Landscape, Nature And Travel Photography

Day 13, my last day in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge made a huge impression on me. Up until this time my focus was squarely on capturing the pristine beauty of the environment and wildlife. On this day I had the opportunity to see the impact of man on this unique environment. With in the photo gallery of this days highlights are images designated with the labels “Landscape Comparison” or “Hand of Man Comparison“. Clicking on these images or labels will load a window comparing a scene found deep in the Arctic Refuge and one found in Kaktovik, Alaska. My hope is that this small comparitive sample will exemplify the type of impact man can have in the Arctic with relatively average, but prolonged activity. [Comparisons #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6 & #7] I welcome you to read my journal entry and of course view my collection of images.

I recently upgraded my ipod and started downloading videocasts along with a few select podcasts. Recently I caught a videocast from AtomFilms of a movie made from one girls self portrait photos taken every day between 2001 and 2004. If you haven’t seen this its a must see.
“Me” on AtomFilms

For those tracking… Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4.1 was released. Check the Adobe Labs site for the latest download.

I’ve been using Lightroom on and off again since version 1 was released. I’ve been impressed with the flexibility of the application and the web/slideshow export features. I even uploaded a gallery of my images to the Lightroom Gallery site. If you haven’t tried it… it’s worth the time. Do beware it is beta software so you’ll need some thick skin to endure some of the bugs.

This past weekend I was treated to a very relaxing weekend in Bodega Bay by my wife for our 1st wedding anniversary. Last year at this time we were in Mendocino and I had taken this photograph “Sunset at Jughandle State Reserve“. Although we weren’t treated to weather as nice as last year, we were very fortunate to be treated to several wildlife sightings. During our brief weekend trip we crossed paths with a couple species of Pelicans, Egrets, Turkey Vultures, and numerous Harbor Seals.

Photographed below is a Harbor Seal (Phoca vitulina) curiously scanning the beach as it was swimming and feeding in the waves near the mouth of the Russian River.

Below a Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) extends its wings full span as it takes off and negotiates a strong coastal wind.

On the topic of the Blue Angels and Fleet Week 2006… I got rather nastalgic about last years show. I didn’t get nearly as many good photos, but these two were my favorite.

More from the Blue Angels performance this past weekend at Fleet Week in San Francisco. Click here to see more

Its an exciting weekend here in San Francisco as its Fleet Week and that means the Blue Angels are performing. It used to be that the Blue Angels would return to San Francisco every year, but that has not been true the past 4 years as they now visit every other year. Like clockwork I make it out to get my best photo of the performance. Having photographed numerous Blue Angel performances here in San Francisco it never gets any easier. You never know what you’ll get. Below is my personal favorite from the day. Its extremely tough to time this type of shot and even shooting 9fps you’re bound to miss it 2 out of 3 times… case in point today. Click here to see more

Had a chance to get out and take advantage of an approaching front of stormy clouds at sunset this weekend. I ended up wedging myself into the rocks and braved a few scares of larger waves reaching me. I timed it so that my bravery coincided with a turning tide to minize any risk. Ironically it was only upon leaving and climbing over some rocks far from where I had been that a large wave got me slightly wet. Luckily the camera was spared much exposure to salt water.

Just when I thought the best light was behind me the sky opened magically and the landscape was blanketed with intense red light. At that same time I just happened to be at a spot where a rose had washed up on the beach. This area is often a location many wedding photos are taken. How long this rose had been here or where it came from I have no idea. I made the best of a fleeting moment with the great lighting. Hopefully it doesn’t come across as too cheezy. Personally I like it.