Kevin Schafer : Images & Issues

Playing Hooky in Hawaii

2012-02-01T08:17:00.000-08:00

Nene Goose stretching, Kauai

Just returned from a welcome family vacation in Hawaii – a nice break

from the recent cold snap in Seattle. To make it a true vacation, I took

only one camera body and one lens (albeit the handy Nikon
18-200mm) rather than the usual 50-60 lbs of gear I normally haul
around. This is a great lens for snapping the grandkids surfing, and
(with the benefit of a sturdy plastic bag) shots of them underwater in
the resort pool.

But since I don’t get to Hawaii all that often, I took a few hours off from

the pleasures of grandparent-hood and went looking for Nenes – the

endangered Hawaiian Geese. Although threatened by habitat loss,
they are not hard to find in a few locations on Kaua’i, most notably
at Kokee State Park and all along the north shore.

I was lucky on this occasion to 1) find them easily, 2) have bright
overcast light (full sun can be a picture-killer) and 3) to find adults
without the ubiquitous numbered leg bands. These bands help
scientists ID and track birds, but look a little jarring in a picture.

These particular Nenes seemed to like hanging around parking and

picnic areas – apparently hoping to cash in on human discards. This

made for some pretty unnatural backgrounds: car tires, yellow lines

on asphalt, and garbage. In the end, however, I managed to find birds

in more wild settings, including a pair with a young chick.
Photographing that chick, however, proved a challenge: like most
parents, the adult Nenes were forever blocking my view to protect
their little one. Patience, and persistence, eventually afforded me
a few quick glimpses, nothing more.

After an hour or so, the sun came out, the birds left, and my

grandkids needed my attention. Would I have loved a little more

time with the Nenes? Sure… But hey, this was a vacation and

time with the grandkids is almost as rare as these birds.

Nikon D300 with 18-200mm lens

Best Laid Plans

2012-01-21T07:31:00.000-08:00

Female Cassowary Drinking

Well, I had the best intentions. I have just returned from my trip to Australia where I sent ten days following wild cassowaries through the Queensland rainforest - a project that I fully intended to document on this blog. That is, until the logic board on my laptop failed, rendering the computer unusable. Since I use this to store and edit pictures - and to post to blogs etc. - I was silenced. I picked up the repaired laptop on my way to the airport - on the way home...

Tech discussion as follows:

Me : "What makes the logic board go bad?"

Tech-guy: "No idea."

Me: "Sounds illogical to me."

Anyhow, I will try to reconstruct some of the evens of the trip in the next week or so as I get the pictures edited.

This image is of an adult female - the only one I saw during my stay, drinking water out of a rainforest pool. Cassowaries cannot lap up water like a cat, but must scoop it up with their bills, then tilt their head back to let it run down their throat. I was pleased to be able to show this.

Nikon D3, 70-200mm lens

Shameless Promotion Dept.

2012-01-08T18:29:00.000-08:00

Photo : Amazon River Dolphins, Brazil

Seriously, I think I used this title for my blog before... In any case, I wanted everyone to know about my show, in lively Canton, MA (pop. 21,000) opening later this month. The show is a collection of about 70 of my images of endangered species worldwide. If you live in the area, please come by and have a look. Better yet, come to my lecture on February 25, when I will introduce the show, sign books - and talk about my career, including my work with National Geographic. It would be a pleasure to meet any and all.

Cassie Diary

2012-01-04T15:16:00.000-08:00

Bashing Through the Forest

Last month, I got the call - a message from friends in Queensland, Australia that the male Cassowary that I have been following for several years had just emerged with five young chicks. Unfortunately, I was just leaving for Antarctica and couldn't leave immediately, as much as I would have liked to.

With that trip done, and other responsibilities out of the way, however, I am headed back to Australia next week. In the meantime, sadly, three of the young chicks have vanished, presumably taken by a feral cat seen in the area.

While I am there, I hope to post daily (or nearly) posts to this blog - a Cassie Diary - with pictures and stories from the Queensland rainforest. Stay tuned.

Nikon D3 and 24-70mm lens

Merry Christmas, One and All

2011-12-24T09:05:00.000-08:00

Sea Ice Breakup, Port Lockroy, Antarctica

Tomorrow is Christmas, and we'll be heading out soon to spend it with family on the Oregon Coast. A week ago, however, we were busting through the pack ice in Antarctica. As I have previously posted, the light was not always what I might have hoped, with almost constant clouds and snow. But when conditions are less-than-generous with color, it's often a good time to switch to black and white.

This image was originally shot in color, but with digital cameras it is easy to transform a dull color landscape into a rather nice b&w one. There are many ways to do it, but my technique is to simply de-saturated the color image (saving the original RAW in case I ever want to go back to color) and add needed contrast through Levels or Curves - the ideal is to create a histogram with the complete spread of gray tones from left to right (rather than bunched up in the middle). Snow, it turns out, is filled with all sorts of nuances - light and shadows - and lends itself perfectly for this kind of treatment.

Enough Tech Talk - go spend some time with your loved ones, and stay warm...

Nikon D3, Nikkor 24-70mm lens

Unexpected Moments

2011-12-21T09:56:00.000-08:00

Chinstrap Penguin (Pygoscelis antarctica)

I was pleased to be asked to return to Antarctica this month, as a lecturer on the National Geographic Explorer. It is one of my favorite corners of the planet and the timing was good: I am working on an updated version of my 2000 book Penguin Planet and would love to include as much new material as I can. And because I have quite limited time on the Antarctic Peninsula, I thought this would give me a shot at some new images of the 3 most common penguin species found there: Adelie, Gentoo and Chinstrap.

There was still a lot of snow on the Peninsula this season, and many of the nesting birds were arriving at their colonies to find them still buried. Although penguins generally choose nesting sites in areas that are among the first to be snow-free, sometimes a heavy snowfall defeats them. They can't lay their eggs on the snow, and can only sit there waiting for it to melt.

This Chinstrap was doing just that, sitting on a snowbank, several feet above what he had expected would be his nest site. When I started photographing him, he was drifting in and out of sleep, and I was just about to walk on when he suddenly woke up and had a stretch, opening his mouth in a wide yawn - and twisting his body into a contortion that I had never seen before - nor thought possible. He held it for just a second...and then promptly went back to sleep.

So although it may look like he was warning me to back off, I can assure you it was a simple, extravagant stretch - born of boredom and frustration (or so I imagine). Whatever the emotion, it created a striking image, even if slightly weird (like a feathered ball with handles), and I was grateful for it.

Nikon D3 with 70-200mm lens

Vultures of the Sea

2011-12-18T14:51:00.000-08:00

Northern Giant Petrel in Flight, Drake Passage

As big as an albatross, and a close relative, the giant petrel has been a constant companion on our voyage back from Antarctica. Giant Petrels are polar scavengers, eating the carcasses of seals, whales and anything they might find at sea or on land. They can also be predators of penguin chicks and eggs.

Following the ship as we plow through the swells, petrels like these can soar effortlessly for hours, if not days, in the strong wind. This bird flew right along the ship at eye level, apparently curious, and I was able to get this portrait as he passed by the bridge wing. I used a flash to give him a little extra color in the gloomy light, and used a slightly slow shutter speed to give the background a silky motion.

With two long days at sea back to Ushuaia, photographing the world's greatest flying birds is an enjoyable distraction.

Nikon D3, 70-200mm lens

Visions of the Forest

2011-12-03T09:25:00.000-08:00

Forest Stream, Mt. Tompotika, Sulawesi

As I have mentioned in earlier posts, I spent several weeks in Indonesia, documenting diversity for a small NGO. For the first week, I concentrated on the endangered Maleo (see below) but I also spent several days exploring the montane forests on the slopes of Mt. Tompotika, in a remote corner of central Sulawesi. With few trails, we hiked up the bed of an un-named creek, swollen with water from recent rains. Except for the stifling heat, I felt right at home in an environment that looked very much like the temperate Olympic rainforests near my home.

For this shot, my eye was immediately drawn to this cluster of leaves growing on a stream-side boulder. Moving in close with a 17mm lens, I was able to fill the lower part of the frame with these boldly shaped leaves, and use the upper part to give a sense of the stream and surrounding forest.

The leaves were wet, however, and reflecting the silver light from the cloudy sky, so I used a polarizer to cut that glare, saturate the green, and slow down the motion of the water.

Nikon D3, with 17-35mm lens, Polarizer and tripod

Winter Sunset

2011-11-30T19:05:00.000-08:00

November 30 Sunset, Olympic Mountains

I feel lucky to travel to exotic places around the world, but I will admit that at times, I am VERY happy to be home, especially living in this beautiful corner of the world. Yes, you may think it rains all the time here (and it usually DOES in November) but we are enjoying a rare winter dry spell when the mountains gleam in the setting sun. This is the view from our dining room, and we love it more than any in the world.

Click on the image to see it slightly larger. The full size TIFF is 7 feet long...

9 images, Stitched in Photomerge in Photoshop

Action on the Sand

2011-11-28T14:33:00.000-08:00

Male Maleo defending nesting territory

I spent much of the last few weeks in the company of wild maleos, an endangered species on the island of Sulawesi. It was hot, hard work, but I felt privileged to spend time in the company of a fascinating, lively, and slightly weird bird. As I mentioned a few days ago, maleos gather near the coast to lay their single, enormous egg in the hot sand, there to be incubated by the heat of the sun.

They spend most of their time digging, as I mentioned, which allowed me many opportunities to capture that behavior (see below) but there was more going on as well. For birds that share a communal nesting area, these guys don't seem to get along very well! When they weren't digging their own nests, the males of each maleo couple spent a lot of time chasing away other birds that had the temerity to try and nest too close. This process put the birds in some pretty striking poses, like this male huffing himself up to look big, and scary, to another bird that strayed into "his" area.

Working with a 600mm lens in a tiny blind, I managed to get some good close-ups, but was constantly plagued by the shallow depth-of-field at that focal length. Essentially, I had to lock onto the face (since even if nothing else is sharp, the eyes must be) with my auto-focus and try and stick with it, as the birds ran circles around me and one another. In the end, I lost more pictures than I got - including some spectacular aerial fights that I just couldn't lock onto. But I still managed to come away with some nice behavioral coverage..

Dig, dig, fight, dig, dig, fight

Nikon D3 with 600mm lens

Face in the Forest

2011-11-26T17:54:00.000-08:00

Pallas's Tube-nosed Bat (Nyctimene cephalotes)

We tend to think of bats as cave-dwellers, gathered underground en masse only to emerge at dusk and spread across the landscape in vast numbers. So it was with some surprise that we stumbled onto this fellow, alone, hanging from a thin vine in the highland forest of Mt. Tompotika on the island of Sulawesi. It's large eyes and small ears made it a species of fruit bat but not like any other I had ever seen.
I hoped to get a shot of it, and quickly grabbed an "insurance shot" - a poorly-composed image from ten yards away - in case it flew off as we approached. I needn't have bothered. I took a few more shots within 15 feet or so, but although he was clearly awake, he stayed put. In the end, I moved right in with my 400mm lens and got this shot, and he never budged.
Sulawesi is home to so many endemic species - things found there and nowhere else on earth - that I briefly had fantasies of having discovered a new species to science. No such luck. I showed the picture to a friend much more familiar with Indonesian wildlife - and he recognized it right away. Nyctimene cephalotes is found in a number of islands in the region, including New Guinea. Oh well - not a new species - but a handsome little fellow nonetheless.

Nikon D3 with 200-400 Nikkor lens

With Maleos

2011-11-25T11:01:00.000-08:00

Big Diggers - A Maleo digs a nest

Just back this week from a 2-week trip to Indonesia, where I took part in a volunteer "Tripods in the Mud" project of the ILCP, documenting biodiversity on a part of the island of Sulawesi. (If you're not familiar with Sulawesi, go look at an atlas - it has to qualify as the weirdest-shaped island in the world.) Our work was in support of a small, but effective NGO called ALTO, the Alliance for Tompotika Conservation.

For biologists, Sulawesi is particularly important since it is the largest island in the region known as "Wallacea" named for Alfred Russel Wallace, eminent 19th century naturalist and contemporary of Darwin. Wallace traveled extensively in southeast Asia and discovered that Sulawesi and its smaller neighbors to the east, had a distinctive fauna - a blending of species from Asia and Australasia, but quite distinct from either with many endemic animals.

One of those, and one Wallace described, is the Maleo (Macrocephalon maleo), found only on Sulawesi and nowhere else on earth. The Maleo is a "megapode" (literally, "big-footed"), the size of a VERY large chicken, and is critically endangered due to habitat loss and egg-collecting. So why the big feet? Simple - for digging...

Maleos do not build conventional nests, but lay a single egg in the hot tropical sand, allowing that heat to do the incubation. Once the egg is laid, the parents abandon it to its fate. On hatching, the orphan maleo chick has to dig its way out of the sand, emerging at night, fully-feathered and capable of flight. In fact, the first thing these newborns do is fly into a tree - even though they've never seen one before. Amazing.

ALTO was created to help save one of the last nesting areas for maleos on Sulawesi and the protection they provide has profoundly increased the breeding success of these unique birds. One of my missions on the trip was to photograph the maleos, and I spent most of a week in a small blind on the fringe of the colony.

A Really Big Hole

On the breeding grounds, maleos have one thing on their mind - digging. It becomes a reflex, an obsession, and they move vast amounts of sand with a persistence and energy that is astonishing. The process of digging six feet down in soft sand, laying an egg and then re-burying it, can take these birds 4 hours or more - all under the hot tropical sun.

