Texas hold'em - Unleashed in Dallas

As many of you know, I started my professional life as a veterinarian in Germany. After moving to the US, due to law and order, I wasn't able to practice Veterinarian medicine, without redoing all my exams and more.




So I pursued my interest in photography to lift it to a professional level.
Although successfully working as a professional photographer for the last couple of years, I was always for the lookout to combine my experience and knowledge as a veterinarian with my passion of photography.




Last fall I photographed a litter of doxies (Miniature Dachshunds)from my favorite breeder. After delivering the images to him, he confessed to have had tears in his eyes as he was looking through the images. Hearing this from a somewhat tough cowboy, I thought I must have done something right.



Coincidentally, or call it serendipity, the same week I stumbled upon an article in the PPA (Professional Photographers of America) magazine about three dedicated and successful pet photographers and their concerted “Unleashed” workshop. Researching the websites of these queens of pet photography, something clicked into place: That's it, that's what I want to do. Go figure, one of the queens is also a veterinarian....


Winston:




Missy:







Knowing that I would need every bit of advice and information to successfully embrace pet photography, I signed up for the “Unleashed” workshop.
Off I went to Dallas, Texas, last week to see what Unleashed is all about.

We enjoyed dedicated instructors,




...tough dog handlers...




...and models available for close ups.




We even picked up models in the park:




In short: We had a very calm and conventional learning experience...



This was probably one of the best investments I made so far in my professional life. The Unleashed team put us through a full packed three day workshop that left no question open. We went from the basics of studio lighting over dog handling to marketing with all it's bells and whistles.
Seeing three different styles and learning about three different approaches, the main lesson I took from this is, that if you stay true to your style, who you are and how you shoot, you are on the right way to success.


I strongly encourage you to browse through Bev's, Barbara's and Teresa's websites, you won't be disappointed. Links to the right under: Friends and Links


My sincere THANK YOU to Barbara, Bev and Teresa for putting this amazing workshop together, to Don for freely sharing his valuable marketing advice, to Brandy and Robin for complying with all our possible and impossible demands, and of course to our fantastic canine models!

All images in this post were photographed during the workshop.

April Conservation Tip

I see myself as a conservation photographer.
With my images I want to be an ambassador for nature and wildlife, showing people places they might never go to, but they should know about. So that they see what's at stake.
But is taking pictures enough?
No, they also need to be shown and a story told. I try that, too, but I still feel it's not enough.

After sharing some “eco” tips with friends, who almost always are astounded how easy it is to make an positive impact, I thought I share these tips on a at least monthly basis on my blog, to reach even more people, to spread the word.

The idea for this months tip was inspired by an initiative from Starbucks:

As the new Academy of Science opened we took the kids for a first look. Through it is a really stunning museum now, the one thing that impressed me most, was a display of how many paper cups get used daily in the US, and how many trees have to be cut for that. I don't recall the exact numbers, but it was mind boggling. After this visit, I started to use a travel mug for my frequent Starbucks trips. I always have one in the car, and one in my camera bag. But I noticed, that hardly anyone else does.
So for this blog I did a bit research and found the following:

“ If only 50 Starbucks customer a day in every store were to use reusable mugs, Starbucks would save 150,000 disposable paper cups daily. This equals 1.7 million pounds of paper, 3.7 million pounds of solid waste, and 150,000 trees a year”

That's pretty impressive. An average Starbucks store has about 400 customer a day, so the above amount of trees and waste could be saved if only 12.5 % of all customers would use reusable cups....And this is just Starbucks, there is also Peets and many more other coffee shops out there.

Obviously Starbucks noticed that too, and launched the following initiative:

www.starbucks.com/thebigpicture
Just click on the the header (April Conservation Tip) to go directly to the Starbucks website.

Check it out and take part. And in the future, just use these travel mugs that are catching dust in your cabinet!

Spring is in the Air

...and all these cute, little, fuzzy animals are around.
















