The agony of my heart just before driving Kelly to the vet.
I was an only child, and have always been single. When I’ve been able to have dogs they’ve meant a lot to me!
Setters are my favorite, but Kelly was a special challenge — and reward!
I tell the story here:
3/3/17 1:33pm – vet appointment was 2pm
Handheld self-portrait
Kelly, my boy dog (breeders named him after the clown Emmett Kelly) died today (3/3/17) at age 10 (born 6/30/06). Little did I know that when I first met him during this visit to a kennel (photo below), that he would become my dog about a month later. I already had another Gordon Setter, William Wallace at the time, who died 1.5 years ago (10/9/15). Both died from heart failure. Ugh!
I fell in love with Setters while reading Jim Kjelgaard’s Irish Setter books as a teen, and ended up getting an Irish Setter, who I named Harvey. I had to leave him with my parents when I moved to Montana and Alaska in 1980. After Dad died, Mom moved to Alaska and bought a house, so I could again have Setters, starting in 1993. This time, we bought Gordon Setters (Mom got a girl), and we’ve had one or two ever since, until today.
When I met Kelly at the kennel I was visiting in the lower-48, I was playing with and taking photos of the male dogs in the very large fenced-in area. I laid down on the ground, face up, to capture a different perspective. All of a sudden, a dog laid on my chest, and got right up again, which surprised me because this isn’t typical Gordon behavior. This one was also the most interactive with the camera too, as the photo below shows. He was only 33 pounds.
Afterward, I asked who that dog was, and found out that Kelly had failed their hunting dog standards, so was basically stuck in the kennel as they couldn’t find a home for him. I wasn’t looking for another dog, but a month later, they suggested I take Kelly for free, as long as I paid the costs to get him to Alaska.
I had no idea how much trouble he would be, having never had a dog with serious issues before, including chewing steering column control levers & etc. in our cars.
Kelly was a true rescue dog. He had teeth that couldn’t close against each other properly, so he had trouble chewing food, which they didn’t tell me about. He had some type of ADD, which they didn’t tell me until later, and that they had considered him a troublemaker. Three long years in the kennel with too harsh discipline and hardly any TLC made him extremely wary of women. A woman was in charge of the kennel, and she later told me how she had treated Kelly, when I asked her advice on what to do. It took him YEARS to warm up to Mom, despite Mom being so sweet! And at first, he wouldn’t look me in the eye, and had a mind of his own. He was a bird addict, including smaller ones that sporting dogs aren’t supposed to be interested in. While riding in the car, he constantly scanned the sky, looking for birds with great excitement, as if he actually would have the chance to catch them. And often, while I was photographing nature, he would spend the entire time trying to catch birds, sometimes getting into the picture. I’ll post some of those, now that he can’t be James-3 cursed anymore. I learned this the hard way with a previous Gordon who suddenly acquired and died from lymph cancer at age-5, after using her photo as my profile image on my blogs.
He’s the first dog I’ve had who would go off on his own during walks but then would too often get lost, being unable to find me. I would have to find him, and usually could within 20 minutes, but a few times it was more like an hour? The beeper collar helped; though, only worked at close range.
Mom has often said how he found the perfect home, because we had the patience and love to work through all of his special problems.
In his later years, he let himself actually miss me a lot when he got lost, and he’d let the world know it by barking. And after William Wallace died, we got very tight. He would almost always be where I would be in the house. At the computer, he’d be by my feet; watching TV, nestled by my side on the couch — or sometimes next to Mom. That took so long! Mom grew to really love him too. His hair was so soft, Mom would say: “like velvet.”
And he was the most hands on dog I’ve ever had. He used his paws like hands in ways. For example, if I didn’t respond to his walking to and from the door right away, he’d touch me with his paw. He was also the only Gordon to sleep right next to me at the top of the bed, not the bottom.
I’m recalling some key moments:
I watched when Kelly saw his first moose in our yard, who sometimes forage on our trees. In the kennel, they had a full grown horse. Apparently, they were friends, because Kelly went right up to the moose, but the moose kicked him. I couldn’t tell if the hoof made contact, but probably did, because Kelly never did that again.
He could sometimes appear vicious, such as when certain people walked by the house on the street. I had such a hard time getting him not to bark without me having to tell him not to, each time. The breeder is the one who later told me he’s ADD, which I don’t understand, but saw it in action.
And he never did learn how to be completely sociable with other dogs he would meet on the trails. Unlike any dog I’ve ever had, he would often go off-trail to avoid them, but some chased him anyway, which he didn’t like.
He really learned to trust me. Twice, he found porcupines and came back with DOZENS of quills sticking out of him. He allowed me to remove them with a pliers even from the inside of his mouth — no problem; even though, it must have really hurt — especially one. It must have been in the tender nail bed of his toenail, for when I pulled it out he snapped at my hand — and was still okay with me pulling the rest out. That was the only time he ever snapped at me. Many dogs wouldn’t have allowed that, which then requires an expensive vet bill.
I’m guessing that Kelly learned his lesson with the porcupines, because there never was a third time; though, I started to avoid photographing in areas where he’d most likely encounter them, or tried to keep him near the water and out of the woods in these areas. I also bought a small, collapsible pliers which I’ve carried in my pocket ever since, so we wouldn’t have to wait until we got back to the car. I’ve read that removing them right away makes it easier, but thankfully, I never had the opportunity to test this theory.
Incidentally, my previous photo buddy, William Wallace also had two major porcupine encounters during his life, so maybe that’s how many it takes, and Kelly was no different this time?
