Boyd Norton Wilderness Photography

Presentation and Book Signing December 8 in Denver

2011-11-12T08:26:00.000-08:00

I'll be giving a presentation about our battle to save Serengeti at the Tattered Cover Bookstore in Denver on December 8, 7:30 PM. In case you don't know about it, the Tattered Cover is ranked as one of the great independent bookstores in the country. Fabulous people and a great place.

http://bit.ly/tbwjTM

Serengeti: The Eternal Beginning

2011-07-18T13:46:00.000-07:00

Serengeti: the Eternal Beginning from Boyd Norton on Vimeo.

Wow - more comments. Thank you Richard Engel and Jane Goodall.

2011-07-02T08:23:00.000-07:00

“Preserving the Serengeti is as much about saving our humanity, our link to nature and our own ancient past, as it is about stopping an environmental tragedy. Boyd's book, Serengeti: The Eternal Beginning covers it all very well.” Richard Engel, Chief Foreign Correspondent, NBC NEWS

"Boyd Norton has captured the magic of this ancient and majestic ecosystem. Through superb and deeply sensitive photographs and compelling accounts of his experiences there he introduces its animals and people. Serengeti: the Eternal Beginning is profoundly moving – you will understand why it is so important to preserve this place for generations to come." Jane Goodall, Ph.D., DBE. Founder – the Jane Goodall Institute & UN Messenger of Peace

A Few of the Great Pre-Publication Comments on My Serengeti Book

2011-05-22T16:26:00.000-07:00

We've gotten some nice comments from folks who have seen some of the pre-publication layouts and pages.

"What manner of insanity would lead us to destroy our own cradle. A cradle that still brings forth so much life.
That is the Serengeti. And its richness and wonder are under great threat.
Boyd Norton's book, Serengeti, shows us this magical land in all its splendor, and demonstrates how we might better know it and preserve it". Ed Begley, Jr., actor, eco-activist

"Boyd Norton, who over the past fifty years has proven himself one of the world's finest wilderness photographers, immerses himself in the world's ultimate wilderness--the Serengeti--and produces his masterpiece: the capstone of his splendid career. Visually stunning, evocatively written, Norton's Serengeti brings us back to our common birthplace and makes a compelling argument for the need to protect and preserve it. Norton has convinced me: the Serengeti is the one place on earth I must experience before I die."
Joe McGinniss, author of Going to Extremes, Fatal Vision and (forthcoming) The Rogue: Searching for the Real Sarah Palin.

"The Survival of the Serengeti and its mass migrations of animals is of critical importance for the world. This book of Boyd Norton's photographs conveys the whole magical essence of these great plains and animals."
Ian Player, Founder, International Wilderness School, South Africa

"On the eve of human and animal extinctions, on-going and those still to come, Boyd Norton's exquisite images of the Serengeti and Ngorongoro shock us back into East Africa's "eternal beginnings," its thundering migrations, and the nourishment of its stillness. This book is a gift, a piece of hope. Grab it now." Gretel Ehrlich, Author The Solace of Open Spaces

"A pictorial and poetic tour de force. " Kathi Anderson, Executive Director, The Thoreau Institute Walden Woods Project

"Boyd Norton's spectacular new book about the Serengeti comes at a crucial moment. His brilliant photography and compelling writing remind us of this incomparable place where life unfolds with unparalleled scale and drama, just as the Tanzanian government is uncovering plans for a road (and perhaps a railroad) that would disrupt the fabled migrations that define life in this grand landscape. I hope that this book will mobilize the lovers of the Serengeti to save it." John A. Knox, Executive Director, Earth Island Institute

And a whole bunch more - thanks to all.

Tickling the Dragon's Tail

2011-03-26T08:50:00.000-07:00

During the 1960s I was a nuclear physicist conducting research on nuclear reactor safety at the National Reactor Testing Station in Idaho. It was exciting cutting edge science. In November of 1962 I sat at the controls of a reactor, operated remotely from a half mile away, and ran a super-prompt critical power excursion of such magnitude that it blew up the reactor. It was goddamn fun! The Atomic Energy Commission eventually killed all nuclear safety research. Knowing what I do about the various aspects of reactor safety, I feel we should not build anymore nuclear power plants. Reinforcing that viewpoint are the accidents at SL-1, Fermi, Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and now Fukushima. Here's the video of my blowing up the reactor.

