Oliver Klink: Published in Local Newspapers and San Jose Mercury News
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5,000 people and counting have seen the Wildlife Beyond Borders exhibit. The show was featured in 5 local papers and the San Jose Mercury News. Should I add that this show is a MUST SEE 😉 The show is currently at Art Ark Gallery in San Jose. (1035 S 6th Street). The gallery is on the “summer schedule” and is open only when the artists are present. Don’t miss June 23 (10:30AM – 2PM). Otherwise, your next opportunity is on July 16 (2-4PM). What: Artists’ Talks. The artists will walk the show and explain their thinking process, how they achieve their craft and what it means to be part of Wildlife Beyond Border exhibit. When: June 23 (Thursday) Time: 10:30AM – 2PM Where: Art Ark Gallery, 1035 S. 6th Street, San Jose, CA Take a break from work, bring your lunch and enjoy inspiring art. Hope to see you on Thursday … Oliver Klink |
Travel Photography: What to do with “Sunny and Blue Sky”?
I just returned from New York, where I was on vacation part of the time. I visited the major sites (Ground Zero museum, MoMa, Wall Street, the Brooklyn Bridge, etc.), and lesser known gems (neighborhoods, part of Central Park, etc.). Like most of you, when we are on vacation, we take lots of pictures, we get the urge to document what we see, and most important we want to create memories.
On the downside, we don’t have the time to photograph the “way we were taught”. And in New York, I got caught in the same dilemma. Do I take the image from the top of One World Trade Center, when it is noon time, blue sky and the sun is beaming? What else can I do?
In Central Park, I ran into the same issues. The light was “horrific”. A few days earlier, I had attended a presentation about “the restoration of Central Park”, discussed the topic with locals when traveling in the subway to understand what they think about the project. And that morning, even with bad light, I found “gems” to photograph (image above “Dog’s eye view”).
So, how do you learn “Travel Photography”? How do you make captivating images in addition to creating memories? I will share my tips on July 17 (ONLY one session left scheduled and limited to 8 people – June 25 already sold out).
Due to extensive international travels for either exhibits (Argentina and France) or for workshops (China, Africa, etc.), I have very few seats left to workshops in the Bay Area. If interested, don’t delay your registration.
Good luck with your photography. Summer is around the corner, get ready to take exciting images.
Songs Gone Silent
© 2015 Bruce Finocchio — Male Cardinal
Songs Gone Silent
By Bruce Finocchio
Each morning a bird call awakens me. Its song is familiar yet unknown. I have not been able to identify it yet, to come know what species makes its familiar call. It’s bothering me not to know. Nevertheless, it is very pleasing to hear each morning–like hearing an old friend’s voice again after a long absence.
Imagine the world without songbirds–without bird songs to wake you in the morning. The world would be diminished, and Rachel Carson’s vision of a “Silent Spring” would be realized. How sad would that day be, not to hear the thrilling sound of birdcalls? Have their calls only remembrances in our dreams!
© 2013 Bruce Finocchio — Immature Male Vermilion Flycatcher
Songbird populations across the world are in trouble. From the pesticides that worried Rachel Carson, to the feral and domestic cats catching many birds in their claws, to those who die in collisions with skyscrapers, communication towers, wind turbines, and even glass windows and doors of suburban homes. Just the other day, I found a female Lesser Goldfinch outside of my glass back door lying dead on my backyard porch. It happens more than you realize.
Habitat fragmentation is a great concern as our world becomes more commercialized for our needs. Our exponential growing populations place greater demands upon the natural world. As more of wild nature succumbs to our human environments and less and less is left for wild creatures including songbirds. As we pave over, build our structures, and alter the world’s surroundings to meet our needs and wants. There simply are fewer and fewer places for songbirds to live and flourish.
© 2013 Bruce Finocchio — Black-crested-Titmouse
Bird populations are falling fast; we have lost almost half the songbirds that filled the skies forty years ago, by some counts over a billion birds.(1) Year by year more songbirds become endangered of going extinct. One of my large bird books has a picture of a passenger pigeon. An artist drawing of a beautiful bird of subtle pastel colors. Wow, I say to myself when I see this picture. I would have loved a chance to see one alive. However, it is extinct, and no long possible to see one fly in the sky, yet over a hundred and fifty years ago, millions blotted the skies of the eastern North America.
