J Fink Images: Blog

Trekking Pumas outside of Torres del Paine National Park, Chile

Fri, 03 Mar 2023 04:13:44 GMT

In late January, we had the opportunity to trek wild puma on a private estancia abutting Torres del Paine National Park in Chile. We were guided by a terrific photographer, Chilean Rodrigo Maragaz ( Rodrigo Maragaz). Over two days, we were fortunate enough to spend time with six individual cats, three female adults and three kittens. Day one we walked with mama cat Sol and her kitten for much of the morning. In the afternoon, we met female Ginger by herself.

Overnight, Sol killed a Guanaco, the lama-like camel relative native to the area. So on day two, we sat on the kill as a gorgeous cat, Pataka, her two grey kittens, and Sol and her kitten each came to feed on the kill, to rest and to groom one another.

Astounding

Lower Zambezi River National Park, Zambia

Sat, 01 Jan 2022 18:21:01 GMT

The third leg of our African journey took us into Zambia and the Lower Zambezi River National Park. Chiawa Camp (https://www.chiawa.com/chiawa-camp/) on the Lower Zambezi River presented an entirely different bush experience. Obviously centered on the Lower Zambezi River, the traditional safari jeep game drives were supplemented by boat safaris along the river shore. The river has many islands that emerge and submerge depending on the water levels released from the dam upriver at Victoria Falls. Protected from predators, the hippos emerge in daylight hours to graze on the high grasses on the islands, only to thunder into the water at the approach of our boats. The shore is heavily wooded, essentially a woodland park for much of the shoreline rich with impala, elephants, lions, dogs and leopards. Unlike other camps we've visited, at Chiawa, the guides rotate each day so one gets a different take on the area from each and gets to know the entire guiding staff, which we all enjoyed tremendously.

A final thank you again to Rob Barbour and Robynne Flemming at Epic Private Journeys for arranging this amazing trip, and for helping us deal with complexities of covid testing in the bush (think helicopters and small fixed wing aircraft). These guys are the very very best -

https://epicprivatejourneys.com

Okavango Delta, Botswana

Thu, 09 Dec 2021 00:16:35 GMT

Our second stop in Africa in October was the famous Okavango Delta. Sweltering heat, gracious people and amazing wildlife! We hit two Safari camps in the Delta. First was Mapula Lodge (Mapula Lodge) and the second was Taludi Camp (Taludi)

Both are run by Natural Selections, though are quite different. We generally felt that the facilities at Mapula were a bit tired, though the staff and the available wildlife viewing were exceptional. Taludi, on the other hand, is brand new and quite swanky, though it did have a bit more of a "canned safari" feel (one of our party called it the Hyatt of safaris.)

In the images, you'll see three blocks of images interspersed with individual images. The first is a series of the Wild Dogs at Mapula, both closeups and some rather graphic images of a hunt and a kill. The second is of a sibling pair of male and female lions (also at Mapula) who allowed us to spend some time with them as they followed the zebra and antelope herds. The last is a series of a gorgeous female leopard at Taludi who allowed to spend the better part of an hour with her as she moved through the low brush in beautiful afternoon light. I have a soft spot for leopards, and she's in the center of it.

A note on photographing on this trip. For much of it we had challenging light. In the Pans Nt'l Park, we were out in full bright midday light against baked white landscapes. In the Delta (then again later in Zambia) there were fires burning in the fields surrounding the park making for white, featureless skies. All the richer then, when we got some early morning or late afternoon light with some contour and/or warmth.

Again, thanks to Rob Barbour and Robynne Fleming at Epic Private Journeys (Epic) for coordinating such amazing adventures (and helping us navigate the various covid testing protocols along the way.)

Thanks for stopping by -

Jeff

Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, Botswana

Tue, 30 Nov 2021 15:08:20 GMT

Worrying about Covid, we nonetheless ventured in October to Southern Africa with dear friends. Little did we know that we would leave there just ahead of the new Omicron Variant that has since surfaced in the countries we visited! Fortunately, Safari is by structure a socially distanced activity. Now, we reflect and worry for the lovely people who cared for us there so beautifully. May they all be well!