Photographically, the challenge was to get a bird NOT digging - since that is about all they do. I will come back in a day or two with some other shots as I edit them. Maybe we'll see what else they get up to...

Nikon D3 with 200-400mm lens

More from Brazil

2011-11-03T16:40:00.000-07:00

Swimming Brazilian Tapir, Cristalino River

I've been home from Brazil now for several weeks, largely spent editing the thousands of shots I got over the course of a long trip. I've already posted a couple of my favorites, especially the Giant Armadillo which, although not a particularly creative image, is a groundbreaking picture of a rarely-seen species - one I was frankly thrilled to get.

During the trip, we spent 5 or 6 days at spectacular Cristalino Lodge in the southern Amazon where - despite the crippling heat - we had some wonderful wildlife sightings. We were lucky enough to see two different Harpy Eagles, the largest new world raptor, the first I had seen in nearly 20 years. Our guide, who had been at Cristalino for almost a year, had never seen one at all until this week. I didn't get any great pictures of the Harpies, unfortunately, but sometimes seeing is good enough...

I did manage, however, to get pictures of one of the four (!) lowland tapirs we saw in a single day along the shores of the Cristalino River. This is my favorite shot, a portrait of a handsome adult swimming upstream, with a dangling green vine behind. It is always a pleasure to get a shot of a wild animal in which one senses that the photographer's presence has no effect on the animal's behavior. This guy hardly seemed to notice us, swam easily along the shore, and then disappeared into the forest, apparently unconcerned about us. Magical.

Hyacinth Macaw emerges from nest, Pantanal

Hardly less magical than the tapir was the discovery of an active, and accessible, Hyacinth Macaw nest in the Pantanal. Often these birds nest so high that a picture like this is impossible, but I was fortunate to have everything go my way: the nest was low, had a clear view from the ground, was in the shade (providing nice soft light) and had birds going in and out. Our visit coincided with the beginning of the nesting season, and the birds were coming and going every few minutes, which made my job much easier than I had any right to expect!

Meanwhile, I leave this weekend for a two week expedition to Sulawesi in eastern Indonesia where I will be documenting the life history of the Maleo, an endangered megapode found only on this island and nowhere else in the world. Wish me luck!

Nikon D3 with 300mm f2.8 lens and TC14x

Swallow your Pride, Ask a Guide

2011-10-22T20:35:00.000-07:00

Tropical Screech Owls, Intervales State Park, Brazil

It is easy to overlook the value of local knowledge. However, local guides, or anyone who is familiar with a place which you are seeing for the first time, can save you time, money - and steer you towards things you might never have found on your own. That's why I always seek out local advice whenever I am shooting in a new location.

In the tropical rainforest, this is especially important since this is an environment where every living thing is dedicated to hiding. Many people walking in a rainforest for the first time will swear that the forest is empty. The animals are hard to see, cryptically colored or strictly nocturnal. The fact is, tropical forests are busy places, but it often takes experienced eyes, and a knowledge of the location, to catch a glimpse of the stealthy creatures who live there.

Consider these tiny owls, for example. No, I did not stumble onto them by accident, roosting in a dense thicket of vines. I made a point of asking my local guide, in my halting Portuguese, if he had seen any owls roosting. I know enough that many owl species tend to roost in the same, safe location every day - once they've been found, they are likely to be seen again in the same place if left undisturbed.

I was glad I asked - my guide replied that there was a pair of screech owls roosting in the tree next to his house: he sees them almost every day. So finding this wonderful pair of owls – one red, the other gray – was just a matter of stopping by his house in the afternoon. There they were, right on schedule...

There was really one angle for a picture, through a tiny opening in the leaves. It was also very dark in the tangle of leaves, so a long exposure was required. But I managed a few pictures and then retreated, feeling sure that my disturbance had been minimal. Then again, they were sitting within ten feet of a busy parking lot - so maybe they were probably used to a lot of people.

Nikon D300, 300mm f2.8 lens, 2 second exposure

Mystery in the Dark

2011-10-19T16:26:00.000-07:00

Lights on termite mound, Pantanal, Brazil

Never believe the conventional wisdom. When we spotted these striking lights on a termite mound on our last night in the Pantanal, we were told they were caused the termites themselves, on just one or two nights a year. (I'd never heard of bioluminescent termites before, but what do I know...?) But why? Not for mating, like fireflies, surely. There was no Google handy out there, so I had to wait until I got home to investigate further. And wouldn't you know it - the story was much more interesting.
The green lights we saw were the glowing abdomens of Pyrophorus, or click beetle, larvae which burrow into the edges of termite mounds and use the lights to attract other insects - as prey. Apparently some of these glowing beetles are found in the US, in Texas and Florida.
This was a 30-second exposure at ISO 2000, so there is little depth of field, and a fair amount of noise. But it was good enough to at least capture this rarely-seen behavior - and learn a new story.

Nikon D3, with 24-70mm lens

Back from the Heat

2011-10-16T05:10:00.000-07:00

Giant Armadillo emerging from Burrow, Pantanal, Brazil

Finally home from a month-long sojourn in Brazil, and to be honest, I'm glad to be out of the heat. It is heading into summer in the southern hemisphere and on the dusty plains of the Pantanal, it was over 100 every day with stifling humidity. Seattle, by contrast, is delightfully cool, breezy and HOME.

It was a complex trip, working in several different biomes including the Amazon, but our major concentration was the endangered species of the Pantanal. Although this fellow coming out of his burrow looks a bit like the common Texan 9-banded armadillo, this is actually a Giant Armadillo, one of the rarest and least-known large mammals in the Neotropics. I had never seen one before - and after I took this - I had STILL never seen one. Welcome to the world of camera traps.

The photo was made with an elaborate camera trap system I employed every night at what appeared to be occupied burrows. This was the first image taken on the first of 9 consecutive nights, and it is still my favorite. It is an intimate look at a very rare animal (this is one of the first-ever wild shots of this behavior) looking untroubled and at ease.

It is not obvious but these animals are big: over 3 feet in length and weighing upwards of 60 pounds. They sleep up to 18 hours a day and emerge only at night - facts which help explain why even people who have lived their entire lives in the Pantanal have never seen one.

As is often the case, a week spent trying to get pictures of these secretive animals was just long enough to teach me how hard it would be to really tell their story. But I did get some ideas, and with some equipment refinements, I hope to be able to get deeper into the project when I go back next year.

Until then, I will post some more images from Brazil in the coming week or two.

Nikon D300, 18-200mm lens, Camera-trap

Heading South

2011-09-12T17:04:00.000-07:00

Anhinga with Catfish, Pantanal, Brazil

I was in a small boat on the Rio Pixaim in central Brazil when I spotted this anhinga struggling with a small fish along the edge of the creek. It was the middle of the day, a time when I rarely even bother taking pictures, but the bird was swimming along the edge of the shadows and was illuminated by the reflected light off the midday water. The result was this surprisingly soft light on a bird I have never really worked with before.

The challenge here was keeping the bird in focus: with that thin neck, my camera kept missing the focus point and locking onto the background. Yes, I have a lot of shots of nice crisp leaves - and a very blurry anhinga. Happiy, I got this one to work.

I leave later this week for a month in Brazil, where I will be photographing in 3 distinct ecosystems: the coastal cloud forest, the southern Amazon, and the Pantanal wetlands, where this was taken several years ago. As usual, I will be concentrating my efforts on threatened species, which, in the dwindling habitats all over Brazil, will likely be almost every animal I am likely to see.

Nikon D2X and 300mm lens

Another View

2011-08-22T18:58:00.000-07:00

St. Helens Sunset

This was one of the last shots I took of Mt. St. Helens this week as the sun set into the haze to the west. It was as much color as I would get this night - and although I was annoyed that the light wasn't clearer, it looks nice enough here.
This is a syndrome common to photographers; rather than enjoying the moment or accepting reality, we tend to think that we've blown it, that the light sucks, that there aren't enough clouds. Hey, photographers are never satisfied. Seeking perfection, we dwell on the inevitable flaws.
Because this is not far from my home, I console myself by thinking, "I can always go back and try again." And yes, if I had unlimited time, and money, I could keep trying until I got something truly transcendent. But few of us have that kind of time, or money - and we're talking helicopter time here - so I may have content myself with what I have.

Nikon D3, 24-70mm lens

Return to St. Helens

2011-08-20T17:16:00.000-07:00

Crater and Shadow, Mt. St. Helens

For some reason, I have been obsessed about Mt. St. Helens. In my last two posts, I talked about how the weather has frustrated several attempts to get the shots I wanted of this iconic mountain. Well, I had almost given up...when I saw a helicopter for hire. Yes, it was expensive, but really the only feasible way to get the shots I wanted, so I arranged a flight at sunset last night.
It was hazier than I would have liked, the light less crisp and saturated than normal, but the clouds that had toyed with the peak all day finally dissipated at sunset - so I had a clear view of the crater. Yes, the low light meant I couldn't capture the steaming lava dome on the crater floor, but it gave me the long shadow which I love - so it's a trade-off. (Speaking of the shadow, notice how it makes it look as though the mountain still has a top!)
Having seen the mountain erupt in 1980, and flown over it just afterwards, this was a kind of home-coming. Spectacular.

Nikon D3, 17-35mm lens

Fog Race

2011-08-14T13:39:00.000-07:00

Steam rises from Lava Dome above fog-shrouded crater, Mt. St. Helens

As I mentioned in my last post, I spent three days trying to get pictures of Mt. St. Helens, especially in the evening, but every day had the same maddening weather pattern: cloudy in the morning, clear at mid-day, and then a rising fog in the evening. Definitely not weather to gladden the heart of a landscape photographer! After two evenings sitting in the fog, with no view at all of the mountain, the third day promised a break in the cycle; the mountain was clear all afternoon and it looked like, for once, I might get a sunset. Then this band of clouds began to form and started rising up the slope. I was forced to shoot quickly, before the crater disappeared completely.

With such a long horizontal scene, I decided to create a digital panoramic using 3 or 4 single images, stitched together in the computer after the fact. Not bad, but I had dreams of much more. I'll be back.

Nikon D3, 70-200mm lens : Stitched panorama

Lousy Weather above? Go Underground...

2011-08-11T13:51:00.000-07:00

Ape Cave lava tube, Mt. St. Helens

I spent the last 3 days trying to get some decent light on Mt. St. Helens. The truth be told, it never happened: each day it would clear for a few hours in the afternoon, then cloud up again as the evening - and nice light - came and went. Three days in a row. Maybe I'll try again when this weather pattern moves on through.

I filled the middle of the day with exploring the area, and on one memorable morning, I hiked into one of the most astonishing underground passageways I have ever seen. It is a lava tube, although it is so perfectly formed that it could double as a man-made highway tunnel. Lava tubes are rare in this part of the world, where the volcanos tend to explode rather than extrude flowing lava. Yet Ape Cave is one of the longest lave tubes in the US - more than two miles long.

(Science note : lava tubes are created by very fluid lava that cools and hardens at the edges, allowing the lava inside to continue flowing inside, forming a stone tube. When the lava stops, it drains out the bottom end, leaving this remarkably uniform tunnel.)

I spent several hours in the cave, trying to sort out how best to photograph it - finally settling on the use of two flashes - one on the camera/tripod and the other in my hands. 30-second exposures allowed me time to position myself in front of the light-colored wall (where I would best show up in silhouette) and fire off a few flashes manually. It was a case of trial and error - mostly error - to get what I wanted. In a perfect world, I would have had a third flash (and a model?) in the far distant bend of the cave, but I'm content with this.

An amazing place.

Nikon D3, 17-35mm lens, 2 Nikon SB-800 flashes

Waiting for a Window

2011-07-27T19:44:00.000-07:00

Seastacks and Arches at Dawn, Olympic Peninsula

Sometimes, pictures take planning. I have been wanting to

photograph this location at dawn for over a year, but conditions

have never come together…until today. Access requires a

minus tide at dawn, which only happens a few days a month

if at all, as well as clear skies, which happens almost never…

Typically, when high pressure moves in to the Pacific coast,

so does the fog. So for weeks I have been consulting tide

charts and NOAA weather maps, looking for the right

combination, passing up several opportunities when, although

the tide was right, the weather was not.

This week looked promising enough: a window of opportunity.

The tides and timing were right, but I had to move quickly

before the building high pressure brought the inevitable

fogbanks. I also had to do my own weather research. The

forecast for the coast was for mist and drizzle, but a quick look

at the satellite pictures – and a couple of coastal webcams

online – told a different story. The sun was shining!

Getting up at 4 am, and hiking out in the dark, I arrived before

the first light. As it was, the fog hung just offshore, giving me

only a few minutes of dawn before the warm light vanished in

the gloom. Still, I got some pictures I’m pleased with, and I’ll try

again tomorrow.

My point is simply that there are dozens of tools on the internet

that can help with planning a shoot: tide tables, weather maps,

webcams, road condition reports. However, it is also possible to

sit at home, staring at the computer and find reasons not to go;

in the end, there is no substitute for simply being there.

Nikon D3, 17-35mm lens

Life in the Rubble

2011-07-13T12:13:00.000-07:00

Bitterroot Flowers, Cascade Mountains, WA

There is a barren ridge top about an hour east of my home where, every year, these handsome Bitterroot flowers emerge out of the rocky slope for a few brief weeks. It is one of my favorite flowers, and one of my favorite places to go. With the heavy snows we had this past winter, most alpine flowers are peaking at least 2-3 weeks later than normal, so I delayed my visit accordingly. Yesterday, most of the flowers had still not emerged yet, but this small cluster caught my eye, framed by the broken rubble of the talus : an astonishing expression of the tenacity of life in a hostile environment.

