The Way We See It: Environmentalism

Showing posts with label Environmentalism. Show all posts

Saturday, September 28, 2013

September 22, 2013

Autumnal Grasses - Tamarack Nature Center, White Bear Lake
Canon 1D Mark III + Canon 100mm f2.8 Macro

Saturday September 22^nd was the autumnal equinox. The week preceding this first day of fall was unlike the pre-autumnal weeks to which I’ve grown accustom. Minnesota is known for its temperate weather where summer transitions to winter, and fall is a wish that rarely comes true. Bracing for the worst, this harvest season seems to be more summer than winter. Warm winds and dry air continue to bathe the parched landscape, and fall is hiding somewhere in the shadows. I don’t object to this extension of summer, but I can’t help wonder if our departure from the norm is a harbinger of the future.

To read more and see more images please visit our NEW SquareSpace gallery at http://btleventhal.com and blog at http://btleventhal.com/bruceleventhal/.

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Almanac

Tiger Lilly (Lilium columbianum) - Jasper NP, Canada
Canon 5D Mark ii + Canon 100mm f2.8L IS Macro

On March 16, 2012 the temperature in Stillwater, MN peaked at 80.1 ℉ (26.7 ℃). The echoes of spring embraced anyone who cared to listen to the sounds of red-winged blackbirds that reverberated throughout the morning air. Our tepid winter was ending with a whimper, and a premature summer seemed to be on the horizon. Thoughts of unruly students ready to declare mutiny were almost as frightening as my fears of climate instability. The year was one of the warmest in Minnesota, drought gripped the Midwest, and fierce hurricanes battered the East Coast. Meanwhile, my students succumbed to cabin fever and quickly lost interest in anything I was selling. 2012 was a year for the record books.

Prairie Smoke (Geum triflorum) - Jasper NP, Canada
Canon 5D Mark ii + Canon 100mm f2.8L IS Macro

Today is March 16, 2013. The morning low was 17 ℉ (8.3 ℃), and the high temperature soared to a whopping 27 ℉ (-2.8 ℃); what a difference a year makes. There are no red-winged blackbirds or great blue herons declaring territories, and we are bracing for a another winter storm. While I happily embrace the return to normalcy, I am still fearful of our climate's unpredictability. The new normal might best be described as abnormal. What was, no longer is, and what will be, is now more uncertain than ever. Is the drought over or will it persist? Will another hurricane destroy the coast while tornados terrorize the heartland? Your guess is as good as mine.

While I'm certain that the Farmer's Almanac once offered valuable insight about the emergence of spring flowers, I doubt its predictions will be any more accurate than the weekend weather forecast. Sure, this "normal" winter has been a respite from recent history, but to claim that we are back to normal would be an admission of ignorance. The data's in, the future climate promises to be a wild ride.

Sunday, December 23, 2012

The Day After

Stacked Rocks - Lake Superior, MN
Canon 5D mark ii + Canon 24mm f3.5L TSE

In the words of Edie Brickell “Drop me in the shallow water before I get too deep.” It’s another 5 degree morning, I’m buried knee deep in snow and the Mayan apocalypse was yesterday. Funny... I’m still here. As usual, the collective herd was wrong and I’m left with an empty feeling.

Damn Trail - Redwood National Park
Canon 20D + Canon 15mm Fisheye Lens

I’m not sure what I was expecting. I’m not the apocalyptic type and tend to be a skeptic when it comes to anything fanciful. Yet, I couldn’t help imagine what it might be like if an apocalyptic event selectively eliminated this human virus. Hey, I’m grateful for the life that evolution has managed to send my way, but let’s face it... we are a paradoxical species that is wreaking havoc on the planet. Beings crafted from nature, we are one with the world, but our love affair with the planet’s bounty will likely be the source our demise. We kill just to watch it die, level mountains in search of shiny baubles and interfere with nearly every biogeochemical cycle. We are a wart that keeps getting bigger, and I fear that all that will remain of life’s diversity will be one giant wart!

Well, it’s December 22nd... and “it’s the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine.”

... I think.

Sunday, December 16, 2012

The Queen's Land

This Queen's Turf (Panthera leo) - Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
Canon 1Dmk II + Canon 300mm f2.8L IS

Stuart Pimm, professor of environmental ecology at Duke University has collected data suggesting that the African savanna is shrinking. Much like the North American prairie, human expansion is to blame. According to Pimm, "Savanna Africa is in deep trouble and it's in worse trouble in fact, than the world's rainforests..."

