Von Wong - Smokin' Ballet

Benjamin Von Wong is a very talented photo artist. His shoots are often
very large in ambition and execution. One of his primary subjects is the dance. 

Benjamin Von Wong's webpage is   http://vonwong.smugmug.com/ 

The Blizzard of 2008

Portland, Oregon had a record blizzard in December, 2008.  Well over 20" of snow in some places. I went out in the middle it with a camera. At the Beaverton Transit Center, I took the image below. I recently added some new technique to my photo processing, and I applied it this this image, which wasn't particularly interesting in its original form.   Hard to believe it started out as a photo.

The Whale Man of Australia

Darren Jew lives a life that I would consider trading for. He spends his time photographing and making videos of whales and other marine life.  His work is the gold standard.  Amazingly beautiful imagery. His photos of whales, particularly Humpbacks, are powerful and beautiful.

I'm so glad that in my lifetime, people like Darren Jew came along at the same time photographic technology made it possible to showcase the beauty of the ocean. Now everyone can see why we need to appreciate the gifts of the sea. In the best of worlds,  the kind of inspiration Darren Jew creates with his camera can inspire people everywhere to become proper stewards of the biosphere.

Here is the link to Darren Jew's website. Be sure to check out the video on the index page...http://darrenjew.com/

Sunflowers and Bees

Two of my favorite things go together like honey and butter.   Sunflowers are majestic.  It's amazing how fast they grow from seed in the Spring.   In July, in our backyard, we could almost watch them grow. They are now nearly ten feet tall. Each is topped by a single massive yellow flower. Some are  in full bloom, others are about to blossom. 

Sunflowers are a great place to find bees this time of year. The images below came from an outing at Howell Regional Park on Sauvie Island. The park is actually an old farmstead that still has working fields.

I applied some of my own  'painterly' photo processing that evolved from the creative application of Photoshop image processing software. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Honey Bees in 4K

I am currently working on an outreach video for Move to Amend that features the perspective of a beekeeper.    

In preparation for this project, I came across a video produced by Jacob and Katie Schwarz.  About three minutes long, it was shot beautifully in 4K ultra-HD video. The  video work and editing is marvelous. Accompanied by  original music by composer Richard Williams, this video is a touching celebration of bees.

Congratulations to Katie and Jacob. Your work sets the bar very high for those of us that use visual imagery to showcase the natural world.

 Here is as link to this wonderful video...  http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Honeybees+96+fps+4K++You+Tube&FORM=VIRE1#view=detail&mid=0A0E9EC52AF92C82CBD40A0E9EC52AF92C82CBD4

Wildlife Botanical Gardens

Just yesterday, my wife and I drive up to the Wildlife Botanical Gardens in Brush Prairie, Washington. It's about a 40 minute drive from our house on the west side of Portland.

Anyway, it's this beautiful rural acreage that has been lovingly nurtured over the years into a gorgeous natural tapestry of blended colors and textures.  There are plenty of birds and bees around; much more than we see around our home. But, even in this place out in the country, there aren't as many birds around as one might have expected,  though it's still very nice.  On a Saturday afternoon in the summer, we were the only visitors. Aside from a couple of friendly volunteer gardeners, we had the place to ourselves.

Here are a couple of my photos from the Wildlife Botanical Gardens...

My favorite is the one that is dominated by white flowers that are dappled with sunlight peaking through the trees.

The image of the hummingbird hovering over the bubbling bird bath  was hard to get. Only one out of about eight exposures that I shot had the bird even partially in focus.  This little bird was an acrobat, darting back and forth, up and down for a quick sip of water.

Here is a link to the webpage of The Wildlife Botanical Garden.    http://www.naturescaping.org/

Mt. Pleasant Iris Farm

A very nice outing today to a beautiful location in Washougal, Washington overlooking the Columbia River Gorge.    Chad Harris and Dale Grams have created their own little slice of paradise about 25 minutes east of Portland.  This is a small farm that specializes in hybrid breeds of Japanese Iris. Chad has created some new cross breeds himself.   What a privilege to spend a bit of time here. Chad was a very gracious host, giving us access to all of his carefully landscaped garden work. If you're looking for a very satisfying way to spend a bit of time,  the Mt. Pleasant Iris Farm gets my top recommendation.