2011-02-22T07:12:00.000-08:00

Evolution Today
In my 26 years of travel in East Africa I have never witnessed anything like this. This baboon appears to be very comfortable with bipedalism. One wonders if others in his troop will adapt and adopt this form of locomotion. Paleoanthropologists suggest that bipedalism played a key role in human evolution.

The Next Step in Saving Serengeti

2010-11-07T11:38:00.000-08:00

We've started Serengeti Watch as a non-profit 501(c)3 organization and part of Earth Island Institute. SW is designed to monitor the Serengeti ecosystem long-term and to alert the public of imminent threats - such as the currently proposed commercial highway. Information here:
http://www.savetheserengeti.org/home/#axzz14cuYoxP6

Join (and donate if you can) and pass it on. Thanks.

Save the Serengeti

2010-08-28T14:24:00.000-07:00

What is This "Mama Grizzly" Crap from the Wicked Witch of the North

2010-08-13T09:57:00.000-07:00

So Sarah "Wicked Witch of the North" Palin is trying to organize her right-wing loonies with the Mama Grizzly mantra?

When governor she promoted the slaughter of grizzly bears, along with wolves.

Click on image to enlarge.

Survey Ribbons for Proposed Serengeti Highway

2010-06-28T07:52:00.000-07:00

The graffiti of the destroyers! Photos courtesy of Nikki Waterhouse. Shots made between Klein's Gate and Maasai village of Ololosokwe in western Loliondo.

Click on photo to enlarge.

Important Documents Related to the Serengeti Highway Threat

2010-06-14T10:39:00.001-07:00

Serengeti General Management Plan

This is an in-depth study with important information on various impacts on the Serengeti ecosystem.

And

Loliondo-Serengeti Road Report

This last is a complete whitewash of the situation, written by engineers with no input from researchers or conservation groups. It's only 10 pages long, with no meaningful content except to rubber-stamp approval for the project.

The Impact of the Proposed Serengeti Highway

2010-06-06T11:19:00.000-07:00

This photo was made 6 days ago (May 31, 2010) in very nearly the exact place where the proposed Serengeti highway would bisect this part of Serengeti and Loliondo. We must stop this madness. The greatest wildlife migration on earth will be severely impacted by this road.
Not far from this spot there are survey ribbons hanging on trees - the graffiti of the engineers!
Email: info@tanzaniaparks.com
Let them know that this is a totally stupid idea and could destroy the great wildebeest and zebra migration.

The Serengeti Highway - A MAJOR Disaster!

2010-06-06T06:35:00.000-07:00

Is this how you want to view wildlife in Serengeti??
The proposed northern highway across Serengeti (see blog post below) will result in a major increase in poaching in the region that is now difficult to access. Tanzania National Parks is re-introducing black rhinos in this region with plans for up to 32 rhinos in the next few years.
This is how they will end up!
Serengeti is a World Heritage Site.
If this highway goes through, it may be re-classified as an Endangered World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Don't let this happen. Email Tanzania National Parks: info@tanzaniaparks.com
Also email the Tanzanian Embassy in Washington: ubalozi@tanzaniaembassy-us.org
Get involved to save the greatest animal migration on earth!
Click on image to enlarge, if you can stand it.

