The Way We See It: November 2012

Friday, November 30, 2012

Altered Reality

Pink in Black and White - Voyageurs National Park, MN
Canon 5D mark II + Canon 100 f2.8 USM macro

This showy lady's-slipper, Crypripedium reginae, is the Minnesota's state flower. Residents of northland bogs, the bloom is as ephemeral as summer. Soft shades of pink haphazardly caress the pitcher while bright white petals are billboards to potential pollinators. Lost is the color in my monochromatic interpretation, an altered state that I seem to prefer on this raw November evening. Here, the emphasis is on form, tone and shadow rather than the vibrant character the orchid typically exhibits.

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Tip #100: Eat that Frog

Poison Dart (Dendrobates auratus) - Selva Verde, Costa Rica
Canon 40D + Canon 100 f2.8 Macro USM

It’s your mountain of homework, bills that need to be paid or taxes you’ve neglected to file. Your frog is the ugly task you avoid each day, week, month and year. It is your anchor; a weight that drags you into the abyss. Your frog saps your creativity. It sits on your desk and croaks in your general direction. That frog needs to be eaten!

First Snow - Stillwater, MN
Canon 5D Mark ii + Canon 40mm f2.8 STM

Based on a book by Brian Tracy and introduced to me via a podcast by Martin Bailey, the analogy really resonated with me. We all need to eat that frog now, because there will be two tomorrow and three the next day. It is important to recognize that we do the things we need to do so that we can do the things we want to do. If you eat that frog today, you’ll have more time for your craft tomorrow.

Before First Snow - William Obrien State Park, MN
Canon 5D Mark ii + Canon 40mm f2.8 STM

Want to learn more about Brian Tracy’s book? Check out the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0W7GB5Fh2XM

Cope's Gray Tree Frog (Hyla chrysoscelis) - In the Garden, MN
Canon 5D Mark ii + Canon 100mm f2.8L IS Macro

Monday, November 19, 2012

Tip #99: Make the Connection

Jasper National Park - Canada
Canon 5D mkII + Canon 50mm f1.4

There are fleeting moments where time stops and the essence that is the photographer becomes one with the subject. These are ephemeral experiences, intense bursts of focus that I can only describe as Zen. It might seem a contradiction for this empiricist to describe an experience in nature that is something less than science, yet I find that Zen philosophy can inform my mind without imbuing a religious conviction.

Eddy - Canada
Canon 5D mkII + Canon 24mm TSE f3.5L

Slot - Canada
Canon 5D mkII + Canon 50mm f1.4

Id, the scientist... “life is a continuum that began with a single cell competing for limited resources, motivated by the programmed need to replicate. Competition inspired organic innovation that led to a branching tree of life that extends into every ecological niche. Selection is the mechanism, and chance events in the environment separate the winners from the losers. The evidence of this rich evolutionary history is written in molecules and preserved in stone.”

Nanny and Kidd (Oreamnos americanus) - Canada
Canon 7D + Canon 300mm f2.8L IS + 1.4x converter

Leading Lines (Oreamnos americanus) - Canada
Canon 40D + Canon 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS

Zen, the artist... “Reality seems sterile and non-emotive. Art is a human pursuit, a mode of self-expression, and Zen helps me to explore my place in nature. I am the ripple in a pond, a wave in the ocean, a drop of rain cycling through the atmosphere; I am one, a part of the continuum.”

Reflecting Jasper - Canada
Canon 5D mkII + Canon 50mm f1.4

We are the Rock (Oreamnos americanus) - Canada
Canon 7D + Canon 300mm f2.8L IS + 1.4x converter

Schizophrenic in the literal sense, photography is a split of the mind; it is art and it is science. White light emanates from solar fusion, reflects off an earthly mass and photons are captured by a Silica wafer. Transformed into a binary code, this is the picture. In contrast, a careful search for leading lines, colored abstractions and tonal gradients shape our art. Lost in the moment, the photographer is one with the place and sees what others will not. Whatever your mind, accept that you are a part of the nature that you seek to capture, and you will make art from the science that is our reality.

Saturday, November 17, 2012

An African Retrospective II

Bull Elephant (Loxodonta africana) - Serengeti, Tanzania
Canon 1Dmk II + Canon 300mm f2.8L IS

One more look back... and now it's time to move on.

Black Rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) - Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania
Canon 1Dmk II + Canon 300mm f2.8L IS

Three Warts (Phacochoerus africanus) - Masai Mara, Kenya
Canon 40D + Canon 100-400 f4.5-5.6L IS

Sunday, November 11, 2012

An African Retrospective

Bored with the Competition (Giraffa camelopardalis) - Tarangire National Park, Tanzania
Canon 30D + Sigma 120-300 f2.8 HSM

This cold and wet day has me thinking about my own origins and ancestral home. So, while searching for uplifting reminders of the past, I uncovered some long-forgotten treasures from Africa.

Masai Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) - Arusha National Park, Tanzania
Canon 5D + Canon 70-200 f4L

Something about Scale (Giraffa camelopardalis) - Arusha National Park, Tanzania
Canon 5D + Canon 70-200 f4L

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Tip #98: Rule #6

Black Bear and Dandelions - Jasper National Park, Canada
Canon 7D + Canon 300 f2.8L IS @ f2.8

Are you a working photographer or a photographer who works? If the title matters, then you really need Rule #6. Regardless of your profession, love of the process and the adventure should be motivation enough. Block the inputs that promote self-doubt or diminish the sense of worth. When you can't embrace what you enjoy, it's time remember Rule #6.

Rule #6
Don't Take Yourself So @#&! Seriously

A Grasshopper's Nightmare - Jasper National Park, Canada
Canon 7D + Canon 300 f2.8L IS @ f3.2