E N R I Q U E | A G U I R R E

My favorites from 2011

2011-12-31T11:50:00.000-08:00

2011 hasn't been the most productive year for me, photographically speaking. I did manage to slot in a couple of road trips, one to the Tetons for 4th of July and one to the Four corners in the fall.

Here are my favorite images from those two trips and 2011, enjoy...

1 and 2 have to be the black bear from the Tetons, it is the first black bear I have photographed and it was amazing to watch the interaction with the herd of elk as they crossed path on Lupine Meadow.

3 Sunset over Flat Creek, WY - I set out with other targets in mind, gave up and was on my way to my motel when this caught my eye. I had seen this location many times, it's right by town, but never had the right light to shoot it.

4 Sunrise over Grand Tetons from Snake River Overlook. What looked like yet another dull sunrise suddenly turned in to 4th of July fireworks... I had to take a shot with my iPhone too just as proof that I hadn't photoshopped the clouds!

5 Milky Way over Horseshoe Bend, AZ. On the road with a good friend we realized that there were no clouds in the forecast so decided to switch to night photography, best idea ever!

6 The Egg Garden. One of the most amazing locations I have ever had to pleasure to experience.

7, 8 & 9 Milky Way over Arches NP. More night photography fun than anyone should be allowed to have :-)

10 Dead Horse State Park, UT. I love Canyonlands, in my opinion it is much more interesting that the Grand Canyon... will be back, soon.

Milky Way and Rock Arches

2011-10-26T14:32:00.000-07:00

During my recent trip to the Four Corners area I decided to switch to night photography in order to get some interesting images of the sandstone arches and other rock formations with the amazing desert sky Milky Way.

All images were shot as is in camera, except the view of the Horse Shoe bend in Arizona that required a double exposure due to the great variance in light from the sky to the dark canyon.

To light the rock we used various methods, all improvised on site and adapted to the local conditions.

For some we used professional lights (at Delicate Arch for example), for other we used moon light, for some we used flash lights (for Landscape arch we even shone them through tinted sunglasses to balance out the harsh blue cast of the LED light) and on one accession (Balanced Rock) we even used the lights of passing cars!

The lights from the cars were ruining our shots so we decided to try to incorporate them in to the image. it required timing the cars as they drove up the hill from and wait for the right moment to trigger the exposure. If we waited too long we only got half the rock lit, if we started too early it would be over exposed, but if we got it right the lights would shine evenly across the rock... lots of trial and error and lots of good laughs while we waited under the bright Milky Way!

For all images I purposefully kept the exposures slightly dark to simulate the real life experience. We could have lit them much more and made the images brighter and highly saturated but I wanted to make them look a bit more 'natural' and subdued

Two words: Resourcefulness and Improvisation.

From left to right:

Landscape Arch, lit using two LED lights shining though tinted sunglasses

Delicate Arch, lit using a professional light through a studio umbrella

Horseshoe Bend, double exposure (one for the sky and one for the land without moving the camera between exposures)

Credit where credit is due: Dave Cattell for being the best road trip companion and inspiration. Royce and Chris Bair for generously sharing the lights at Delicate Arch.

New work

2011-10-26T14:29:00.001-07:00

I recently completed two road trips across the great American West, one to the Grand Tetons in July and one to the Four Corners last week.

You can see some of the new images on their respective galleries on my website (Wyoming, Arizona, New Mexico and Utah).

OSF collection has now migrated to Getty Images

2011-10-26T14:26:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year Getty Images bought Photolibrary and it's subsidiary Oxford Scientific Films. Getty has now shutdown the OSF website for new purchases and has migrated all content to the main Getty Images site.

My images are here

Outdoor Photographer Magazine

2011-01-23T15:37:00.000-08:00

My photo of a harp seal pup was just printed in the 'showcase' section of Outdoor Photographer magazine.

I shot that image in 2005 on a trip to Canada. It was early March and bloody freezing! For four days we flew over the frozen waters looking for seals and managed to photograph both harp and hooded seals in various situations and weather conditions (from -25F and driving snow to sunny 10F) I can still remember the feeling of walking on the frozen ocean... you can hear it crack as it forms pressure ridges, you can feel it move under the effect of tides and waves from miles away where the ocean hasn't frozen over yet.

This trip was also a bit more challenging since the airline managed to lose my bag with my tripod and battery chargers and I had to improvise using my camera bag as support for the 500mm f4 telephoto and ration 3 batteries and 6Gb of CF cards to last for 4 days of shooting... fortunately at that time of the year days a short ;-P

Best of 2010

2010-12-31T11:49:00.001-08:00

2010 has been a strange year of evolution, revolution and even devolution. A year that has marked the end of a personal era (or maybe even two).

These are the photos I have picked as my favorites, 10 shots that prove that even when now that I don't need to have my 'A-game' on all the time I can still manage to nail a few great moments... and one extra just for fun.

February, Humpback whales, Silver Bank

Nikon D200, 12-24mm, underwater housing

March, McWay Fall, Big Sur

Nikon D3, 24-70mm

March, Badwater, Death Valley

Nikon D3, 24-70mm

May, Upper Yosemite Fall, Yosemite

Nikon D3, 70-200mm

May, Reflections on a flooded meadow, Yosemite

Nikon D3, 24-70mm

July, Sunset, St Paul island, Alaska

Nikon D3, 24-70mm

August, Arctic Fox in summer coat, St Paul island, Alaska

Nikon D3, 200-400mm

August, Tufted Puffins, St Paul island, Alaska

Nikon D3, 200-400mm

August, Tufted Puffins, St Paul island, Alaska

Nikon D3, 600mm

December, Paradise Bay, Antarctica

Nikon D3, 24-70mm

And for the grand finale... the years BEST FAIL ;-P

August, Tufted puffin in flight, full frame (no crop) corner to corner... WITH A BEAK FULL OF FISH!

And I can't blame the camera's AF as I know perfectly well that, in the heat of the moment, I fully pressed the shutter before giving the camera time to lock on to the bird.

The Pribilof Islands

2010-08-10T01:06:00.000-07:00

I just returned from a short trip to St Paul island in Alaska's Pribilof archipelago with Greg Downing, Alan Murphy and Rebecca Jackrel.

Situated in the Bearing Sea, the Pribilofs are a very important nesting site for many of Alaska's sea birds, including the two pacific puffins and three auklet species.

I have a couple of thousand images of beautiful images of flower covered landscapes, northern fur seals, sea birds and amazing arctic foxes in summer coats to sort through and edit over the next few weeks but I thought I would share a preview with you.

This is one of my favorite images, despite the fact that I'm not a big fan of flight shots. However, the challenge of shooting puffins in flight was temptation enough to keep me glued to the wind swept sea cliffs for 6 hours last Thursday. Armed with my faithful D3 and a 600 f4 VR lens - wicked fast and sharp but extremely difficult to aim due to it's size - I tracked and panned the lightning fast little puffins until I had burned through my CF cards,.

By the time I pressed the shutter for this exposure I knew I had a good image. This bird had flown right down my ideal flight path at the right speed and with the right wing and head position. It felt right.

When I got home yesterday night I immediately downloaded it and checked it on my Mac to find out it was razor sharp... mission accomplished!

Enjoy!

Tufted Puffin in flight.

It's been a while...

2010-08-10T00:49:00.000-07:00

...since my last post, and I have a good reason.

Last April I decided to accept an offer to go and work for a large IT corporation in their creative department. It has been an interesting couple of months... specially since I haven't had a boss since 1997 and I haven't had to work in an office since 2005!!!

Anyway, the work is good, the money better and the team I work with is awesome. Plus now I don't have to deal with the uncertainties of the current photo industry market.

So, what am I doing as far as my nature photography? well, I still have my weekends and my vacation time. As a matter of fact I just returned from a 10 day trip to Alaska so look out for new images posted on my web in the near future.

