CUTE ANIMALS
Cute Animals
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Wildlife closeups
I found this video from Art Wolfe quite entertaining because I think many wildlife photographers can relate to the wonderful experience it is to be so accepted into an animal’s space. (Although this probably shows acceptance more than he expected!
Ducks and backups
The ol’ saying of making sure your ducks are in a row couldn’t ring truer when it comes to backing up your computer. As I wrote about in my previous post, my PC decided it wasn’t going to boot on me a few weeks back. After messing around and not getting anywhere, I ultimately restored a disk image from the prior month and got it back in working order. But since my backup was a month old, a few other things saved my butt in losing a month’s worth of database information in Lightroom, website updates, etc. You may want to give these strategies some consideration to give yourself a little piece of mind. Of course the best practice is to not let a backup get a month old, but hey - nobody’s perfect.
Reflections on images of 2007
This time of year is filled with stories of the ‘best of 2007′ everywhere, so I suppose it is only natural for a photographer to think back on the images created over the last year and if any hold particular significance above the rest. So I offer up to you my “Top 10″ images (in no particular ranking order) that I made during 2007 and a few thoughts about each one of them. I hope you enjoy them as well.
Underwater pictures
I spent some time today scanning some underwater images of mine from my long ago trip to Dominica. Scanning film, dust spotting, and color correcting is such a time consuming process, I have a significant portion of my image library that has never seen the net. I wanted to apply some of the great adjustment tools in Lightroom to some of my film images. In addition, my underwater gallery has been somewhat stagnant for awhile, so I thought I would try to breathe some new life into it.
The way things are?according to us
One of the things that has always bothered me is mankind’s tendency to define the way things should be…according to us. Perhaps it is the result of watching too much sci-fi - but perhaps someday we will get a real kick in our perception pants. Out of the millions of species on this planet, it seems rather arrogant doesn’t it? I know, I know - not many other options out there.
What is your box?
We have all heard the term ‘thinking outside the box.’ It is a challenge to try to think and interpret in new ways never done before. Of course the term is probably cliche now, and perhaps the bigger challenge is defining exactly what that box is. It is hard to think outside of something that is undefined to begin with.
So I started thinking about what box I typically work in when it comes to nature photography. I am pretty open minded when it comes to techniques, and have tried all sorts of concepts over the years. So I think my box is actually quite large, and really had to think quite hard to define some of the edges. After all, the entire purpose of defining the edge of the box is to do nearly the opposite, reach outside of it to expand your experience and work you create.
Five things I hate about nature
Yes, don’t believe the stereotype,folks, about how deeply in love nature photographers are with nature. Sure we can go on and on about the peace we find, the beauty of finding order in chaos, and all the things that stir our souls. But let’s face it, I’ll bet even John Muir had some particular aspects he could do without. Here’s my top five;
Mosquitoes : the scurge of the earth. I know they are food for some critters, but hey, they will find something else to eat. I will gladly contribute to the development of a mosquito-like vitamin supplement for any animal that simply can’t do without. It is quite sad to see so many animals threatened with extinction, while this one thrives. That threat needs to be redirected!Biting Flies : The annoying cousin of enemy number one. I think they team up together actually. While you might seek some relief from mosquitoes in some sunny spots, that is where the flies are hiding around the corner to get you. And even when they are not biting, they are buzzing around your head making you think they are biting. Jump on the train to extinction guys along with your detested cousins.Poison Ivy : This stuff grows crazy in the woods around my house making a majority of the area unnavigable most of the year. Normally I am quite careful because I do have a reaction to it. A couple of weeks ago I was in an area away from my house and not as careful. It was putting on its ‘oooh I turn fall colors too’ disguise and I must have picked up some on my boots or my pants. Well, it is popping up in various places on me now and I don’t know where it is coming from! It can grow into massive vines that take over the largest trees. Ivy be gone!Fall Colors don’t last long enough : Two months out of 12? What kind of deal is that? The season of “Fall” is supposed to be Sept 22 to Dec 21 - I sense a slacker. Perhaps 12 out of 12 is asking too much, might even get boring - but peak color seems to come and go in a blink of an eye. Usually a rain or windstorm comes along right around peak time and blows leaves down before you can enjoy them. Thankfully you get rid of the mosquitoes and flies around this time. You could probably get the most of it by being a gypsy and follow it from North to South. But that isn’t an option for most of us, in our time available or our wardrobe.Your tolerance for our trespass : Ultimately in the end, I know nature will always prevail. But you allow us to take too much while giving too little. We impose, we pollute, we destroy. While your scale of time is so much broader than ours, I think you need to kick us in the pants a bit more often. Maybe the mosquitoes and flies make more sense…hmmm.