A Major Threat to the Greatest Animal Migration on Earth

2010-06-05T08:16:00.000-07:00

I just returned from leading one of my photo tours in Serengeti and discovered a major tragedy in the making. This is the biggest threat to the Serengeti ecosystem in decades. A major highway (in red on the map) is planned to cut across the migration path of millions of animals. (The migration paths are the colored arrows) This high speed highway could have hundreds of trucks each day. Imagine the wildlife carnage from these speeding trucks. The road would also be the perfect pathway for a huge increase in poaching in the Serengeti.
Big money interests appear to be behind this.
There is a safer alternative route (in light green on the map) that bypasses Serengeti altogether.
If you care about this incredible ecosystem, email the Tanzanian Embassy right away and let them know that this would be one of the greatest wildlife disasters in history.
Email: ubalozi@tanzaniaembassy-us.org
Here's another address, Tanzania National Parks: info@tanzaniaparks.com
They probably won't do anything, but may pass it on to higher ups and it may make them realize this is a major international crisis that could have great impact on tourism!
Suggest to them that the effect on tourism alone would be enormous if the great migration were to be altered or destroyed!
We are setting up a special Facebook page dealing with this - check here for details.
Help Save the Serengeti. Click Here
Click the map to enlarge.

Barb's Bears

2010-05-06T14:15:00.000-07:00

This was Barb's first visit to the grizzly bears of coastal Katmai National Park.

Barb's Bears from Boyd Norton on Vimeo.

Nostalgia - 30 years ago with Hasselblad

2010-04-23T12:45:00.000-07:00

Rummaging through some old files I found this - my photo on the cover of one of those booklets Hasselblad used to publish. This one was in 1980. They also used to use some of my pics on their posters.

I bought my first Hasselblad (500C) in about 1965 (later added 2 more). My first 6 books were shot with Hasselblads. I switched to 35mm when I did my first Alaska book in 1976 because I made a 13 day backpacking trip through the Brooks Range and the Hasselblad equipment was too heavy to carry.

Since I've gone digital they now sit on the shelf. I'll never get rid of them because even after 40 years of rough use in the boondocks they still work flawlessly. The finest precision cameras ever made, in my opinion.

Petroglyphs 6000 miles and Several Thousand Years Apart

2010-04-18T13:26:00.000-07:00

I've recently been scanning some slides I made at Lake Baikal, Siberia about 15 years ago and discovered some shots of petroglyphs on the western shore of the lake. They looked strangely familiar, so I dug out some photos of petroglyphs I had shot in Canyonlands National Park in Utah. The similarity is amazing. Two different cultures - the Anasazi dating back a few thousand years - and the unknown people from the Baikal region whose origins may go back several thousand years. Lake Baikal is more than 6000 miles from Utah.

I suppose it's possible that similar kinds of depictions could evolve in different cultures, but still this similarity is intriguing. It does seem to lend more credence to migration of people from Asia to North America.

The first two photos on the left are from Baikal. The bottom one of red sandstone is from Utah. Click to enlarge any of them

All photos © Boyd Norton

Discovery Channel Hosts Sarah Palin!!

2010-03-30T10:42:00.000-07:00

That's right, the Discovery Channel is going to do a series on Alaska hosted by Sarah Palin! What in hell are they thinking of? It's an outrage to have someone who promotes aerial slaughter of wolves, hunting brown bears, fought against protection of polar bears. Send a message to Discovery by signing this petition: http://bit.ly/asQOUr

My First Published Work!!

2010-03-24T13:25:00.000-07:00

Cleaning out some files a while ago I found this. Never got a favorable review from the New York Times Book Review. In fact, never got reviewed. And no autograph parties. Bummer. Do you suppose it was the cover design? Maybe a sexier title would have been better.

I'll be posting soon a video of the reactor I blew up. Stay tuned (or run for shelter).

Stop the Destruction of Orangutan Habitat

2010-03-22T19:20:00.000-07:00

Palm oil plantations are destroying prime rainforest habitat in Borneo. I've seen it firsthand. Nestle is a big user of palm oil. Send them a message.

Have a break? from Greenpeace UK on Vimeo.

Uh oh, I've been exposed!

2010-03-11T18:54:00.000-08:00

An Outrageous Idea

2010-03-06T15:10:00.000-08:00

The Republic of Tanzania and Zambia have submitted a controversial proposal to CITES, the Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species, for a one time sell-off of over 80 tons of ivory. The 15th CITES conference will convene from March 13-25th in Doha, Qatar and these two countries will need 66% of the 175 country votes in order to proceed. Some other African countries support lifting the ban on sales, notably South Africa, Namibia and Botswana.