Nature's Best Ocean Views Awards

2010-05-22T15:51:00.000-07:00

I'm pleased to announce that, out of more than 10,000 images, my photo of a grey seal has been selected as "Highly Honored" in the Nature's Best Photography Ocean Views Awards for 2010. To date this is the highest award any of my photos has received.

The winning images will be featured in the upcoming summer edition of the magazine.

The photo shows a male Grey Seal (Halichoerus grypus) scratching his face on an English beach (Donna Nook, Linconshire).

Art Exhibit

2010-05-22T08:51:00.000-07:00

As part of the "3rd Friday Art at the Supervisors' Offices" Supervisors Campos, Avalos, Chiu, Chu, and Mar are exhibiting the work of local artists in their offices at SF City Hall, 2nd Floor

A selection of my work will be on display at the office of San Francisco Supervisor David Campos until September.

Other artists showing their work include: Martin Zuniga, Daniel Macchiarini, Janet Pak, Sharon Leong, Jeffrey Thompson, Phyllis Rockne, Julie Jaycox, Robert Reed, Candace Loheed, David Rose, Donna Sharee, Katherine Hisako, Kodama, Marconi Calindas, Mike Callaghan, Martin Webb, Paola Coda, Lat Sene Diakhate, Emeline Mann Sanchez, Lollie Ortiz, princeHerman, Shizue Seigel, Tim J. Leary, Methanie Dempsay Binder, Lenea Maibaum, Diana Lee, Josephine Ko, Hiromi Motojima, Ranjani Mohana, Laura Anderson, Valerie Scott, Robin J. Schwartz

Going Live!

2010-04-24T13:40:00.000-07:00

The new 'flash-less' home page

Over the last few days we completed all final touches to the new web design and all the upgrades to the web app software... and my new web is finally up and running.

Apart from the obvious design change (larger home page, cleaner design, etc.) the main changes are:

Metadata: we can now tag images with keywords
Maps: images can be referenced on google maps
Private/client galleries: Password protection is now available for selected galleries
HiRes file download: Large hi-res files can be attached to images in the private galleries to give clients access to large files.

Out of principle and compatibility with portable devices (read: iPad) I have also removed all Flash code and added a mobile site compatible with smart phones (read: iPhone).

All I need to do now is review the images, fine tune the selections and start adding keywords and geotags :-)

Google maps based maps and geotags

Keyword tags

Testing... 1,2,3...

2010-04-09T11:26:00.000-07:00

My website's temporary 'new' look

It's testing time over at www.enriqueaguirre.com!

One of the benefits of collaborating with portafolionline.com in the development of the web app that runs my website is being able to play around with all the new features before they hit the release version.

Right now we are getting ready to release the updated system with tags (keywords), geotags (maps via gps coordinates), search, lightbox and hires download services plus a bunch of new templates AND mobile compatibility.

My website's temporary 'mobile' look

Right now I switched my design template (skin) to one of the newer version that supports mobile browsing and makes it easier for us to test the new features. Once testing is over I will then unveil my new site design, optimized to use all the new features.

Portafolionline is a great tool for photographers looking for a powerful yet easy to use web building app, if you want to find out more about it click HERE.

Lets try something new today... a guest blogger!

2010-04-01T12:43:00.000-07:00

Today's guest blogger is my dear friend Rebecca Jackrel.

Rebecca is a very talented photographer with an extreme sensibility for environmental issues and conservation. On our last trip together we experienced first hand the damage (knowingly or not) that visitors can do to a natural site. The following post is her take on the matter...

Loved to Death

Carol Leigh, a photographer based in Oregon, has run and maintained the "California Wildflower Hotsheet" since 1996.

The hotsheet was a goldmine of information about where and when to see wildflowers at their best. Whether you were looking for fields of California Poppies or sightings of the delicate Calypso Orchid, Carol had the scoop and gleefully and generously shared the information with the world.Unfortunately, the world can be rough, inconsiderate and rude without even knowing it.

What can be more romantic than a picnic lunch on a blanket in a field of wildflowers? How much can one blanket hurt? Or two? How about two hundred a weekend? Each with running children and dogs digging holes...

People just don't seem to look beyond themselves and their own desires these days. I was reminded of this on my trip to Death Valley. A car parked on the side of the road on top of a large growth of purple flowers when not 50 feet ahead was a barren turn off. The Racetrack area has become more accessible with a good grading of the track.

The first year I visited the Racetrack and the amazing moving rocks the track was bumpy and broken... even washed out in places. I carried a tire pump and two kinds of patch and made certain we had two vehicles in tandem in case we got into trouble. We ran into a handful of other visitors all with high clearance 4-wheel drives. This time, there were dozens of cars traveling in around the clock. Most completely ignorant of the risk of flat tire fromt he sharp rocks and even more who had no idea of off-road etiquette. Broken glass litters the campsite past the Racetrack. Tents were pitched in no-pitch areas along the road with cars pulled alongside making it difficult to pass and even more distressing were the number of foot prints etched into the lake bed surface and rocks taken from their trails.

These places can and will heal if we give them a chance but too much love, too much excitement and a desire not to miss out can smother flowers, places and people... we need to learn to walk softly again. To take only pictures and leave NO footprints so that those who come behind us can experience the same grandeur.

Rebecca's Blog HERE

Too close for comfort... or... how my friend almost got slapped by a baby whale

2010-03-15T11:15:00.000-07:00

Humpback whales, Silver Bank

See that black blob on the right side? that's my friend Juanma.

See that young calf's pec fin? that's way too close.

Young whales can be very curious and playful and we had to keep an eye open for when they came in to close to play/investigate. In this instance the calf came out of a blind spot and we didn't see it until it was right on us. Juanma had drifted a foot or two ahead of me and his left elbow was starting to get in my shots when the calf entered stage left. I managed to back up in time, but a second or two later the young whale's pec fin 'shaved' Juanma's mask and camera housing.

Serves him right for getting in my shot! Now he knows never to get between me and my subjects ;-)

Juanma doing his best sealion impersonation, Silver Bank

Florida Manatee family

2010-03-06T07:44:00.000-08:00

Florida Manatee (Trichechus manatus)

On our way back from the Dominican Republic we decided to stop over in Florida to photograph manatees. This part of the trip proved even more "interesting" than we expected and apart from some awesome 'tee encounters (like this cow and calf shown above) we had some unexpected surprises:

1) on our second day with at Crystal River we run in to what I can only describe as a 'hostile local' who decided that the spring where the manatees are taking refuge from the frigid temperatures was his personal play pool and caused close to 100 manatees to stampede in panic. I have never witnessed anything like it, a wall of scared blubber coming down on us at full manatee speed (I had no idea they could swim that fast), bumping in to each other, the rocks and the banks and in to the poor tourist that had come to swim with them (including some young children). I'm surprised no one was hurt, it could have been a real disaster.

My colleague Rebecca has a nice info post on the events and the back ground of this issue HERE.

2) later that day we had a powerful storm front push through the area with rain, storm surge and high tide that caused localized flooding, including the parking lot, dive shop and access road to our hotel.

3) I had my first underwater housing flood and lost a Nikon D200 to water damage.

As usual SW Florida provided wonderful photo opportunities both above and below the surface and I can wait to go back next winter!

Notes from the Field

2010-02-27T05:30:00.000-08:00

Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) female with calf. Silver Bank, Atlantic Ocean.

The first part of my trip is over, we have completed a week of underwater whale photography in the Silver Banks and I don't know if I can call it 'life changing' but it is certainly in the top 3 most amazing things I have ever done... right now I just don't have the words to express what it feels like to spend time underwater with these amazing creatures so I'm not going to even try!

On the Road... again.

2010-02-19T16:25:00.000-08:00

Today I set out on my first attempt at photographing humpback whales underwater. I have been lucky to see them and photograph them off the coast of California and Alaska many times, I have even seen them in Antarctica, but it has always been 'top side'.

