In poignant video, Jim Brandenburg talks about source of his talent — and a photo unlike any other

“I’ve got a good eye but not a great eye.”

No doubt, Jim Brandenburg’s self-assessment wouldn’t measure up with the legions who view him as a wildlife photographer without peer and mourn his passing this week.

Brandenburg, 79, died Friday at his Medina home. He’d been getting treatment for thyroid cancer and also had suffered from pneumonia.

In a little-seen Star Tribune video (below), the Minnesota photographer associated with decades of arresting work in National Geographic magazine speaks poignantly about his eye for visual storytelling, among other topics. Former Star Tribune photojournalist Brian Peterson produced the video from a conversation between staff writer Kim Ode and Brandenburg for a feature in 2016.

Peterson stumbled upon the video while looking at photos after Brandenburg’s death.

“When I watched it again, I thought it was profound,” Peterson said.

In the video, the acclaimed photographer from the prairie town of Luverne, Minn., also talks about what gave him an edge on assignments; the rise of digital “hobbyists”; his interest in iPhone images; and even a singular photograph by him that changed a friend’s life.

As a new college graduate, Peterson said Brandenburg was on his radar for his work at the Worthington (Minn.) Daily Globe and, later, National Geographic — every photojournalist’s dream.

“As a young photographer interested in nature photography, he was just an icon to most of us, a heavy influence,” Peterson added.

Recalling his shyness, a soft-spoken Brandenburg said his camera “became another language that I could communicate the mystery and excitement of nature.”

Peterson said he connected with Brandenburg on that level, too, “using that camera as a way to speak, using the camera as a way to get into places that you’d never go otherwise.”

“His passion and observation came through,” Peterson said. “His work spoke for itself.”