Nikon D3, 60mm macro lens

Re-discovered Images

2011-06-26T10:28:00.000-07:00

Fairy Tern on branch, Midway Atoll

I am making a concerted effort to stay home for a while this month; after two straight months on the road, I need to get caught up on editing, writing, yardwork, and...oh yeah, a social life.

One of the pleasures of having time like this is taking the occasional troll through the old slide files and finding images that I had either forgotten about or overlooked. (I edited my entire 200,000+ analog collection two years on a similar self-imposed home-exile, and discarded 90% of the slides. They were just taking up space, and, to be candid, only 10% stood out as worth saving.)

So it was that, preparing a client submission this week, I stumbled onto this image of a Fairy Tern, taken on Fuji film over a decade ago. I remember loving the curve of the branch, and the elegance of the tern's spreading wings. Simple, but handsome. Guess I'll have to scan it!

Meanwhile, although I am not doing any major traveling until the late summer, I do have some shooting I'd like to do locally, including heading out for a few days this week to shoot on the Olympic Peninsula. I love this time of year in the temperate rainforest, and there are some minus-tides scheduled on the coast.

I know, I know... I'm supposed to be pulling out ivy, but there are limits to this exile thing.

Nikon F100, 70-200mm lens

With Hummingbirds

2011-06-21T06:48:00.000-07:00

Male Allen's Hummingbird. Channel Islands

OK, I'll admit it: I've been a rotten correspondent lately, and haven't posted to this blog in weeks. I could blame my travel schedule, but it really has more to do with the fact that I haven't been terribly successful on several recent shoots. Most recently I spent a week on California's Channel Islands where I hoped to get more coverage of the endangered Island Fox. I suppose the fact that I'm showing you a hummingbird rather than a stunning fox portrait can tell you something! In six days I saw foxes for all of about 3 minutes, and never in a setting that worked very well.

Happily, there were other diversions, and other subjects, including these tiny Allen's Hummingbirds, which, to my delight, bathed every day in a tiny stream right next to my fox stakeout. I could while away the hours of waiting for foxes by shooting these little gems coming and going from the water. I have never spent such so much time observing hummers, and it was wonderful, especially seeing them immerse themselves in the water, bathe and drink - all in water less than an inch deep.

Photographically, the challenge was focusing on the birds, which are small and in constant motion - and getting an exposure that worked since the best light was in full shade. Fortunately I had time to try different settings, experimenting with pre-focusing - and time to simply get lucky. Luck is an inevitable part of every successful wildlife photograph; whenever you are dealing with a live, unpredictable subject, whatever pictures you get have as much to do with luck as with skill. In this image, for example, I was focused on the bird in the water - when he popped up to hover and scan the area, he did so in the same focus plane, and stayed in sharp focus. Pure luck, and an abundance of time.

Nikon D300, 200-400mm lens with TC14x

On Madeira

2011-05-31T16:54:00.000-07:00

Pride of Madeira flower close-up, Madeira

Just home from a month overseas, lecturing on photography aboard the National Geographic Explorer on a voyage from Madeira to Bergen, Norway with stops in the Azores and around the UK. Interesting trip, but God-awful weather - some of the worst in 50 years. (Just lucky, I guess.) I had hoped to maintain this blog from the ship, but I either didn't find time, or a decent internet connection. Instead, I will try and post some images and stories now that I am home (albeit briefly).

I had never been to Madeira before, and although warm and sub-tropical, the island has very little native habitat left. It has produced at least one showy native flower - now transplanted all over the world - known as the "Pride of Madeira." I spent some time photographing it here - only to find out that it is a weed along the California coast...

I also made a pilgrimage to the small scraps of native laurel forest, known as the Laurissilva - a World Heritage area. I only had a few hours in secondary forest, but enjoyed the antidote to the expanding ex-pat suburbs of Funchal, the main city. Here, I shot a Lobaria lichen growing on the forest floor.
More to come.

Lobaria, Madeiran Laurissilva

Nikon D3, 60mm macro and 14-24mm lenses

Dancing Pheasant

2011-05-22T23:16:00.000-07:00

Chinese Golden Pheasant, Tresco Isle

I have simply not been able to post regularly these past few weeks, for although we have internet access on board the National Geographic Explorer, it is both spotty and expensive. I have another week to go, and will try to keep up, but it may have to wait until I get home.

Wildlife has been elusive this trip – a few whales and dolphins at sea, and some seabirds on offshore rocks. But on the Isles of Scilly, off the Cornish coast, I had an encounter with a surprising bird – a Chinese Golden Pheasant. Not native to the UK, this gaudy bird roams free on these islands, presumably to brighten up the landscape. (or maybe for hunting…)

Either way, I spent about an hour trying to get a shot of the pheasant, with its almost impossible array of colors – and eventually got this one, a moment of bizarre behavior that shows off the birds extravagant plumage. What’s he doing? No idea – maybe reaching up to have a scratch. But it was the best shot of the day.

On to Scotland tomorrow.

Nikon D3, 70-200mm lens

Into Blue Water

2011-05-05T14:58:00.000-07:00

Atlantic Spotted Dolphins, Madeira

We boarded our ship, the National Geographic Explorer, on the island of Madeira today - and set off into blue water. It didn't take long for a pod of dolphins to cross our path, anxious to play under our bow.
This is always a delight to see, but often a challenge to photograph. I know the drill : use a polarizer to cut the surface glare, darken the image using compensation to match the dark water, and shoot like mad, hoping to get something exceptional. It didn't happen: the dolphins were there, of course, but there was just enough chop on the surface to break up the dolphins into almost unrecognizable shapes. This one worked the best, but it is hardly a knockout.
I will have to content myself with a few decent, if unmemorable, shots - but a fine memory, and an exhilarating day on the water. Not all bad. And there is always tomorrow, as we sail towards the Azores.

Nikon D3, 24-70mm lens with polarizer

A Nice Rock...and a long plane ride

2011-04-27T08:26:00.000-07:00

Lichen-covered Boulder, Carrizo Plain

This is a typical situation; just home from one trip with two days before I head overseas. No time to edit the last shoot, and I'm off for a month in Europe. This happens a lot, and is testimony to how easy it is to fill a calendar with no realistic idea of how long things take...

In any case, the edit of my Kit Fox pictures will have to wait now until June. I did, however, manage to process this little nugget (OK, it's about 4 feet high) late last night, and although it is a simple picture, it works for me. It is of a single, colorful quartzite boulder in the Carrizo Plain during a gentle sunrise. I liked the shape, the pattern, and the soft colors.

Meanwhile, I leave in the morning for the east coast, followed by a month-long series of cruises to the Azores and around the British Isles for National Geographic; I will serve as photography lecturer on board. I will try and blog as best I can while en route, and talk about locations and images I encounter.

Nikon D3, 24-70mm lens

With The Foxes

2011-04-26T10:15:00.000-07:00

Endangered San Joaquin Kit Foxes, Carrizo Plain

I am just home from a week in the Carrizo Plain of Southern California, where I spent a week trying to photograph wild, endangered San Joaquin Kit Foxes. I had been with the urban population of these foxes a few weeks ago in Bakersfield, but this was my first experience here, in one of the last scraps of their prime habitat left in California.
I had been to the Carrizo once before many years ago and frankly, I thought it was a bit barren and unappealing. This time, however, our visit coincided with the full flush of Spring; birds were nesting and calling everywhere, flowers were in spectacular carpets - and the foxes were very cooperative.
This relatively small, and little-known, National Monument protects a precious remnant of the ecosystem that was once found throughout the entire San Joaquin Valley, and is now mostly lost to agriculture and development. The Carrizo nearly disappeared, too, when, oil was discovered in nearby Taft, California in the early 1900's. That wasteland of wells, pipes and barren ground could all too easily have been the fate of the Carrizo, were it not found that the oil deposits there were buried too deep for economical extraction. Thank God!
Anyhow, here is a quick shot of a kit fox family: I am still editing, and plan to go back again for more as part of a long-term life history project.

Nikon D300, 200-400mm lens

Spring in the Northwest

2011-04-08T12:20:00.000-07:00

Maple and Lake Crescent, Washington

It's almost here. Of all the seasons, spring is the most showy here in the Pacific Northwest, when everything explodes with green. It is the annual reward for suffering through the gloom of winter - and this year has been particularly gloomy!

I always plan at least one or two local trips every year in May and June, returning to some of my favorite haunts: the Olympic coast, the rainforest, and the eastern slope of the Cascade Mountains.

In fact, I list my favorite spring destinations in the May issue of OUTDOOR PHOTOGRAPHER magazine. Have a look here.

Nikon D3, 24-70mm lens

Pilgrimage

2011-04-01T18:04:00.000-07:00

Mountain Gorilla, Rwanda 1994

I am often asked one question : what is my favorite place in the world? The question is understandable, since I travel a lot, but summoning an answer is surprisingly difficult. After all, it would be like picking your favorite child... To be honest, I am fascinated by almost every natural ecosystem on earth. Rainforests, polar icecaps, deserts - all are complex, dynamic, and rich environments. How could I pick one over all the rest?

However, if asked about my favorite wildlife experiences - the answer is easy. I have a top three: swimming with Humpback Whales, following Cassowaries through the Australian forest, and my all-time favorite: sitting with Mountain Gorillas in Rwanda. Why gorillas? Because you simply cannot spend any time in their company without changing every notion you might hold about the imagined animal-human divide. These are not mindless automatons - they are gentle, loving, and yes, thoughtful creatures with whom I felt an immediate bond. To watch gorillas at play, or disciplining their young, or simply staring into space, is to feel a kinship unlike anything I have ever felt with a wild creature. Simply said, being with them is a life-changing experience.

Needless to say, therefore, when I was asked to lead a Gorilla photo-safari to Rwanda in 2012, I leapt at the chance. The trip combines two days of gorillas-trekking with several days in Kenya's extraordinary Masai Mara.

If you would be interested in joining me, let me know and I'll send you more information. Personally, I can't wait.

Under the Sidewalk

2011-03-28T20:19:00.000-07:00

Endangered San Joaquin Kit Fox and Pup

I have been in Bakersfield, California this week, looking for endangered
San Joaquin Kit Foxes. Foxes in the city? Yes, in one of the most

unexpected of situations, these rare foxes are holding their own living

in the middle of the city, in some cases better than they’re faring in

the surrounding agricultural land. As one biologist told me, kit foxes

are better off in an empty lot than a farmer’s field. The lot has good

places to den, and access to the varied diet the city can offer : hot
dogs,candy, and maybe the mice that feed on them.

After searching for an active den for several days, I stumbled onto
this family at dusk last night, emerging from their den – under a
cracked city sidewalk. The mother appeared, followed – to my delight –
by two small cubs, playful and curious. I went back again this morning
and had a few minutes with them before they went back down into
their den to sleep the day away. (Kit foxes are primarily nocturnal).

But the challenges facing these urban foxes became all too clear
when I returned again tonight. To my horror, the street where I had
photographed the foxes just this morning was now under construction,
with workers jack-hammering the pavement only a few yards from the
den. I quickly made sure they were aware of the den’s existence and
asked that they try to minimize the disturbance of that part of the
street, but after they all left, and darkness fell, I saw no sign of the
foxes. I’ll go back tomorrow and check on them.

The urban foxes of Bakersfield make a dangerous bargain : they get
plenty to eat and enjoy the lack of predators. But they also have to
contend with road crews, lawn mowers, cats and dogs,and a city full
of cars. I hope they make it.

Nikon D3, 200-400 f4 lens

Tsunamis and Seabirds : Midway

2011-03-17T17:11:00.000-07:00

Laysan Albatross, Midway Atoll

The loss of life in Japan from the Earthquake and Tsunami has been absolutely horrific, and the potential damage from the continuing nuclear disaster is unimaginable. Like many of us, I have been deeply moved by the devastation.

One small story I missed, however, until a friend sent me this link, was the effect of the tsunami on Pacific Islands. The waves, spreading out over the Pacific, easily overran many small islands that may rise only a few feet above the level of the surrounding ocean. One such place is Midway Atoll, home to one of the most important seabird colonies in the north Pacific. Thousands of albatrosses were killed when the waves swept over these flat, sandy islands, just as chicks were getting ready to fledge.

Albatrosses are long-lived birds, so despite a catastrophic wipe-out of this year's chicks, most of the adults will be back again next year, including "Wisdom," a female Laysan Albatross known to be 60 years old. But since this is a place I know well, having been there several times in the past decade, I was shocked to hear of the damage. The fact is, there are probably similar stories from many other islands still not heard from across this vast ocean, including many with human inhabitants.

50 "Greatest" Photographs

2011-03-10T06:34:00.000-08:00

Amazon Dolphins underwater, Brazil

Got a nice piece of news today. This shot of Amazon River Dolphins (Botos) that I took for National Geographic in 2009 was included in their "50 Greatest Photographs" collection - now available (for sale) on the iPad. There is always a bit of hype to these sorts of things, but whatever you think of the concept, I'm still honored to be included. You can see the app HERE.

(Be warned, there are a number of complaints that the $4.99 app includes advertising)

Meanwhile, to read more about this picture, take a look at my Outdoor Photographer blog entry from last year - HERE.