The proposal by Tanzania and Zambia includes a de-listing of the African elephant from Appendix I to Appendix II (little to no trade control). This perhaps is the most threatening and alarming part of the proposal, and if approved could have wide-spread and devastating impacts for elephant herds across Africa.

More information Here: http://bit.ly/aLqdOd

2010-01-17T15:25:00.000-08:00

My talk at the 9th World Wilderness Congress in Merida, Mexico in November, 2009. Don't worry, it's only about 6 minutes - discussion about the Serengeti ecosystem and an excerpt from my forthcoming book, Serengeti: the Stillness of the Eternal Beginning. Wild9 was attended by 1800 delegates from over 60 different countries. Some amazing things were accomplished here in helping to preserve wilderness worldwide.
WILD9 - Boyd Norton (English) from The WILD Foundation on Vimeo.

Frosty Evergreen Morning

2009-10-11T11:51:00.000-07:00

It was actually warmer in Irkutsk (28 degrees low) than it was here in Evergreen (19 degrees on our thermometer). Made for some nice photos of frost on the ponderosa pines.

Serengeti

2009-10-10T09:05:00.000-07:00

Serengeti video ~ 3 minutes

We have a few spaces open (max of 12) on our May 22 - June 2, 2010 photo trip.
Information: http://www.wildernessphotography.com/tanzania.htm

Siberia's Jackson Hole - the Barguzin Valley

2009-10-01T12:44:00.000-07:00

In the summer of 1990 I started work on my Lake Baikal book (published in 1992 by the Sierra Club). While there I made a side trip with the late David Brower and some other environmentalists to a marvelous valley east of Baikal - the Barguzin Valley.

We were the first Americans ever to set foot here and it was an incredible experience. Like Jackson Hole it is a flat valley with a major river winding through it - the Barguzin River. And like Jackson Hole it has a spectacular mountain range rising abruptly over 7000 feet above the valley floor. It is twice as long as Jackson Hole and the towns, villages and farms here are populated largely by Buryat people noted for their horsemanship and descendants of Genghis Khan's mongol warriors. (The Buryats are also Buddhists.)

Since that first trip I have been back many times to Baikal and the Barguzin Valley. We worked with Russian environmentalists to have Lake Baikal designated a World Heritage Site. And we had hoped to expand the existing Zabaikalski National Park to include at least a part of the Barguzin Valley but that has not happened yet.

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of that first trip I will be leading one of my photo eco-tours to Lake Baikal (and the Barguzin Valley) in the summer of 2010. If anyone would like to join us, contact me: boydn@earthlink.net.

More Baikal photos here: http://www.wildernessphotography.com/Baikal/index.html

Also, watch for my article on Lake Baikal in the November issue of Audubon magazine.

Photographer Silliness - Who the Hell Cares What Kind of Camera, Lens, Tripod You Used?

2009-09-27T07:57:00.001-07:00

Someone once asked Ansel Adams what equipment he used to make his marvelous photographs and he replied, "A camera was faithfully used." (photo at left, Ansel greeting us at his home in Carmel in May, 1968)

I've been guilty in the past of techno garbage data accompanying photos in some of my books because my publishers insisted that people wanted to know what camera, lens, f-stop, etc. was used. I relented and included the data in some of my early books, but it was mostly made up! In the early days before digital, who the hell remembered what lens or f-stop or even camera (I had several) was used? And who cared?

Today, however, it has gone to extremes. Not only is the camera and lens and f-stop given, but also the tripod and tripod head. Good Grief! What silliness! When it comes to judging photographs, it's the content, stupid!