This collection is the first of three from that trip. These images are from our stay at Meno a Kwena Safari Camp (https://naturalselection.travel/camps/meno-a-kwena/.) This camp is on the border of the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park in Botswana. The rhythm here is different from other safari camps in that the game drives are in the middle of the day to match the animals' pattern of descending from the protection of the bush down to the Boteti River, then back into the bush at sunset. And it was hot! Hovering around 105F (approx 45C) in the heat of the day. But it was extraordinary. One day, we counted 100 elephants in our view of the river, all bachelor males behaving badly!

Thanks to friend Rob Barbour of Epic Private Journeys (https://epicprivatejourneys.com/) who once again choreographed an amazing African journey.

Thanks for Looking

Jeff

Pandemic Travel- Revisiting Bhutan (2012)

Tue, 12 May 2020 00:24:00 GMT

Isolated, locked down. A chance to "revisit" images from past adventures. These are from a trip to Bhutan in 2012, when I was just beginning to be serious about making images. The people of Bhutan stand out. One day, perhaps to return.

As always, if you play the slideshow with your computer sound turned on, there is an accompanying soundtrack (some computers and mobile devices won't play the music - regrets.) The music for the slideshow is "the Song of Auspiciousness" from Sacred Feminine Voices of Bhutan (used by Fair Use Rules, no additional rights claimed)

Treking Uganda 2019

Mon, 18 Nov 2019 16:48:03 GMT

This collection is the second part of of this year's African adventure. This collection is from trekking the jungles of Uganda to visit the Chimpanzees in the Kigali National Forest and the Mountain Gorillas in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. In each case, the bands we visited had been carefully habituated to humans over several years so we were permitted to be astoundingly close to them. This is part of a program to encourage eco-tourism to support preservation of these endangered primates. As a result, poaching has been reduced significantly, and the population numbers of both species are slowly on the rise. The Chimpanzees we encountered were quite high up in the trees, with the exception of one young male who dropped down and posed for us. In the two days of trekking the Gorillas, we met a singular family group each day comprised of a dominant Silver Back male, a number of females and immature you males, and in each family one very you baby Gorilla.

To look into the eyes of these individuals is to see clear intelligence and, fortunately for us, tolerance of our presence. A gift.

The sound track for the Collection is "Improvisation" from Season of Changes by Brian Blade and the Fellowship Band (used under fair use rules with no claim to any rights...)

Enjoy

Jeff

Serengeti Wildlife 2019

Tue, 29 Oct 2019 13:25:43 GMT

In September of this year, we were fortunate to spend several days in the Serengeti in Tanzania. This time of year marks the annual wildebeast migration and the famous Mara river crossings, so the density of wildlife was amazing. Tenderness and tragedy, birth and death co-arising everywhere. Almost beyond comprehension. For a variety of reasons, I've chosen not to post some of the more graphic "kill" scenes, but you might notice that the lions and cheetah still have blood on their lovely faces.

The soundtrack is "Yesu Olchori Lai (choir)" from the album Rhythm of the Maasi, available on iTunes (used here under fair use rules, no rights inferred nor intended.)

Start the slideshow with your computer's sound on and your browser set to allow automatic music/sound -- step into the Serengeti, enjoy

karibu, karibu*

Jeff

swahili for "welcome, welcome"

Grand Canyon 2019

Sat, 25 May 2019 23:29:59 GMT

We just returned from a short backpacking trip in the Grand Canyon. Beginning in a driving cold rain on the South Rim, we descended to the river at Hermit Rapids. The next day we hiked up and over to Granite Rapids, then sprinted across to Indian Garden campground, then out the next morning. This was my third trip on foot and by raft into the heart of this stunning, massive, natural cathedral. The images in the Collection are a mix of iphoneXS photos and Sony Rx100 VI images - when you're carrying everything, there's a premium on weight and portability. The soundtrack is "Bright Angel" by Paul Winter from the album Canyon which was recorded live in the Grand canyon itself.