Fooling Around

2011-03-06T18:13:00.000-08:00

Grasses in Winter

During our recent aurora trip, we typically spent the daytime exploring the winter landscape around where we were staying - a chance to get out and get some exercise, and occasionally find some pictures. The middle of the day was normally not the ideal time for photography, however, and I often didn't even carry a camera. So when we stumbled onto this cluster of frozen grasses, I wasn't prepared: But I liked it so much that I came back - with camera - a few hours later.

One of my companions dismissed the scene as being too "artsy" - a cliche - but I always enjoy playing with the pure design, composing pictures using only the most basic of visual tools : line and shape. My friend Steve and I spent half an hour playing here (there's no other word for it) until the setting sun sent deep tree shadows across the area, and the cold drove us back toward the lodge.

Is it Art? Who knows? But it was a half hour spent quite happily in Nature, and for that I'm always grateful. If it hadn't been 35 below zero, I could easily have spent all day here.

Nikon D3, 24-70mm lens

Nights on the Job

2011-03-04T10:02:00.000-08:00

Kevin at work, Photo (c) Steve Shuey

My good friend Steve, who has been with me here in Canada all this week, took this shot of me photographing the aurora Thursday night. One thing I learned from this : you get COLD holding still for 45 seconds at 40 below... But it's a picture I'm happy to have - thanks, Steve.

Heading Home

2011-03-04T07:07:00.000-08:00

Celestial Dance, Blachford Lake

Last night was our final one at Blachford Lake, and it didn’t disappoint.

After a slow beginning at 7:30 pm, the lights really got going 3 hours

later with a dramatic burst of activity that had everyone outside and

gaping skyward. It has been a spectacular week, full of splendid
weather, great company, and a nightly aurora show that qualifies
as one of the best and most consistent I've ever seen.

Nikon D3, 28mm f1.4 lens, ISO 1000

Green Tsunami

2011-03-03T09:06:00.000-08:00

The sky was quiet tonight. Although the first aurora appeared just after dark, it was largely immobile - or in the words of one of our Aussie mates here, "Nothing but smudgy smudges." Then, at about 1 am, after most of us had given up and gone to bed, the sky exploded. For half an hour or so, the lights danced across the sky in a brilliant, shimmering display. The lights moved so quickly, in fact, that they were hard to capture. Then, abruptly, it ended, and the rest of the night held nothing but "smudgy smudges."

Who knows why the lights can burst into action so suddenly, and just as suddenly melt away. But it makes predictions, and photography, a challenge.

Tonight is our last night here after a stunning week of nightly aurora. It has been the best, most consistent, viewing (and weather) I've ever had in all my years of aurora-chasing. No, we have not had any of the rare, and sought-after, red auroras or even much besides green - but I'm not complaining. We'll save that for next time.

Nikon D3, 28mm f1.4 lens, 1000 ISO

Avoiding The Cold

2011-03-02T22:04:00.000-08:00

Window Ice Crystals, Blachford Lake Lodge

Sometimes you just don't feel like getting all dressed up and going outside in the -20 C. cold. As a productive alternative, it's fun to try and find pictures inside where it is snug and warm. An obvious place to start is on the frost-covered windows around the lodge. We woke this morning to a wonderful pattern of ice crystals on the window of our room, and I spent a happy hour before breakfast making pictures while still in my pajamas.

Nikon D700, 70-200mm lens

Expectations

2011-03-02T09:13:00.000-08:00

Midnight Swirl

The evening began with very high expectations : the forecast was for clear skies, and the aurora predictions were for another busy night. And when the first lights appeared early - about 8 pm - we settled in for what we thought would be a long, busy night.

Then began what can only be called the "dressing ritual", the donning of multiple layers of clothing: hats, scarves boots, gloves, over-gloves and over-mittens. (At -35 C., you need to be pretty well-padded to spend the evening standing around outside.)

For an hour or so, there was a lot of activity, with waving bands of green filling the sky. Loops formed and then untied themselves, and fleeting curtains of dancing light appeared and then, just as abruptly, vanished.

Green is the most common color in the aurora, the result of the excitation of oxygen molecules high in the atmosphere caused by incoming charged solar particles. Other colors - red, purple, violet - are possible, but are more commonly associated with stronger solar events. Some of these are not visible to the human eye, but are recorded by film and sensors. So it was not until I had a chance to open images on the laptop that it became clear that tonight's lights did not have some of the red tinges of previous nights.

Whether or not that itself was a kind of indicator of diminishing activity, the lights faded quickly before midnight, and never really re-formed for the rest of the night. What was supposed to be a Big Night, became a quiet evening, and a chance to catch up on some much-needed sleep.

Today, meanwhile, the skies are clear again, and expectations are as high as ever for tonight. In about 12 hours, we'll see what happens.

Rotating Curtains

Nikon D3 with 28 f1.4 lens ISO 1000, 1/15 second

Midnight Magic

2011-03-01T17:24:00.000-08:00

Looping Aurora

The aurora forecasts for Monday night were for "Moderate" activity.

In aurora lingo that's code for a sleepless night that began just after

9 pm and went on more or less continuously until after 2 am. For hour

after hour, the entire sky was filled with swirling bands of light,

sometimes bright enough to throw a shadow on the ground, at other

times more muted.

As always, the challenge was to find a composition that worked.

Aurora pictures generally need an "anchor" to be effective, something

earthbound to give a sense of scale and place. Shots that include just

the aurora may be colorful, but don't tell much of a story. However, the

area around Great Slave Lake is not wildly dramatic: there is no Denali

here, no ragged peaks to showcase the lights. There are, instead,

thousands of square miles of trees, and trees are invariably an essential

part of the composition.

Nikon D3, 28mm f1.4 lens ISO 1000

Green Waves

2011-02-28T11:53:00.001-08:00

Green Waves and Spruce Trees, Northwest Territories

Auroras are unpredictable creatures. They can be brash and lively,
shimmering and ethereal, or they be gentle and graceful. The latter
is what we had last night. We had clear skies, happily, and despite
the -25 C. temps. there was little wind, so it was vastly more
comfortable being outside than the night before.

The lights began about 9 pm, and seemed to come in waves –
half an hour of activity and then fading away, repeating all night
long. It was not a dazzling display, but a lovely green wave that
morphed in unpredictable ways. The hint of red was not visible to
the eye, but camera found it just on the fringes of the wave.

I was shooting 30 second exposures, which is longer than I
like since this allows even crisp shapes to blur into a smear. But
these lights were pale : brighter aurora allow much shorter
exposures and sharper detail. That’s still what we’re hoping for!

Sunny again today, so we’re hopeful for tonight. The aurora
forecast is for quiet activity again tonight, but suggesting more
action on Tuesday night. We just have to hope this glorious
weather holds – I can’t tell you how many times great

aurora happens above a solid deck of clouds, maddeningly
invisible to those of us trapped on the ground.

Nikon D3, 24-70mm lens ISO 1000 at 2.8

Finding Your Own Icons

2011-02-24T16:31:00.000-08:00

Sandstone Shapes, Coyote Buttes, Arizona

So what is a hardcore wildlife shooter like myself doing shooting

Red Rock country in the desert southwest? Simple, I find these

landscapes as irresistible as every other photographer who makes

the pilgrimage to this “shrine of color.” We are blessed in this

country with some of the most extraordinary landforms on the

planet, and it is no surprise that photographers are drawn here :

where else can you find reds like this outside of a glowing sunset?

The challenge, of course, for anyone on one of these pilgrimages

is to see beyond the icons. We have all seen hundreds of images

of the classics : the sunburst through Mesa Arch in Canyonlands,

the beams of light in Antelope Canyon, the Wave at Coyote Buttes.

Great places all, and well worth a visit. But how can we, as

photographers, see them in a new way? Almost invariably,

you find yourself trying to re-shoot the identical image as a

thousand other photographers before you. I, for one, get zero

satisfaction from that. If you’re going to shoot an icon, make

it your own – look for a new take, an unexpected angle, a unique

moment.

I have made several trips to Arizona’s spectacular Coyote Buttes

area over the years, and I will almost certainly go again. But does

the world need any more pictures of the Wave? Probably not. But

there are a thousand treasures all around it, all worthy of a look,

and a picture. I took the picture above not more than 100 feet

from the Wave, but I like it much more than the visual retreads

I shot at the more famous site. It was a picture I found myself,

spent time sorting out, and finally captured in the late afternoon

light. It may not be the most breathtaking spot in an area filled

with heart-stopping views, but it is a picture all my own – and it

gives me more satisfaction than any of those I shot from the

usual angles.

Next time I go, I’m going to intentionally take a wrong turn somewhere –

and see what else is out there.

Nikon F100, 17-35mm lens

Shameless Promotion Dept.

2011-02-15T15:27:00.000-08:00

I have been a professional photographer for more than 20 years....and I have to admit that I still get a thrill seeing one of my pictures in print. Maybe it's the same as an artist seeing their work in a gallery, or a writer meeting someone reading their book; it is a confirmation that what we do is noticed, appreciated, or useful.

So I was happy to see my polar bear image make it onto the cover of this National Geographic / Lindblad brochure for their 2011 cruises to the Arctic. I was a lecturer on one of their voyages to Svalbard last summer, and took this picture of a rather coy polar bear from the bow of the ship. There are a lot of polar bear pictures in the world to choose from, but I'll admit it...I get a kick out of seeing this shot get used.

For more info on these terrific arctic cruises take a look here.

Nikon D3, 70-200mm lens

"If You're Not Getting Dirty..."

2011-02-07T13:55:00.000-08:00

Sri Lanka Junglefowl

I have written before about this bird, a wild relative of the domestic chicken that I photographed in the Sinharaja rain forest in Sri Lanka last month. (I'll say it again : if it didn't look so much like a chicken, it would be considered a pretty splashy bird.) I spent quite a bit of time with this fellow, taking advantage of his curiosity to get some shots with a sense of personality. My motto in situations like this? "If you're not getting dirty, you're not getting the picture." Animal portraits are invariably improved by getting down to your subject's level, even if means getting your clothes dirty or (as in this case) being feasted on by leeches. So there I was, lying on the ground, plucking leeches off my neck, and trying to shoot sideways at a bird that never stopped moving, all the while trying to keep my autofocus on his eyes - which are off-center.
It is essential for a wildlife image that the subject's eyes be sharp, since that is the first thing we look at, just as we do with portraits of people. If the eyes are unsharp, the entire picture seems out-of-focus, even if every feather is sharp as a tack. And with this fellow zigzagging all over the place, I was having a devil of a time getting anything at all. In the end, I took over a hundred frames, of which approximately 90% had to be thrown away: the eyes were soft. But happily, there was one or two where I managed to get what I wanted - and you know what? One is all you need.
Packing up my gear, and picking off the last of the leeches, I apologized to me guide, Saman, for all the foul language that came out of my mouth that day. "No problem," Saman said. "Wildlife photographers always talk that way when they're shooting!" Who knew?

Nikon D3, 70-200mm lens

Bats at Home

2011-02-02T18:19:00.000-08:00

Honduran White Tent Bats, Costa Rica

Photography can sometimes border on obsession. I tired for years to find a daytime roost for these wonderful snow-white bats in the lowland rain forests of Costa Rica - without success. I consulted experts, hired guides, and checked hundreds, if not thousands, of likely-looking leaves in areas where I knew the bats were found. Nothing.

Inevitably, that sort of failure rate can result in an almost pathological obsession to find them. I would not be denied. But it was probably 15 years before I stumbled onto this lovely group of bats under a low-hanging heliconia leaf. Instantly I discovered where I had gone wrong all these years. First of all, these bats are SMALL. A full-grown Tent Bat is smaller than my wife's fist - e.g. just four inches long. This entire cluster of bats (12? I'm not sure) could fit in both hands. I had, for all those years, been looking for something much bigger.

I had also, it turns out, been looking too high. This leaf, believe it or not, is hanging just over a foot above the ground, barely high enough (you would think) for the bats to safely fly in and out. To get this picture, therefore, I had to lie flat on my back looking straight up, using an ultra-wide-angle lens. It was all a VERY tight squeeze.

So... Am I satisfied? Has my obsession abated? I'm happy with the picture...and yet... This, then, is the true nature of obsession: I'd still like to find a roost with 20-25 bats... At least next time I will know where to look!

Nikon D3 with 14-24mm lens

We Are All Primates

2011-01-31T15:16:00.000-08:00

Toque Macaques, Sri Lanka

This is a picture that I was delighted to get - nice light, a lovely composition, and a captured moment of social behavior. I don't know, but I think this is two young males rather than a male/female pair. I am also guessing that this is a dominance display and that the guy on the right is top dog (er...top macaque) and the one on the left is required by protocol to... I'm not sure what.

One of the most wonderful things about watching primates is the window it provides onto our own behavior. It is always fascinating to see how macaques like these jockey for position and status using rituals such as these. And it is intriguing - and irresistible - to speculate on what the analogous human behavior might be:

Checking out each other's job titles?
Fighting over the restaurant bill?
Flattering your boss?

The picture may be a little too graphic to be published widely, but I'm glad I took it anyhow! At the very least, it makes me laugh...

Nikon D3, 70-200mm VR lens

The Not-so-Humble Peacock

2011-01-27T18:40:00.000-08:00

Peacock Taking Flight, Sri Lanka

A few days ago I posted a shot of a running chicken - OK, an endemic Sri Lankan Jungle Fowl that LOOKS like a chicken. In that post, I made the point that if that bird were not so utterly familiar it would be considered one of the most beautiful birds in the world...