By this time on Sunday I'll be, hopefully, in the warm waters of the Silver Bank with these graceful giants.

This will be my second underwater photography expedition, the first one in open waters (the first one was to photograph manatees in Florida).

To complement my 'top side' gear (Nikon D3 + 200-400mm VR) I'll be using a D200 + 12-24mm in a Nexus housing.

I'll try and post from the field (or ocean in this case) or at least keep a log and post it when I return.

Apple Aperture 3 released today

2010-02-09T09:39:00.000-08:00

Today Apple finally released the much anticipated Aperture 3

This is really exciting for me, for two different reasons. First because of all the new features included in the release and second because many of the photos used in the documentation, screenshots and tutorials are mine!!!

In spring last year Apple licensed over 100 of my bear photos (wild brown bears photographed in Finland and Alaska) and now I can finally say "look guys, those are my bear photos!!!

Yay!

Icons of the West on display

2010-02-01T13:13:00.000-08:00

A selection of my Icons of the West series will be on display at Thinkers Cafe in Potrero Hill (20th and Arkansas) during the month of February.

Enjoy!

Audubon Awards

2010-01-26T11:28:00.001-08:00

No luck for me in this edition of the Audubon photo competition, but they did choose one of my entries for the opening slideshow on the website

Truth in captioning...

2010-01-20T10:42:00.000-08:00

I guess we could all see this coming a mile away but it is now official, the BBC WPOTY winner has been disqualified.

Truth in captioning people, truth in captioning.

En Castellano

Sales trends for 2009

2010-01-11T11:00:00.001-08:00

The final numbers for 2009 from two of my stock agencies (names withheld to protect the innocent) just came through.

At first glance I can see the following trends:

1) World-wide number of images sold is up almost 50% but revenue is up only by 35% so price per image sold is down slightly, not a good trend but at least revenue is up.

2) US number of images sold remains unchanged but revenue is down almost 35%... not good... again, price per image is down 35% from 2008 and almost 65% from 2007... I want to cry.

More later this month when I get results from the other agencies.

My View

2010-01-04T14:26:00.001-08:00

The view from my home in SF... how I ever manage to leave the apartment is a mystery ;-P

New Work - Mirang Wonne

2010-01-04T14:02:00.000-08:00

The best thing about the location of my studio is that I'm surrounded by creativity. The building hosts around 50 studios and is part of an even larger community, the largest artist community in America.

Every day I go to work and get to hang out with painters, welders, sculptors, illustrators, etc. The building buzzes with creativity... it inspires and motivates.

One of the things that Rebecca and I like to do at Studio 107 (the soon to be official name for our studio) is help out our neighbors with their photo needs. Last week I got to work with Mirang Wonne, photographing her latest installation, a series of steel mesh panels with floral patterns. Individually the panels are really cool but when you hang a group of them together the installation creates an amazing play of light and shapes that I had a great time photographing using mixed daylight/flash conditions, even using some color gels. Fun, lots of fun :-)

All the best for 2010

2009-12-21T13:20:00.000-08:00

The winter solstice is here (finally the days will start getting longer, woohoo!!!), it is raining in SF and there is a beautiful rainbow over the bay... the new year is within sight.

I hope you all have a great 'holiday season' and an even better 2010!!!!

Thanksgiving Road Trip and New Work

2009-11-29T15:04:00.000-08:00

Facing the prospect of yet another 'orphan' Thanksgiving weekend my friend Dave Cattell and I jumped in to the Jeep and hit the road... destination the White Mountains.

The plan was to drive up to the bristlecone pine forest, camp and photograph the ancient trees, nature had other plans... We made it to Lee Vining/Mono Lake before a snow storm cut us off.

Despite not reaching our goal destination we had a great time photographing Mono Lake with great reflections and clouds at sunrise and a really nice vista of Lake Tahoe with snow at sunset... some of my best images yet of both lakes.

Enjoy!

In the Media...

2009-11-24T09:44:00.000-08:00

Last week I was interviewed by Cecilia from Tertulia Andaluza, an online magazine from southern Spain. The interview went live over the weekend... here it is. Enjoy.

Er, yes, I do cry like a girl when I get overwhelmed by nature ;-)

Welcome to The Ice

2009-11-18T11:13:00.000-08:00

When I talk about Antarctica I sometimes like to refer to it as The Ice, with a capital "I", in the same way that the sailors for the golden age of exploration did. There is a reason for this —the landscape that Scott, Shackleton or Amundsen saw is exactly that— ice, lots of ice, sometimes only ice.

On a few occasions you do get to see things other than ice, like liquid water, or maybe an island or a rock. When you are truly lucky you get to see the sun and maybe some animals.

Onboard a Russian ice-breaker, as we sailed through the pack ice across the Antarctic Sound, I experienced one of those great Antarctic moments.

The thick blanket of clouds began to break up on the horizon as sunset neared. The orange and yellow hues reflected on the small patches of calm water of the open leads.

As we approached Paulet island I was out on deck inebriated by the beauty of the ice and light. I was determined to capture at least a part of it.

I had to work fast as I moved from one corner of the deck to another looking for interesting patterns in the ice and pleasing compositions. I used all the techniques I have learned over the years to keep my camera as steady as possible while shooting handheld on a vibrating ship, I held the camera close to my body, I pressed it up against my face to hold it as still as possible, I held my breath, I hoped for the best and wished my lens was equipped with an image stabilizer.

Dawn and dusk at these extreme latitudes will last for ever, and ever and ever, and I burned through CF cards as the spectacle of ice and light got better and better. Orange and blue on the sun side, pink and pastel on the opposite side. A one point, with the tip of the Antarctic peninsula and Paulet island in sight on the horizon, I saw a ripple in the calm waters of one of the open leads.

My first thought was that a chunk of ice had broken loose as the ship cut through the pack ice. Then I saw another set of concentric ripples, a dark lump moving across the surface and a spray of water spouting in to the gelid air. I immediately tried to shout out "Whale to starboard!!!", "There she blows!!!" or something along those lines as a lone Antarctic Minke Whale (Balaenoptera bonaerensis) swam by us amongst the icebergs. I produced no sound. I had been on deck for hours and, amongst other things (like my fingers), my face was numb, my voice gone.

I moved along the deck and found a shooting angle that I liked, I hurriedly composed a frame.

In the resulting image the whale breaks the surface in the lower left angle trailed by concentric sets of ripples on the calm surface. The open water leads you to the opposite angle and in the top right corner you find the setting sun, shining bright orange against the silhouette of the tip of the continent, all around us, the contrasting blue and orange hues of fire and ice.

One would think that these graceful creatures would be safe here, in their antarctic castle of ice. However, despite (or due to, I'll leave that up to you to decide) the actions of the IWC the Japanese whaling fleet continues to hunt them in these waters shrouded under the cloack of 'scientific research'.

Fortunately for this whale the only think we pointed at it was cameras, no explosive harpoons this time. Another magic moment courtesy of The Ice.

More Antarctica photos

IWC catch info

New studio work

2009-11-10T17:14:00.001-08:00

I have finished uploading a few samples of this weekend's photoshoots to my website

It was a really high paced weekend shooting dancers at their dace studio in Oakland and then May back in out SF studio, plus a trip to photograph otters, a couple of dives to test the new underwater housing and then some family studio shots... I need some R&R!

Monterey Bay

2009-11-08T16:00:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I joined Rebecca Jackrel and Jim Goldstein on a sea otter safari. As usual we had a blast photographing not only otters but also some of the migrating shore birds and even some sea birds, including surf scoters.

This was only the second time that I have been able to photograph the scoters. The first time I accidentally deleted the images so right now I'm a very happy camper.

Toys for the boys...

2009-11-06T12:33:00.001-08:00

I just received my new (well, its 'pre-owned', remember kids: reuse and recycle!) underwater photography system.