Special Note: a number of browsers are shutting down automatic music. If you want to hear the soundtrack and it won't play, go to "Preferences" on your browser, scroll down and allow automatic music to play.

Walk with us, enjoy...

Jeff

Croatia 2018

Fri, 10 Aug 2018 03:38:35 GMT

In June of this year, we had a chance to spend two weeks biking and photographing in the Dalmation Islands of Croatia. Such an old and lovely place! After a week of riding, we joined a photography workshop co-led by Alan Ross (Alan Ross Photography) and Dan Burkholder (Dan Burkholder photography). The images in the collection, "Croatia," come from both weeks, but the majority come from the excellent workshop. Such a diverse set of experiences and images -- this was a difficult collection to curate.

The first half of the collection is in color; the second in black and white. The soundtrack is from a CD we bought from the singers in the Diocletian Palace in Split. The specific song is a traditional Croatian Hymn entitled "Blize, O Boze Moj"; in English, roughly, Come Closer, Oh My God."

As usual, click the Slideshow button with your sound on (toward the louder end as the original recording is not terribly loud); click the small icon in the upper right to view the images fullscreen.

I hope you enjoy it...

Peace

Jeff

Bodie California

Sat, 24 Mar 2018 19:40:34 GMT

On the way home from Yosemite last Fall we stopped at a really affecting place, the ghost town of Bodie, California. Bodie was a gold mining town that was actively inhabited into the 1960's. Now, the State of California maintains it as a state park in a form of "arrested deterioration," allowing the town to dissolve and maintaining it at the same time. We only had about an hour to shoot there, but it was a very interesting site- ghosts abound!

The soundtrack for this collection is "If No One Marries Me" by Natalie Merchant from her album Leave Your Sleep. I have no commercial rights to the song and use it under the "fair use" rules...

New Collection - Yosemite 2017

Sat, 11 Nov 2017 13:00:00 GMT

I recently had the great pleasure of spending a week or so in Yosemite attending a workshop at the Ansel Adams Gallery taught by Alan Ross. Alan, an awesome photographer in his own right, was Ansel Adams' full time assistant for five years and has hand printed the "Special Edition Yosemite Prints" of Ansel's photos for over forty years (these are printed from Ansel's original negatives and are stunning - see the link: Ansel Adams Gallery - Special Edition Yosemite Prints.)

This was my first time in Yosemite, and it surely will not be the last. Somewhat disappointing was the amount of smoke in the air from both a sizeable fire in the park itself as well as drifted smoke from the massive Santa Rosa fire. On the other hand, this pointed us to smaller details which are beautiful, if not of the scale of the "Grand Landscape" (though we did our best to sneak in a couple of those as well!)

At a time when our National Parks and Public lands in general are under assault by those charged with protecting them, it was great to see so many people enjoying this unique place. While crowded, if one is willing to walk as little as a mile, the solitude is great and the scenery sublime. John Muir was right that this place is sacred...

The music for this slideshow is "Crystal Silence" from the album No Regrets by Randy Armstrong. As always, I claim no rights to the music and use it under Fair Use guidelines - if you like it, you can purchase it here from Randy's website (randy armstrong) or on itunes.

Peace

Jeff

Ancient Lands- Rome and Puglia

Fri, 07 Oct 2016 02:24:49 GMT

This collection comes from three weeks we recently spent in Rome and southern Italy, in the Puglia region. While the world clearly doesn't "need" more images of Rome, it's such a visual place, it's really impossible to resist. And Puglia, less traveled, rural and ancient, is one of the last relatively untrammeled areas in Europe. It is my hope that these images at least touch the feel of these people and this timeless, worn and beautiful land.

The music I've chosen for this Collection is "Wishful Thinking" from the Album Chiaroscuro by Ralph Towner and noted Italian jazz trumpeter Paulo Fresu. (I claim no rights to this music, and use it here under "fair use"...)

This is the second Collection I've posted, the second "anti-instagram" post. Please come in, relax and allow the images to pass as they will. I hope you enjoy every one as well as the experience overall.

Human Places

Wed, 30 Mar 2016 21:49:03 GMT

This collection is a selection of images of people and their places taken on various travels in recent years. I've been fortunate to see some amazing parts of this troubled world of ours, and it's the faces of the people that linger, that form the essential sense of place. These are some of my favorites.

This collection is best viewed, I think, in full screen (there's a button in upper right after the slideshow button has been pushed) I've also added a piece of music that I admire, "On the Nature of Daylight" by Max Richter from his album The Blue Notebooks. There is a sound button in the lower right corner of the slideshow (I claim no rights to the music and use it here under "fair use"...)

March 30, 2016

Morocco- Likes and Dislikes

Sun, 02 Nov 2014 15:27:13 GMT

So, it's taken me about six weeks to get some images up from a recent trip to Morocco. This was a complicated trip and, interestingly, this continued into the process of viewing and editing images. We spent about a week in country; the visit began with a creepy, somewhat threatening interaction as we arrived into the medinah in Marrakech at 3 am, and probably never got back onto an even plane after that. This was also my first trip to a muslim country, and encountering the oppressive side of that faith, the patriarchial energy, was different (our guide, Achmed, in explaining the differences in the veiling of the women around Marrakech, points to a woman at a bus stop who's hair is uncovered, and barks in emphatic tones, "that, that is forbidden!!)

Anyway, I'm always interested in how my attitude affects my images. If I feel immediately drawn to a scene, I tend to make better images, "fresher" as my miksang buddies would say (http://miksang.org/m/index.html) If, on the other hand, I feel like I'm outside of the space or place, the images can seem forced.

On Morroco

As I said, we were in country only for a week, not a lot to cover the geography of a place as diverse as Morocco. From the ancient quarters of the medinahs in Marrakech and Fes (each quite different from the other), to the bright whites and blues of the ocean-side Essaouira, to the Atlas mountains to the emptiness of the black desert and the boundary dunes of the Sahara (in rain of all things, and a "minor" sandstorm.) Most of the locals don't care to have their photos taken (excluding those who see it as a career opportunity, like the snake charmers, etc.) This was more true in Marrakech than elsewhere, and as a consequence, my images of Fes are more "populated" than the Marrakech pics.

On balance, a trip I'm glad we made. Not all adventures "feel good", not all important trips are "fun." I couldn't shake the feeling that "Morocco" is a very layered place and that seeing anything close to the true country beneath the veneer is nearly impossible (as it is, I suppose, in any place with a distinctive and somewhat "alien" culture as witnessed from my western perspective...)

On Cameras

A short note on gear. I carried two cameras on this trip. Most of the images were made using the first generation mirrorless system, the Fuji E-X1. This allowed me to carry multiple lenses in an easier format than a full bodied DSLR. This was really very handy in doing candid street photography as I was able to "shoot from the hip" without garnering undue attention (see "Angry Man" in the gallery.) I love the image quality of this camera, though I find there's a lot of white balance shift in each image (I shoot raw, generally aperture priority.) By this I mean that the whites are underrepresented in the raw file and need a consistent adjustment frame to frame. I hate the autofocus of this camera though -- it doesn't permit single point focusing and, as a result, there's a loss of a certain number of photos each time to missed focus points (I want the face, the camera selects the flower...) I'm told by the local camera shop guys that is being fixed in the next generation of the X-series, so we'll see.

I also carried a Canon G16. I bought this camera as a replacement for a G12 that I used and loved until the software glitches accumulated and made it unusable. Unfortunately, the G16 is a worse camera than it's ancient predecessor. It's still very slow to fire (slow shutter) a problem reputedly fixed in this camera. Of greater concern, I find at any ISO above about 400 or maybe 800, the files are really grainy. In an era of super fast point and shoots (see the latest Sony point and shoots and the mirrorless A7), this is really unacceptable. This is the first camera I've owned that I really wish I hadn't bought. Poor job Canon....