The same exact argument can be made for what can fairly be described as the most astonishing bird on the planet - the Peacock. Consider: if we did not see them so often, in zoos, and parks and in every form of media, we would better appreciate how breathtaking they really are.

Having seen them in the wild in Sri Lanka, I was astonished that they not were getting gobbled down by every predator in the area - a fully-dressed male peacock is burdened by what must be ten pounds of decoration. So why aren't they getting eaten by jackals or leopards or...? The fact is, I saw hundreds of them walking around on the ground without a care in the world, taking flight only with great reluctance. So why aren't they being eaten? Truthfully, I have no idea, but I would imagine they're pretty tasty - sort of like chicken...

In any case, I did not spend a lot of time photographing peacocks because, after all, the world hardly needs more pictures of them. But when I saw one in a high tree, set against a misty mountain background, I couldn't resist. And when he suddenly dropped off the branch and into flight, I fired off a series of pictures. This is one of them, and although distant, it shows what an extravagant bird the peacock really is.

Nikon D300, 300mm f2.8 and TC14x

The Ladies of Sigiriya

2011-01-26T18:40:00.000-08:00

The Maidens of Sigiriya, 6th C., Sri Lanka

Yes, I am primarily a wildlife photographer, but that doesn't mean I am immune to the charms of history and art. On our recent trip to Sri Lanka, we took time out from chasing endangered species through the dwindling scraps of forest to see some of that island's many stunning archeological sites. By far our favorite was the rock-palace at Sigiriya, a well-deserved World Heritage Site. It is the location for an amazing story of a bastard prince who, in the 6th century AD, killed his father and stole his throne, and set about building the ultimate pleasure palace atop a rock monolith in the center of the island. We spent a day there and were blown away by the stunning architecture and engineering of this ancient site, with its gravity-fed fountains and sophisticated running water systems.

But nothing moved me more than the cluster of paintings perched high on a cliff which revealed - in startling color and detail - the existence of a rich secular life rarely depicted in a country whose art typically consists of endless, mind-numbing images of Buddha. These paintings are one of Sri Lanka's national treasures.

The half-dozen images of voluptuous females are all that has survived from what was once a vast collection of frescoes, and are as detailed and colorful as they must have been 1500 years ago. Frankly, I found them breathtaking. And happily, I was able to bend the rules a bit and carry a tripod up a series of rusty ladders to the site to shoot these marvelous paintings in very dim light.

Are these ground-breaking or creative photographs? No, the maidens - depicted at life-size - have been well-photographed before, and they presented no technical challenge (one-second exposures at f22). Nonetheless, taking the pictures myself was part of the thrill of being there, and a highlight of our time in Sri Lanka. ... which is why I can't help sharing them with you.

Meanwhile, I've been busy editing the wildlife material today, and will post more of that soon.

Nikon D3, 24-70mm lens, Gitzo Tripod

Birds Birds Birds

2011-01-26T06:23:00.000-08:00

Sri Lanka Blue Magpie, Sinharaja

I had, as always, a "hit list" of species I want to find and photograph in Sri Lanka. I designed our itinerary to put us in the right place at the right time with several of these target species, including a number of birds. At the top of that list was the Blue Magpie, found only in the dwindling rain forests of Sri Lanka and nowhere else. It is increasingly rare these days, so I was pleased to find a handful of them in the same leech-ridden forest where I shot the Jungle Fowl (see last post).

The magpie is truly a spectacular bird, but a hard one to photograph in the thick tangle of the understory where we found them. There always seem to be vines in the way, unwanted leaves and hotspots, or a bird that insists on facing the wrong way on a branch. Maddening! In the end, I got just a half dozen hard-won portraits. Forget about getting behavior, or social interaction; shooting a real story on these birds would take weeks, if not months. Still, I'm happy to have gotten anything at all.

Crested Hawk-Eagle, Yala NP

But having a hit list only gets you so far; sometimes pictures just fall into your lap. I was actually taking a rest stop by the side of the road one day when this hawk-eagle landed on a nearby snag, nearly at eye-level. It is a magnificent bird, but I thought it unlikely that it would stay where it was long enough for me to change lenses and get a picture. To my amazement, it just sat there, a slight breeze lifting it's crest feathers up above its regal profile.

I shot a few distant pictures, took a step or two closer, then took more, repeating the process half a dozen times, moving slowly to avoid spooking him. Soon I was right in front of him, and he remained as relaxed as ever. I tried hard to find an angle that didn't have the distracting hotspots in the trees behind him, but overall, I was delighted that he wasn't (as these birds so often are) straight overhead with a featureless gray sky. Not a picture I set out to get that day - but an unexpected gift.

Green Bee-eater, Yala NP

Finally, an admission. I love bee-eaters. They are dazzling little jewels and spectacular aerialists. I rarely get a chance to get pictures of them in conditions like this, with a light overcast and a largely clean background, and since the leopards I was tracking were staying relentlessly hidden, I spent quite a while with this little fellow. A simple portrait of a lovely bird.

Nikon D3, 300mm f2.8 lens

Chicken Run

2011-01-24T15:36:00.000-08:00

Sri Lankan Jungle Fowl, Sinharaja Biosphere Reserve

No, this is not a chicken, although you can be forgiven for thinking
it looks like one. In fact, it is a wild Sri Lanka Junglefowl, a close
relative of the Indian bird that was domesticated into the Colonel
Sanders variety thousands of years ago. These bizarre, familiar
birds are common in the forests of Sri Lanka – and face it, if they
didn’t look like chickens, we’d think they were among the most
spectacular birds in the world. Sadly, it is their fate to be ignored.

The Jungle Fowl is not a rare bird; to be honest, it is probably the
most obvious and ever-present bird in the forests here. But I was
lucky to find one that allowed me to get close, making possible this
motion-portrait of him racing through the rainforest. It is a classic
blur pan situation, with a long exposure and and fill-flash combination
that lets the background blur, but stops the action of the subject.
To make it work, I had to lay on the ground and shoot a mess of
seat-of-the-pants exposures trying to get what I wanted. Many were
out of focus, or missing the bird itself, but in the end I got a handful
which capture the extravagant colors, and motion, of this wild-looking
bird. What the picture doesn’t show is the host of leeches that took
advantage of my prone position to crawl up my body and feast on
my blood. I was pinching them off of me for hours after this little
exercise…

More soon; I'm still on my way home.
Serious editing starts tomorrow.

Nikon D3, 17-35mm lens

A Paradise of Rock

2011-01-23T10:35:00.000-08:00

Petra Sandstone

Coming home from Sri Lanka, our plane stopped in Amman, Jordan - a country we've never been to before. We decided to take advantage of the opportunity to visit a place I've always wanted to see: the ancient rock city of Petra. Imagine an Arizona slot canyon filled with buildings carved into the rock two thousand years ago, and you begin to get the idea. I shot a lot of pictures of the ruins (this is a World Heritage Site, after all) but I was also enchanted by the rock itself. It was red sandstone, similar to that which you see in the American southwest, but with bands of mineral deposits that created stunning swirls and patterns. In short, I had a wonderful time shooting patterns, arches, caves, and - oh, yeah - some masterpieces of Nabataean Architecture. All in all, a nice way to spend the day.

Tomorrow we continue the long journey home.

The Treasury from The Siq, Petra

On the Way Home

2011-01-22T06:52:00.000-08:00

Purple-faced Langur

We've finally emerged from the wilds of Sri Lanka where I actually managed to remain offline for 3 full weeks - some kind of record... (There simply isn't wifi in the places where I was hanging out.) But there was wildlife - albeit hard to find, difficult to follow, and in many cases, nearly impossible to photograph. I spent several days trying in vain to find these endangered langurs, but faced the usual problems that confront primate photography - bad light, tall trees, and uncooperative subjects.

Then one day I just got lucky. A group came down out of the trees, a layer of clouds softened the harsh sunlight and I got about 20 minutes at eye level with one of the 25 most endangered primates in the world. No, I didn't get a lot of behavioral images, or group interactions. That would take weeks - maybe months. But I got some handsome portraits, like this monkey feeding in the cloud forest canopy.

I will be editing pictures from this trip for the next few weeks and will post several as I go along. But before I can do that, I still have 26 hours of flying ahead of me... Wish me luck!

Nikon D3, 70-200mm lens with TC14x

Back to the Field

2011-01-01T10:39:00.000-08:00

Asian Elephant

We are leaving Monday for a month in Sri Lanka, a trip we've had planned for some time, but had postponed until now because of the continuing political problems there. Now, however, things appear to have settled down, so we will go ahead with our plans to work on several of that island's many endemic and endangered species. Among them : the rare Purple-faced Langur, the Sri Lankan Magpie and the Sri Lankan Leopard. We also hope to spend some time in the company of wild elephants - one of our favorite things.
Along the way, we will also try to learn about Sri Lanka's long and glorious history, with visits to some of the most crucial archeological sites. It will likely be difficult to keep up with this blog, but if I can find a computer and the internet - I'll try and let you know how we are getting on.

Have a terrific New Year, everyone.

Nikon D3, 70-200mm lens

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to All

2010-12-23T08:42:00.000-08:00

Winter Wonderland, Canada

No, it doesn't look like this in Seattle right now - we're getting rains similar to California - but a person can always dream of a white Christmas... (Old habits die hard).

But wherever you are, whatever your faith, I wish you the best of the season and a happy, successful 2011.

The "Wrong" Lens

2010-12-19T11:40:00.000-08:00

Red-eyed Tree Frog, Costa Rica

I am often asked what lenses to take for a particular journey. My standard answer? All of them. Seriously... I find that I need everything in my arsenal nearly everywhere I go, which explains why my backpack is so unbelievably heavy. In almost every shooting situation, you can be sure that whatever lens you leave behind will be the one you need.

The truth is, however, that not having the "right" lens can force you to get pictures you might not otherwise have seen. Consider, for example, my red-eyed tree frog (taken, by the way, on Kodachrome - more than 25 years ago). When I found this frog, sitting on a palm frond, I didn't have any of my macro gear with me. In fact, all I had a was a telephoto lens, without any macro capability. Although I wanted to a close-up, the lens simply did not focus any closer....and the picture above is the result. Instead of an in-your-face portrait (of which I have hundreds already) I was forced by my equipment to create a composition with what I had on hand.

I liked the design, of course; the balance between the off-center frog and the black areas on the left. It worked for me, despite the fact that it was not the picture I wanted to take at the time. But less than a year later, it was published as a wrap-around cover on Audubon Magazine - a picture I only took because my equipment forced me to look beyond my initial instincts.

The lesson? No, it's probably not a good idea to intentionally leave a useful lens behind as a way to force you to see differently. But it is worth trying a different lens that you might not use normally, one that changes your perspective and allows you to see a picture you might not see otherwise.

Then there is our obsession with big glass. In the Arctic this summer, I shot polar bears next to a guy who had a 600mm lens on his Canon - all the time. By contrast, I went back and forth between my 300mm 2.8 and a 70-200mm, occasionbally throwing on a TC1.4 when needed. Did I lose some great close-ups when the bear was a long way away? You bet I did. But the shorter lenses forced me to get something BESIDES a close-up - like this environmental shot of a bear on a vast sheet of drifting ice. Like the frog picture, the "wrong" lens gave me access to a picture I would never have taken if I'd been using a mega-telephoto.

Polar Bear on Pack Ice, Svalbard

But when the bear came closer to the ship, as I knew it would, I was ready - and got some of the best pictures of the trip.

Nikon D300, 300mm f2.8 lens

Terrible News

2010-12-15T15:35:00.000-08:00

Wild Beach Cassowary, Queensland

I have been home from Australia for less than a week now, but have been in touch with friends there nearly every day since I left. News reached me last night that one of the Cassowaries I photographed on a small Queensland beach was hit by a car and killed shortly after I left. The news has hit me hard. I came to love these remarkable birds while I was there, but am realistic enough to know that the gravest threat to their survival is their uneasy relationship with people.

There are probably fewer than 1500 Cassowaries left in Australia and as many as a dozen are killed every year on roads and highways. Animals like these, which have grown dangerously casual around people are particularly at risk since they have lost the natural fear of humans that can serve to protect them.

I don't know exactly what happened yet, but the idea of one of these great birds that I came to know so well has been killed because of human interaction has been wrenching. Statistics are abstract; this was personal.

Cassowary and Beach Scene

Palm Pilgrimage

2010-12-13T15:51:00.000-08:00

Licuala Fan Palm (Licuala ramsayi), Australia

Many years ago, I saw a picture of Australia's remarkable round-leaved Licuala Palm, which grows in a very restricted part of the Queensland rainforest. I was so struck by their marvelous shape, and the stunning patterns of light and shadow they create that I stuck a picture up on the wall - it sat there for a decade or more before I actually had a chance to see these trees myself.

On my recent Cassowary trip to Australia, I snuck off for a day or two at the end to make a pilgrimage to the Licuala forest near Mission Beach and wandered through one of the loveliest forests I have ever seen.

What the pictures don't tell you, however, is that this was also a beastly hot, humid, and mosquito-ridden swamp. Oh yeah, and there are leeches.

So as delighted as I was to see these trees, I was just as happy to leave them behind... Still, I'm glad I made the effort... And when the bites stop itching, I'll be even happier!