I decided to get an inexpensive (relatively) Nikon D200 with a 12-24mm f4G DX and a Nexus housing in preparation for my Feb/March trips to the Silver Banks and Florida.

My reasoning is that by adding a D200 to my lineup I now also have a DX camera body to complement my current FX body, an inexpensive model just in case the housing floods and a light hiking landscape camera for backpacking trips... all in one :-)

Upcoming Events: Art Walk

2009-09-28T10:14:00.000-07:00

On the weekend of October 23rd/25th I will be participating in the open studios art walk organized by ArtSpan. These opens studio weekends are a great way to get to discover new artist and purchase great work directly from the creators.

This will be my first ever open studio event as a part of the Islais Creek community and I will be presenting some of my most recent work, including a preview of the 'Relativity' project as well as some of my classic landscape and wildlife prints.

Where: Islais Creek Studios, 1 Rankin st. SF, CA 94124

Upcoming events: XVII AEFONA Annual Conference & 6th International Wildlife Photography Festival

2009-09-28T09:56:00.000-07:00

I have been invited to participate as a keynote speaker in the XVII AEFONA Annual Conference & 6th International Wildlife Photography Festival to be held in Santander (Spain) between October 10th and 12th.

This a very exciting opportunity for me, not only to present my work on coastal landscape and wildlife back home in Spain, but also to meet some of the other great photographers, journalists, scientist and conservationists that will be attending, including Lassi Rautiainen (Photographer, Finland) and Heather Clark-Charrington (WPOTY Brand Manager, UK).

During the conference I will be giving two presentations:

Sat 10th Oct. - 7:45pm "Coasts, life on the edge" Slideshow and image commentary.

Sun 11th Oct - 8:00pm "D.A.M. Digital Asset Management" technical talk.

All about my iPhone

2009-09-18T10:30:00.001-07:00

I will start by making a confession... I have become addicted to my iPhone.

Why? well, I'm not a heavy phone user but I do rely heavily on email for work so up to now I have always had a Mac at work and one at home... since I got the iPhone I have done without the home Mac and that means that when I get home I get to relax more, catch up on reading and still stay in touch with clients (some are in Europe and the time difference means that most of the communication with them is out of regular office hours) and friends. Not only that but I now have navigation for the car and public transport routes... I no longer get lost driving in SF or end up in dodgy areas of town when I take the wrong bus! I also have a small portfolio of work to show prospective clients and 24/7 access to my website, etc.

The real power of the iPhone comes from its applications, so here is a list of the ones I have downloaded (standard pre-installed apps have not been included in this list).

- AccuWeather - awesome weather predictions... hourly, 15 predictions, maps, radar, etc
-Weather Eye - more weather as backup for AccuWeather
- WeatherBug - if you count the standard one pre loaded on the iPhone, this is my 4rd weather app... I'm 50% English and 100% photographer, I can never have enough weather info ;-)
- CheapGas - self explanatory... closest gas station with the cheapest gas in the area
- Craighsphone - CraigsList for the iPhone... need a new hard top for the Jeep?
- Currency - great for travelers
- Darkness - this is one of the few apps I use that is not free, but it was the best couple of bucks I spent on the iPhone... sun and moon positions, angles, setting times, etc... great help setting up sunrise/set photos.
- Facebook - FB on the iPhone is as dangerous as crack cocaine in candy
- Fandango - find movies and theaters
- Flashlight - as simple as can be, a white, bright screen to shine light on the keyhole when I get home late at night
- Flickr Search - make fast searches on Flikr!
- Google earth
- Google Mobile
- iBart - awesome for getting around SF on the BART system, it has all the route maps, schedules and station locations
- Amazon Mobile
- Kindle for iPhone
- Lonely Planet SF
- MotionX GPS - another pay app, but a great little GPS system to find my way back to the car while scouting new locations
- Movies - backup for Fandango
- NPR news - NPR streamed for the iPhone... I'm a 'This American Life' addict
- NYTimes - more biased liberal media!
- Scrabble - guilty as charged
- Shazam - this app used voodoo or something like that to ID songs from the radio or playing in a store... I have no idea how they do it but it is A-W-E-S-O-M-E!!!!
- Skype
- Surf Report
- Tides - Cant imagine going diving without checking these last two apps
- Tip Calculator - Splitting bills and tipping for dummies
- Urbanspoon - great for finding a local restaurant or choosing randomly between favorite watering holes
- Wikipanion - Wikipedia for iPhone... I no longer need a long term memory
- Yahoo! Mobile - Flikr, Messenger, Groups, etc.

And last but not least my new favorite app...

RUNKEEPER
When I started running again seriously a few years ago and noticed that if I could keep track of runs I got motivated easier and run more often so I did some research and bought a Nike+ sensor for my iPod nano.
It worked great for 3 or 4 years but it is based on an accelerometer and can sometimes be inaccurate. Then I discovered this little FREE app that uses GPS to track your runs, plots them on a map and keeps a history of your workouts including time distance, map, average speed and minutes per kilometer. I love it!

BTW, last 2 week workouts: 7.3k, 7.2k, 7.7k, 8.2k, 8.4k, 9k, 9,6k, 6k (speed intervals)

Oh! and once in a while i do make a phone call from it ;-P

New Work - studio b&w

2009-09-08T12:36:00.000-07:00

During the studio warming party we had a chance to take some portrait shots of some of the guest. Actually, Rebecca got to take more than me, I was having trouble being in three different places at the same time ;-)
Above are Liz and Corey in black and white.

New Work - Relativity

2009-08-31T10:15:00.001-07:00

This weekend (after way to long) I managed to get out and do some shooting for my Relativity project. The cloud cover and gray sky created the ideal conditions for the type of shooting that this project requires. I chose the Embarcadero area as the Golden Gate bridge was hiding in the fog. The area provided not only views of the Ferry building but also of the Bay Bridge (one of my favorite images from the session, see above), trams, etc.
Just seven more subjects to go and I'll be done!

Note to self: must start running down the Embarcadero... miles of uninterrupted (no streets to cross, no cars to dodge) sidewalk by the cool water.

Postcards from the Field - Alaska pt2

2009-08-10T15:20:00.000-07:00

The Inside Passage is amazing in summer. We had an great time in Craig (with Captain Kathy Peavy Island Charters & Excursions Cell: 907-254-3856) watching and photographing the breachings... so much fun I might just have to return next summer for more Alaskan Flying Whales.

McNeil River

2009-08-05T11:01:00.001-07:00

Grizzly feeding on chum salmon.

As I mentioned in a previous post... one of the most amazing bear experiences EVER!!!

Postcards from the Field - Alaska pt1

2009-07-27T09:48:00.000-07:00

Back in Homer, AK, after 5 days out in the McNeil River Sanctuary, Katmai, AK., photographing grizzly bears.
McNeil is one of the most amazing wilderness areas that I have been fortunate enough to visit and is home to one of the largets concentrations of brown bears on the planet. Every summer dozens of grizzly bears congregate in the area to feed on the salmon runs. The highlight is watching them fish at the falls.
The sanctuary has a basic campsite (pit toilet, no shower and you must filter/treat all drinking water) and a ranger escorts a small group of no more than 10 on daily hikes to watch the bears. A lottery system for the permits, the remoteness of the area and the long hikes help keep this a low visitation area... the weather takes care of the rest!!! We "enjoyed" 50 mile an hour winds and torrential rain for most of our stay, fortunatelly our tent held up and when the weather gave us a break we made the most of the photo opportunities.
Next stop... Inside Passage and (fingers crossed) humpback whales!

Back home... again... and new work

2009-07-15T13:16:00.000-07:00

Such is the life of the wildlife photographer.... you send way too much time out in the field away from the people you love.
On Tuesday I returned from 9 days hiking the Yosemite Wilderness, traveling between the High Sierra Camps, from Tuolumne to Vogelsang, Merced to Sunrise and back. A trip full of leg breaking climbs, ravenous mosquitoes and amazing views like the one above - sunset over Mt Florence seen from Sunrise HSC.