Guarding (Panthera leo) - Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
Canon 1Dmk II + Canon 300mm f2.8L IS

More about shrinking savannas and near-catastrophic impact on the “king of the jungle” can be found on PRI (Public Radio International).

Friday, September 14, 2012

Rant: (3000) - (400) = 2600

Timber Wolf - Canis lupus
Canon 7D + Canon 300mm f2.8L IS
Jasper, NP Canada

Where to begin...?

In 1986 I took my first trip to Denali National Park. Our group met near Savage Creek, camped in the open air and prepped for a long back-country hike. Cocooned by the down of our bags, we kept the tents packed and hoped for a quick start. That was the night when I heard them for the first time. With eyes closed I can still hear the prolonged cries echoing across the sub-arctic sky. I watched the Northern Lights dance, and listened for competing packs staking claims to parcels of land. I didn’t see any ghosts that year, nor the next during a trek through the Kenai, but I knew they were there.

I live in Minnesota, the land of 3000 wolves... soon to be 2600. I am a teacher, biologists and nature photographer. I’ve traveled across my state, headed west to Yellowstone and northeast to the Wisconsin borderlands. I search for the ghosts who meander through forests, hunt in packs and hide in plain sight. I hear them while camping in the North Woods, can track them at a nearby refuge and have caught a glimpse of their hollow eyes during early morning drives. Yet, these midwestern wolves, immigrants from Canada, have been an elusive target.

Hiking along the bed of the Toklat, we saw our first mated pair. One black the other white, they are my metaphor for the rugged beauty that is Alaska. Black and white were famous, stars of tourist videos, seen by many and hunted by a wayward shooter looking for game near the National Park border.

So begins and ends this poetic rant. Minnesota, the land of “NICE,” has painted a target on the wolf. Some call it a sport, I call it a tragedy. With 23,000 applicants in a lottery for 6000 permits, the wolves better plan a retreat into the quiet of a deep wood. The Department of Natural Resources hopes to cull the pack by 400, but like many, I think their judgment is flawed. Deer populations continue to outpace our capacity to reduce the herd, and the DNR now endorses a hunt for the one animal that can control the browsers that overgraze the state. Years of hunting prohibition, land management and funding has restored the state’s wolf population and rather that exuding pride in our success, the state sanctions a hunt. This logic defies my own. They celebrate the wolf hunt... what’s next?... the Bald Eagle?

Enough said. Should you be interested in reading more about this upcoming tragedy, you can learn about future wolf hunts across Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Wyoming at: The Associated Press and Scientific American .

About the leading image... this wolf was photographed during our recent travels to the Canadian Rockies. After a long day of hiking and wildlife viewing we were heading back to the campsite as the sun was setting. We were surprised by the wolf that emerged from the forest, it walked a few paces towards us and disappeared. I shot only 9 pictures and all but one were total blurs. The image pictured is from a treasured moment that rivals my experiences with African Predators and Exotic Costa Rican Birds.

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Few Words...

All Images America Red Fox - Vulpes vulpes (Vulpes fulva)
Canon 7D + Canon 300 f2.8L IS @ f2.8 - 1/30 second shutter - ISO 1600

We surprised each other at sunrise.
I was an uninvited guest for breakfast, but this young one was too hungry to care.
With scarred legs and a swollen left eye, the kit ignored pestering crows as it devoured its prey.
What was a muskrat is now a fox and so the cycle continues.

Monday, August 20, 2012

Purposeful Work

Sunrise on Lake Alexander - Lake Alexander Preserve, MN
Canon 7D + Tokina 12-24mm f4.0 DX-II

“The Crow Wing County Board of Commissioners got a standing ovation at their meeting this spring when they approved the (Minnesota) DNR’s request to create the Mille Lacs Moraine Scientific and Natural Area...”

And so the story goes...

Fortunately for me, I was in the right place at the right time. Having recently won a photo contest that placed an image of red-eyed tree frogs in the 2013 Nature Conservancy calendar, I mustered the courage to offer my skills to this organization that I so admire. After requesting a few extra calendars for my files, I suggested that “The Conservancy” (TNC) tap into my passion for conservation photography.

Flagged for only a few assignment thus far, I hope to contribute images that inspire a conservation ethic. Pictures can transform abstractions into realities and convey a mood where words might otherwise fail. If our work moves others to contribute their time, their money or their vote to the conservation of wild spaces, then it is purposeful work to me.