Nikon D3 17-35 lens

Face in the Forest

2010-12-11T10:14:00.000-08:00

Forest Dragon, Atherton Tablelands, Australia

I set out yesterday morning to photograph a tree - a massive strangler fig in the Queensland rain forest. But as is so often the case, I found a better picture on my way there. Walking alone on a remote trail, I stumbled onto this Forest Dragon clinging to a treetrunk, just a few feet off the path. I expected him to run away, especially when I had to drop my pack, change lenses and extend the tripod legs. (No, I wasn't expecting, or prepared, to photograph a lizard that morning...) But he apparently thought I couldn't see him, which gave me the luxury of getting set up...

In the end, I got only a handful of shots before he skittered away, faster than I would have imagined possible. Too bad, because I still wanted to try some wide-angle images. But this simple portrait was not bad for a completely unexpected opportunity. Better, in fact, than my picture of the tree!

Just after I took this picture, I hopped on the first of a series of airplanes to bring me home. It was a remarkable, and productive trip to Australia - one of my favorites of all time.

Next on the agenda? After Christmas and New Year's, we leave for a month in Sri Lanka, chasing endangered primates. But for now, I'm just happy to be home.

Nikon D3, 70-200mm lens

Don't Forget the Habitat

2010-12-06T23:27:00.000-08:00

Native Palms along Lacie Creek, Queensland

Every now and then I have to stop trying to get pictures of animals and take a few shots of the places they live. I have some very nice shots of Cassowaries in the rainforest, but I also wanted to try and get some pure landscapes. That worked out perfectly today... since I didn't manage to see any Cassowaries in the forest at all (although lots of their unforgettable droppings!)

For me, photographing in the tropical forest is a kind of treasure hunt. I set off walking, hoping to find some sense of order in the midst of what is usually visual chaos. I walked for several hours in the forest today, and found only a handful of pictures. Someone else would have found entirely different images, I suspect. In this scene, I was drawn by the repetitive nature of these wild palm trunks along a small creek. Nothing earth-shaking, but a nice pattern of vertical lines.

I was also pleased with one other picture today - of what look like fossil dinosaur tracks from the Jurassic but were left in the sand today by a very modern Cassowary. A simple picture, but one I'm happy to have.

Nikon D3 24-70mm lens

Dancing Dinosaur

2010-12-04T00:28:00.001-08:00

Wild Cassowary on the Beach

After two weeks of chasing these giant birds through the dense tropical
rainforest, I moved today to a new location – a place where, I was told,
wild Cassowaries walk the beach. It seemed like a long shot, but I
gave it a try, and set up a vigil on the beach in the late afternoon –
not feeling very optimistic. But little over an hour after I arrived a
Cassowary emerged from the forest lining the beach and walked right
past me.
I was so stunned, I dropped all my camera gear into the sand out of
my unzipped backpack. A few choice words were spoken – as you
can imagine – and then I took off down the beach.

It was like a scene out of Jurassic Park: a giant primitive bird
walking along a narrow beach backed by dense rainforest. I couldn’t
believe my luck. I tried a variety of angles, backgrounds, lenses,
close-ups and more environmental shots – anything I could think of,
knowing my time with him could be brief.

This is only one of my favorites from an exhilarating hour spent with a
feathered dinosaur. I’ll be back there at sunrise tomorrow!

Nikon D3, 24-70mm lens

Dangerous Ground

2010-12-01T23:03:00.000-08:00

This is not a spectacular picture, but it's one I tried for days to get. This Cassowary male and chicks probably crosses this road several times a day, but it took me a week to figure out their regular route and where their usual crossing point was. Why is this important? First of all, the most important cause of mortality for this endangered species is by car impact. So this is a picture I felt was important to have: crossing any road - and this one is surprisingly busy - can be life-threatening for an adult Cassowary, not to mention it's three small, inexperienced and unpredictable chicks.

In fact, this was the best-behaved I have ever seen these chicks - they almost NEVER go in line behind their Dad - usually one or the other is wandering off on his own distracted. Is it possible that he's taught them the importance of staying together when crossing the road? I hope so.

And yes, I would have loved to have arranged for a car to come around the bend right then - like the picture below it would have told a more compelling visual story - but I would never have forgiven myself if something had happened to one of these birds. Over my two weeks here, I have grown very attached to these gentle and confiding birds, and I wish them well in a challenging world. Simply said, I am grateful that they have allowed me into their lives; I hope I can use these pictures to do something positive for their future.

Nikon D3, 24-70mm lens

In Fine Company

2010-12-01T13:50:00.000-08:00

I have spent the past two weeks in the company of what the Guinness Book of World Records has listed as the "Most Dangerous Bird in the World." Poppycock. Yes, they have massive and powerful feet, tipped with dagger-like claws - but for cassowaries, as for most animals, violence is a last option. I have found them attentive parents, gentle companions and for the most part entirely unaggressive. This does not mean I don't have to be careful, however, especially with young chicks present. The male Cassowary has all the responsibility for the chicks from egg to fledging, and he doesn't like people messing with them. In this image, however, he's not threatening to eat me; on the contrary he was giving a big yawn....before promptly falling asleep...

So what's with the horn? The "casque" as it's called, is something both sexes have, so it is not a male-only appendage used for fighting (in fact, his mate's casque is bigger than his!). Instead, it may be employed to bash fruiting trees to drop their fruit, or to more easily navigate the dense forest understory that is so common here.
I can personally testify to how difficult that can be : I have tried many times to follow wild cassowaries through the forest, and typically get only a few yards before I'm stopped by a multitude of spines, and a particularly cruel vine palm with fronds like razorwire. No wonder, the Cassowary has a thick coast of coarse feathers - it's as tough as chain mail.

Nikon D3, 70-200mm lens

Nighttime Diversion

2010-11-28T12:19:00.000-08:00

Waterfall Frog in Spray

In the tropics, the sun doesn't linger at the horizon at the end of the day : it plunges down as if in a hurry for tomorrow. It's dark by 7, and inside the forest, much earlier than that. So what is a wildlife photographer to do for the next 12 hours until dawn? Well, last night I went in search of a mythical, and endangered, frog - the Waterfall Frog. OK, the official name is the Torrent Treefrog (Litoria nannotis) but that seems to suggest that this frog has something to do with trees. No, this little fellow lives only in waterfalls in small streams and only in Northern Queensland Australia. Happily there was a location just a few miles from where I am, so I thought it might make a pleasant way to spend an evening.

When I say these guys live in waterfalls, I mean that quite literally; they're not in the rocks and riffles along the way - they live in cracks alongside, behind and in actual falling water. Oh yeah, and they're only active at night.

In the end, we found them, right where they were supposed to be, and with waist-deep water, leeches, rain, spray and a very active frog - let me just say it was not dull. I'll let you know if it was worth it when - and if - I can dry out my camera, strobes etc.

Nikon D300 with 60mm Macro lens

Unexpected Gifts

2010-11-23T00:49:00.000-08:00

Emerald Dove

When I am in the field, I typically have a mental list of pictures that I hope to get -- but on any given day I rarely get what I expect. Nature is unpredictable that way, and that is an essential part of its gift, the ability to offer surprises.

I spent a lot of time waiting today while the tropical rain came down in buckets. In fact, I spent a full 10 hours waiting for the Cassowaries to return after an early morning visit. But I wasn't idle : I amused myself with shooting pictures of other birds that were feeding around the camp. This little Emerald Dove, the size of a chubby robin, was feeding on the forest floor and I found that if I held quite still, he would come close. Because it was so dark under the clouds and canopy, I had to use a flash. But every time I did, the little dove would be startled enough to put his wings out as if to fly away. The amazing thing was that his reaction time was so fast that he reacted to the flash before the shutter opened - and I got a picture of his wings already extended. Talk about fast reflexes!

Then, at the end of the day, I was photographing a Cassowary feeding on the road - when a car came around the corner and into my picture. My first reaction was annoyance - but then I realized that this was also a gift: neatly illustrating the fact that Cassowaries are killed every year on roads like this. This was a shot on my list, but one I figured would be hard to get. In the end, it just happened... Sometimes it just works like that.

And finally, just a nice shot of a common bird, the Australian Brush Turkey. Not bad for a soggy day in the forest. And I have NO idea what I'll find tomorrow.

Nikon D3, 70-200mm (top and bottom) and 24-70 (middle)

Heading West...and Down Under

2010-11-14T15:13:00.000-08:00

Temperate Rainforest, Australia

Since my Antarctica trip has suddenly been cancelled, and I have been given a clean bill of health, I have radically changed my plans. I leave Friday for Australia - a trip that I had thought to do later in the year, but suddenly have time to do now. My specific goal is a bit hush-hush, but I am continuing work with several endangered species and have heard about a rare opportunity I can't pass up. Is that tantalizing enough?

For the past few years, I have been concentrating on little-known, or rarely-photographed endangered animals, hoping to tell their stories and make a difference in their survival. As it turns out, this requires a great deal of research, time spent digging around the internet trying to find animals of interest that have been largely ignored by photographers. However, I have a couple of essential sources:

ARKIVE: I have probably mentioned this website before, but it aims to be a digital encyclopedia of life on earth, with particular emphasis on endangered plants and animals. For me, this searchable website is a godsend : providing information on conservation status, locations and with references to scientists working in the field. Because I applaud what they are doing, I have - from the very start - contributed pictures to their archive at no cost. (I have to be somewhat sparing with my gifts of photography: I have to stay in business to be able to continue doing what I do, and am bombarded with requests for free images every day. But Arkive is different : I give them anything they want...)

IUCN Redlist: The International Union for the Conservation of Nature maintains the "Red List," a carefully researched database of endangered species. Want information on an obscure fish? Chances are you'll find it here - or on Arkive. Both websites are invaluable to me. And together they produce a special "Species of the Day" page, featuring details on a different animal (or plant) every day of the year. Check it out - and learn about an animal you never knew existed.

Anyhow, I hope to come back from Australia in early December with some new additions for the Arkive collection - and hopefully, a story worth telling.

The Best Laid Plans...

2010-11-08T16:38:00.000-08:00

Not flying south THIS year...

Well, so much for my Polar Plans for this year... The night before I was supposed to leave for Antarctica, I ended up in the hospital ER with terrible chest pains. After two days of nonstop tests - and canceling my trip on doctor's orders - I was given a clean bill of health and sent home, with no idea what caused my symptoms. Weird - and disappointing. But better to be home than having heart problems on a ship in the far reaches of the Southern Ocean.

There are plenty of things I'm sorry to be missing on this trip, not the least of which was the chance to do a penguin blog for my grand-daughter's first grade class. The kids were full of questions and enthusiasm ; I really hate to be letting them down.

So now I have to look at my schedule and decide how best to use this sudden change. Stay tuned...

Ice in Black and White

2010-11-06T11:16:00.000-07:00

Iceberg and Cliffs, Antarctica

As I mentioned in my last post, I am leaving tomorrow for 3 weeks in Antarctica. One reason I am excited about the trip - and there are many - is the opportunity to shoot landscapes in black and white. My last trip to the Antarctic Peninsula was eight years ago when digital was relatively new. At the time, I made the bone-headed decision to use the trip to "learn about" my first digital camera. My advice?
Never do this...

What it meant in practice was that I didn't really understand about digital exposure or histograms...and here I was, plunked into a world where exposure was both complicated and critical. On the upside, I also discovered digital black-and-white conversions on that trip - and loved their ease and power. When the light was anything less than optimal for color: I was free to shoot in black and white in an environment that was more than willing to meet me halfway! I was delighted from the results of that trip and now look forward to shooting much more, and on a much better camera -- and with much better skills.

I will try to blog during the trip, so stay tuned.

Nikon D100, 80-200mm lens

European Visions...and Antarctica

2010-10-31T23:33:00.000-07:00

King Penguin surrounded by Chicks, South Georgia Island

If you suspect the penguins in this photo are probably not in Europe, you would be right. But I am...just heading home today from a meeting of the GDT, The Society of German Nature Photography, where I gave a talk on my work documenting endangered species. As always, it was an inspiring event: I find the Europeans have - and this is admittedly a gross generalization - a refined, even poetic, photographic style. Some of the best work I saw was also the most deceptively simple, with elegant compositions of flowers, grasses and insects. Simply said, the "euro-style" tends to ignore our obsession with sharpness and detail in favor of light, composition and...mystery. Yes, they tend to prefer everything blurry which, in itself, is a kind of obsession, but one that views photography as an interpretive form rather than simply a documentary one.

Anyhow, I came away inspired to broaden my own visual vocabulary, and that's a gift. I suggest you have a look at some of the work here: GDT - they should be posting the results soon for their 2010 "European Photographer of the Year" competition.

Meanwhile, back to the penguins. This shot, of an adult penguin lost in a sea of furry chicks, is one I took on South Georgia a couple of years ago. Happily, I have a chance to go back next week, as the NatGeo lecturer on the NG Explorer. Maybe this time, I will try this shot again, only blurry!

Nikon D3, 70-200mm lens

Wild Wonders of Europe

2010-10-26T17:00:00.000-07:00

Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland

I leave tomorrow for a quick trip to Germany where I will give a talk to the GDT (German Nature Photography Association...I think) on my work with endangered species. I will bring a camera, of course, but may only be shooting some cityscapes in Amsterdam, or some German beerhalls...

This visit to Europe, however, gives me an excuse to plug the Wild Wonders of Europe project which, if you don't know about it, engaged a host of photographers to document wildlife and landscapes all across the continent - resulting in a stunning collection of images, exhibits, a book, and a greater awareness of the natural treasures of a part of the world people typically dismiss as overrun with people. It was bold, creative, and enormously successful - and can serve as a model for "big idea" photographic projects worldwide. To learn more, go to their website: http://www.wild-wonders.com/

To honor my European colleagues, I am posting this shot of columnar basalt I took last year at the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland.

