Trumpeter Swan *(Cygnus buccinator)* - St. Croix River
Nikon D500 + Nikon 300mm f/2.8 AF-SII w/ Nikon TC14EII

Yin and Yang Revisited

January 22, 2017 in January 2017

How is it possible to reconcile the unavoidable dichotomies we encounter every day? Fundamental to the human psyche is a core need to experience and resolve opposing forces. Steeped in ancient Daoist philosophy, the existential battle between dark and light is as old as conscious thought. This idea of a yin and a yang embodies the notion that while polarities exist, each is complementary to the other.

Sandhill Crane *(Grus canadensis)* - Bosque del Apache, New Mexico
Nikon D500 + Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6 VR

Thoughts of opposite energies have never been so prevalent in my life and my mind. As we enter a new era with a president who represents everything I oppose, I have begun to search within myself to better understand the paradigm I am now forced to live. In a country where 49% defines the discourse for the majority, I can’t help but question that nature of this “democracy.” Today, male thinking overshadows female, false data supersedes science, and the needs of the many are marginalized to benefit the few.

Seljalandsfoss Detail - Iceland
Nikon D500 + Nikon 200-400mm f/4 VR1

Like the body politic that defines the course of the present, the present defines the course of my vision. With the ugliness of the 2016 election season, I sought out beauty to oppose the oppressive nature of the news. While I read and listened to daily reports, I also retreated to the simplicity of my art. My concerns of corruption, abuse and environmental decay have emboldened a desire to get involved physically, emotionally and financially. We, who are concerned about a sustainable future, are now faced with the ultimate yin and yang; do you stay at home and mourn a loss, or do you stand out and speak for those who can not?

Orchid Details - Bachmann Garden Center, MN
Nikon D810 + Tamron 180mm f/3.5 Macro

Celebrating with Solitude

June 10, 2015 in June 2015

Friday June, 5th was my last student contact day and Monday the 8th was a scheduled ‘workday.” I italicize “workday” to underscore the asinine verbiage used to describe a non-student contact day. As far as I am concerned, any day in which I commit my brain and body to the act of teaching, creating or grading is a work day… but, once again, I digress. Monday ended prematurely, as the custodial staff emptied my room in preparation for some long-overdue duct work that promises a more stable climate in room 119 next year.

To celebrate the end of my 23rd year in public education, I awoke an hour earlier than the normal to photograph a sunrise along the St. Croix River. Located just four miles from my home is a quiet little cove that is familiar to locals but hidden from the heavy tourist traffic that would otherwise envelop my town on spring and summer days. At 4:45 a.m., I was confident that I could spend a good hour in solitude with only the sounds of eagles, herons and woodpeckers to break the silence. Like clockwork, a young fisherman ambled down the ancient staircase an hour later to cast his line.

I had hoped for some clouds on this morning, but knew that the night’s rain and heavy winds would leave me with a clear morning sky. The photo pictured is an exercise in reduction. The first effort was a grand landscape of the river and canyon walls. With too many busy elements throughout, I paced the shore for something less. My second attempt was tight image of a branch crossing the frame and entering the water, but the lack of focal point and drama caused me to abandon the composition. The photo, pictured here, was my third crack at the landscape. Fearing that I would lose the “sweet light,” I took a time out and sat on log to regain my focus. As an eagle called out to its mate, the image you see revealed itself to me.

Foggy Morning in Autumn - William Obrien State Park, MNNikon D800E + Nikkor AFS 17-35mm f2.8 — Foggy Morning in Autumn - William Obrien State Park, MN
Nikon D800E + Nikkor AFS 17-35mm f2.8

The Luxury of being an Amateur Photographer

November 27, 2014 in November 2014

Nearly twenty-three years into a professional career, every work day still feels like the first. Each morning begins with a healthy mix of fear and excitement that motivates me to be better than competent. Pride in the work makes up for the meager compensation that rarely seems commensurate with the time invested. Being professional means that the work never ends.