But maybe I'm being unfair. And maybe I should follow suit, only I'm going to be much more complete in the information. So here's the tech data for a recent picture:
Camera: Kodak Instamatic model 2
Film: Wal-Mart brand el cheapo, ISO 200 (sort of, depends on the day of the week)
F-stop: f/11.23251
Shutter speed: 1/125 second (approximately, it varies with temperature and phase of the moon)
Tripod: Wobbly model 543678923 set at height of exactly 4' 8.27765"
Tripod head: Grabber model 879965432100989076
Underwear: Haines, briefs (NOT boxer) color blue
Socks: Target sport socks, gray, 10 for $1
Shoes: LA Gear running shoes with traction tread, chewing gum courtesy of Safeway parking lot
Pants: Levis, traditional fit, boot cut, broken zipper, fly held shut by safety pin
Coffee: Safeway brand, whole bean French roast, fresh ground, strong brew
Beer: Titan IPA, occasionally Bitch Creek Bitter (if you choose Budweiser or Coors you'll never make it as a photographer; these are only good for developing film and cleaning hubcaps)
Hat: none (I hate 'em)
T-shirt: Land's End, color heather, pizza stains courtesy Poppa John's
Hair Stylist: Victoria Cramer; trim, mid-ear length, longer in back
Female assistant: GO GET YER OWN.
Wine (with female assistant): Iron Horse Vineyards, Rued Clone Chardonnay 2005

Now, if you don't match everything here exactly, you ain't gonna make it as a photographer!

No Cookout Tonight

2009-09-21T11:07:00.000-07:00

Yup, typical Evergreen summer/fall. Only two seasons here - last winter and this winter.

Now where'd I put that %$#@*&% snow shovel?

Cover For My New Digital Photography Book

2009-09-12T11:31:00.000-07:00

Publication is scheduled for next Spring - Voyageur Press (they published my best-selling The Art of Outdoor Photography)
http://bit.ly/2x74p (To pre-order)

http://bit.ly/16dtfn (The Art of Outdoor Photography)

No, No - It's Photography Workshop, not Pornography Workshop

2009-09-12T10:41:00.000-07:00

Barb sent an email about our April 2010 Galapagos Photo Workshop/tour to a friend of our daughter's in the UK. The company email blocked it because of "profanity" and "pornography." Turns out the objectionable word here was "boobies" - as in blue-footed boobies (pictured here).

Ain't technology grand?

For anyone interested in our pornography - oops, meant photography - tour of Galapagos, information here: http://bit.ly/x0nho.

We can promise lots of boobies.

Galapagos 2010

2009-09-02T09:38:00.000-07:00

We still have some spaces available on our 2010 Galapagos photo tour, April 23 - May 3. Limited to 10 participants. A few happy snaps from our April 2009 trip, including some new postings of the eruption of Fernandina Volcano. More information on the trip at: http://www.wildernessphotography.com/Galapagos.htm

Lake Baikal

2009-08-04T18:05:00.000-07:00

Last November we learned that the Baikalsk Pulp plant on the southern shore of Lake Baikal was shut down after 42 years of polluting the world's most beautiful and pristine lake. We all cheered. But it was a short lived celebration. Just today I learned the plant was to start operation again. That's the bad news. The semi-good news is that it will operated with a closed cycle pollution control system. Only problem is, such systems haven't worked in the past. However, Vladimir Putin has declared that Baikal must be protected.

We'll see. Best solution is to shut it down permanently. I gotta have a talk with Putin.

My article on Lake Baikal is scheduled for the November issue of Audubon Magazine. Here's a short excerpt and a few pics.

“You know, we Siberians live in fear of being exiled to Moscow,” says Leonid Yevseyev, and we both laugh.

Yevseyev, my guide and interpreter and a native-born Siberian, is beside me on a promontory as we look out over a stunning panorama—-the mountain-rimmed lake called Baikal. We stand on Baikal’s remote northwestern shore, watching a thunderstorm hammer the Barguzin Range to the east of us. Here the land plunges a hundred feet to waters that are a vibrant blue-green, so transparent that rocks ten feet beneath the surface are clearly visible in the glaring sun. Bordering the meadow around us is a dense forest of pine and larch, spreading a resinous fragrance. Exiled to Moscow? Leonid and I agree: only if they take us away from here at gunpoint.

Pristine waters off the shore of Big Ushkanyi Island, Zabaikalski National Park.