On this note: Happy Spring and Happy Easter!




Thank you Lolly and Mika! It wouldn't have been possible without your help!

San Francisco in the dark at Earth Hour ?

...well, not really.
Curious, how much of the San Francisco Skyline would go dark, I went up to Treasure Island. It was, needless to say, freezing cold and windy. About 10 minutes before 8.30 pm, I took a panorama of the skyline, and a closer view of the Bay Bridge. Then 8.30 pm came, and nothing happened. Then 8.35 pm, still nothing. I was about to give up as finally at 8.40 the lights of the suspension of the Bay Bridge turned off, one triangle at a time. Standing on Treasure Island, it didn't look like San Francisco was much observing Earth Hour, but back at home, as I stitched the panoramas together, and compared the before and during Earth Hour panoramas, the difference was quite significant. Unfortunately, the panoramas are to big to show here in the blog, but I think the Bay Bridge images give you an idea.

Earth Hour 2010

Don't forget Earth Hour, this Saturday, March 27th at 8.30 pm local time.

For more info and inspiration visit the Earth Hour website at:

http://www.earthhour.org

or just click on the title

What are you doing during Earth Hour?

Yosemite & NANPA

Every year, in the two last weeks of February, the setting sun hits Horsetail Falls, located at the east Buttress of El Capitan, in such an angle, that the falling water glows like fire. Given that the sun is out, of course. Ever since the late Galen Rowell brought this phenomenon to the attention of the public, lots of photographers making a pilgrimage to the falls in these two weeks. And if time permits, so do I. It's always a gamble, even on the nicest day, the sun could disappear in a haze and the falls won't light up, while on a really overcast day, right at sunset the sun could peek out and lighten up the falls. Also the amount of water coming down and the wind are factors to be counted in. This was my fourth year trying to catch the perfect image, and I got some decent ones, but I still did not get that A+ image I'm after. Never mind though, gives me just the right excuse to go again next year...




And while you can only photograph the Horsetail Falls for about 10 minutes around sunset, you can play with everything else in the park, while you are there, for example with reflections:

In the early afternoon we were scouting out a new place to photograph Horsetail Falls, when we stumbled upon these absolutely round hollows in a huge rock. These were acorn grinding places of the former Yosemite natives, that now had filled with water. Later in the afternoon then, when we were waiting for the sunset to strike the Falls, I noticed the leaf and the reflection of the falls in the water filled holes.








Or with photographing rainbows. In the morning at the Yosemite Falls, like this double rainbow at the foot of the Lower Yosemite Fall.




And in the afternoon at Bridal Veil Falls





After the quick stop at Yosemite National Park, I then headed towards Reno for the 16th annual summit of NANPA (North American Nature Photographers Association). Sorry, no pictures here...

As last year, the program was fantastic and it was nice to meet old friends and make new ones.

My personal highlight of course was the presentation of the High School Scholarship program, since our son was one of the 10 high school students that got selected this year.

All the keynote speakers had striking stories to tell and it's great to see how much is done towards the conservation of our nature. Yes, we can...but we still have a long way to go! I my opinion, two projects stood out and I would like to share their environmental concerns with you:

Although I thought I know British Columbia quite well, I had never heard of the Sacred Headlands before. Lying in a remote northern corner of BC, the Sacred Headland are the birthplace of three major, salmon bearing rivers of BC. The BC Government has now permitted Shell to drill for coal-bed methane here, which would transform this pristine alpine basin into an industrial waste land. Please check out Paul Colangelos documentary website at: http://www.sacredheadwatersjourney.com/
and the Sacred Headwater website: http://www.sacredheadwaters.com/ for more information and help to spread the word!

The other project is actually an European project. The announcement in the NANPA program: “Europe is a whole lot more than cities, old castles and highways. But the amazingly rich natural heritage of this continent is still very little known, even among many Europeans. Nature photographers Staffan Widstrand, Florian Moellers and Peter Cairns [ and 66 other selected European nature photographer] set out to show the natural heritage of their continent to the 700 million Europeans and to the world.” made me really curious. Speechless I followed Staffan Widstrands presentation, absolutely amazing. Please take a moment and take a look at their website: http://www.wild-wonders.com/.