Downsizing

2009-07-03T17:35:00.000-07:00

The economy has started to take a tool on photography magazines.
Today, Nature's Best Magazine announced that it is going from quarterly to semiannually publication. More HERE

Good luck guys!

More sales and a few surprises

2009-06-27T10:34:00.000-07:00

This morning I was browsing through the June/July issue of National Geographic Adventure, it must have arrived while I was in Wyoming, and came across one of my howler monkeys from Belize!!!! (p39) I was not expecting that as that period has not been reported yet by my agent
Nice surprise before breakfast!
It joins recent sales to Time Magazine, Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Nat Geo OnLine :-)

Home again

2009-06-25T13:31:00.000-07:00

Summer in the Rockies... awesome!
I just returned form a 10 day trip to the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone NPs. Lots of bison, some flowers and some of the most amazing scenery in the US... plus lots and lots of rain.
Now all I need to do is find time to edit the over 3200 photos :-(

Postcards from the field

2009-06-19T08:52:00.000-07:00

Full Moon

2009-06-09T17:27:00.000-07:00

Just in case you need more proof that SF is one of the most beautiful cities in the world...
Full moon over SF and the Bay Bridge as seen from Sausalito.
One of the joys of working with the D3 is that you can dial up the ISO and cut exposure times, avoiding objects moving though the frame.

New Promo Cards

2009-06-09T15:46:00.001-07:00

I just got my new promo cards for the studio and portrait photography
printed...

Photographed and posted from my iPhone ... still nerding out on the new 'toy' ;-)

Mobile test 3

2009-06-09T15:04:00.001-07:00

Let's try with a photo!

Mobile test 2

2009-06-09T15:01:00.001-07:00

From iphone test two

Sent from Enrique's iPhone
www.enriqueaguirre.com

Guest photographer at FONACOR

2009-06-04T11:57:00.000-07:00

A small portfolio of my work is being features in the Guest Photographer of the FONACOR website. FONACOR is the Cordoba Association of Nature Photographers, a very talented group of photographers from the Spanish town of Cordoba. Some of them I had met at AEFONA meeting and other events back when I lived in Spain and I knew of their great work, others have been a great surptise to me this morning as I browesed their galleries... they bought me back great memories of my native Andalusia.

New article on-line at Fotonatura

2009-06-03T12:22:00.000-07:00

Fotonatura.org has just published an article I wrote about the otter with the video camera and the mixed feelings I have had about it since the photo went viral. The article is in Spanish only.

The article
My Gallery @ Fotonatura

Updated navigation for website!

2009-06-01T14:13:00.000-07:00

I updated the nature site to include the new style navigation with grayed out background, floating images and pop-up arrows, however, it is not Google or iPhone friendly so I retained the traditional html pages by adding a text link to them under the photo thumbnail. This will also display the description text that is lost when you use the more modern and flashy style.
Now I get the best of both worlds!

Above is what you get with the 'old school' html navigation...

... below is the new style navigation with javascript

Enjoy!

New work - Tahoe

2009-05-29T22:49:00.001-07:00

I recently got a chance to redeem myself, photographically speaking. I had visited Tahoe a few times before and had gone as far as to check doppler radar to track a storm but had yet to get an image I was truly happy with.
I got close in November but the smoke from a controlled burn busted my chance of a sunset photo and Ihad to settle for a full daylight shot.
Recently I got to spend a few days by the lake with Margaret and we visited Emerald lake a few days in a row until we got the right conditions for a dusk light show... a clearing thunder storm to the east over the lake and a clear horizon to the west over Desolation wilderness.
This is one of the images from that remarkable evening.
Enjoy!

Website navigation update

2009-05-29T16:20:00.000-07:00

The new javascript is now online and photo galleries have NEXT / PREV navigation arrows!

Tips for dealing with lost luggage

2009-05-25T13:33:00.001-07:00

If you have ever had a bag lost by an airline you know how frustrating it can be and how useless the luggage charts printed on the claim forms are.
So, how do you describe your bag to the agent?
Before you fly take a pic of it with your point and shoot, or cell phone camera and when they ask "what type of bag is it?" and you look a the chart with all those 1960/70 styles that look nothing like yours, all you have to do is whip out your cell phone and show them.

New Portrait website

2009-05-23T17:20:00.000-07:00

Over the past few months I have felt that I have been doing quite a bit more 'people' work and that it was starting to warrant its on space online and not just a sideline on my website and hidden behind the critters and landscapes. Last month I started working with Juanma Orta to create a new site for these portraits and urban images.
We started with the premise that it should follow the same plan as the nature photography site but it should also have its own feel. We started by cloning the site and choosing a different color scheme, moving away from the green/black to the more lively orange/gray palette.
Another significant change is the image presentation, I decided to use a javascript to fade the background ad highlight the images, felt it had a slightly more modern feel to it than the html style of the original site. The current script is a bit basic but we are working on a nicer one that will improve navigation between photos and even offer the option to view them as a slide show (right now you have to click off the image to return to the thumbnails and select a new image from there), it is just a matter of merging the script in to the site's code and make sure it doesn't break anything. I am aware that this might cause a few hicups with SEO and Google but I don't think clients will be searching for my portrait work the same way they do for my nature work.

I have just uploaded my new website www.enriqueaguirrephoto.com it runs using the same engine that Juanma designed for Portafolio Online so adding content is increadibly easy and I will be doing so as often as I can or as soon as I shoot new work.

My old Nature photography site will remain active and will be updated with new work (and maybe even with the new javascript for the galleries if I like the way it works on the portrait site).

Enjoy and thanks for looking!!!

Changes to my web

2009-05-17T15:52:00.000-07:00

I completed phase one of my website re-design. I have a new HOME page with a slideshow of my images. The images are picked at random.
Over the next few weeks I will also add a new javascript image viewer and a new selection of images, this will involve adding some new ones and deleting a lot of the old ones, I think the portfolios need to me a bit more structured and focused than they are now.

ONE A WEEK pt 16

2009-04-30T16:09:00.001-07:00

Greater Prairie Chicken

Here are a couple of sample images from my recent trip to North Dakota and Minnesota where I spent a few days photographing greater prairie chicken at their booming grounds.

Milestones - My first DSLR

2009-04-15T12:20:00.000-07:00

Left: Great Egret, Venice, Florida

Well, I must confess it wasn't really MY DSLR, it was my sister's.
It was late winter 2003 and I had just returned from my first trip to the Flakland and was visiting friends in Florida. Tania asked me to pick up a Nikon D100 for her while I was in the States.
I still resisted switching from film to digital as I didn't want to sacrifice my wide angles and had decided to wait for a full frame camera. Back then most DSLRs had a crop factor.
So I found myself in Southwest Florida with my F100, a 500mm tele, thousands of birds and a D100 in an unopened box... the temptation to play with it was too great and within a couple of hours the box was open, the battery charged and a 512Mb CF card inserted and formatted.
I set up the D100 as well as I knew... back then that meant LARGE JPEG as RAW was still a strange file format to me (bummer, I would kill to have a go at a RAW file for this photo right now) and set out to 'test the camera to see that it is working right' or at least that was the excuse I gave my sister when I presented her with an open box :-)
That day I photographed terns on Sanibel island's beaches and herons at Ding Darling NWR and the next day I set out for the heron rookery in Venice.
I arrived well before sunrise and waited for the birds to wake and the sun to come out from behind the line of trees.
The morning was slightly hazy and the soft light lit up this great egret while the dark trees in the background remained in shadow, I exposed for the highlights knowing the dark areas would be rendered black (thanks Ansel, your zone system rules), fired a test shot and watch the result on the rear LCD screen... WOW!, it looked great and I did not have to wait to get back home to develop the slides, no guesswork, I could check things out int he field!!!
I returned to my subject and waited for the bird to continue it's courtship dance.
I can't rememebr how many shots I took, I culled them on the LCD, buit it must have been at least 20 and kept the best of the series. I had no idea how much memory I was going to need during the rest f the trip and I only had that one CF card and no intention of going back to the F100 and Velvia.
When I returned home to my day job I started looking for my own DSLR, it had to be full frame and that posed a problem... a $8000 problem as the only model available back then was the Canon EOS 1Ds... well more than $8K as I woul also need a new set of lenses :-(
By that fall I had found a good deal on the EOS and my winter I had a full compliment of glass.
The rest is history.