© 2010 Bruce Finocchio — Male Mountain Bluebird
Ultimately, I think it comes down to a choice. Our generation and the next must decide to save and protect our natural world, preserving the diversity of life on our wonderful living planet. Now we alone hold the future of life on earth in our hands. We must change our thoughts and actions from one of domination to one of coexistence
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Evolve enough to understand, I am because of you; I am because of other life forms.(2) Relearn that humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web; we do to ourselves. All living things are bound together. All living things are interconnected and dependent on each other for survival.(3)
Otherwise, if we don’t relearn and absorb these lessons, take it to heart; it will be very bad and a very sad hour for mankind. No more melodic birds’ songs will grace the airways and bring music to our ears each every morning we awaken to greet a new day. Truly, their songs of life will go silent for the last time.
© 2010 Bruce Finocchio — Male Cassin’s Finch
Nature has incredible restorative powers. Life has an indomitable spirit. If we make the right choice, then there is optimism. Hope for mankind and for a better future. Eventually, my singing songbird will come out of the dense tree foliage, and I’ll have my identification. I will have kept at it; the way mankind must persevere in the coming decades.
Bruce Finocchio is one of the WBB photographers who images are currently showing at the Art Ark Gallery in San Jose, California. Meet Bruce and the other WBB photographers at the June 3 reception from 5:00 to 9:00 PM, and hear their incredible stories of photographing wildlife all over the world, and how they take their work from “Beauty to Deeper Understanding”.
To register for the Reception click this link: Register here.
(1) 1,000,000,000 Birds – Just Gone by Austin Baily, Daily Kos, 5/20/16
(2) Boyd Varty, Ubuntu, I am; because of you.
(3) Paraphrasing Chief Seattle’s famous words
Jim Codington On KGO Radio
Jim Codington On KGO Radio
Wildlife Beyond Borders photographer Jim Codington was interviewed on KGO radio on Sunday, May 29, 2016, from 8:00 PM to 8:30 PM.(Link to the interview) He discussed the Wildlife Beyond Borders book and exhibit, as well as his involvement in the Mountain Lion Conservation Project. Jim Codington is one of the WBB photographers who images are currently showing at the Art Ark Gallery in San Jose, California. Meet Jim and the other WBB photographers at the June 3 reception from 5:00 to 9:00 PM, and hear their incredible stories of photographing wildlife all over the world, and how they take their work from “Beauty to Deeper Understanding”.
To register for the Reception click this link: Register
Sitting on the Ocean Floor
© 2015 Robin Robinson — Moorish Idols and Sandscape
Sitting on the Ocean Floor
By Robin V. Robinson
A few years ago, I spent a week diving in Kiribati, an island chain in the Pacific close to the equator. It’s far from anywhere, connected by only one flight a week from the US. As the lone diver that week, I had a dive guide to myself. “What would you like to see?” he asked.
The island was surrounded by beautiful corals, so I surprised the guide by answering “I’d like to sit on the bottom of the ocean, on the sand, and see what comes along.” Having never attempted this before, the guide was hesitant but agreed to try it.
We sailed to a sandy spot, descended about 40 feet, and emptied our floatation vests so that we were sitting comfortably. I could see sand all around me, but no fish or visible life. After about five minutes, nothing had happened. It was pleasant – sunny, and the water was warm on my skin. I relaxed and waited. After about 15 minutes, still nothing had appeared. I signaled to the guide to stay put, I was determined to give this a chance.
Then an unexpected thing happened. I suddenly felt like I was on dry land, on a sunny beach, relaxing in the sand. Yes, I was enjoying the beach, the sky, and the warmth, and I was breathing air. But wait…I was underwater, right? I literally checked for my breathing regulator, and found it in my mouth. Indeed, I was still underwater on the sand, but couldn’t shake the surreal feeling of being on dry land.