Amazing Antarctica

A Travel Log

Day 1

After 20 hours of sitting in a plane, 40 hours of traveling and two major delays I finally made it to Ushuaia. Ushuaia, also known as Fin del Mundo (The End of the World) is the southernmost city of the world and the closest to the Antarctic Peninsula. One would think not much is going on here, at the end of the world, but far from it, it is bustling with activity, since it is not only the gateway to most Antarctic adventures but also to any trips to Patagonia and the Andes. In winter (our summer) it’s a well known ski area.
TIP: If you click on the images, you can open them in their original size for better viewing.


Ushuaia


Ushuaia Street Scene


Ship Wreck


Mural at Ushuaia Port


Beagle Channel View from my Hotel


Day 2 and 3

After another nice stroll through Ushuaia we were getting ready to embark our ship, the Clipper Adventurer, for our Antarctic trip. The route we were about to take is called the “explorers route”, and leads to Antarctica via the Falkland Islands and South Georgia. As we left port, there were tears in my eyes, I have waited so long for this trip and now it was finally going to happen!






Leaving Port


Beagle Channel Impressions


Sunset...


...and Moonrise


View out of my Porthole


Southern Giant Petrel following the ship

Day 4

After two days on sea we finally saw land this morning, the Falkland Islands. The islands are a compact group of more than 740 smaller and bigger islands situated about 400 miles east of Ushuaia. After maneuvering through a beautiful channel we landed in a cove off the coast of Carcass Island. Here I was about to see my first penguins in the wild, a small gathering of Magellanic penguins.


My first Penguin Encounter!


Magellanic Penguins on Carcass Island

But the real highlight came in the afternoon, when we landed at Saunders Island, a bird paradise. The abundance of wildlife is overwhelming!


No comment


Magellanic Penguins coming out of the sea


Flaps down


Black Browed Albatross with Chick


Rockhopper Penguin

Day 5

Today we landed at Port Stanley, the only “city”, with about 2000 inhabitants, on the Falkland Islands. My impression: Very British! During a bus tour to Gypsy Cove we learned that a lot of beaches are still closed due to unexploded land mines from the 1982 Falkland conflict. One wonders, why they haven’t removed them yet. But the Falklanders seem to be in no hurry and for the penguins it actually is a blessing, since there are no tourists invading their space.


Two Magellanic Penguins





Day 6 and 7

At sea, heading towards the penguin Paradise: The South Georgia Islands

Enjoy some views of and from the ship









Day 8

South Georgia

The last two days on sea went by very quickly, but due to the rocking sea, everybody was happy to see the coast of South Georgia this afternoon. South Georgia is an about 100 mile long crescent shaped island located about 900 miles east of the Falkland Islands. Sir Ernest Shackleton and extreme whaling made the island quite famous. Our first stop is Elsehul with great views, penguins and lots of fur seals.



View with Gentoo Penguin



Gentoo Penguin



Fur Seal Pup



Back to the earth

Day 9

This morning we landed at Salisbury Plain, home to about 70.000 breeding pairs of King penguins. A breathtaking experience! The whole plain was covered with penguins, even half of the hill side was occupied. The King penguin has no seasonal breeding cycle, so we were able to see penguins in all different stages, from courting to mating, from a egg in the pouch to being a chick, also molting, swimming and waddling around.



One Penguin


Two Penguins


Four Penguins


A Lot of Penguins

In the afternoon we went to Fortuna Bay, a 4 mile long fjord leading into the rugged interior of the island. Fur Seals and King Penguins rule the beaches here. We were very fortunate to observe and of course photograph a very cute isabelline (blonde) fur seal pup.