Nepal 2008- kathmandu and Mustang Trek

Tue, 29 Jul 2014 22:57:05 GMT

These images are the second part of those taken is Asia in 2008 (along with India/Varanassi), this time in Kathmandu and on a Trek into the "Lost Kingdom of Mustang." Mustang was one of the last Nepalese kingdom to be opened to westerners, though its since become a massively popular tourist destination. Looking back at my originals for this trip, I can only say I've learned a lot since 2008! For starters, I shot JPEG in those days (I'm sure I'd never heard of raw files.) As a result, you kinda get what you have, with no real way to correct any errors in exposure, etc. And second, there were a lot basic photo errors, like shooting high ISO in bright sun- a lot of blown out skies. These were taken with an early generation Canon Rebel digital camera, and it seems to me that the dynamic range of the sensors in those days wasn't nearly what we have today. In any case, Mustang itself is astounding and its ancient capital of Lo Manthang is a true medieval walled city having been founded in 1380. Well worth the walk....

Utah Wild Mustangs

Sat, 14 Jun 2014 22:04:55 GMT

Last week, I had a chance to head out into the western desert in Utah to try and track down one of the several herds of wild mustangs in the state. About 50 miles west of Salt Lake City, the two lane blacktop road maintained by the army turns to gravel. Another 30 or so miles of dust later, we came across a group of maybe 50 horses. These individuals are part of local herd that numbers close to 400 and is said to have originated in the 1800's, mainly escapees from local ranches and the army.

The BLM monitors the herd and many carry brands, both as identification and as aids to one of several research studies that have been done on the herd in recent years. Even though they've been handled some, they are still quite wild. The body of the group was composed of a mix of mares, stallions and colts, some as young as a couple of days old. There was also a group of "bachelor" stallions that move with the group, but stand off a bit, either by choice or by force. The young bachelors all have numerous bite marks on their hides and they constantly harrass one another, a lot like a pack of high school boys, but with more intensity.

It was a joy to be near these animals, and a bigger joy to photograph them.

Hope you enjoy them as much as I did

peace

Jeff

India 2008 Gallery

Fri, 09 May 2014 02:07:44 GMT

The images in this gallery have never been shared publicly before. These were taken on a short stay in India on the way to Nepal in 2008. This was the first time I tried to focus on making serious images while on a trip. It was also our first trip to the developing world.

I was using an old Canon Rebel first generation digital camera. I have no idea if this camera could shoot raw since in those days I had no idea what "raw" meant. So these were taken directly as JPEGs. This makes any post production difficult, so these are pretty much straight from the camera. Overall, I think they turned out rather well....

The energy of India, the smells, sounds, noises, the colors are overwhelming.

But the people are astounding.

A Grand Canyon Photo Workshop - Really?

Fri, 25 Apr 2014 02:45:16 GMT

One day I wandered into a main street photo gallery here in Park City run by a guy named Willie Holdman. I liked his pics and talked at length with the receptionist- she asked if I was interested in workshops. I said sure, so she sent me a link to Willie's workshops. The first one on the list was a 7 day float through the Grand Canyon-- only one space was left. Karma is karma, so I signed up.

Immediately, I regretted it. I'm still pretty insecure about photography, and being in a "workshop" setting sounded like a prescription for competition to me. Pressure for every exposure to be museum worthy. The only guy there who doesn't know what he's doing. I was having coffee a few days later with a friend who's a serious Buddhist teacher- Ken McLeod (http://www.unfetteredmind.org/) I shared my misgivings with Ken, and his advice was to start every day by taking the worst picture I could ON PURPOSE. After that, everything else would be downhill!