Wild Otters of CHILE

2010-10-22T14:31:00.000-07:00

Endangered Marine Otters (Lontra felina) Chile

I spent 6 weeks in South America this past winter, getting the first-ever in-depth coverage of the smallest marine mammal in the world : the Marine Otter. No larger than a housecat, this little otter is found along the cold water coasts of southern Peru and Chile, and is endangered due to a long history of fur-hunting and competition with fishermen.

This was a difficult project, to say the least. When I could even find the animals, I had to shoot them from a moving boat - which was typically getting hammered (along with the photographer) by the rough seas. In fact, I lost my primary telephoto lens (the Nikon 200-400) to a rogue wave, on the first day of the shoot. (Happily, FEDEX was able to get me another lens within a week..)

To be honest, some key parts of the story never came together : I was unable to get pictures of these fast-moving otters underwater, and camera traps gave me only a handful of fleeting portraits. But if I didn't get everything I wanted, I have the satisfaction of knowing I got more pictures of this little-known animal than have ever been taken - pictures that will help tell their important story. Pictures can be powerful advocates, and I have made these pictures available to those working to save this wonderful, but threatened, animal.

Nikon D3, 500mm lens

Chasing Monkeys in the Andes

2010-10-16T13:31:00.000-07:00

Yellow-tailed Woolly Monkey, Eastern Andes, PERU

A simple picture of a desperately rare animal. This Peruvian monkey is one of the 25 most endangered primates on Earth, found only in a few scraps of habitat in the highland forests of the Andes. I spent the last week following them through the roughest terrain I have ever encountered, struggling to get a vantage point that gave me something other than silhouettes shot straight up against a white sky. If this picture works, it is because I managed to scramble up the steep mountainsides to get a level shot of the animal as he scampered across a moss-covered branch.

There are very few pictures of this species taken in the wild, and perhaps I could have taken better if I had stayed another week... and gotten lucky. As it was, I really only had a day and a half in their company - not nearly enough for in-depth coverage, but sufficient time to get a handful of nice shots of a spectacular animal still clinging to its vanishing habitat.

Nikon D3, 300mm f2.8 lens and 1.4X teleconverter

Vision in Blue

2010-10-05T15:33:00.000-07:00

Chinstrap Penguins on Blue Iceberg

It was the color of this iceberg that drew our attention from miles away. "Why not head over and take a look at that one?" I asked the captain. With plenty of time, and a ship dedicated to photography, we did just that - changing course to put us closer to this stunning blue iceberg.

Truly blue icebergs are not the norm in Antarctica; they are typically made up of old dense ice with no layer of reflective snow. This one had the added benefit of having rolled over several times -- the smooth contours and slightly pocked surface are sure signs of a berg that has flipped upside down, possibly more than once.

It was only when we got within a few hundred yards that we realized that there was a small group of molting Chinstraps resting on top. Every year, at the end of the breeding season, penguins must discard their old, worn feathers for a new batch. This process requires that they stay dry for a week or more until the molt is complete, their feathery insulation restored.

My question was this - how did they get onto this particular sheer-sided iceberg? Maybe it was less steep on the backside, but...?

Nikon F100 and 80-200mm lens, Fuji Velvia (ca. 1998!)

A Sea of Birds

2010-09-29T15:39:00.000-07:00

Fisherman in middle of Feeding Frenzy, Pucusana, Peru

I am off to Peru again next week, working on an endangered primate and some rare birds in a remote part of the Andes. I should have some interesting pictures soon, but in the meantime, I wanted to share this image of a massive seabird congregation from Peru earlier this year. The Humboldt Current - the cold current that bathes the west coast of South America - is one of the most productive on Earth. That productivity becomes obvious when you see thousands of birds crashing into the water in a frenzy such as the one I witnessed here.

Surprisingly, I was on land when I took this picture, so this massive pelican flock was diving into the water right in front of me, VERY close to shore. A few minutes later, the prey had moved away from the coast, and so had the birds.

The great irony about the vast numbers of seabirds all along the Peruvian coast is the fact that current seabird numbers are only a fraction of what they were a generation ago.

Nikon D3 with 24-70mm lens

Tundra Teaching

2010-09-14T10:18:00.000-07:00

Arctic Cotton Grass, Edgeoya Island, Svalbard

On my last day in Svalbard this summer, we landed in an autumn garden. Already turning gold, the landscape was one of the loveliest I've ever seen in the north, with a rich assortment of tundra flowers and dramatic mountain scenery. The photographic challenge was, as ever, to distill this 360 degree panorama into a single, compelling photograph. This loose patch of cotton grass provided the best foreground I could muster, and knowing that I would want to use this handsome butte as a backdrop, I set up shop on this spot.

But the picture required my widest lens, and a prone position: anything less on either front and the picture would not have been possible. (Even still, I would have liked to have made the foreground grass-heads bigger, but equipment and depth-of-field constraints made it impossible)

In the end, I took a few shots, describing to the "students" who accompanied me that getting horizontal is often essential in finding a dramatic point-of-view for a picture. I started to walk away, but not before I turned around and saw that several people had taken me at my word:

I think, in the end, I like this picture even better than the first one!

Nikon D3, 14-24mm lens

Victoria BC

2010-09-09T18:29:00.000-07:00

Coast Salish Mask: Susan Point, Artist

I spent the last two days at an International Seabird conference in Victoria BC, celebrating beautiful fall weather in a windowless auditorium... Worth it, though, to connect with old friends - seabirds - with whom I started my career thirty years ago.

Not many photo opportunities, though. However, I was taken by this ornamental mask done by Coast Salish artist Susan Point, which decorates the Victoria Convention Centre, where our meeting was held. It is a terrific piece of art, enhanced by some pretty nifty lighting, so I have to say - I couldn't resist.

In the meantime, I head out to do some real field photography this weekend, whatever the weather.

Nikon D300, 18-200mm lens and some spiffy ambient light.

The Top of South Georgia

2010-09-05T08:56:00.000-07:00

Helicopter and 9629' summit of Mt. Paget

I am often asked which is my favorite place in the world. Ignoring the fact that this is like asking a parent which child they prefer, I would have to say the island of South Georgia. Physically, it is an astonishing place - as rugged and imposing a mountain landscape as any on Earth - but this is all just a backdrop to one of the greatest gatherings of wildlife on the planet. All in all, an amazing place.

I had the very good fortune a few years ago to travel to South Georgia with the UK Royal Navy research vessel Endurance. One of the highlights of that 3-week journey was the chance to fly over most of the island in one of their helicopters. Particularly memorable was our landing on the icy summit of the island's highest peak, Mt. Paget, on a stunning clear day when the entire island was visible.

In this picture, taken as we approached the summit, you can see another helicopter having just taken off, amid the swirling wind and snow. The image has never been published before, but it brings back some incredible memories.

I will be back on South Georgia later this year (although not at this altitude!) serving as the National Geographic photo lecturer aboard the "National Geographic Explorer". For more information about the trip, click HERE. Or feel free to write to me with any questions you might have.

Taking Chances

2010-09-02T19:19:00.000-07:00

Harebells in Wind, Lofoten islands, Norway

One of the great gifts of digital photography has been its
encouragement of experimentation. With film, I would shoot
a roll of film of a low-percentage shot (think wind-blown
flowers) and then quit – just to save film. It was a

total crap shoot whether you actually got something or not!
Now, by contrast, you can shoot all day on a 16 gb card:
and check your work along the way.

I haven’t made up my mind about this shot yet – and that’s
just fine. I took it on a sunny arctic mid-day when there simply
weren’t any other decent pictures to be made – too bright,
too windy, too whatever. The kind of day, in fact,

when I should probably have put the camera down and literally
stopped to smell the flowers. Fair enough…but I couldn’t resist
these dancing harebells. So, I braced the camera on a rock
and shot a pile of them at various slow speeds, quite literally
painting with color. Most of the resulting images are

junk – and maybe this one is, too – but it was a fun, spontaneous
process.

And for that, and for a picture I could have easily walked past,
I am grateful.

Nikon D3, 70-200mm lens 1/8 sec

Fogbows

2010-09-02T10:03:00.000-07:00

Fogbow and Pack Ice, 80 degrees N.

We were hunting for polar bears - a distinct challenge in the intermittent fog. But the mist did give us one unexpected gift: a fogbow. Caused by the same phenomena that cause rainbows, fogbows are more diffused, and are typically colorless.

A wide-angle lens captured the fogbow, but I struggled to find a foreground to complete the composition. There were images where the ice was better "arranged", but on those the fogbow was broken or less pronounced. In the end, I settled on this one, which shows the arc beautifully, even if the ice is a little scraggly. Nature rarely performs precisely on cue.

Nikon D3, 17-35mm lens

Patience, Luck...and Crawling

2010-08-30T04:13:00.000-07:00

Harbor Seal, Svalbard

As I came ashore on a remote beach in Leifdefjorden, a single harbor seal was resting on an offshore rock. I was convinced that he would abandon his spot as soon as I started towards him, so I took a half dozen shots from 100 yards away. As other people came ashore, I was convinced that he wouldn't stand for all the disturbance, and moved on. But to my astonishment, he stayed where he was, periodically lifting his head to check on the intrusion, but refusing to budge. A little while later, I carefully tried to get closer (not wanting to be the guy that scared him off). He never moved. I got a few more shots, better ones. Then I started off exploring the tundra, while others took their turn.

Half an hour later I was back at the shore again, and the seal was still there! Only now the tide had risen, and the rock he was lying on had disappeared: it looked as though he was resting on the surface of the water. This time, I crawled closer until I was lying right at the water's edge, my camera resting on a rock only a couple of inches above the ground. (I was so low, in fact, that I had to compose while looking sideways through the viewfinder...try that sometime..!) The seal lifted its head for just a moment - and I got this image. Satisfied, I backed away.

There is no joy in pressing an animal for a picture until it leaves in fear or annoyance. As a wildlife photographer, I consider it a success when I can leave my subject right where I first saw it, undisturbed. As I returned to the ship, the seal was still there...albeit a bit wetter.

Nikon D300, 300mm f2.8 lens

Lofoten Dawn

2010-08-29T04:42:00.000-07:00

Sunrise on Lofoten Islands, Reine, Arctic Norway

OK, I'll admit it. I'm on a black and white kick. But since color is so sparse at these latitudes - where the world is largely one of rock, water and sky - many of my images looked frankly better in B&W than they did in color. The beauty is that you can have it both ways, by shooting in color and then comparing the results to a desaturated version.

In this instance, there was literally no color in the stark granite crags of the islands, and precious little color in the sky. This is still far north of the Arctic Circle, where the sun remains above the horizon for 24 hours. This means no sunsets or sunrises, and none of the saturated color effects that gladden the hearts of photographers. Black and white, on the other hand, reduces the landscape to its essentials.

Nikon D3, 70-200mm lens, Polarizer

Rediscovering my B&W roots

2010-08-22T07:33:00.000-07:00

Waterfall, Tromso, Norway

As a former assistant to Galen Rowell, I have spent a career chasing
the light – staying up late and getting up early for untold sunrises
and sunsets. (As photographers, we seem to have an obsession with
the color red, as in sunsets and slickrock) So it is a bit of a revelation
to suddenly fall back in love with black and white – it’s sculptural
forms and visual grace. And now, with digital, it is all so much easier
than the days of Tri-X and Agfa paper, fixer and stop bath. I applaud
those photographers still working with these classic media, but I am
re-discovering my roots through the new media.

I shot this small waterfall this morning in arctic Norway, drawn by
the counterpoint of rock and water. I shot it in color, of course, but
have now made a habit of looking at nearly every image with the
saturation dialed back to zero. Many are not improved (icebergs,
I have discovered, are still a rapturous blue – not a color you really
want to discard). But some pictures simply beg for black-and-white.
This was one of them…

Nikon D3, 70-200mm lens

Heading South again

2010-08-19T23:21:00.000-07:00

Female Walrus and Calf, Svalbard

I have never had an opportunity to photograph wild walrus in the water like this, and it was challenging: the boat was bobbing around in the surf, and the walruses popped their heads up unpredictably - and briefly. This was the only shot out of many that made eye contact, was sharp - and had a level horizon! Walrus were exterminated from Svalbard a century ago, but are returning now in ever-greater numbers thanks to legal protection and strict visitor guidelines. Seeing them like this was a treat.

We are now sailing south towards Norway - and the darkness. It has been one continuous sunlit day for nearly three weeks now. The change will be a relief.

Nikon D300 with 300 f2.8 lens and 1.4x teleconverter

From the Far North

2010-08-15T02:23:00.000-07:00

Polar Bear on Ice, ca. 81 degrees North, Svalbard

I am mid-way through a trip through Arctic Svalbard, and this is the only chance I’ve had to log on at this latitude. Fascinating trip – and shocking. The sea ice that normally cloaks this archipelago is at the lowest extent for August that I have seen in 25 years, an ominous sign for polar bears like the one we encountered yesterday (above). Most bears here now have been forced ashore by the retreating ice, onto land that offers them nothing in terms of nourishment. I will write more when I get a chance.

Nikon D3, 300mm f2.8 lens and TC1.4

Heading North

2010-08-06T07:33:00.000-07:00

I leave tomorrow for three weeks in Svalbard in the Norwegian Arctic,
serving as lecturer aboard the National Geographic Explorer. Word has
it that they have been seeing large numbers of polar bears on the ice
this year, despite the dramatic reduction of icepack throughout the
Arctic ecosystem. It will be great to see bears again, and to better
understand how they are adapting to changing conditions.

