate Scholar of the North American Nature Photography Association and is a Fellow National member of the Explorers Club.

Nate studied photography and biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder. For the last decade he has worked professionally photographing every kind of shoot imaginable - from weddings and other events to travel, portraits, adventure and wildlife. For the last six years, Nate has focused primarily on creating science, nature, conservation and adventure themed media.

Nate brings a strong scientific foundation into all of his media projects. In 2012, he got his Ph.D. in evolution & ecology from the University of Miami and continues to collaborate with scientists on science and media projects both here in the United States and abroad.

Nate has spent more than a decade of his life abroad, living in places like Kenya, Spain, Italy, and Costa Rica. He speaks three languages fluently (English, Spanish & Italian). His time abroad and his scientific background strongly influence the types of projects he is involved in and way he approaches these projects. In addition to working on a variety of projects Nate also teaches photography and filmmaking. Check out one of his photography courses on Craftsy HERE, and learn more about his filmmaking workshops HERE.