Well, I didn't take his advice, but it was all good anyway. The group of 13 was all over the photo map, from folks with only a point and shoot, to serious guys with elaborate rigs. I was pretty much in the middle of the pack. Willie was terrific once he warmed up. A quiet guy, his initial role was to get the group to good spots in the canyon, which he knows well. It took a day or too for both Willie and for me to loosen up, after which he offered a me a lot of good specific advice on how to approach each location. A really pleasant surprise was how willingly helpful some of the better photographers in the group were, sharing ideas and techniques freely. Oh, there were a couple appearances of the "photo hog"- the critter who runs to every view point and set their rig up fast to make sure they get "the shot"; who can be so preoccupied with their own deal, they'll walk in front of your shot and set up their own gear. I don't think I was ever the "hog" myself, but when I get caught up, I do know I can develop tunnel vision myself, so it's possible I did and was unaware of it...

But as I said, the VAST majority of the interactions were really terrific and useful.

So, what did I take away from a technical perspective?

First, i had to get over my resistance to the fussiness of using a tripod. Especially for landscapes; even if it looks like the shot can be hand held, set up the pod. This way, you can be darn sure the image will be sharp, and I know from experience that NOTHING SUCKS MORE than getting home from a trip and seeing that my "Money shot" image(s) are not truly sharp.

Second, again for landscapes, use LIVE VIEW. This feature (available on the Canon and Nikon pro models) uses the back display as an electronic viewfinder. A lot of old school photogs (Willie included) don't like this much, but I thought it was really helpful This was especially true with the lens flipped to manual focus and then using the magnify button to zoom in on my focusing target (5x or 10x.) With my fading vision, my odds of getting a nice super sharp image sky rocketed.

Third, use the lens lock feature on those intermediate length exposures (like 1/8 sec to 1/2 second.) This locks the internal mirror up so when the shutter is flipped, there's no movement of the mirror to introduce dreaded camera shake. On really long exposures (2sec. or more) the movement of the mirror probably gets lost in the longer exposure, but still...

And from a personal perspective?

First, if I don't initially respond to a place, I'm unlikely to take very good images. This is part of the conversation aspect of taking photographs.

Second, the vast majority of exposures are gonna be flops relative to the handful of true winners. I took close to 1400 exposures for the week. In my personal files, I've kept about 250. For public sharing, it's down to 30-50. Of these, maybe 10 are really great (in my own view.)

Third, I'm not the kind of guy who can just shoot and shoot. I hit a wall several times on the trip and just needed to put the camera down. Others could shoot, seemingly, 24 hrs a day, but for me the joy died if I tried.

Finally, I really enjoyed the format of a field based workshop. What a place to take pictures!! I have a ton to learn, and that's terrific. My mind and heart were fully engaged pretty much every day all day.

This is the first of what i hope will a really direct commentary on taking pics, on wrestling with the technology and the emotions around creating and sharing. I need your help with this- If you disagree with something I say here, throw it in. If you agree, jump in as well. We all need encouragement.

As and old boss of mine used to say, "none of us is as good as all of us"

Cheers

Jeff

First thoughts- self, how did I get here?

Wed, 23 Apr 2014 01:39:56 GMT

As I'm putting this site together, I've been thinking about what I hope to accomplish with all of this.

For starters, as I've shared photos in recent years, a lot of my friends have said "these are great- what are you going to do with all of em?" Don't know about the "great" part, but leaving them in the electronic drawer doesn't make much sense. At the same time, I wrestle with the self-promotional aspect of a photo site, and blogging in general. I do have a poetry/photo blog already (oldbonesnewsnow.com) that grew out of an email poetry list, but I don't like the way images work on that site.

So what's the big deal with a photo only site? Like a pro photographer friend of mine says, "the world really doesn't need another photographer..." And then there's the other question - "are you gonna sell your pictures?" Maybe, I haven't decided. I know that if I shift gears from the making of images to trying to think about selling them (promoting, marketing, etc...) I lose interest pretty quickly.

So for now, this is a cooking site. A gallery for each place/topic I shoot or have shot and a blog on making photographic "sausage."

Back to the kitchen.....