ONE A WEEK pt 15

2009-04-15T12:18:00.000-07:00

Tango dancers at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco, CA.

ONE A WEEK pt 14

2009-04-12T19:22:00.000-07:00

Moving up to week 14, I'll fill in the gaps later...

Study in architecture and motion, Legion of Honor, San Francisco.

Yesterday I accompanied Margaret to an outdoor Tango meet at the Legion of Honor. While she glides like and angel I can't dance to save my life so I spent the afternoon photographing the building and the dancers. Light conditions sucked so I started experimenting with motion blur and breaking 'the rules' for both the dancers and the building.
It was fun, but I am starting to feel the call of the wilderness.
The results varied quite a bit but I think I ended up with a couple or three series that could be the start of an interesting project.

ONE A WEEK pt 11

2009-03-31T13:53:00.000-07:00

Playing catch-up... after 2 weeks out of action due to flu and bronchitis (I'm getting old) and not taking a single shot I need to resort to pulling stuff out of the archives...
Humpback whale and the Golden Gate Bridge (faint red outline above the horizon) just wish the atmosphere had been clearer that afternoon.

Milestones - My first Nat Geo credit

2009-03-16T11:02:00.000-07:00

This morning I was doing the rounds online and came across my first ever Nat Geo credit! I is just for the news website but it still made my day!

ONE A WEEK pt 10

2009-03-15T12:52:00.001-07:00

Clearing Storm, Yosemite

First it was blisters and the aches and pains from the snow hike last weekend, now it is the flu that have kept me out of action for the whole week so I am taking the liberty to count one of the Yosemite shots as this weeks photo post... I present the always beautiful Bridal Veil Fall.

Enjoy.

ONE A WEEK pt 9

2009-03-10T13:38:00.001-07:00

The last rays of light shine through the storm clouds to light up SF's skyscrapers.

New Work - Yosemite

2009-03-09T18:13:00.000-07:00

I just returned from a winter backpacking trip to Glacier Point, Yosemite.

The first night of the trip I camped in the valley and had a chance to shoot another amazing Yosemite clearing storm moment.

Later I backpacked from Badger Pass to Glacier Point and spent a very cold night camped out there in order to photograph Half Dome as few people get to see it in full winter glory.

Now I am nursing my wounds and resting from one of the toughest trips I have ever done!

Tao of Wildlife Photography

2009-03-05T11:52:00.000-08:00

From Bruce Haley's "Tao of War Photography"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#53) Accept the inevitable: if your agency syndicates a 30-picture set worldwide, rest assured that the five photos you like least will be published eons before your favorite five ever see the light of day.....
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This also applies to photos of sea otters ;-)

Milestones - My first cover

2009-03-05T11:18:00.000-08:00

Maori carving, Rotorua, New Zealand
I really can't remember if this was shot in 1999 or 2000 :-( however, this shot has had some very good response. It featured in the travel feature I produced for the magazine I worked for at the time and later sold a few more times via Alamy Images.

It was also my first cover, the Footprint New Zealand travel guide.

ONE A WEEK pt 8

2009-02-28T13:34:00.000-08:00

Stanford Memorial Church, during last night's performance of Missa Brevis, part of the Pan Asian Music Festival.
This was my first visit to the church and I was surprised by how beautiful it is. I also had great access to different areas and was able to move around and try different angles during the performance. This is may favorite, and the D3 did an awesome job handling the vast difference between the highlights and the shadows as well as the low lighting conditions that required high ISOs and long exposures.
The performance starts with a water percussion concerto. A very interesting piece that you still have a chance to see at tonight's encore (the last event of the 2009 edition of the festival).

Milestones - How it all started

2009-02-24T18:46:00.000-08:00

I will be turning 40 in 3 weeks... there, I said it. Do I feel better? hell NO!
While trying to take stock of the last few years and how my work has progressed, I started thinking about how I got to were I am. I went back and took a look at my files and pulled out a few images that I feel are important to me for one reason or another.
I have been photographing since I was 14, when I took a darkroom class at high school, and believe me I have produced huge amounts of crap since then.
Most of my work from the pre-slides days has been lost as I cleared my rooms, moved out of my parents or from one apartment to another... and that might be a good thing ;-)
Apart from a few 'family-and-friends' photos I have nothing left from before 1996. After that I have a bunch of boring photos of 'things'.
I don't like photos of 'things'.
I like photos of light.
The most interesting object can look bland in bland light and a common object can take on new life when the light is right.
I think the first turning point in my photographic work came when I realized that, and I believe that this photo might be the one that made me take that turn.
I think this photo is from circa 1998. It is an Ektachrome 100 slide and I don't have a date stamp for it but I know that I took this on a March afternoon in the Sierra de Cazorla, back in Spain. I could try to narrow down the date as I remember the car I was driving that day. I remember pulling it out of a snow back earlier that day in the higher ranges of the park. I remember driving back to the small mountain village that we were staying and watching the sun peak out through a gap in the clouds over a ridge.
This ordinary ridge with no outstanding features looked like the centre of the universe, lit up by the setting sun. It was no El Capitan, no Grand Teton. It was a humble ridge with a small forest.
I remember hitting the breaks hard, the wheels of my SUV throwing stones as they came to a halt. I remember my companions looking at me like as was crazy.
I remember pulling out my Nikon and taking 2 shots, handheld. I remember looking a the filmstrip two weeks later when I got the slides back from the lab. I remember throwing away all images from that trip except the two shots of this ridge (the other one has a closer crop).
I remember telling myself that I should make sure that from then on my photos should be about light not things.
I still need to remind myself of that, I still keep forgetting.

In the press

2009-02-18T17:26:00.001-08:00

The Santa Cruz Sentinel is running a piece on the crazy otter with the video cam HERE.

This was also picked up by the San Jose Mercury, a bunch of other Bay Areas news papers and KGOTV/ABC Ch7 in SF

I managed to catch it on video with my cell phone (YES!!! finally! I have a new cell phone)

Enjoy!

Stanford Pan Asian Music Festival

2009-02-18T15:38:00.000-08:00

The 2009 edition of the Stanford Pan Asian Music Festival is on until February 28th. I have been commissioned to document a few of the performances. The shows are really interesting and surprising... last year I got to watch the SLOrk perform with their iBooks (mind-blowing) and on Saturday I got to hear Iranian singer-song writer Mohsen Namjoo play the setar and cover David Bowie's 'The Man Who Sold the World'... way, way cool.

You can check out the schedule for the festival HERE

ONE A WEEK pt 7

2009-02-18T15:30:00.000-08:00

Escape from Alcatraz :-)

A few shy sun rays shine on Alcatraz between storms.

Baby photo lighting diagram

2009-02-06T15:27:00.000-08:00

I have been asked to post a bit more detail on how I took the baby photo posted here earlier this week, so I made a small sketch of how I shot it:

Standing on a chair and shooting down at the kid in it's crib. I used a D3 with a SU800 wireless flash controller to fire the 2 SB600 through 45" white umbrellas. Flashes were set to iTTL as main light (1/250 sec @ f5.6 ISO200).
The goal was to get a very soft, even light to try and make the kid look as cute and innocent as possible.
Post-processing was done in Apple Aperture (WB, contrast, etc) and Photoshop (final tweaking and a touch of skin smoothing).