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Bow Lake... A Remnant of the Little Ice Age?

Bow Lake - Non Traditional View
Canon 5D Mark ii + Canon 24mm f3.5L TSE v1

These hot summer days leave me dreaming about my recent travels to Canada and the Little Ice Age (LIA) that was. I first learned about the the LIA from a 6th grade teacher who had a penchant for all things science (sound familiar?). A discussion about dinosaurs meandered into topics about extinction and the “current” North American Ice Age. To a desert rat of a kid in 29 Palms-California, I figured the guy was bonkers and let the story pass without a second thought! Thirty-some years later, I’m driving from Banff to Jasper on the Icefields Parkway and see a sign commemorating the “Little Ice Age” that ended around 1850.

The glacial remnants that fill the alpine valleys of the Canadian Rockies remind us of the ephemeral state of any given point in time. While the present is now defined by the reckless dumping of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and subsequent warming trend, I find it interesting on this hot day to contemplate the cause of a cooling pattern that ended less than 200 years ago.

Anyway, the period known as the “Little Ice Age,” was initiated by a minor geologic event that occurred between the years 1250 and 1300¹. A series of volcanic eruptions dispersed sulfate particles into the upper atmosphere and blocked the sun’s solar radiation that warms the planet’s surface... just a sidebar here, it appears that sulfate reflects solar rays and initiates cooling, much like carbon dioxide redirects infrared radiation that would otherwise escape into space, and stimulates planetary warming!... The effects of the cooling trend is visible in the European and Asian art of the period that depicts scenes of winter, failed crops and ice festivals. Furthermore, a study of Canadian and Icelandic icecaps reveal the expansion and contraction of glaciers, and succession of plant species that accompanies a dramatic climate change. Interestingly, recent research suggests that the onset of the ice age was the product of positive feedback. Specifically, volcanic eruptions reflected solar radiation which cooled the planet and allowed for the expansion of northern ice sheets. As the amount of atmospheric sulfates diminished, the expanding ice continued to reflect the increasing solar radiation and thus extend the cooling trend. Were it not for the industrial revolution and the burning of fossilized carbon, we might still be in an ice age today... just a little something to ponder.

Bow Lake in Black and White
Canon 5D Mark ii + Canon 24mm f3.5L TSE v1

The two images in the post were taken along the Bow River at Bow Lake. With an altitude of 1920 m, Bow Lake is south of the Bow Summit, east of the Wapta Icefield, and can be found along the Icefields Parkway between Banff and Jasper. On this rainy evening, the sun was obscured by a thick ceiling of clouds and a cold wind was agitating the water. I chose a vertical composition to include both the lake and mountain peaks. Using a variable neutral density filter on my wide angle lens, I was able to produce a 13 second exposure and capture the movement of the wind on the lake’s water. While I was amazed by the broad color spectrum on this day, I feel like the black and white treatment more accurately conveys the cold and dreary nature of the experience.

1: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-16797075

2: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bow_Lake_(Alberta)

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Tip #58: The Anthropomorphic Image

Something Stinks Around Here - Collard Peccary (javelina), Pecari tajacu
Canon 7D + Canon 300mm f2.8L IS + Canon 1.4x Converter
Saguaro NP, AZ

An·thro·po·mor·phic, adj: ascribing human characteristics to nonhuman things

It is the “cardinal sin” of the sciences, especially in zoological and botanical disciplines that require pure objectivity. The anthropomorphic biologist fails to see the adaptive nature of a behavior, lacks a clinical assessment of an interaction and allows emotion to betray the implications of the data. I can still recall the red marks on my first undergraduate thesis. Years of research produced pages of data that were written by hand and analyzed with primitive computers. My experiment was controlled, the statistics were accurate and my conclusions were sound. However, the analysis in my discussion lacked the scientific approach that stressed objectivity above everything else. I was reprimanded and forced to write and rewrite the thesis until it was devoid of humanity.

The Old Man - Savanna Elephant, Loxadonta africana
Canon 1D markII + Canon 300mm f2.8L IS + Canon 1.4x Converter
Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

Twenty-three years later, this aging biologist and educator is also a photographer. The scientific mind is the objective mind, while the high school educator is the master of anthropomorphism. Atoms want to embrace as they form chemical bonds, prey strive to avoid predation, and plants try to grow towards the light. Claiming that hydrogen is the “slut” of the atomic world to oxygen, the “player,” who does nothing but take-take-take in the pursuit of electrons, I console myself that these sins are for the greater good ... the education of the next generation.

