First Gallery Exhibition on the 19th
Intrinsic Ideation: Evoking Cellular Memory
On May 19th, I’m going to be having a few photos in my 1st gallery show. I’m working with my super talented brother-in-law for a show entitled Intrinsic Ideation: Evoking Cellular Memory.
The show will take place on Saturday May 19th at 7-10pm, at The Studio@620 (620 1st Avenue South St. Petersburg, FL).
Here’s the blurb for the show. Would love to see you all down there!
Carises Horn’s exhibition is an introspective exploration of Western 21st Century art. The showing questions the act of viewing modern art and inspects our subconscious mythologies in an attempt to awaken the viewer’s cellular memories.
This is Carises Horn’s first showing in St. Petersburg in over a year and features seven new works by the artist that “interpret the act of viewing.”
The exhibition also features photographer Alexis Meyer. Her photographs, taken from around the world, narrate the interconnection between humans and the natural world. In this exhibit, Alexis cautiously choreographs anthropocentrism and ecocentrism.
Both Carises Horn and Alexis Meyer’s exhibition aspires to evoke the sense of one’s own past and to give rise to a greater sense of seeing the world.
Photo Hike at Sawgrass Lake
Raccoon at Sawgrass
The monthly photo class will be held at Sawgrass Lake Preserve on Saturday May 5th (Happy Cinco de Mayo!), 1:00 – 3:00pm (7400 25th St. N, St. Pete).
The course is Pay-What-You-Can and 20% of all money collected will be donated to the Legacy Institute for Nature and Culture.
This course is for everyone – from basic point-and-shooters to DSLR owners. The 1st half of the course will be on how to use your camera (getting it out of Auto mode!), basic photography techniques, and different aspects of nature photography. The 2nd half will be walking the trails and getting direct feedback on photos you take.
Sawgrass Lake encompasses 400 acres, accessible through boardwalks, and is home to one of the largest Maple swamps on the Gulf of Mexico. In the park you can find numerous bird species, butterflies, and plants. There’s also almost always turtles and alligators sunning themselves along the banks. The Florida Audubon Society and the Great Florida Birding Trail both list Sawgrass as one of the premier birding sites in Florida.
LINC, to whom donations will go, works in promoting environmental awareness through art. Their mission statement is: “Powerful imagery opens a direct window into social consciousness and is a proven catalyst for change. LINC uses pictures and words to connect people to their natural heritage. Through these connections, LINC strives to inspire businesses, organizations and individuals to work together to protect the natural and cultural resources that sustain us all.”
So come down to Sawgrass on the 5th and experience a little bit of old Florida. Please bring a charged camera, empty memory card, a water bottle (walking is involved), and your camera manual (if you have it). We’ll meet behind the eduction center, where there’s some nice benches where everyone can sit. Please call 727-488-3710 with any questions.
Refinding Photos
In anticipation of an upcoming art show, I decided to go back through the some 3,000 photos I shot on my last trip to Africa. Combing through that many photos can be ridiculous and when I 1st downloaded them after the trip, I did a quick run through and grabbed the ones I thought were the best. That still gave me 250 photos that I thought defined the trip.
But in looking for some new photos to show, I thought I should go back and dig through them again – with a year behind me, who knew what I might have passed over. And in all honesty, I couldn’t remember all the photos I had. It’s also a good exercise in reliving some great memories.
I was pleasantly surprised. I was able to find over 50 photos that I had neglected in my hard drive, that I thought (now) had some great potential. I focused on looking for photos that could be edited to be visually striking. When I first got back, I was looking for a more documentary style in the photos. But now I was looking for ones I could edit.
I had always tried to stay away from editing my photos heavily – sticking with photojournalism standards to maintain the truest capture that I could. But now, I guess as I’ve evolved in my style, I’m starting to look at photos in both lights. I still like to have a collection of photos that are just as they were when shot, but I’m also just now starting to create a collection that takes these photos and adds to their dimensionality and depth.
But I digress… this all got me thinking about the thousands (maybe millions?) of photos that I’ve taken in my photographic life. If I was able to find so many after leaving them alone for awhile, how many have I mindlessly deleted? It’s hard when you have so many photos to go through; and I’ve read numerous articles that say you should delete all but your best photos. But as you evolve as a photographer, who’s to say that what didn’t make the cut the first time, might not be exactly what you’re looking for at a later date?
