Fracked

Posted by Mark on May 12, 2012 in nature photography | 12 comments

"Fracked" Image # RO-9576

Often when working with my rock abstracts, I will rotate, zoom in and zoom out of these intricate patterns looking for something to make a connection to something other than the literal subject I am photographing.   After all, I see this series as not just looking closely at rocks, but how they have a great similarity to images taken from satellites.   That to me implies a great connection in the processes of nature – big and small.

Symbolic titles for abstracts also have me with a bit of mixed feeling.  In some ways, I would like people to see what they want to see in them, without any guidance from me.   On the other hand, I often see very specific things or themes in these patterns, and think part of the art is in conveying that.   I am leaning more towards the latter lately, and if someone sees something differently, then so be it. (more…)

The Future is Reduction

Posted by Mark on Nov 9, 2011 in nature photography | 13 comments

Pacific coastline, California

As news broke recently of how the population of human beings has reached 7 billion (plus or minus), I have often thought about how we haven’t destroyed this planet yet.   Is it because human beings are so resilient to adapt to many different conditions, or nature’s tolerance of our impacts, or a little of both?   When I say nature, I mean as a planetary whole.   Certainly many species and specific habitats have been decimated as a result of our thriving “success.”    Endangered and Extinct Species are being added to the list at an increasing rate.  We change habitats all the time to make them more human centric.

I grow frustrated with hearing so many statements about the prosperity of growth.   Growth of companies, growth of profits, growth of families, growth of success.  Growth is an unsustainable concept when we view it as limitless, yet it always seems to be referred to in that way.  There are so many indications now that we had better be braced for some change.  Just how far can we adapt?   Nature may tolerate one more pipeline, one more spill, one more skyscraper, one more forest lost, one more species extinct, one more degree in ocean temperature.   (more…)

Earth Day 2011: Revenge of birds

Posted by Mark on Apr 22, 2011 in nature photography | 9 comments

Certainly every day needs to be Earth Day, but if there is one thing to rally around and show your appreciation for, it is certainly our planet.  I am off today to do a little cleanup around my neighborhood as soon as the rain passes.   Every spring after the snow is finally gone, there seems to be ample evidence of the carelessness of human beings along our roadside.   I am dumbfounded about what goes through the mind of someone who simply throws trash out their car window.  Drunk teenagers? Careless adults?  I see this little piece of trash dumped on the side of the road and it is irritating to me.   How dare someone throw trash in my line of sight?!

I have often wondered if it is a plot by birds.   It is pretty easy for us to haul trash to the curb, a truck comes by and takes it away.  Problem solved right?  Out of sight, out of mind.  It seems so easy for us to forget that it is actually going somewhere.  So my theory is that birds are witnessing this little shell game played by us humans.   Many of them have very keen eyesight.  We take garbage and dump it somewhere out of sight to us, but certainly not out of sight to them.

So their plan to foil our little game of hide and seek is to pick up the discarded objects from where we dumped them and drop them back in our neighborhoods.   We get irritated at other humans for dumping the trash, arguments break out, conflicts escalate, war ensues, and we kill each other.  Dumping stops all around.  Win-Win for the birds.

Earth Day 2011 Commemorative image: Delicate Strength

About this image: I am thinking about doing a yearly Earth Day commemorative image, and I am going to call this my first one – Earth Day 2011, and have titled it “Delicate Strength.”

Spring seems to be off to a slow start around here in Michigan due to the cold weather we have been having.  So I dug this out of my archives from last year around the same time and processed it this morning.  As resilient as the Earth is in handling what we throw at it, we also take that for granted.

Happy Earth Day, and beware of the birds… they are up to something.

Underwater forests

Posted by Mark on Mar 29, 2011 in nature photography | 21 comments

Life in the grand aquarium, Bonaire, Netherland Antilles

I imagine for most people, a walk through the forest is one that involves mostly observing trees and other plantlife, and an occasional animal.   Imagine just the reverse, where your field of vision is surrounded by animal life, and only an occasional plant or two.   Sound only like a Disney film?  What you just imagined is much of what it is like on a reef.

This aspect of the ocean just mesmerized me when I first started diving.  Everything I was looking at was some form of animal life, with rarely a plant seen.   Things that moved, things that didn’t move ,and things that looked more like some alien planter than an animal.   Your definition of what is an animal is becomes a lot broader, no matter how much you studied biology.

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No lines here

Posted by Mark on Aug 16, 2010 in nature photography | 19 comments

Bush Bay boulder, alone along a Lake Huron shoreline...

In a recent post by Seung Kye Lee, he wrote about a recent trip he had taken through Rondane National Park in Norway.   Of course, he posted some phenomenal images as usual and offered some thoughts about the inspirations he takes away from this place.   I admired this trek and the fact that he was able to photograph for nearly 48 hours straight due to the lack of complete darkness this time of year in Norway.     It seems so far away and remote to me over here on the other side of the world.   The solitude and isolation of simply being connected to some far off land sounds quite alluring.

In the discussion following the post, the topic of familiar vs. unfamiliar landscapes comes up along with a situation sometimes found in the US.   That situation being lines of other photographers showing up at some iconic place, each jockeying for position.   Most photographers reading this probably know exactly what he is referring to.

It’s true that in many places, this is the case nearly every day.   For such a place as America with our wide open spaces, isn’t it interesting that these spots attract so many?  In thinking about this, I began to reflect upon my own experiences here in Michigan.  Quite often, I am the only one present in my jaunts along the shorelines and through the woods.   While there may be signs of civilization and sprawl just a short walk away, it never changes the fact that that moment, that landscape, that light, is mine alone to experience.

Far off lands and unfamiliar landscapes are always nice to dream about visiting.  But if it remoteness we seek, peaceful solitude and connection with a landscape, we must not forget that these can also be found in our own backyards.