At that moment, I realized that sitting on the ocean floor really IS sitting on land, and that the underwater terrain and the above-water terrain are actually the same thing – connected, and made of the same stuff. We think of things in the ocean as “underwater” or separate from dry land. We think of the ocean as the “other” part of the planet, the part that maybe we put our feet in or enjoy looking at, except it’s always “out there.” But really, it’s all the same thing; it’s one planet.
My experience made me think about how people are not too comfortable with the ocean; after all, it can be cold and scary. I decided that perhaps by making images with features like sandy bottoms I could somehow acquaint people with an ocean that feels familiar. We need to know that the ocean is often just like our usual places. I hope that my photographs provide a change in perspective and a new way of feeling and thinking about the ocean. Perhaps if we feel more familiar with the ocean, we will care about it more and make it part of our big picture of concerns.
About 25 minutes into our dive, a school of Moorish Idols swam into view. I laughed in my mask as I lifted my camera to record their random pattern above the sand. They could have been birds.
You can see my artwork at the Art Ark Gallery in San Jose from June 2nd to July 17th. Come meet me at the opening reception on June 3rd from 5 to 9pm. Register here
Wildlife Beyond Borders: Opening Reception at ArtArk Gallery
Art Ark Gallery is INCREDIBLE and shows the Wildlife Beyond Borders images very well. The show opens on June 3 (5-9PM), where the 9 artists will display newly released images of chimpanzees, underwater world, “Gypsie” horse in a dreamscape, the interaction between humans and asian elephants, fleeting elegance of cranes, song birds to fish eagles, and more.
The event is free of charge, but you need to register as we have limited seatings. Don’t delay your registration, as one special event early in the day is already sold out.
When: Friday, June 3
Time: 5 – 9PM
Where: Art Ark Gallery, 1035 S. 6th Street, San Jose, CA
The Free Spirit of the Horse On the Run
The Free Spirit of the Horse On the Run
By Mary Aiu
I have always felt that if you are passionate about your subject matter, it will show through in your work. So a few years ago, I made a decision to choose a subject that would lend itself to becoming a body of work. Having great admiration for the horse and being an owner of a couple of them myself, the subject choice was an easy one. My journey has included photographing interactions and partnerships we have with the horse under-saddle, their behaviors among the herd, to finding beauty or story within a portrait. These experiences have led me to an even deeper understanding and love for the horse.
My favorite moments and what really pulls on my heart strings, is to be able to witness through my camera the unbridled beauty of the horse in motion. For me, watching them run at liberty, is like watching a dancer, with each horse displaying their own unique flair of power, grace, and agility. It is so pure, watching a horse be a horse! I do believe few people ever get the chance to be in their presence to witness this, as horses seem to be disappearing from our landscapes and lives more and more.
©2016 Mary Aiu — On The Run #6 (Gypsy Horse)
For centuries horses have been regarded for their ethereal beauty and nobility. I have been fortunate to have photographed some that have taken my breath away as they take flight to run through the wind. The Arabian horse floats like a ballerina with a graceful gait that almost seems to suspend them in the air. While the earth seems to open up under the pounding from the feathered hooves and elegant, long flowing manes of the Gypsy horse. The striking Stonewall Sports Horse with their beautiful spotted patterns always sets the stage for special captures. I can’t put into words the exhilaration I feel as I stand in a field and photograph a group of them running towards me.
My artistic intent with my collection of images, “On the Run,” is to showcase these moments of what I like to think of as equine splendor, and to share with the viewer the majestic beauty and free spirit of the horse on the run.
Meet Mary Aiu at the June 3 reception at the ArtArk Gallery and discover more images in her “On The Run” collection.
To Register for the Reception–click on the following link:
Register for the New Images Release Opening Reception – June 3 (5-9PM)
Join the 9 photographers (Oliver Klink, Bruce Finocchio, Susan Carnahan, Robin Robinson, Mike Miller, Marian Davidson, Wendy Hannum, Jim Codington, Mary Aiu) at the New Image Release Opening reception event.
You will hear about their new projects and thoughts on wildlife around the world.