So in this enlightening experience, I’ve decided to keep my photos. While I might have skipped over a photo in doing a 1st selection, with a little time, maybe my mind will see what my subconscious decided was good when I first took the photo. I wish I had more of my old photos, but this is all a learning experience. One that will constantly make you change your perception of what photos you take and how you edit your work.
Happy shooting (and editing)!!
Photo Class at North Shore Beach 4/7
Bottlenose dolphin
The monthly photo class will be held at North Shore Beach on April 7th, 1:00 – 3:00pm (North Shore Dr. NE and 13th Ave.).
The course is Pay-What-You-Can and 20% of all money collected will be donated to the Legacy Institute for Nature and Culture.
This course is for everyone – from basic point-and-shooters to DSLR owners. The 1st half of the course will be on how to use your camera (getting it out of Auto mode!), basic photography techniques, and different aspects of nature photography. The 2nd half will be exploring the park and getting direct feedback on the photos you take. North Shore Beach is situated on Tampa Bay and home to turns and skimmers, as well as dolphins and manatees if we’re lucky.
LINC, to whom donations will go, works in promoting environmental awareness through art. Their mission statement is: “Powerful imagery opens a direct window into social consciousness and is a proven catalyst for change. LINC uses pictures and words to connect people to their natural heritage. Through these connections, LINC strives to inspire businesses, organizations and individuals to work together to protect the natural and cultural resources that sustain us all.”
So come down to North Shore Beach on the 7th and experience a little bit of the beauty St. Pete has to offer. Please bring a charged camera, empty memory card, and something to sit on. If you have your camera’s manual, please bring that as well. We’ll meet in the parking lot on North Shore Dr. and 13th Ave., by the tennis courts. Please call 727-488-3710 with any questions.
Black Skimmers
Florida Wildlife Corridor expedition treks the state to promote unique conservation
FL Wildlife Corridor Team crossing the state on horseback (and foot and kayak)
Along the I-4 corridor between the Tampa Bay Area and Orlando, there’s a multitude of different landscapes: from sky-scraping cities to cookie cutter houses to orange groves. These concrete corridors are Florida’s passageways.
But a different type of corridor is being proposed for Florida; one that we don’t get to use. The Florida Wildlife Corridor project is a groundbreaking group of biologists, photographers, filmmakers, ranchers, and state and federal stakeholders who are undertaking a paradigm shifting approach to conservation. Recently reaching the half-way mark at the Disney Wildlife Preserve in Kissimmee, Fla., the project promotes the conservation of Florida’s wild areas by connecting them through multi-stakeholder initiatives.
What began as a concept of raising public awareness around a Florida wildlife corridor, has turned into a 100 day, 1,000 mile journey, on foot, kayak and horseback, from the Everglades to the Florida-Georgia border. Lead by conservation photographer Carlton Ward Jr., cinematographer Elam Stoltzfus, black bear biologist Joe Guthrie, and conservationist Mallory Lykes Dimmitt, the team of four travel the state of Florida to promote the creation of wildlife corridors for the conservation and preservation of the state’s unique ecosystems.
Throughout the team’s journey, numerous stakeholders have joined to support their initiatives, and learn about the mission to provide a connected habitat for Florida’s wildlife.
Along with creating a network of ecosystem corridors, the project leaders highlight the importance of preserving Florida’s working ranch lands. What at first seems at odds with conservation, is actually an inspiring and unique approach to multi-stakeholder conservation. By bringing together multiple interest groups – like the Nature Conservancy, the National Wildlife Refuge Association, the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, local universities, farmers, and ranchers – the establishment of a working corridor system is a feasible goal. These groups work together to make the vision a possibility.
Corridor Map
“I believe it’s possible for the first time in Florida history,” says Ward Jr., an eighth generation Floridian, as well as a photographer who’s photos are instrumental in documenting Florida’s vanishing places. “It’s amazing that in a state of 18 million people, so intensely developed in so many ways, there’s still the chance to protect millions of protected acres. And that’s a tribute to the hard work of conservationists over the years and the dedicated stewardship of ranchers and landowners. We’re at this time where the future of ranching and the future of food production is in many ways threatened in the same way that the future of black bears and Florida panthers, and clean water for the Everglades is [threatened]. The common ground approach is what gives me hope we can get this done.”
This viewpoint diverges from the status quo of single species management and piece-mealing conservation directives.
“So all of a sudden, connecting Big Cypress and the Everglades to the Kissimmee River valley is more possible than it ever has been before,” he says.