Kissing Fur Seal Pups





While photographing the penguins, I suddenly heard a noise much like hoof stamping and surprised outcries of other photographers. Turning around I almost got run over by a small herd of reindeer. Reindeer in the Antarctic? Whalers introduced reindeer from Norway for meat and sport in 1911. There is now a population of about 2000 reindeer in South Georgia, and a few of them just happened to be at Fortuna Bay.



Day 10

Can you imagine half a million King Penguins in one place? That would be St. Andrews Bay. We got very lucky with the weather as the landing side is not easily accessible. We ventured out very early in the morning to avoid the stronger winds. The reward was instantaneous! In addition to the unimaginable number of penguins, St. Andrews Bay is also a hot spot for Elephant Seals. We even saw a Leopard Seal! In the middle of our landing, I just sat down and tried to take all this in, to keep this moment forever in my mind. This was nature at it’s purest.




A Picture...


...and it's making




Leopard Seal

From this happy and lively place, we then went to a grisly and sad place of history: The whaling station Grytviken. Grytviken was once the hub of the South Atlantic Whaling industry for over 60 years. It was founded in 1904 and more than 50.000 whales got slaughtered here during it’s active time. Sir Ernest Shackleton's grave is located at the nearby whalers’ cemetery.


Grytviken




Penguins taking over again




Sometimes even I fall for the typical tourist photo


Sir Ernest Shackleton's grave


Day 11

The morning of our last day in South Georgia we spent at Gold Harbour, which lies on the southeast corner of South Georgia. Gold Harbour is home to about 50.000 King Penguins, and Elephant Seals again dominate the beach. The Bertrab Glacier, hanging over vertical cliffs, forms a stunning background.




King Penguin Rookery


King Penguins


Two Elephant Seals playfighting

Cooper Bay, our afternoon destination, is the only Macaroni Penguin colony that is accessible by boat on the South Georgia Islands. After climbing up a steep tussock grass covered hill, we were rewarded with a close insight into the colony.




A stray Chinstrap Penguin




One way to end a conversation

Day 12 and 13

En-Route to Antarctica

After these absolute amazing landings we were back at sea, this time heading for our final destination: The Antarctic continent. A journey into a different world. It didn't really get dark anymore, whale blows could be seen in the distance and the first icebergs came into view.






The black dots are penguins...





Day 14

South Shetland Islands

Cruising through an alley of wonderfully shaped icebergs we reached Elephant Island this morning. Landing at Point Wild, a hostile site, comprised of a long narrow ridge of boulders under high, vertical cliffs, brings us again close to history: It was at this point were Shackleton's party sought refuge after the Endurance sank. Twenty two men survived here, living under a lifeboat, while Shackleton and two companions sailed to South Georgia for help. The stranded sailors were led by Frank Wild, hence the name Point Wild. After 4 months Shackleton returned to rescue his men. A bronze bust has been placed here to honor the captain of the rescue ship, Luis Pardo Villalon. Standing here, on a sunny Antarctic summer day in all our high tech outdoor gear, and still shivering of cold, makes it almost inconceivable how these men survived for months in the Antarctic winter.




Mariano, our history guide, took this photo at our landing today, showing Shackletons men waving good bye to Shackleton almost hundred years ago, exactly at the site we landed at.


Cape Petrels aka Pintado Petrels


Since we have now long days our second landing today was actually after dinner. From 9 pm to 11 pm we visited Penguin Island, a small volcano island populated by Weddell Seals, Giant Brown Petrels and Chinstrap, Gentoo and Adelie penguins.


Gentoo, Chinstrap and Adelie Penguin


Adelie Penguin


Chinstrap Penguin


Weddell Seal

Day 15

For many of us today was one of the absolute highlights of the trip: at Latitude 63º 31’ S South and Longitude 56 º 52’ W West, at Brown Bluff, we stepped on the Antarctic continent. I believe there was not one among the travelers who was not spellbound by natures stark beauty. The 2225 feet high brown bluff, an exposed section of a glacial volcano, is home to countless petrels, while Adelie and Gentoo penguins populate the beaches. And all that is surrounded by beautifully shaped icebergs of all forms and sizes.