See some of my images below....

 

For directions and information, go to the farm's link...  http://www.mtpleasantiris.com/

Humpback Whales in Tonga

Just ran across this short video that features some incredible underwater video of humpback whales in Tonga in the South Pacific. It was shot by an Australian photographer named Darren Jew. Darren works for Canon, which happens to be the brand of camera that I use.    This guy is really living the life.

I have spent time in Tonga. The life there is laid back, so much different than the pace of life here.  I have a friend, Richard Chesher, whom I first met in Tonga. He is a remarkable fellow; a marine biologist, who spends his time immersed in marine photography. His photos are amazing. Chesher lives in New Caledonia these days.  We didn't see any whales while I was in Tonga,  but we did hang out in one of Chesher's clam sanctuaries. That's an adventure I've already written about in an earlier blog about Chesher.  Click on his name in the subject column on the right side of the page.

Anyway,  this video of Darren Jew hanging out with humpbacks in Tonga is worth the admission.  Check it out.

Here is a link to the video... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_y2JfZC5X7M

PES Films

PES is an artist who makes incredibly clever, stop-motion video.  One called Fresh Guacamole was nominated for an Academy Award.  My favorite is called The Deep.

Way to go, PES. You're a creative force of nature.

Here is a link to PES Films... http://www.eatpes.com/

My Portrait Photography

I've been interested in photography since I was a teenager.   I began pursuing it seriously only about six years ago. Photography is an art form that can be practiced in so many ways. It offers endless opportunity for creativity.

One of the fiction media projects I have been developing the last few years is about a larger-than-life photographer, who spends half his time doing risky adventure photography, the other half in the high end world of fashion and glamour.   Much of my photography work in recent times has focused on portrait work.  I've been fortunate to have the opportunity to work with some very fine models.

Here are some of my portrait images...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chesher's Memory Bubbles

I have a friend that lives a life more than a few people dream about. He is a marine biologist. His name is Richard Chesher. He and his wife Frederique have been living on their sailing yacht, Moira for the last forty or so years. During that time, they have  anchored now and then in pretty much every island nation in the South Pacific. The last time I had a chance to spend time with Rick and Freddie, they were based in the harbor at Port Vila in Vanuatu.  For the last few years, they have spent most of their time in New Caledonia, a South Pacific island nation with ties to France. French is the official language in New Caledonia.

In recent years, Richard Chester has elevated himself from being just an excellent photographer to elite world class status.   His work showcases the remarkable beauty of the pacific islands and the mostly still pristine marine environment around them.  More recently, he's been using a rig he designed himself using GoPro cameras to produce images of the marine environment that are technically amazing and breathtaking. They showcase the beauty of his home environment in rotatable, 360 degree panoramic images. They allow the viewer to stand where Chesher stood, or, better stated, be where he was when he captured the image in question.  The latter is the proper way to describe what he does because so many of his images are shot in the marine environment, many underwater, and remarkably,  some straddling the surface interface of sky, land, and water. Chesher calls these images memory bubbles.

I am amazed at what Richard Chesher accomplishes from his home base, a 44 foot long motor sailing yacht named Moira. 

Take a moment to enjoy some of the great photography of marine biologist, Dr. Richard Chesher.

Each still image that follows includes a link to a 360 degree rotatable, 'virtual reality'  version. Prepare to be dazzled.

Sea Eagle Nest

Here is the link to Richard Chesher's amazing image of Sea Eagles on an uninhabited isle in New Caledonia...  http://www.360cities.net/image/ua-eagles#28.63,2.21,110.0

Click to the full screen version and rotate the next image.  You will see Chesher's vessel, Moira anchored in the background, and if you look closely, Rick's wife Freddie cane be seen in fins and snorkel.

 https://www.360cities.net/image/diving-spots-new-caledonia-ua-reef#23.43,1.87,80.0

 

 http://www.360cities.net/image/underwater-scenic-overlook-kouare-new-caledonia#356.90,6.30,70.0

If you take a moment to link to these images in all their virtual reality,  memory bubble glory,  click on the comments icon below the image and leave an expression of appreciation.

Thanks, Rick and Freddie. The world is better because of the wonderful contributions the two of you make to it.

The Pale Blue Dot

This is an achingly lovely ode to the beauty of planet Earth. Richly colored, high dynamic range video of our land, sea, and sky in all their natural splendor.  A mellifluous music track accompanies  the visual feast, along with a voice track of the great citizen of the Universe, Carl Sagan.

This wonderful media piece was created by gifted photographer/composer, Michael Marantz.

Here is a link to this gorgeous video...http://vimeo.com/2822787

The Coast and Crater Lake

Had a chance this past week to spend some time on the Southern Oregon coast and also in Crater Lake National Park.  I took a few photos.  Sometimes, I get lucky and capture an image that offers an opportunity for a  bit of artistic creativity. It's always fun when that happens.  It actually happened a couple of times during this trip.

The first time was when we were approaching Reedsport on the coast.  We came across the Dean Creek wildlife grazing area favored by the Roosevelt Elk indigenous to the Pacific Coast. Surprise, there was a 'baker's dozen' of these majestically antlered animals lounging together not far from the road. The image that follows captures the moment, with a bit of painterly processing applied.

The next image was taken at the beach in Bandon, Oregon.

The one below was captured in the small harbor at Bandon.

The next one is the windswept beach just South of the coastal community of  Gold Beach.  The three people on the beach are my wife Jenny and her parents.

The  image below came during a stop on US 101 by an isolated stretch of untamed beach.

The last two images come from the final segment of our travels at Crater Lake National Park.  The bluest water I have ever seen.

It's fun to take images that are already beautiful and apply an additional touch of magic that makes them even more special. 

Chasing Ice

James Balog is a climate warrior. A few years ago, the acclaimed environment photographer  launched the Extreme Ice Survey [EIS].  The mission of the EIS is to create a visual record of the human induced destruction of  the world's great ice fields. These glaciers are a critical source of fresh water during the dry season in many parts of our planet. What Balog's EIS documents is the extreme rapid melting and destruction of this seriously underappreciated resource.  The cause of this melting is well known. It is the massive human consumption of fossil hydrocarbon fuels like coal and oil.  The pollution from the burning of these fuels causes too much of the sun's radiant energy to be trapped in our atmosphere rather than reflected back into space. As a consequence of this greenhouse effect, atmospheric temperatures are elevated; sea levels rise,  storm systems become more extreme, and glaciers that have been in place for a thousand years  begin to melt away.  We humans are caught in a downward environmental spiral of our own making.  Too many of us remain in denial.

The primary focus of the EIS is to create a visual documentation of climate change's impact on glaciers.   James Balog and his team set up time lapse cameras to document the rapid changes taking place with glaciers in Iceland, Greenland, and Alaska. 

The first result of this multi-year effort is a remarkable, feature length documentary titled, Chasing Ice.    It's stunning imagery presents a clear and unambiguous picture of the frightening impact of climate change.

Here is a link to a video tease of James Balog's, Chasing Ice...http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=eIZTMVNBjc4

More Favorite Pix

Three more of my favorite images from over the past year or two.

 

 

The image above is Horsetail Falls in the Columbia River Gorge. There are many waterfalls in the gorge. Horsetail is easily accessible  and a beautiful reflection of what makes western Oregon so special.  I pushed the color saturation in this image a bit, but I like it.

 

 

 

 

This image was taken at Egger's Acres, a cherry orchard we visit several times every Summer during the brief July fruit season. This is part of the beautiful garden in front of the farmhouse.

This image was shot at an orchard farm in the Hood River Valley, northeast of Mount Hood. 

Japanese Garden - Portland

One of the most tranquil and pleasant places to pass time in Portland is the beautiful Japanese Garden in Washington Park. My wife, Jenny, and I have been there many times. For a photographer, it is nervana...a splendid place to refine one's craft.

Here are some of my photos of the Japanese Garden. All received special processing to give them an artisitc feel.