Broken Jaw - Mantled Howler Monkey, Alouatta palliata
Canon 7D + Canon 300mm f2.8L IS
Selva Verde - Costa Rica

As in education, anthropomorphism is the wildlife photographer’s friend. It is human nature to see ourselves in nonhuman beings, as this is how we build meaning from what we observe. The technical skills of the nature photographer fulfills my scientific mind. The pursuit of the subject, the assessment of phenology and the research of behavior are my science, but my goal is to transcend the technical and find the hints of humanity in my prey. Anthropomorphic images allow the viewer to see their nature in nature, and suggest the importance of conservation. When pictures define humanity with the absence of humans, we help others to see ourselves as just another biological being. Tug at some heart strings, promote conservation and search for yourself in your subjects.

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Great News... and many Thanks!

Link To The Nature Conservancy Photo Contest Site

We would like to thank all of our friends, family and blog followers who cast a vote in the Nature Conservancy Photography Contest. Our image of two Red-eyed Tree Frogs (Agalychnis callidryas) climbing an Easter heliconia (Heliconia wagneriana) received the most votes. Because of you, the picture will be featured on the cover of the Conservancy's 2013 Calendar. Tamy and I have been long-time supporters of the Nature Conservancy and the work they do to protect threatened habitats. We'd like to encourage you to consider the plight of vanishing ecosystems as our human population continues to expand. By supporting non-profit organizations like the Nature Conservancy, Sierra Club, World Wildlife Foundation, Audubon Society and the National Resource Defense Council (NRDC), you are protecting our biological history and the biodiversity that defines our tiny blue marble in this vast universe.

One More Frog
Tight Rope Walker - Caribbean Slope, Costa Rica
Canon 5D markII + Canon 300mm f2.8L IS @ f3.5

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Tip #33: Be a Documentary Artist

The Watering Hole - Nairobi, Kenya
Canon 5D + Canon 70-200L f4.0

It is all too easy to claim that photography is an art for those who lack the skills to be “real” artists. Millions of images captured each day on portable handheld computers are posted to photostreams across the globe. The purist of journalistic motifs, the photograph conveys the here and now, and tells a story about the moment captured. Yet, the photojournalist - the point-and-shooter - is the decider. The choice of what to extract and the noise to omit is at the heart of documentary photography. We image makers are documentary artists. The pre-capture decisions we make about the lens, camera, shutter speed, and aperture determine our point of view, point of focus and interpretation of time. Often described as the art of exclusion, the documentary artists will become invisible as they survey the landscape, make the key decisions and convey the essence of the story.

Pacifier - Nairobi, Kenya
Canon 40D + Canon 100-400L IS f4.5-5.6

Note: The Images from Tip #33 were originally used in a prior blog post from June, 2010. Follow the link to read the original entry titled "An Elephant Story."

Foster Dad - Nairobi, Kenya
Canon 5D + Canon 70-200L f4.0

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Tip #32: Set Goals and Dream Big

Young Male - Ngorongoro, Tanzania
Canon 1D markII + 300 f2.8L IS + 1.4x Converter

Tamy and I met each other in a field research camp in 1986. Back then, we were students of biology, ecology, and evolution and working towards B.S. degrees at UC Irvine. Both passionate about all things nature, we bonded during a feverish discussion about travel, Africa and conservation. Nearly three decades have past since the day we met, and I still recall that first conversation... we were dreaming big.

Where's Dinner - Masai Mara, Kenya
Canon 7D + 300 f2.8L IS

It took twenty years to do it, but we managed to see East Africa... twice! We set the goal by planning the safaris, and made it happen by saving the money. We never fought the obstacles that blocked our progress, but rode them like surfers on a turbulent wave. Our goals were targets without clear paths to follow.

Beauty - Serengeti, Tanzania
Canon 1D markII + 300 f2.8L IS + 1.4x Converter

For many, dreaming big is all about getting stuff, climbing the ladder and being noticed. We continue to dream big, but to us, the goals are about how to live and not the stuff we have. Travel enriches our life, and photography helps us fulfill the compulsion to live the journey. We set goals so that we can document nature, make art and share our vision about the tenuous state of our planet.

Tip #32: Set Your Goals and Dream Big

Solitary Vulture - Masai Mara, Kenya
Canon 7D + 300 f2.8L IS

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Tip #18: Take the Camera

Looking for Nature - Pasadena, CA
Canon 5D markII + Zeiss ZE 35mm f2.0 @ f2.2

Tip #18: On Business or Visiting Family - Take the Camera

Travel with a camera even if you’re not on assignment or taking a photo-vacation. Pack light by selecting a few pieces of essential gear, and embrace the self-imposed constraint. Having only one lens and a body can be both limiting and liberating. Take a hike with your minimalist kit or shoot from the street. Study the way small changes in camera position, aperture and shutter speed can influence your final composition.

The posted photo was taken along a walking trail that parallels one of California’s cement rivers. Known as the Arroyo, these sterile aqueducts symbolize a great environmental paradox. Fully aware that we are dependent on limited resources, we modify, manipulate and engineer nature to meet our basic needs. Short-term need masks judgement and thus, long-term sustainability. An eyesore in the valley and throughout Southern California, the Arroyo is void of native vegetation and rich with exotic species. Ironically, these concrete waterways are perceived as quiet retreat for those seeking to escape the throngs of humanity.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Rant: On Art, Nature and Photography

Baru Beach at Dawn
Canon 5DII + 50mm f1.4

Can photographs of nature become something more than a frozen moment ...more than a data point?

Let’s face it, anyone can pick up a camera, put it on auto, and frame a subject. Today’s tools are so sophisticated that vision has replaced knowledge. It’s not that technical knowledge ever made the photographer, it’s just that it was once an obstacle between the artist and the art. Our sophisticated tools now allow everyone to express their vision.

Bamboo Orchid - Hacienda Baru, Costa Rica
Canon 7D + 300mm f2.8L IS

Consider the following: iPhoneography. According to the “urbaN DICTIONARY” it is ...the act or practice of snapping quick digital pictures and performing post-processing and sharing from within the mobile phone itself,...

My take, ...art for the masses; a powerful tool in a portable box that says, “Vision first, knowledge later (or never).”

Some people just get it. They see the light, isolate the details, and convey a feeling with their images. The iPhoneography movement mirrors my observations of the American society at large. It’s all about the quick fix. We have no tolerance for the hard work or the thinking required to solve our problems. As such, we are in need of some serious help, and have chosen, instead, to erect a giant “help wanted ad” on every stoop, wall, and bulletin board. The ad reads: “Help Wanted, ...No Knowledge Required.”

Mantled Howler Monkey - Selva Verde, Costa Rica
Canon 7D + 300mm f2.8L IS

Some other current ads might be summarized as...

Help Wanted, Biology Teacher ...No Knowledge Required.

Help Wanted, Environmental Reformer ...No Knowledge Required.

Help Wanted, Politician to F#$%-up Reputation of Admired Country ...No Knowledge Required.

Frog on a Wire - Selva Verde, Costa Rica
Canon 5D MarkII + 180mm f3.5L

Really, ...Is this what the the future has to offer? No Knowledge Required?!

Before the digital era, we all shot film. There were no histograms, variable ISO’s or memory cards. This was an unforgiving discipline because it required knowledge about light and how it interacted with particles of silver on sheets of cellulose. In the “Dark Ages of Photography,” art was created with knowledge, not in spite of it. The pioneers of environmental photography, Ansel Adams, Eliot Porter, and Clyde Butcher (still alive and working with film), are more than just visionaries, they are artists. Their success followed a simple formula:

Technical Knowledge + Subject Knowledge + Unique Vision = Art

So there’s my rant, inspired by a simple question. When do pictures of of nature transcend photojournalism and become art? We live in a world of quick fixes, mindless solutions, and dreams that everyone can do everything at any time. While, I don’t wish to denigrate those who have discovered a vision without experience, I need to believe that experience matters. In an age when automation is a substitute for knowledge, how do we distinguish the litany data points from the unique vision that makes art?

The Trap - Selva Verde, Costa Rica
Canon 5D MarkII + 300mm f2.8L IS

Friday, April 22, 2011

Every Day

Today is Earth Day 2011.

For some New Years Day is the time for resolutions, but I've never been a resolution type of guy. In fact, I can't recall a single pledge to "change" or "do" that I have ever made on a New Years Day. I'd be a lier if Earth Day will bring out the resolutionist in me, but... I feel confident in claiming that I will continue to live an Earth friendly life and teach the ethics of sustainability to my students, friends, and family.