Photography and Conservation

2009-02-06T14:25:00.000-08:00

This month I have the honor of being the guest of the month on Delphin Ruche's website.

Delphin is a french biologist with a wicked eye for photography, check out his website HERE, and my guest photo as well as previous ones HERE.

Like many of us, Delphin believes in using photography as a way to bring awareness to environmental issues, as his selection of my albatross photos and short text clearly shows that.

ONE A WEEK pt 6

2009-02-05T15:10:00.000-08:00

The California Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco.

It's a wild, wild world.

2009-02-03T21:51:00.001-08:00

This morning a bunch of us took a boat ride through Elkhorn Slough organized by Rebecca, with the hopes of photographing some otters. About half way though the trip we spotted an otter that appeared to be holding a very large clam. As we got closer I got ready to start shooting, I aimed the lens, focused and saw what is possible the funniest thing I have ever seen a wild animal do... this crazy otter was filming us with a camcorder!!!!
I didn't really have a good shooting angle and the otter swam away before I got a really god shot but here is a crop of the only (and slightly blurred) photo I got.

I can't stop thinking about what might have happened if we had got closer! Who was this amazing otter? Ridley Sc-otter? Steven S-otter-bergh? Clint Otter-wood? Did it get a good shot of us? when will it release the movie? I can't wait to see it!!!

Oh, and by the way... this is real, not a Photoshop montage , I swear!!!

Espon Stylus Pro 4800 - The Beast

2009-02-02T16:08:00.000-08:00

I finally got the 4800 back from the service center. All I can say is that it is a completely different league than the R1800.
I has taken me a couple of days to get drivers loaded, inks sorted out (I wish I could swap the black to matte without a fuss but that is not going to be possible right now), roll paper loaded and to pluck up the courage to fire it up and run a print.

It is going to take a while until I'm completely familiar with this monster, but at least now it is up and running AND prints a coming out of it!!!

The whole thing is like coordinating a lunar mission. I kind of need a drink now.

New Work - Kids

2009-02-02T12:46:00.000-08:00

This is little Duende Lucia, just 3 months old and America's next super model!
I'm currently expanding my portfolio in to areas that I had not explored in the past (children photography) and reviving others (portrait, product, etc.)... times are tough and I need to diversify.

Run not so fat boy, run!

2009-02-02T12:31:00.000-08:00

My new Nike Air Moto5+

Last week I busted the air chamber in the heel of my previous pair. I had had them since March 2007 and had logged close to 500Km with them (out of the over 600Km with my iPod sensor).
Since 2007 Nike has updated the Moto+ a few times, the current version is the Moto6+, but I found these Moto5+ heavily discounted on their online store. They arrived on Saturday, and after I dropped the iPod sensor in them, they got baptized on Sunday with a short 5.25 Km run to break them in. It turned out that it was not necessary, they are sooo comfortable! Very light, amazing cushioning (a must when you run on paved streets), plenty of toe room, no pinching, no squeezing, it is almost as if they custom made them just for me :-)

Targets for February:
min distance per run= 7Km
max distance per run= 10Km

ONE A WEEK pt 5

2009-01-30T10:27:00.000-08:00

And with this photo I'm up to date with January, next month I will try to post them in order once a week.

Week 5: The Sentinel Building and the Transamarica Pyramid. I love the contrast in light color and age of the two buildings.

ONE A WEEK pt 4

2009-01-29T11:56:00.000-08:00

Week 4: The Thinker by Auguste Rodin ( one of the over 20 cast that exist of this sculpture) at the The California Palace of the Legion of Honor.

What is he thinking about? The laws of gravity? The economy? What's for lunch? Actually, it is supposed to depict Dante at the gates of Hell pondering his poem

ONE A WEEK pt1,2 & 3

2009-01-27T18:25:00.000-08:00

I have decided not to travel far for the next few months, I'll stay closer to home and shoot some of the stuff that I have been ignoring since I got her. I have fallen victim of the "its right here, I can shoot it any time" mentality, so now I plan of 'bagging' at least one iconic view of SF and the extended Bay Area every week. Here are the first three of the year...

Week 1: Ocean Beach (left)- I have a very similar shot from the Falklands (right), only instead of people it has penguins :-)

Week 2: Baker Beach - I have shot the GGB from Baker beach a few times before but this time I got the light, the clouds and the reflection I wanted.

Week 3: Point Reyes - Rebecca and Ian dragged me out of bed kicking and screaming at 04:30 to drive up to Point Reyes. We had planned to 'shoot' (LOL... shoot int he 'good' way, with a camera) Tule Elk but the weather forecast made us plan a little scenic photography before the search for elk.

When it all comes together...

2009-01-13T20:57:00.000-08:00

When most people think of great diving they think of some tropical paradise... Hawaii, Belize, Cocos, Galapagos, Sulawesi or the Red Sea... for me, today, it was Point Lobos.

Yes the water was cold (52°F) and no there are not hundreds of turtles waiting for you to pet them, but the water was calm and as clear as it gets down there, the remains of the kelp beds looked great back lit by the winter sun rays filtering in from the surface, the nudibranchs are breading and out in full force (truck loads of them!), seals were keeping an eye on us at the edge of visibility, we saw an otter on the surface as we swam back to shore and the dive team directly behind us had a close encounter of the third kind, subtype E ;-) with a gray whale in the same area that we had just swam by less than 30 minutes earlier. Oh! and did I mention that the air temp. was +72°F :-)

If someone came up to me and told me I could sign up and make all my dives like this... I might be tempted to accept (despite the 5 minutes of brain freeze until your face gets used to (or loses all sensibility) the cold water.

New Images: Florida and Manatees!

2009-01-06T07:32:00.000-08:00

New year, new images... Margaret and I took a short trip to Florida over the Christmas break. Apart from the usual shots of birds and gators we hoped to photograph manatees. This presented a few complications as I had never before used a DSLR underwater. UW housings are large and heavy and if you don't set them up right they can flood and ruin you gear. Fortunately I was lucky enough to get some 'dry training' and the underwater sessions went smoothly.
Manatee are true gentle giants, they are friendly and not capable of hurting anyone. When you snorkel with them they will actually seek you out and 'request' than you scratch their belly. In Florida they have been at risk mostly from human impact on their habitat, water pollution and boat strikes. It is amazing how many 'tees have scars o their backs from propeller cuts. In the channels that connect the rivers and springs with the Gulf of Mexico waters are shallow, sometimes dark, manatees move slowly and can't react fast enough to avoid speeding boats. The resulting impact will not only leave a nasty scar it might result in a broken rib that might damage a lung and sentence the animal to a slow painful death. Hopefully, efforts to educate the population and the work of the FWS protection vital habitat will be sufficient to protect the manatee population in Florida.

You can see my manatee photos HERE together with a selection from my many trips to the Everglades... enjoy!

Milestones

2009-01-05T08:47:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of 2008 I set myself a few goals for the year. One of those was to get accepted in to Getty images, mission accomplished.
Another goal was to have 3000 images online at Alamy by the end of the year... mission accomplished... almost.
I did have 3000 uploaded by 12/31/2008 but the last 30 won't be available for sale until tomorrow.

To view/purchase those images and others at Getty, Alamy and my other agencies click here

Last 10 songs heard on iTunes...

2008-12-14T12:46:00.000-08:00

Truth Doesn't Make A Noise - The White Stripes
Wish you were here - Seguridad Social (a cover of Pink Floyd's masterpiece)
Misery'n - Janis Joplin
Enter Sandman - Metallica
Blind Man, Blind Man - Herbie Hancock
Boys Don't Cry - The Cure
Road Trippin' - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Try (Just A Little Bit Harder) - Janis Joplin
Instinct Blues - The White Stripes
Shine On You Crazy Diamond - Pink Floyd

iTunes random shuffle really likes to mix it up.