As the team moves across Florida, it takes, as Ward Jr. says, the “pulse of the state as [they] go.” While intentionally avoiding the more intensely developed areas, the route has taken swings and turns to stay on the natural landscape. One aspect that has stuck in the minds of the team is the effectiveness of the wildlife underpasses.
Wildlife underpasses are built below roads, particularly along I-75 and the Tamiami Trail, which has 36 underpasses alone. These allow wildlife like Florida panthers and black bears, as well as water, to move freely even in the midst of anthropogenic development.
While walking through an underpass along Picayune State Forest and the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, the team saw male and female panther tracks going both ways, along with bear and other species’ tracks.
Ward says the proof of these tracks “combined with the knowledge that there are not many panthers killed on that stretch of road since the fencing was put in,” shows that the simple act of creating underpasses protects numerous species that may otherwise end up as road kill. Cars have killed five Florida panthers in just the first two months of 2012, highlighting the importance of incorporating wildlife underpasses into road management, especially with such a critically endangered species.
Lake George, Kissimmee, FL. One of the largest freshwater lakes in FL.
While Ward Jr. says it’s very encouraging to “go from large cattle ranches to state parks, to national parks, and be able to follow an enacted path,” there are also areas of land with uncertain futures. These areas, called bottlenecks, are where a small part of the land is used as a natural crossing for numerous wildlife, forcing species into a narrow corridor for migration.
Along the shores of the Caloosahatchee River is an area that connects the South Florida landscape to the north, where panthers and other animals naturally swim across.
“That particular landscape was under financial distress, potentially foreclosure – it could be slated for a trailer park or some other type of use. So it shows that time is of the essence here,” Ward Jr. says.
The team expects to encounter more of these “critical linkages” under threat as they move through Florida, highlighting the importance of multi-stakeholder cooperation.
“It’s a nonpartisan, commonsense approach to conservation – it’s a pretty clear and logical way forward,” he says.
So what role can the general public play in all of this?
“The first thing is help tell the story,” Ward Jr. says. “This is our Florida, this is not just Disney or Miami Beach. This is a place where we still have six out of the top 10 cattle ranches in the country, we still have amazing wildlife like bears and panthers. and all these other endangered species. People telling their friends and sharing the stories we’re producing – stories that other organizations like us, like-minded people and organizations are producing. Having a sense of ownership of this state, which is ours and what we want it to be. Those are the broad brush-strokes of our mission.”
There are also numerous policy-related opportunities that can make a difference, and which the public can participate in through monetary support or education.
The USDA’s Wetland Reserve Program has invested nearly $200 million in protecting ranches and farmlands through conservation easements. The Florida Forever Program is a state-run program that works toward land acquisition through conservation easements. With more than 9.9 million acres managed for conservation, 2.5 million have come directly out of this program. However, the program’s funding had been cut to $0. It’s anticipated to resume funding at $15 million a year, but that is a far-cry from its previous $300 million funding. This means that less and less land can be acquired for conservation, including protected habitats and critical linkages.
The Conservation Trust for Florida works with private landholders in conservation easements, and in land donations and carbon credits. They are working with the Florida Wildlife Corridor team to protect a corridor linking the Ocala National Forest to Osceola National Forest (O2O Corridor), a critical linkage allowing black bears to migrate north.
The Northern Everglades Alliance is working toward the creation of the Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge, a potentially 150,000 acre refuge north of Lake Okeechobee, which Ward Jr. says conserves “one of the last remaining grasslands and longleaf pine savanna landscapes in eastern North America.”
Pristine FL
The initiative is based in the cooperative management of conservation easements on ranch lands and other private lands. Ten acres have been donated, so there is still a long way to reach the 150,000 acre goal. But through cooperative management, the public’s involvement, and education initiatives, the Everglades Headwaters Refuge is a distinct possibility in connecting the last remaining wild areas in Florida.
You can follow the team’s entire expedition – an undertaking that not only has far reaching hopes for wildlife, but also for every citizen of this state – through their website and Facebook page, which hosts stunning photos and video of the wild lands of Florida, that few rarely get to see.
And as Ward Jr. says, “this is our Florida,” we all play a part in its future.
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Getting to meet your photography hero.
Lake Russell, Kissimmi
Last week I had the incredible opportunity to meet the expedition team of the Florida Wildlife Corridor Project. They are a group of people – scientists, filmmakers, photographers, ranchers, and others – who are doing a 100 day trip hiking, kayaking, or horseback riding through Florida to promote the creation of wildlife corridors. Their work is inspiring and something I’m extremely passionate about. I’m working on a story for New Roots News, so I won’t talk too much about the great things they’re accomplishing (check out the article).
The leader of this expedition is Carlton Ward, Jr. He is a Florida environmental photographer and one of the people I’ve looked up to in attempting to make it in the world of photography. He’s worked with numerous conservation campaigns, is a founding member of the International League of Conservation Photographers, and has started the organization LINC, which aims to protect FL’s natural and cultural heritage through art. Pretty much, he can’t get any cooler!
So I had the opportunity to do a one-on-one interview with him about his work on the corridor expedition. It’s pretty humbling to sit across the table from a man who’s accomplished your photography dreams and founded the organizations you aspire to be a part of. The most striking aspect of it all was how humble he was, you’d never know that this person spearheaded the modern conservation photography movement. I have to say that I never thought I’d be able to do something like this. It was pretty amazing.
He gave some advise on getting into the conservation photo field, and I pass it along here: Get involved, find a project, and publish, publish, publish. He said to find an organization, follow a project they may be involved in that you can document, something that will allow a story to progress through photos, and publish as much as you can.
Overall, it was an incredibly enlightening and inspiring experience. Something as small as some words exchanged across a table can make you want to do great things. So check out the links and follow the progress of the FL Wildlife Corridor Expedition Team – I’ll put a link in here as soon as my article is published. Their work is truly amazing!
My 1st Non Spontaneous Photo
The majority of my photos, I’ve realized, have all happened spontaneously. Whether it’s been the incredibly lucky chance to capture lion cubs playing or a butterfly in my backyard, I would say 9 times out of 10, I do not go out shooting with a plan. I might have the thought in the back of my head that I’d like to capture some bird behavior or a nice sunset, but I’ve never specifically had an image in mind that I wanted to capture.
Recently I did my very 1st engagement shoot. I am good friends with the future bride and groom, so it was very laid back. I had a few images in mind that I thought they’d like (standing with the sunset in the background, etc.), but my directions for them was just to be comfortable and play. And the photos turned out great.
But this all got me thinking… what images would I want to create/recreate? Lately, I’ve been completely uninspired and have struggled to shoot anything. I’ve heard that giving yourself assignments is a good way to get those creative juices flowing, so I had to think about what I wanted to assign myself. I have an old camera collection that I’ve always loved and am constantly looking to expand. So my new goal is to photograph each of the cameras in a creative way. This is my 1st one. The camera is a Anastigmat, Leica reproduction. On the back it says “Made in Occupied Japan,” so is obviously from the WWII era.
I’m pretty happy with the way it turned out and hope to add to this collection with all of the old cameras. It’s amazing having a specific image in your head and then seeing it reproduced through your camera. It’s exhilarating and inspiring, so I’m hoping this is a turning point in how I photography. I’ll still always be an opportunistic photographer, but I’m hoping that I can add depth to my portfolio by including these “planned” photos. It’s a challenge for me, so I hope I can keep up with it.
Ring neck Snakes and Childhood
When I was little, we had a pool in our backyard. Ring neck snakes used to get caught in the filter all the time and it was a huge deal for me and my dad. It was always a momentous occasion when we got to 1) rescue an animal from a not so bright future and 2) get to hold a wild animal. I was so insanely jubilant about playing with the little snakes that I’d make my mom (who is unbelievably afraid of them) get in on the act. She was a great sport who grimaced through and never let her fear show to her child.
I hadn’t seen a ring neck snake since I was any older than 10, so when my boyfriend was moving pavers in our front yard and found one, it was like winning the childhood memories lottery! My neighbors must have thought I’d lost my mind – squealing, doing a happy dance in the front yard, cooing over a snake & then feverishly running to grab my camera. This little guy was wonderful, just relaxed as ever to be held and have his picture taken. I’ve seen a few more in our yard since then and every time, it’s like I’m 10 years old all over again.
Quintessential Safaris: Traveling Botswana
When most people think of Africa, they think of the rolling savannah, sunsets, elephants and lions. Botswana is this and more. Located in southern Africa, Botswana is land-locked between South Africa, Namibia, Angola, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The country is dominated by the Kalahari Desert, the Okovango Delta, and rolling tablelands. Gaining its independence in 1966, the country is a wonderful example of how Eco tourism, when done well, can save not only the environment, but the citizens of a country. With the safari experience being well sought-after, numerous tourists visit the country every year to partake of the wildlife and wild vistas.
Our first major highlight was entering the Okovango Delta, the world’s largest inland delta. Emptying from the Okovango River into the Kalahari Desert, the influx of so much water creates a strikingly different environment to the rest of the country that is 70% desert. This also supplies the region with much needed water and allows numerous species to survive. Hosting elephants, giraffes, widlabeast, African wild dogs, lions, and baboons, the Delta is amazing ecosystem that brings out the best of the wildlife in Botswana.
After leaving the Okovango region, we headed into the Moremi Game Reserve. Different from national preserves and parks, game reserves host legal hunting of wildlife while restricting the number of people allowed into the area. While at first I was extremely put-off by the idea of hunting unique African wildlife, the guides explained that Westerners pay enormous amounts of money to shoot species that are overpopulated to begin with. The guides are generally locals so the money is going back to the community and while these trophy hunters usually only want to head of the dead animal and some photos, the rest of the meat is divided up and goes back to the community as well. One thing that I did notice about staying in a game reserve is how isolated it was. Since the number of people is restricted, we didn’t see a single other car or person that wasn’t in our group. This isolation afforded us something not experienced by the people who stay in massive game lodges. As we headed closer to the big park in Chobe, safari vans swarmed like locusts around any wildlife in the area. It definitely detracts from the “wild” experience most hope for in a safari, but it did make me appreciate the isolated days we had at the beginning of the trip.
During one night in camp, under a glowing Milky Way, we were sitting down to eat dinner when one of the cooks hurriedly ran over to our guide and whispered something in his ear. He jumped up and ran off, leaving us all to speculate as to what was going on. He came back a few minutes later, sat down, and calmly told us that a leopard was in our camp. Being a group of biology students were immediately ran off to find the leopard. A young male, he had been lured to our camp by the smell of cooking, and being a young male, recklessly decided that hanging out in a camp full of humans was pretty interesting. It was amazing to see a big cat that close, and not from the safety of a huge Land Rover.
Though that Land Rover did come in handy. While traveling through a mopane forest (a type of tree that elephants love), we inadvertently got between a mother elephant and her calf. After some excited trumpeting, she charged out of the bush directly at the car. While sitting on top of the roof (and hanging on for dear life), our guide got into a battle with the pissed off momma. She’d charge and trumpet and the Land Rover would honk and charge (because if we didn’t charge back, she wouldn’t let up till she flipped the car and neutralized the threat)… this lasted a good minute before she finally took off back to her baby. Of all the cool experiences, I’ve had, this one has to be at the top. Charged by elephants, leopards in camp, we also had hyenas come through our camp at night and lions behind our tents. We even got the giraffes at sunset photo opportunity!
What started in the bush, surrounded by wilderness and wildlife, ended up in a colonial hotel at the top of Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. Nothing could be more different from camping under the stars, serenaded by lions, but after two weeks of camping and bucket showers, it was an amazing luxury. I can see why these falls are one of the Great Wonders of the World. They are stupendous! Words and photos cannot describe the sheer immensity of them. The falls create an oasis of tropical vegetation surrounded by savannah and desert. There are constant rainbows from the mist and on full moons, night rainbows (or moobows) can be seen. It was a stunning way to end an already incredible trip.
Each country I’ve visited in Africa has had its own unique experiences and it’s nearly impossible to compare them. But Botswana stands out for its constant immersion in wildlife and the sheer isolation once outside of the big parks. Camping with no other groups around, charged by elephants, leopard, hyenas and lions right outside your tent – what more could you ask for in a safari? If you’ve never been to Africa, Botswana is the quintessential gateway to a diverse and fascinating continent that has long held the imagination of generations of people.
*All photos are scans from film.
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Tricky Hyenas
This is one of my favorite photos from 2011. I had the amazing opportunity to head to Namibia in southern Africa last May.
While traveling through Etosha National Park, we came across a group of about 4 spotted hyenas. The day before we were going through a dried out river and one was right next to the truck. They’re impressive creatures with a complex matriarchal society, so we decided to stay and watch what the small group did. After about a minute, 1 hyena takes off at a sprint. Our guide figures he’s going to cross the road, so we start driving parallel to him and sure enough he takes some great leaps right in front of the truck. He then continues to run in a big arc, going straight between the 2 vehicles back to where he was … we can’t figure out what he’s trying to do. And then up he comes with a gazelle carcass that he’d been hiding! His little circular route was to divert our attention away from his jerky, so he could head back and pick it up. He ran off into the grasses with his prize, probably shaking his head about out-smarting us. Hyenas are great!