Date: June 3, 2016
Time: 5-9PM (Public reception: 6 – 9PM)
Location: Art Ark Gallery, 1035 S. 6th Street, San Jose, CA (Directions)
REGISTRATION (Free, Limited Seatings)
Hope to see you on June 3.
Oliver Klink
An Appreciation of Animals
An Appreciation of Animals
By Mike Miller
I hunted when I was young. I shot and killed animals and birds for sport. I felt no empathy for them and never thought about what I was doing beyond the immediate experience. There were always more animals. What I did seemed to make no difference.
When I got older, I became a scuba diver. I dove in Monterey Bay many times. Sometimes I dove in the Hopkins Marine Sanctuary, which is adjacent to the Aquarium. I dove initially as a sporting activity, to enjoy the effort of diving, of swimming underwater and to speed through the kelp forests.
Eventually, I started to enjoy the underwater environment. I observed the fish, the many invertebrate animals, the kelp and the occasional sea lion or harbor seal. I noticed that the fish in the Sanctuary were much less wary of divers than the fish in other places. They did not disappear as I approached. Divers are noisy underwater. Yet the fish in the sanctuary did not flee while those in other parts of the bay quickly disappeared. I learned that spear fishing was not allowed in the sanctuary and therefore the fish were not afraid. I began to look at the world from perspectives other than my own.
© 2016 Mike Miller – Manta Ray (Maldive Islands)
My wife and I went to Africa in 1999 for safari in South Africa, Botswana and Namibia. I was in the midst of large animals living in their world. I saw lions kill a warthog. That’s how they lived… and died, a very different world. I saw that the human world of cities, development and money was not the only world.
I saw a truck full of soldiers in Botswana. They were after poachers. The people in the Okavango wanted the animals protected because they had learned that foreigners would come to see them. The poachers wanted quick profits. The army and the poachers battled with increasingly heavy weapons.
I knew then the animal world was threatened by poachers, by development, and by people. The grace of the animals allowed me to see that we all need to protect them. Since then, I have photographed animals both under water and on land to show their existence, to advocate their importance to us all and to enlist support for their survival.
© 2016 Mike Miller – Sharks (Papua New Guinea)
Mike Miller will be showing his images at the Art Ark Gallery from June 2 – July 17, 2016. Register for the opening reception on June 3 (5 – 9PM)
Chimpanzee Fascination
© 2016 Jim Codington – What is the meaning of Life?
Chimpanzee Fascination
By Jim Codington
My fascination with primates was awakened back in the early 70’s when I was studying and trapping squirrel monkeys in the Amazon Basin between undergraduate and Grad school. As a Grad student, I went on to work within the Calif Primate Center UC Davis where I spent quite a bit of time in the cancer research depart focusing on monkeys and their lymphoma outbreak. I developed a genuine respect for their intelligence, social complexity, athletic prowess and their natural beauty, but through those experiences, I somehow never felt personally connected to them.
My perception changed drastically on a recent trip to the remote Yerkes National Primate Research Center located in the jungles along the shores of Lake Tanganyika, Tanzania, a short distance from Jane Goodall’s famous research Center in Gombe. Hiking hours well into the cloud forest, up on the mountain steps, I had my first personal encounter with the magnificent Chimpanzee. That experience, of looking into the eyes of a massive alpha male at a range of some 20 feet, was one I will never forget. Quietly photographing as they played, groomed each other and their infants, and sat pondering their hands in a distinctly human-like manner, I was struck by the intelligence and serenity of these creatures. Observing them in their own wild environment touched my heart in a profound way.
It was in that dark steaming forest I sought to capture, with my camera, images portraying the magical feeling of kinship I had developed with my primate brethren. This unique experience cemented my desire to assist in the conservation of these truly splendid creatures.
Image will be display at at ArkArk Gallery in San Jose from June 2 to July 17, 2016. Join me at the opening Reception on June 3 reception from 5:00 to 9:00 PM to learn and hear more!
To Register for the Reception–click on the following link:
http://wildlifebeyondbordersartark.eventbrite.com