Moro Rock Sunset, Sequoia NP
Nikon D2H + Tamron 180mm f2.8 macro

Happy Earth Day... let's all try to save a little so that we can continue to enjoy the incredible biological and geological diversity on this third rock from the sun.

Tallest Trees, Redwood NP
Canon 20D + 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Favorite Places: Bolsa Chica and the Back Bay

Tamy and I visited some familiar ground during our recent trip back to Southern California. Having graduated with degrees in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior (EEB) from U.C. Irvine, we had spent many days surveying the coastal wetlands that stretch from Redondo to Laguna. Although most of the pristine estuaries that I recall have now collapsed under the weight of the development, fragments of the Southern California wetland ecosystem still remain. Two of our favorite locales are the Bolsa Chica Conservancy and the Back Bay. Situated about an hour south and west of Los Angeles, these tidal plains are oases for migrating shorebirds, ducks, and herons.

Home Coming

On March 7th, two days prior to yet another predicted "snownado" (adj: sno-nado, a term used by the weather terrorists to inspire fear in the masses about upcoming snow events) Tamy and I boarded a plane for sunny California... the place we still call home. While Minnesota is where we live, work, and play we have been reticent to call it "home." Although our visit to California was primarily relegated to family, we managed to steal a few days and immerse ourselves in the craft of photography. The moderate temps and coastal breezes were all that I needed to get the creative juices flowing.

Kenya 2010: Lake Naivasha and Crescent Island

"I had a farm in Africa at the foot of the Ngong Hills..."
So goes the opening line from Karen Blixen's memoir about her life in Kenya.
Made famous by Meryl Streep in the award winning movie "Out of Africa," Streep's Danish accent lingers in my head and reminds me of the racism that colonized East Africans were forced to endure. While Karen Blixen, might have been one the the "good ones," most Kenyans suffered the loss of their land and their culture under European oppression.

On December 12th, 1964 the Republic of Kenya was proclaimed to be an independent nation free of British colonial rule, and Jomo Kenyatta became the first president of the republic. Nearly fifty years later 67% of the Kenyan population voted to ratify a new constitution that redefined the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches of the government. The colony that once was, is no more... but its legacy continues to impact the populace today.

So, where does photography intersect with this geopolitical discourse?
The past most definitely influences the present, and the actions of today determine what happens in the future. Traveling across Kenya from the arid north to its southern border with Tanzania, the influence of colonial rule was ever-present. Plantations still dot fertile mountain slopes, and while some of these farms are now the property of indigenous Kenyan families, others remain in the hands of a people who visited and never left. In Tanzania, the lyrical tones and inflections of Swahili ripple through the air, while the "King's English" seems to prevail in Nairobi and across the distant Kenyan countryside.

The past has influenced the present, but it is not all bad. The European sensibility that embraces a natural landscape, is now an important part of the Kenyan psyche and culture. The Kenyan people recognize the importance and value of their wild resources, and they work to actively protect the landscape and participate the ecotourism that visitors travel so far to enjoy.

Located at an altitude of 1,884m is Lake Naivasha. This freshwater lake has a surface area of nearly 140km², and is an important aquatic ecosystem that supports a diverse array of avian and mammalian fauna. Over 400 species of birds have been reported in this Rift Valley Lake and it is a great place to enjoy a boat safari. Our captain piloted our questionably seaworthy skiff with ease as he maneuvered us near nests, fish eagles, and groups of hippopotami. Having the opportunity to see and photograph these unique species at eye level from the water was an unexpected treat.

Located at the southeast edge of Lake Naivasha is Crescent Island. More accurately described as a peninsula, Crescent Islands juts into the lake and offers photographers the opportunity to participate in a walking safari. This island is home to zebra, giraffe, bushbuck, impala, waterbuck, gnu and numerous other prey species. The island lacks predators, so it is easy to navigate within and among animals that are normally quite wary of us. As we walked in and among these exotic giants our guide explained that Meryl Streep and Robert Redford were here. You see, it turns out that Karen Blixen's life, made famous by the movie "Out of Africa," was filmed on Crescent Island. This little peninsula within a Rift Valley lake is now a game sanctuary, that serves to protect Kenya's wild heritage that its people fought to reclaim.

The Way We See It