Fisherman at dusk, Barguzin Bay, Zabaikalski National Park.

Chivyrkusky Bay, Zabaikalski National Park.

Nerpa, world's only freshwater seal, found only in Lake Baikal. Population is uncertain and may be declining due to decades of pollutants affecting their immune systems. No one know for certain the exact number remaining in the lake.

50th Anniversary - Tribute to a Great Woman

2009-07-25T08:28:00.000-07:00

50th anniversary today. Can’t believe Barb put up with me that long – slogging through mud and rain to visit mountain gorillas in Rwanda, bugs and leeches in Borneo rainforest, lions roaring outside leaky tent in Serengeti, grizzly bears cavorting 20 feet away in AK, sleeping in wet hammocks in Venezuelan jungle, miserable conditions in Siberia. You know, all the fun things.

"This is another fine mess you've gotten me into." video

She makes friends everywhere

Loves to party!

Bails me out when I'm in trouble

LOVE YA LOTS, BABE.

Elk attack. One third of tomato crop lost.

2009-07-24T13:12:00.000-07:00

It happened at 2AM. In a well coordinated raid, an invading elk ate one of three tomato plants on the deck of Norton's office.

A positive ID was made from a bedroom window as the elk fled the scene. The elk, part of a gang, is suspected of being a tomato addict. There was collateral damage; one flower planter suffered eating wounds from other gang members.

Earlier, the elk gang was seen casing the neighborhood (photo).

Neighborhood elk alert has been raised from orange to red.

Serengeti's Most Important Critters

2009-07-03T08:10:00.000-07:00

“Stop. Stop! Simama tafadhali,” I yelled. We were on a dirt track heading south from Lake Ndutu when I spotted it.

Startled at my outburst, Joshua, my driver guide, slammed on the brakes and we skidded to a stop in a cloud of dust. The other two vehicles behind us, part of our group, also stopped. Everyone looked around, puzzled, for there were no animals nearby – no lions lurking in the grass, no gazelles or wildebeest grazing. Just empty grasslands rolling away to an infinity of sky.

I got out of the vehicle and announced to all the photographers in my group that I was about to give them the opportunity to photograph one of the most important critters on these plains. They looked skeptical, glancing around and seeing nothing but grass. Not a photo op in sight.

They exited the vehicles and as they gathered around, I pointed down at the ground. There, unfolding before their eyes, was a preposterous scene: a perfectly round, golf ball-sized piece of dung being pushed by a large black beetle. It was comical to watch as the scarab, using hind legs and balanced on front legs, pushed the ball in a seemingly aimless way, being diverted by grass clumps, stones, sticks and other impediments. Another beetle, offering no help whatsoever, was attached firmly to the ball and was rolled over and over as the first beetle pushed it about. The second beetle was obviously the foreman, we concluded, who probably was shouting, in unheard beetle language, directions to the pusher: “No, to the left. More. More. No, now go right you dummy, . .”

At times there seemed to be little progress as the ball was halted by a clump of grass. To get around it required a change of direction, but neither beetle seemed to have any one direction in mind. A incredible the amount of energy was being expended by this little insect pushing something that weighed many more times its own weight. Despite the appearance of a scene out of an old Keystone Cop movie, eventually the pushing beetle found what it was looking for, with or without help from its hitchhiker. It began excavating beneath the dung ball and soon disappeared. Slowly the ball sank into the pit being created and finally the very top, with its still-clinging passenger, was below ground level. Then it disappeared under a mound of dirt.

Accompanied by lots of laughter, dozens of pictures were taken. I doubted that too many of them would be shown to friends back home (“You mean you traveled thousands of miles just to photograph a dung beetle?”) But on the serious side, before we left the scene someone asked why I considered this to be one of the most important animals on the plains.

I explained. For one, consider these facts:
One million three hundred thousand wildebeests, give or take fifty or a hundred thousand.

Two hundred thousand zebras, more or less.

Almost four hundred thousand gazelles.