I will try and post pictures and comments from the field, but –
surprise, surprise – internet access is apparently pretty challenging
at 80 degrees north. (Maybe that’s a good thing…) In any case,
I will certainly post whenever I can, or else I will save my comments
until I reach more hospitable latitudes. Stay cool.

Back to the Elwha

2010-08-04T07:02:00.000-07:00

Goblin's Gate, Elwha River

I spent the day today on the Elwha River, hiking in to this spectacular gorge, which lies less than a mile upstream from one of the two lakes - and dams - slated for removal next year, restoring the river to something like its natural state. Dam removal will take three years to complete - and untold years to evolve after that. I hope I live to see the river reborn - and salmon once again moving upstream for the first time in 100 years.

In the meantime, I'm off tomorrow for the high Arctic and will likely not be able to post anything for up to three weeks. Hopefully, I'll have a few pictures to share when I get home, however...

Nikon D3, 17-35mm lens

Chasing Jaguars

2010-08-02T20:39:00.000-07:00

Jaguar female resting. Pantanal, Brazil

Five years ago, I took a gamble and went to Brazil's Pantanal to try and photograph wild jaguars. I had only seen one once, in Peru, over a decade before - but that time had not managed to get a picture. Suffice it to say, therefore, that in the intervening years this had become a bit of an obsession with me. This time, I chartered a small boat, hired a local guide, and spent nine days in the sweltering heat following small jungle rivers in search of these secretive cats. By the end of the 9 days, I had seen nine different jaguars - including an astonishing five in one day. I got a handful of OK photos, like the one above; at the time, one of very few shots of wild jaguars ever taken.
Now, of course, the location has been discovered, and photographers like Tom Mangelsen and Steve Winter have spent weeks there. Some amazing pictures have emerged already, and I'm sure there are more on the way, helped by a full-time tourism operation on the site run by legendary biologist Charlie Munn.
I will probably not be back, preferring to find other, less-well-known subjects, but for anyone with a love of big cats, rarely seen or photographed anywhere else - this is a great opportunity. Have a look at : http://www.jaguarresearchcenter.com/

Also, look at the Pantanal trip offered by Terra Incognita Tours here.

Having Fun

2010-07-31T10:41:00.000-07:00

Pictures are everywhere…even in parking lots. I was in California

this past week, learning to cook Thai food (even photographers

need a hobby) but that doesn’t mean I didn’t bring a camera along.

Here, in the middle of the city, I still found myself looking for natural

subjects and one evening stumbled onto these palm trees lit by a

streetlight just at dusk. The contrast of the golden light and the blues

of the dusk sky were irresistible. Natural or artificial? Who cares?

Photography is about light, and discovery, and occasionally, just

pure visual fun. I will spare you the pictures of my Tamarind Prawns,

even though they came out great.

Nikon D700, 35-70mm lens, Gitzo tripod

Environmental Milestone

2010-07-31T09:48:00.000-07:00

Glines Canyon Dam, Elwha River

In June of 2011, work will begin on the largest dam removal and river restoration project in US history on Washington's Elwha River. The goal: to remove two obsolete but ecologically catastrophic dams and return this 72 km long river to something approximating its natural state. Ultimately the goal will be to restore what were once huge salmon runs, destroyed when the dams were built in the early 20th century. The majority of the Elwha watershed lies within Olympic National Park, making it possible to protect the river, and the salmon, forever.

Federal authorization for this project, which we actively supported, was passed in 1992, so it has taken nearly two decades just for the work to begin. The removal is expected to take 3 years. How long the river will require to heal itself - and to flush out the vast amounts of impounded sediment - is anyone's guess.

This project may seem small and local, but it is anything but insignificant; it represents a major re-thinking of our relationship with rivers... and quite possibly the planet. It will certainly help guide future dam removals all over the world.

I hope to devote considerable time to documenting the river and its restoration over the next few years. Stay tuned.

For more information on this story, go to Elwha

Summer on the Cool Coast

2010-07-24T18:59:00.000-07:00

Elephant Rock, Washington
I feel a little guilty. The rest of the country is sweltering and I’ve been sitting in the fog, wrapped in fleece. Seattle is having very unfamiliar 80-plus temperatures all this week, but just two hours away, on the outer coast, it’s freezing. I got up well before dawn this morning to be in position for sunrise on this handsome rock off the Olympic Peninsula, with dreams of warm, dawn light. Not a chance. Four hours later, I was still fog-bound. Nice to be there, of course, and yes, there is a certain mystery to fog. But the flat, colorless sky was not what I had been hoping for. Weather is always a crapshoot: the sun was out all day just up the coast. Guess I’ll have to try this puppy again; someday I’ll get the picture I’m after...!
Meanwhile, take a good look at the spectacular cover story on underwater caves in this month’s National Geographic. There are some stunning pictures there – and some terrifying ones – a fine piece of work by Wes Skiles, a man who dedicated himself to documenting, and protecting these unique environments. Look at the pictures, and then reflect on the man: Skiles was killed just this week in a diving accident. It is a terrible, and untimely loss.

Nikon D3, 70-200mm lens, 15 second exposure

Roadside Attractions

2010-07-22T19:01:00.000-07:00

Glacial Erratic, Columbia Plateau

I have often said that I find some of my most interesting pictures on the way to somewhere else. Case in point: a few days ago I was rushing to get to the Grand Coulee Dam in time to scout out locations for sunset, and was barreling across the Columbia Plateau, deep into a book-on-tape. It was all wheat fields and dirt for as far as the eye could see. Fine, no distractions...
Then I saw this thing. A quick look in the rear view mirror, and I slammed on the brakes, pulling onto a narrow, sloping shoulder. So what is this big rock in the middle of a farmer's wheatfield? It stands about 25 feet tall, so it's obviously a little hard to move; Instead the farmer just drives his harvester around it when the time comes.
This chunk of basalt is a glacial erratic, a piece of rock carried to this spot and then dumped by a retreating glacier some 10-15,000 years ago. I studied Northwest geology in college and had read about these, and have seen them elsewhere, but this was a monster. It can literally be seen for miles in the middle of this endless, undulating landscape.
It was the middle of the day, so the light was nothing special. (A polarizer helped cut the haze) Happily, there were a few clouds in the sky so I was able to balance rock and clouds to create just the slightest bit of visual interest. But in the end, this simple picture is less about technique than about story: a vivid reminder of the effect glaciers hand on the Northwest landscape. Works for me.

Nikon D3, 70-200mm lens, Polarizing Filter

Not exactly wildlife...

2010-07-21T17:28:00.000-07:00

Laser Light Show, Grand Coulee Dam

Seattle has been buried in fog this past week, so to get my dose of Vitamin D, I took advantage of the local "rain shadow" effect, and went to the east side of the Cascades where the sun is predictably hot. I shot some desert landscapes, some wheat fields, and a rather mediocre sunrise on Mt. Rainier. Along the way, I also stopped at the legendary Grand Coulee Dam, where, in summer, they put on a "laser light show" every evening. With a hokey narrative and cartoon-like visuals, it was a colossal waste of technology, squandering what may be the world's greatest IMAX screen on dopey 1970's graphics. On a whim, I tried photographing the show, though the constantly shifting images wreaked havoc with my six-second ISO 1000 exposure.s.. This is one of the few that worked - and actually makes the show look better than it was!

What you can't see, however, are the mosquitos. To keep the grass lush and green in the middle of the desert, the Bureau of Reclamation has sprinklers on constantly... guaranteeing clouds of blood-sucking insects during the evening show. Nice...

Nikon D3, 70-200mm lens, 6-second exposures, ISO 1000

The Gift of Light

2010-07-01T12:29:00.000-07:00

Waterfall on beach, Oregon Coast

It was supposed to rain last night, but on a whim I staked out a spot on the coast where a small seasonal waterfall drops directly onto a cobble beach. It was a place that I had always wanted to photograph, but had never been nearby in the right weather, or at the brief time of year when the water flows. Happily, the clouds opened up briefly in the last afternoon and I got a couple hours of increasingly warm light until the weather arrived in earnest.

Even still, I'm not wild about anything I got here, to be honest. Nice light, nice little cascade, but overall, an awkward setting. The fact is, not every natural landscape makes for a terrific picture. It may have all the elements, but still not lend itself to a compelling composition.

I may try this spot again some time to see if a different angle, tide or weather can make something happen. Either way, it was still a lovely evening in a beautiful place.

Nikon D700, 17-35mm lens

Quick trip

2010-06-29T19:11:00.000-07:00

Un-named waterfall, Cascades

After several straight days in front of the computer, I rebelled today... and headed for the mountains. Bright overcast and no rain combined to make a perfect day for shooting in the forest, so I followed a trail in the North Cascades, just over an hour from home, and stumbled onto this small, un-named waterfall with its swirling foam. It took over an hour, and a lot of wasted pixels, to get this shot. I'm still not entirely satisfied, but...it works for me.

Nikon D700, 17-35mm lens. 4 second exposure

Most Wanted

2010-06-23T16:55:00.000-07:00

Black-footed Albatross family, Midway Atoll

The July issue of Outdoor Photographer has a story by Kim Castleberry about my work with endangered species worldwide :

http://www.outdoorphotographer.com/locations/international/most-wanted.html

I provided a number of images for them to choose from but was surprised - and pleased - when they chose this shot of nesting albatrosses on Hawaii's Midway Atoll for the opening spread. It is a picture that I took nearly 15 years ago and have always liked for its intimate low angle. The truth is, wildlife pictures are nearly always more effective if you are shorter than your subject (or in this case, laying down..)

Although Black-footeds are often seen in migration off the California coast, they nest primarily on the remote leeward islands of Hawaii. One of the smallest Albatrosses (even with a seven-foot wingspan) this species is endangered by marine pollution and the continuing slaughter wreaked by long-line fishing.

Wild Ladyslippers

2010-06-07T14:59:00.000-07:00

Cypripedium montanum, Methow Valley, Washington

I spent many years trying to find these rare orchids in the wild. They are nowhere common and are often stolen by plant-collectors who value their delicate elegance and, ironically... their rarity. It may take 8 years for a young orchid to bear flowers for the first time, so these are finicky plants, to say the least.

Today I looked in a place where I had seen them before, but found very few orchids. Then, just at the end of the trail, I stumbled onto this sensational cluster. As is often the case, finding them was just the beginning.
The challenge, at that point, was two-fold: first, how to deal with the sun that was shining brightly overhead, and second - how to deal with the gusty summer wind. The first problem was easily solved by simply waiting for a cloud: I didn't have a diffuser big enough for the setting, so I used the next best thing. (Anyone who has photographed forest interiors knows that sun is a picture-killer. Bright mid-day overcast is the best, and often only, condition for getting pictures beneath a forest canopy.)

The wind proved more problematic, however, largely because the quickly moving clouds that provided my cloud/diffuser were being hustled along by some pretty strong mountain winds. We tried various makeshift barriers: jackets, camera bags, our bodies - anything we could find to block the wind (Note to self: a portable nylon wind-break would be a handy tool. Next time.). Finally the wind backed off for a few moments - and I got this shot and a few others before the cloud vanished and the wind whipped up again.

Nikon D700, Nikkor 105mm f2.8 lens

I also shot the same scene wide (14-24mm). Which do you prefer?

Important Book, Discussion

2010-06-07T08:24:00.000-07:00

Today, I want to put in a plug for an important book I’m reading right now: “Shooting In the Wild” by Chris Palmer. It is about wildlife film-making, its history, and its impact on conservation. But its most valuable contribution, in my view, is the book’s discussion of ethical behavior. Palmer, who has been involved in the wildlife film industry for 25 years, discusses some crucial issues – working with wild animal subjects, the use of captive animals and simple honesty in the presentation of images. Yes, he is talking about film-making, but these are all issues that also bear directly on what we, as still photographers, do.

Frankly, there are far too few voices like Palmer’s, that reflect on the implications of our own behavior – what is acceptable, or not, and how what we do in the pursuit of images squares with the love of nature and wildlife that informs our work. It is a discussion well worth having, and I, for one, am grateful for this ground-breaking book.
I recommend it highly.

Flower Arranging

2010-06-02T13:14:00.000-07:00

Pacific Dogwood, Gifford Pinchot National Forest

There were dazzling numbers of dogwood flowers in the forest this past week, at times filling the understory with white. However, as always, they are difficult to photograph well. The flowers are either too high or too old, the wind too strong...or else I simply cannot find a composition that works.

This little roadside cluster was both accessible and in remarkably good condition. I tried a variety of perspectives, lenses, and vantage points, but could only really make it work as a straight-on grouping. As it is, I am annoyed by the blurred flower in the background. In a world without principles, I would have snipped it off or retouched it in Photoshop. Instead I have to rely on the notion that nature is always slightly imperfect, just like the photographer.

Speaking of Photoshop, I got my CS5 today - only to discover that it will only work with an Intel chip, and I run all my photo workflow through an antique (as it turns out) PowerPC G5. It is always this way - you buy new software, and then have to buy a new computer to run it.

Hawaiian Princess...

2010-05-28T20:34:00.000-07:00

There is no such thing as time off for a nature photographer...even when spending time with our grand-daughter Maya. A dreary, rain-soaked day on the Oregon Coast was brightened considerably by this young hula dancer.