Window into a Wetland - William Obrien State Park, MN

Shadows of Autumn - William Obrien State Park, MN

So, as I sit here hammering out these thoughts on Thanksgiving day, my professional obligations continue to cloud the mind. Since this is a photo blog, you'd be forgiven for assuming that I am referring to photography, however this could not be further from the truth. I am veteran educator; an Advance Placement Biology teacher that spends countless hours studying texts, preparing labs and grading papers. This is the profession that clouds my thoughts and creeps into dreams that often descend into nightmares.

Crawling in Mist - William Obrien State Park, MN

Three Trees - William Obrien State Park, MN

So it is with this twenty-three year history in education that I celebrate being an amateur photographer. With no anxiety about making a buck, finding a client or publishing my work, I am free to express myself through my vision. The lack oversight is liberating and encourages experimentation and risks that a professional might otherwise find difficult to take. Having no reputation to protect, we amateurs are free to escape predefined boundaries and explore the unexplored. We can set goals for image-making that stretch the imagination without fearing financial repercussions that may stifle future creativity.

I am a professional teacher and amateur photographer; I wouldn’t have it any other way!

Behind the Lens (Number 5)

October 09, 2014 in October 2014

Leverage Fall's inclement weather to express a creative vision. By choosing to use a slow shutter speed on turbulent days it is possible to convey the essence of climatic conditions. Rather than retreat to the comfort of home, we suggest that these the best days to play in the rain.

Foggy Sunrise Canon 6D + Canon 17-40mm L f/4.0 — Foggy Sunrise
Canon 6D + Canon 17-40mm L f/4.0

Behind the Lens (Number 3)

September 28, 2014 in September 2014

In part 3 of this Behind the Lens series I want to stress the importance of a thoughtful composition. I was on my way to a state park when I decided to make a quick stop at this familiar location. The sun was beginning to rise above the farm field, and rather than waste the good light pushing through the fog, I planned to grab what I could. For the initial shot, I set up the tripod and took a quick one by the edge of the road; the internal pressure of getting to a planned destination corrupts moments like these. For the sake of expediency, my first thought was, "got it,... time to move on." However, it only took a brief glance at the LCD to know that I didn't get, and this would simply be just another wasted image if I didn't choose to commit to the process.

To make the posted photograph, I had to abandon the immediacy of the moment. Rather than give in to an arbitrary deadline, I climbed down from the road and into a ditch of water where I could position myself along the edge of the barbed-wired fence. The angle of the wire is important here as it serves as a leading line which draws the viewer into the photograph. The two trees to the right are the focal point for the image as the edge of the pond curves to point towards them. In addition, the pair of bent fence posts strengthen the apparent importance of the trees by leaning in their general direction. The rising sun posed a problem, as there was not enough fog to soften the intensity of the rays. My solution was to position the tripod in a way that caused the trees to scatter the sun's intense light. Finally, the choice to process this as a trichromatic image was made later after looking at the photograph on a computer. The warmth of the sunrise is captured by the colored foreground grasses, while the darkness of night is retained by the intense contrast between the blacks and whites.

A Reason for Hope

May 06, 2014 in May 2014

It’s been a tough couple of months in the photo-blogging world for me. As an artist and writer, I have been thoroughly uninspired. While my travels to Costa Rica and California have contributed many new images to the portfolio and my work with snowy owls made for an exciting winter, I, nonetheless, have slipped into an artist’s funk. My many rants throughout the past twelve months clearly articulate the frustration I often feel. What was once a lonely pursuit, has now become a crowded field. Finding a bit of solitude in nature now seems as rare as the ivory-billed woodpecker. Maybe it’s just an April/May issue, but this season of renewal rarely leads to little more than disappointment.

May is the last full month of the school year. It is testing time, and student frustration is at its peak. My AP students mill about like zombies, often distant and detached. Wearing the stress like baggy clothes on a gaunt frame, the anxiety is palpable. Spring activities extract my young scientists from the lab, deprive them of learning opportunities and add more angst to a population whose being is defined by an ever present angst. Meanwhile, large numbers of students are preparing to leave the certainty of their high school life for an unstructured summer or post-secondary unknown. This is an interesting time to be the fly on the wall.

Dr. Adrian Pinto working with student researchers in Costa Rica

So this morning when students began to populate my room an hour prior to the start of the academic day, I was pleasantly surprised by a bit of discourse. A crowd gathered to make up exams, complete labs and study in the solitude of a familiar space. As I typed away on a lesson for the day, the conversation began... “When does consciousness begin in a fetus?” she asked. I took the bait like the Socratic teacher I pretend to be, and volleyed back, “When do you think?”

Michael Sevilla discussing the biology of tropical bats, Costa Rica

The discussion meandered about as others joined in or tuned-out in favor of their intended task. We discussed the essence of being and the intent of life, but this was not the burning question. She held it tight like something precious and finally offered her real thought with a bit of trepidation... “Is there any hope for humanity?” This one hits me like a ton bricks, as it is the one question that haunts me every day. It is the question that inspired my career and my avocation. I’m too honest to offer a comforting response, paused, and revealed the fear I have about our collective existence. “I’m not sure,” I say. “We are biological beings, programmed by our DNA to manipulate the environment and proliferate.” As I now write this, I realize that I did not paint a very pretty picture of humanity... so much for protecting the innocent. Yet, in my limited years on this planet that has witnessed 4.6 billion of them, I have watched the human population double, environments shrink and indigenous populations disappear. I care about these things, things that I could choose to ignore or define as irrelevant.

Children reaching out, David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage, Kenya

Yet, I believe there is a reason for hope. I have students who dream of a sustainable planet with a sustainable population. While some might claim them to be naive, nothing could be farther from the truth. There is a great awareness about our global predicament that includes anthropogenic climate change, diminishing resources and overpopulation. My generation feared a nuclear holocaust, they fear an ecological one. But unlike this GenXer who felt like the Boomers already did it and there’s nothing left to do, the Millennials are empowered by their social media and the ability to speak out. While courts equate money with speech, the influence of the big donor can be marginalized by many small voices sharing environmental realities throughout a web that is more democratic (with a small d), than is the traditional media of the big spenders. A few well organized Millennials working the web have the power to diminish the loud voice of denial that emanate from a wealthy few. As long as there are people who care to see and speak the truth, there will always by hope for humanity.

Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris) - Elkhorn Slough, CACanon 7D, Canon 300 f2.8L IS, Canon 1.4x converter: 1/500 @ f4.5 — Sea Otter *(Enhydra lutris)* - Elkhorn Slough, CA
Canon 7D, Canon 300 f2.8L IS, Canon 1.4x converter: 1/500 @ f4.5

Zen and the Art of Contentment

April 19, 2014 in April 2014

“When you are content to be simply yourself and don’t compare or compete, everybody will respect you. Lao Tzu”

A photographer friend messaged me two weeks back about a great horned owl nest in a nearby nature center. He sent a few photos of the mother and owlets, and I knew I had to check it out. Although I was buried in grading by the “A-job,” I dropped everything, grabbed my pack, tripod and sped off to see the owls. I arrived anticipating there would be a few photographers, but was shocked by the spectacle. Sectioned off by yellow crime-scene tape, a mob of three-legged platforms supported giant eyes that pointed uniformly towards a nest in the distance. Most of my colleagues were shooting with optics that made me look as if I was part of the amateur hour. I squeezed myself between two 500mm lenses and shot with the knowledge that nothing new would be photographed today. I was destined to repeat the work of others, and felt burdened by “inadequate” equipment. Plagued by a desire to distinguish myself from the masses, “the urban wildlife spectacle” is now neatly penciled between root canal and marathons on my list of things to avoid.

Who is my audience and why do I pursue this craft?

These poignant questions pop into my head like a compulsion to check the stove before leaving home. When I compare my work to the masses, I see an inadequate hodgepodge of photographs that say little more than, “this is what I saw.” Yet, I am mature enough to recognize that my self-deprecation is the normal response of a perfectionist that cares too much. The library of images I have cultivated say far more than the words I write, and these photographs reflect both the art and reality in the life I have lived. My critical flaw is that I seek validation for work that is meaningful to me but meaningless to others. Such measurebating is a poison, an impish urge that frustrates the creative that lurks within.

So here lies the dilemma that challenges my rational and empirical mind. I don’t sell many photographs, I no longer pursue publications and my stock images lack value in a world where “free” is the new norm. Despite these realities, I continue spend countless hours chasing wildlife and investing my hard-earned salary traveling the world in search of brilliant light. My behavior is perfectly irrational, yet the compulsion to make images has never been stronger. This “work” I do is a mode of self-expression, a release and a vacation from the constrained realities of daily life. To compare and compete taints the experience and restricts the opportunity to be content.

Utterly Otter Art (Enhydra lutris) - Elkhorn Slough, CATopaz Black and White II - Diffusion w/ color — Utterly Otter Art *(Enhydra lutris)* - Elkhorn Slough, CA
Topaz Black and White II - Diffusion w/ color

Tools or Toys

April 12, 2014 in April 2014

Not to judge, but let’s face it, photographers can be divided into opposing camps, those who shoot and those who collect. No doubt there is a bit of geek and a bit of artist in every shooter, but many tend to favor one over the other. Like most dichotomies, it’s challenging for the true partisan to understand the other point of view.

Gear heads are enamored with form and precision of cameras and rarely take their toys far from home for fear of the inevitable blemish or scar. Satisfied to own the best copies of a lens and the highest resolution sensor, these folks will gladly shoot targets and tree bark just for the bragging rights. At the other extreme is the abuser for whom dents and scratches are worn like badges of honor. Astonished by the resilience of the tools, these photographers push their gear towards the breaking point.

As I get older and work harder to convey my vision through photography, I have abandoned my fear of loss. These days I think about the shots I’ve missed and the ones I want rather than the equipment I use. The precision of fine optics continues to fascinate, but it is the product of this precision that I now choose to celebrate.

The accompanying image was photographed near Rincón de la Vieja National Park in Costa Rica. I used my tripod to get a low, a cable release to minimize vibration and a variable neutral density filter to create a long exposure. I began my hike down to the river floor at 5:30 a.m. where I positioned the camera and lens in the darkness of the morning. I waited 30 minutes for the sun to move just high enough to produce a bit of reflected light. Careful framing and pre-planning allowed me to take only three pictures before catching this “keeper.”

Two Mallards LandingCanon 7D + Canon 300mm f2.8L IS, ISO 100, 1/4 second, f/16 — *Two Mallards Landing*
*Canon 7D + Canon 300mm f2.8L IS, ISO 100, 1/4 second, f/16*

Challenging the Creative

January 04, 2014 in January 2014

In challenging the creative, I am not seeking to pick a fight with creative people, I am just hoping to provoke a bit of divergence. We are all creatives in one way or another. While some are more outwardly adventurous in their dress, piercings and tattoos, the more reserved can be creative as well. As a scientist, it is likely that I would be dumped into the latter category... reserved, deliberate, and boring. Yet, these adjectives could not be further from the truth.

After the Storm - Stillwater, MNCanon 5D Mark III + Canon 100mm f2.8 Macro USM — *After the Storm - Stillwater, MN*
*Canon 5D Mark III + Canon 100mm f2.8 Macro USM*

My inner creative is always toggled to the ON position, and the loop of thoughts never seem to stop.