Add elephants, impala, kongoni, buffalo, and a few more miscellaneous fauna.
Total them up and it’s well over two million animals, all eating grass and all of them – well, let’s put it this way. If it weren’t for dung beetles, we’d be up to our armpits in you-know-what.

But in truth, the dung beetle is more than an insectivore pooper-scooper. That’s a secondary benefit. It turns out these little critters do have a purpose in mind for that ball of shit. When it’s buried, eggs get laid in it and the new generation of dung beetles starts out feasting on this nest egg (so to speak). In the process of this, the soil of the grasslands gets aerated and fertilized. While we only watched one dung beetle, if you multiply that act by a few million, you begin to realize that this is a massive operation. Researchers estimate that 15-20% of the soil on these plains was made up of buried dung. One researcher counted, in one pile of elephant dung, 16,000 beetles (an astounding bit of dedication, spending all day poking around in piles of dung and counting beetles). On average one beetle might weigh, say, 2 grams, and it can move 250 times its weight of dung in one evening (according to those dung researchers). That’s 500 grams of dung - about one pound. Multiply by just those 16,000 beetles, and we are talking eight tons of dung being buried. So it’s easy to see that hundreds of thousands of dung beetles working the night shift can move and bury dozens of tons of fertilizer. Even with the best of modern agricultural technology, we humans would be hard pressed to duplicate that feat. And yet this seemingly insignificant, even comical (to us) insect is what keeps these grasslands healthy and without healthy grasslands millions of herbivores might not survive.

We still have some spaces on our photo and natural history safari in January 2010 (limited to 10 participants). Next year marks our 25th year of running photo safaris there. If anyone is interested, information here: www.wildernessphotography.com/tanzania.htm

A one minute video - dung beetle in action:

Serengeti - It's like seeing the world when it was young

2009-06-25T07:41:00.000-07:00

We still have some spaces on our photo and natural history safari in January 2010 (limited to 10 participants). Next year marks our 25th year of running photo safaris there. If anyone is interested, information here: http://www.wildernessphotography.com/tanzania.htm

Some thoughts on Serengeti. While writing the text for my new book, I came across some interesting material. Famed psychologist Carl Jung visited East Africa in 1925 and wrote of a "most intense sentiment of returning to the land of my youth."

That seems a curious statement because Jung had never before been to Africa. But the sentiment is understandable by those of us who feel like we are coming home when we return there. Each time I have visited Serengeti (I've spent over 900 days there) I have experienced a strong feeling of belonging. We are all Africans and it is, indeed, the land of our youth. Somewhere, deep in the molecules of our genes, are the echoes of our ancient past. Spencer Wells has corroborated this in his fabulous DNA tracing studies.

Jung also noted (and he could have been referring to Serengeti) the landscape is like "the stillness of the eternal beginning."

We haven't begun final picture selection for the book, but I thought I'd post a few happy snaps.

Machu Picchu Nightmare

2009-06-17T13:45:00.000-07:00

I guess I had been spoiled. On previous trips (I’ve been there five times) the photography at Machu Picchu was great – not many people in the ruins if you got there early for sunrise. But this recent trip in April this year it was a mob scene – thousands of people roaming about the ruins all day, from early morning to late in the day. And this during a really rainy day. I can understand Peru’s need to promote tourism, but this has been overkill. I’ll never again come back.

Perhaps even worse, Peru’s infrastructure at the new international airport in Lima is terrible. Just to get through customs/passport control on leaving we had to stand in line for over an hour. Mass chaos. Some people would have missed their flight had it not been late on arrival.

Fernandina Eruption

2009-06-17T13:21:00.000-07:00

During the recent trip to Galapagos I was lucky enough to be at Fernandina Island during a recent eruption. Tough photography – the only illumination was the red glow of flowing lava as it moved down to the sea. But I got some great shots, soon to be posted on my website www.wildernessphotography.com

2009-06-17T13:20:00.001-07:00

Work on Serengeti Book Progressing

2009-06-07T14:56:00.001-07:00

The work on my Serengeti book is nearly done - one chapter to finish. Publication will probably be next Spring (Fulcrum Publishing).