An open letter to curry house / Indian restaurant cooks

2008-12-12T10:36:00.000-08:00

Dear Curry Master,

I thought you would like to know that we are not all blessed with an iron-clad stomach, some of us have been cursed and must live our sorry lives eating what you would consider a tasteless, bland substitute for real food. However, once in a blue moon I will try to bring some joy to my life and order a curry. My only concession is that it must be 'mild'... my palate and stomach are delicate, they thrive on Mediterranean flavors... fresh tomatoes, rosemary, citrus. I must have a slight allergy to chili peppers, they make me light headed as if I was stoned and I am very sensitive to 'spicy-hot', in mouth it overwhelms all other flavors and makes me eat fast... very fast, in a kind of 'please-stop-the-pain' way fast.

That is why I ask for 'mild' I just don't think your idea of mild is the same as mine.

For future reference...

Mild: lame, bland, a curry that is an insult to your heritage, something you could feed to a 3 year old and would make it giggle, wrinkle its nose and stick its tongue out at you with a cute smile

Medium: still a half-arsed attempt at Indian cuisine but starting to get interesting

Hot: That's more like it, just like your Mom made it, this will make you grow hair on your chest

Very Hot: Call 911, I just got a perforated stomach ulcer and third degree burns to my esophagus

Now, what you gave me last night was a evil, spoon melting weapon of mass destruction. My lips are numb, I haven't slept all night and now I know why Godzilla was so angry, breathing fire and trying to destroy the world, it wasn't a nuclear accident, it was your curry.

Back in Town

2008-12-12T00:08:00.000-08:00

I just returned from a trip to Hawaii. I visited two islands:

1) Kauai with my wife, Margaret, for some well deserved R&R (Margaret is almost done with her Masters degree and has been working/studying very hard over the past year and a half, she deserves many trips like this), scuba diving and, of course, some photography. We decided to take a helicopter ride over the Na Pali coast (on our previous visit we had visited it via a rigid hull inflatable boar), all I can say is that it was spectacular and I got some amazing shots... well worth the ticket. Photos HERE

2) After Kauai I visited Midway Atoll as part of an Oceanic Society group with my friend and colleague Rebecca Jackrel. After a few years without a visitor plan the refuge is now open to limited public visitation, via group permits, and we decided to get in before they change their minds again!!! Midway Atoll is one of those place where nature can overwelm you, just like the Serengetti, Falkland Islands, Galapagos, etc... you get the picture, if not HERE are some of mine ;-)

Lake Tahoe

2008-11-12T12:03:00.000-08:00

I just returned from a kamikaze run (a quick drive there and back trying to make the most of possible weather opportunities). I had hoped the latest storm would have dumped some snow along the lake. Unfortunately that was not the case (well it did snow but didn't stick in the lower elevations). To add insult to injury, on Sunday evening just as the sun and the clouds were getting ready for a awesome display, someone from the forest service decided that it would be a nice time for a prescribed burn... I came back with one nice shot before the smoke killed visibility and ruined my photo shoot.
At least I got something, plus a chance to do some 'recon' for future shots.

Scuba Gear

2008-11-12T11:44:00.000-08:00

OK, I finally got my own gear sorted out, no more rentals!

I got a couple of second hand items and a few hand-me-downs.

Environmental protection: AquaLung 7mm aquaflex (very confy and toasty) plus 5mm hood, gloves and boots (DeepSea/Aqualung)
Buoyancy: ScubaPro Glide Plus BCD with integrated weight system and Air 2 alternate air source (even though in the photo I'm still using the Seaquest witht he traditional octo)
Regulator: ScubaPro Mk2/R390 (basic but works well)
Computer: Suunto Cobra air integrated (Sweeeeeeettttt!!!! this is a really serious piece of geat but I guess that you can never be too carefull with you dive times, N2 loads and such)
Fins: Mares Volo
Mask: Mares XVision (I got these because they fit really well and don't pinch me under preasure) with corrective lenses... I can almost see better U/W than I do top side with my regular glasses!
Snorkel: um, lets see... oh, yes!, that would be somewhere in Point Lobos stuck un kelp, next time I will get a better attachment system :-(

Vote...

2008-11-04T13:24:00.000-08:00

Vote with your heart, vote with your brain, vote with your conscience...

JUST GET OUT THERE AND VOTE!!!

Website Update

2008-10-14T14:54:00.000-07:00

I added new images to the gallery:

• CityScapes

• Fauna

I added a new gallery:

• Blue Angels

Enjoy!

Blue Angels - San Francisco Fleet Week

2008-10-10T17:43:00.000-07:00

THIS IS SO MUCH FUN!
I have spent the last couple of days photographing the Blue Angels as they practice for the weekend air show and I'm having way too much fun!
Here is a little taste...

The two little dots on the cable (second from left cable, half way up the frame)... two maintenance workers! One has a camera and one is waving at Blue Angel 5! Crazy!!!

The Boat Ride from Hell

2008-10-07T09:06:00.000-07:00

I tend to have good sea legs, I have spent a lot of time on boats of all sizes and had only got sea sick once before... during the first day of my first Drake Passage (on the way to Antarctica in 2006)... that was until Sunday.
I decided that due to the recent high number of whale sightings I should give the Farallones boat trip another go. Well, the ocean had a bit of a nasty swell left over from Friday/Saturday's storm and the Salty Lady pitched and rolled like a "pig in a barrel". All I can say is that it was worse than the Drake incident and I felt like my stomach was being turned inside out like a pair of socks!!!
I did manage to get a few half decent shots of humpback whales, a leatherback turtle and some California sea lions, I just can't face editing them right now... my stomach hurts just from looking at them!!!

Web update and fine tune

2008-10-04T13:50:00.000-07:00

I added a couple of photos: one new from Yosemite and one old from the Shetlands... it had fallen through the cracks during the original editing phase in 2005!
I also fixed the link to my images at OSF, they had changed the search engine and the old link didn't work anymore.

Diving in Point Lobos

2008-10-04T13:46:00.000-07:00

WOW! went diving in Point Lobos on Wednesday, the water was glacial 46°F but watching the seals on the surface was a lot of fun.
My new wetsuit (Aqualung aquaflex 7mm) held up very well, and I'm starting to get the hang of my buoyancy.

More images online at Getty

2008-09-25T13:28:00.000-07:00

I just uploaded 2 more images to Getty... not much, but I'm taking it slow with them while I test the new upload service.

See the images HERE
.

Scuba Certification

2008-09-22T09:50:00.000-07:00

It is official... I now have my PADI Open Water Diver certification!!!
A big 'thank you' to Tom Yang at scubaforeveryone and all the other class participants.
See you in the water!!!

My New Backyard!!!

2008-09-11T14:58:00.000-07:00

For over 4 months we have had contractors doing some work on the back of the house and they took over the yard for their tools and stuff... lets say that once they left it was in a pretty sorry state. We did not have a chance to enjoy the nice sunny days that we got in the Mission (while the rest of San Fran is shrouded in fog) earlier this summer and it has been very frustrating. Earlier this week they finally cleared up and Margaret and I got a chance to get to work on the new look backyard...

Before

After

Today we had lunch out 'al fresco' and saw the first signs of urban wildlife starting to return... a hummingbird flew around and fed from the red bougainvillea that grows against the fence. We are now thinking about setting up a few bird feeders to see what else we can attract!!!

Earthquake

2008-09-06T10:33:00.000-07:00

Yup, another one! last night while we watched a movie.

More info HERE and HERE

Magnitude	4.0
Date-Time	Friday, September 05, 2008 at 09:00:15 PM at epicente
Location	37.866°N, 121.996°W
Depth	16.2 km (10.1 miles)
Region	SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, CALIFORNIA
Distances	3 km (2 miles) ENE (77°) from Alamo, CA 5 km (3 miles) NW (315°) from Diablo, CA 6 km (4 miles) NNW (343°) from Danville, CA 11 km (7 miles) S (172°) from Concord, CA 22 km (14 miles) ENE (69°) from Oakland, CA