Adelie Penguin with Chick


Penguins hitting the water. They always wait until a certain number of penguins is assembled, before they dive in. Safety in numbers!


Gentoo Penguin with 2 Chicks

After this mind boggling outing, the wind started to pick up. Nevertheless we had one more Zodiac cruise through the wonder world of ice in the Erebus and Terror Gulf, named for HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, two British ships, who explored Antarctic waters in 1842-43, before the katabatic winds, coming down from the glaciers, forced us back to the ship.






Katabatic Winds blowing down from a glacier







This evening we got treated with an outside BBQ, view of icebergs included. Yes, it was freezing cold, but hey, have you ever had a BBQ in the Antarctic?


View from our outdoor BBQ table

Day 16

Fleeing from the wind, we were heading for Gourdin Island which lies very close to the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. We had to approach the island carefully, since due to it’s location the landing site is unprotected from the wild sea. But we were rewarded with close access to a huge Adelie penguin rookery and lots of Gentoo and Chinstrap penguins, AND a breathtaking smell…..If you wonder about the pinkish color of the rocks, yep it’s guano!


Adelie with Chick


Two Adelie Penguins




Colony "in Pink"


Adelie Penguin feeding her chick

Again strong winds made an afternoon landing impossible, so we took course toward the famous Deception Island.

Day 17

“Deception Island (62°57'S, 60°38'W) is one of the most incredible islands on the planet. It is an active volcano in the South Shetland Islands, off the Antarctic Peninsula. Its unique landscape comprises barren volcanic slopes, steaming beaches and ash-layered glaciers. It has a distinctive horse-shoe shape with a large flooded caldera. This opens to the sea through a narrow channel at Neptune's Bellows, forming a natural sheltered harbour. It is one of the only places in the world where vessels can sail directly into the centre of a restless volcano.” http://www.deceptionisland.aq/

We were looking very much forward to land on the outside of Deception Island, to visit Baily Head on the west side of the island which holds one of the world's largest chinstrap rookeries. Unfortunately our luck with the weather had run out, due to the strong winds we couldn’t even sail into caldera. We did however do a little Zodiac cruise around the outside of Deception Island to see the Chinstrap colonies. Since the swell was quite high, I did not dare to bring my good camera along, but instead took a little movie with my G9. Watch it only if you are not prone to seasickness...;-)





After this rough but exciting outing, we had to say good bye to Antarctica and set course for Ushuaia.

Day 18 and 19

Crossing the Drake Passage was our last Antarctic experience, and for some not a pleasant one. The passage can either be a Drake lake or a Drake shake, we had the shake! With waves in averaging 9 meters (27 feet) we had a blast. Moving around the ship was challenging, at the dining table we had an extraordinary view: either only ocean, or only horizon. Time to put the camera away? No way, the bow splashes were just too much fun. On the afternoon of day 19 we sailed around the infamous Cape Horn and enjoyed a beautiful sunset back in the Beagle Channel.




Amazing Splashes engulf the Bow


Cape Horn





Day 20

At two a clock this morning the pilot for the channel came on board and guided the Clipper Adventurer back to the Ushuaia port. Unfortunately it was now time to say good bye to our home away from home and to all the new friends we made on this incredible journey.


Sailing into the Ushuaia Port


The heaving line has been tossed. That's it, the trip is over...

At this point I want to thank: my family, who held the home front, so that I could enjoy this adventure. My good friend Daisy, who helped making this dream come true. My roomie Kim, who was enormous fun to be around with. Trevor, the never ending source of surprises and great travel companion. The crew and especially the Expedition staff of the Clipper, who did an absolute fantastic job. And last but not least Canon Professional Services for loaning me the camera most of the images you saw here were taken with.

THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU!