Portfolios
| Animal People - new series - coming soon Yellowstone osprey, bald eagle, kestrel, magpie, raven, white pelican, bison, elk, mule deer, moose, pronghorn antelope, bighorn sheep, mountain goat, badger, uinta ground squirrel, yellow-bellied marmot, bobcat, cougar, canadian lynx, red fox, coyote, grey wolf, black bear, grizzly bear...and so on. Yellowstone! A place where I seek wildlife, solitude as well as the kinship with the like-minded nomadic tribe who are as drunk as I am with enthusiasm to witness wolf, bear, and all that is wild. The images are a result of my recent pilgrimage to Yellowstone National Park in May 2011. The pictures represent my experience within the park while embracing the wintry palette of May's winter-like weather. Days of snow with white skies, white land, white wind, white rain, white hail, white cold and when the white out fades, visions of wildlife begin to form through the mist and fog. The presence of animals warmed my imagination and provided imaginary heat. With the sight of a bear or white pelicans flying overhead, I became hyper-alert and forgot about the frigid cold. The practice of becoming aware of the presence of 'something' nearby but is not visible, this 'something' that is more aware of you than you are of it, this act of observing the presence and the absence of animals is what motivates me to photograph. My pictures are inspired by the wildlife. And I hope a hint of the sheer joy that I have while visually responding to Yellowstone lies within these pictures. Bobcats Bobcats capture my imagination and represent the essence of the local wild to me. I count myself lucky every time I see one. It's their independence, their elusiveness, their wild beauty, their need to kill to live, that makes the bobcat my favorite local wild species. This portfolio consists of images of different bobcats I encounter on my hikes. These quotes from Kevin Hansen from his book "Bobcat, Master of Survival", nail it for me regarding the bobcat and why I savor each and every sighting. "The bobcat has evolved for millions of years to do one thing: kill. That is neither good nor bad; it simply is." "Lynx rufus moves through a landscape of sights, sounds, and odors that it explores with extended senses so far superior to ours that it creates a reality humans can barely fathom. This is what makes cats appear so otherworldly, so mysterious---and we love a mystery. It drives both the biologist's research and the layperson's imagination." "We fold the bobcat into our mythology, admire its independence, praise its dignity, and hold it up as a symbol of wildness. We catch its limbs in steel-jawed traps and peel its skin, in the name of commerce. Our schools and sports teams enshrine it as its mascot, a symbol of ferocity, tenacity, and pugnacity." "We glimpse this feline wraith during a hike in the woods and count ourselves lucky." "We capture it, inject it with drugs, hang radio transmitters around its neck, and follow it relentlessly, in the name of science. We work for its conservation and we slaughter it by the millions. We curse, venerate, envy, respect, persecute, even worship it." "Through it all, one thing remains certain: the bobcat will never enter the room, sit down across the table, and negotiate its relationship with us. It is indifferent to our efforts, wishes, or intentions. It is too busy being a bobcat---hunting, killing, eating, sunning on a ledge, feeding its young. The bobcat goes its own way, on its own terms." - Kevin Hansen. May the bobcat way endure! Owls what is it about owls? the dark eyes of the forest, the motionless silhouette perched high in the tree waiting for night, the silent hunter of the skies. I think my fascination with these creatures started when I was photographing for a local wildlife rescue organization. It is where I got to see my first Northern Spotted Owl up close and personal. I was in the rehabilitation enclosure with the medical staff prior to its release back to its wild home. I was well away from the owl and in a split second the owl lifted and was in flight and came straight for my head. A warning it was giving and a warning I received. I got a small superficial wound on my forehead. The owl left its mark on me and that began the fascination with the ones with dark eyes and silent flight. I can still hear and feel the brush of its wing against my ear and its talon on my head! Water New series in progress. Waves and Wings. |
 |