Creative Teacher:

I am continuously searching for ways to provoke controversy and divergent modes of thinking.

Creative Blogger:

I am forever looking for ways to convey my thoughts about complex biological patterns, nature and photography.

Creative Photographer:

Inertia is my enemy and complacency is self destructive; I am on a quest to share what I see.

Hen and DrakeCanon 5D Mark III + Canon 300mm f2.8L IS — *Hen and Drake*
*Canon 5D Mark III + Canon 300mm f2.8L IS*

Winter challenges the creative, because it forces the body to endure when it is seeking to hibernate. Deep cold freezes nose hairs, invites frost bite and suggests thoughts of survival rather than creativity. Yet, these same limitations paired with the dearth of life forces the real creatives break free.

Mallards Landing IICanon 7D + Canon 300mm f2.8L IS, ISO 100, 1/4 second, f/16 — *Mallards Landing II*
*Canon 7D + Canon 300mm f2.8L IS, ISO 100, 1/4 second, f/16*

Each image that accompanies this post was produced in sub-freezing temperatures, during periods of intense wind, snow or cold. Playing it safe is staying home, and complacency is leaving too soon. Buried in the snow or lying prone on the ice with my gear, I am hoping to make something different and use the technology I have to convey my vision of the moment. Creativity is an essential part of the human experience, to deny this need is to embrace submission.

*Life on Ngorongoro Crater, Shot with an 8 megapixel Camera and 300mm Lens*

Thoughts on Otus

November 29, 2013 in November 2013

Fact #1 : Photography is a technical discipline that cannot be pursued in a technological vacuum. The first photographers’ depended on chemists to formulate silver-halide coated glass plates and engineers to craft a box with optics that could focus light on the film plane.

Fact #2 : Photography is an art for the masses. Requiring little more than practice and honest critiques, every button pusher can learn to transform a memory snapshot into an artistically pleasing image.

Fiction : Great pictures come from great cameras. The push to produce and monetize new technologies that stretch the limits of lens and sensor resolution has convinced the hobbyists, amateurs and professionals that more money equals better pictures. While the newest cameras and lenses are capable of producing fantastically sharp images that have the potential to unleash the inner artist, the same can be said for the artisan with a modest piece of kit.

*Kenyan Sunset - Shot with a 12 Megapixel Camera and 17-40mm lens*

For example, consider the following,

A photographer might choose to go big and purchase the Nikon D800e. With a 36 megapixel sensor that is unencumbered by the presence of a detail thieving anti-aliasing filter, the D800e is the highest resolution camera in the Nikon system. Seeking perfection, the details first photographer might decide to spend an additional $4000 on the Carl Zeiss Otus 55mm f1.4 manual focus lens. Described as the sharpest fast 50mm lens made to date (see here and here), the Otus lens can out resolve the ultra-high resolution camera for which it is destined to be used. Your $7000 investment get’s you the best small format camera (35mm - type) that money can buy.

In contrast, the frugal photographer and wannabe artist has less than $1000, but also wishes to pursue this art for the masses. Our penny pincher might decide to invest in the more modest 24 megapixel Nikon D5300 with its 1.5x crop sensor and a matching Nikon 35mm f1.8 AFS (52mm equivalent) lens. Here the total investment includes modern digital gear, yet the package price will be a hair under the $1000 budget. While the $7000 system is superior in all ways, I doubt that the additional $6000 expense will lead to a better photographer. The true artisan will leverage the best in their gear by taking the time to make images in spite of the tools. No amount of money can be a substitute for learning to see, practicing the craft and studying light.

*Quiet Stretch in the Canadian Rockies - Shot with a 18 Megapixel Camera and 24-105mm Lens*

As a budget limited photo-enthusiast and card-carrying amateur, I’d sooner invest the lion share my photo budget in travel and leave the pricy new cameras to the pixel peepers and gear heads of the world.

Happy Black Friday and Cyber Monday...

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