I affectionately often called him Kells, after the “Book of Kells.”
So my most problematic dog ended up being in some ways my favorite.
I’ll miss you, Kelly.
When-I-first-met-him post reposted below:
I thought I’d post a photo from my recent trip to California and Oregon. …
This one is so cool! What a riot!
God bless!
Jeff : )
Notice how small his foot is. I took this with the widest possible, non-fish-eye lens (Sigma 12-24mm at 12mm on a Canon 5D Mark II), which gives this perspective. His face and paws are very close to the lens. And that’s my foot at the bottom of the image. May 5, 2009
Related:
I’ve had the wonderful privilege of being able to see about half of the 130 episodes in high def on TV. It’s a great way to see the world and experience the sailing life; though, I’ve travelled much of the world in real life too.
They show part of the Syria episode here. They had a blast there, finding the people to be very friendly, and the country was very modern, and not a religious state — which many Americans don’t know.
Seeing what the Mossad and CIA have done to Syria since then, by supporting the terrorists to topple Assad, has been very sad for me, knowing they didn’t do anything to US, nor did Assad gas his own people, which was a Mossad/CIA manufactured lie.
And this created much of the refugee crisis too.
This is a great series that is especially nice to watch during our dull, colorless, long winters in Alaska.
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How to make a Million Dollar Sailing Video!
This is only about 6 blocks from our house, and is said to be the largest structure of its kind in the world.
I know many are extremely fond of it because of the activities done there, so it’s a great asset to Anchorage, but I must say the bright white color is an annoying distraction when trying to photograph the mountains from where I often walk. They could have made it green like the smaller one on the Seward Highway.
I’ve heard that anywhere from 12.5 – 14 inches of snow fell. It was just barely below the top of our snowblower’s scoop. I only remember this much snow falling in one period once, and remember it well because we were deicing a 747 freighter, but the snow was falling so heavily that we ran out of time on the first try, and had to do it a second time: deicing and anti-icing (two steps), the only time I remember that happening.
On the way home, after working the midnight shift, I remember driving down unplowed Postmark Dr., and my Eagle Talon’s front end was punching through the snow, shooting some onto the windshield.
The dome collapse story:
Detailed article and video from KTVA: ‘Profound sadness’: Board chair, athlete react to Dome collapse
How to Keep the Snow off a Dome
The Dome Has Collapsed!
Published on Jan 22, 2017
The Dome has collapsed from heavy snow load overnight. The Dome was evacuated Saturday afternoon when the roof began to sag. There were no injuries reported at the time of the collapse.
Subscribe now to The My Alaska Channel
From their website (http://thedome.us) : At 180,000 square feet, The Dome is officially the largest sports complex of its kind on the planet. Held down with pipes and cables plunging 40 feet into the ground, supported by pressurized air, The Dome houses a 400-meter USA Track & Field certified track, full-size soccer field, full-size football field, weight equipment, batting cages and much more.
Snow and wind sensors automatically increase or decrease pressure and temperature of The Dome, keeping it at 15 to 17 lbs of air pressure per square inch, creating an hyperbaric chamber.
Nice to see!
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From: KTVA.com
January 23, 2017
…Anchorage has received 23.8 inches of snow so far in January.
That’s the second highest total for the start of a calendar year since records began being taken at the airport in 1953. …
A large chunk of this year’s snowfall total came last weekend, when 13 inches were reported at the Anchorage airport.
For the entire winter season, Anchorage has had 44.3 inches of snow by Jan. 23, just a couple of inches off what is considered normal.
Bass Pro Shops Alaskan Outpost – front entrance!
Absolutely GORGEOUS design!!! I love everything except the statement above the door that legitimatizes lying: Welcome Fisherman, Hunters, and Other Liars. They’re actually telling us: only liars are welcome. TRUTHERS should not feel uncomfortable walking through that door.
Despite what TV preachers say, lying is no laughing matter:
“But for the cowardly, unbelieving, sinners… sexually immoral… and ALL LIARS, their part is in THE LAKE that burns with fire and sulfur….” – God in Rev. 21:8
Corporate America is leading US astray, everywhere we look. But they sure do it with style, which makes the deception easier to swallow.
My father was a real ‘sportsman,’ which meant honesty back then. He both obeyed the laws and did not exaggerate.
ALL CHILDREN deserve honest fathers. Companies should promote honesty, integrity, and what’s best for people.
November 14, 2016
Canon 5Ds R
Anchorage, Alaska Hillside — going-home folks
November 15, 2016
Canon 5Ds R
I was shooting from hillside, Anchorage, Alaska, doing a follow-up of yesterday’s shoot, which didn’t work out, so I looked for a plan B. The moon looked interesting; though, I hadn’t heard:
The supermoon (perigee full moon) on November 14, 2016, will bring the moon closer to Earth than it has been since January 26, 1948. What’s more, the moon won’t come this close to Earth again until November 25, 2034. That makes the November 2016 full moon the closest and largest supermoon in a period of 86 years! (source)
So I’m glad plan A didn’t work out.
Moon Distance: 366,082.58 km = 227,473 miles.
November 16, 2016
Canon 5Ds R
I photographed this about 200 feet from our house as the sun was going down, at 3:20 pm in Anchorage, Alaska.
We’re facing the Chugach Mountains, directly east. I’m surmising the trees on the right are more gorgeous because the sun had risen to the right in the SE and set in the SW, so those on the right experienced no direct sunlight (except the top branches), while those on the left probably saw about 4 hours of sun, melting some of the hoar frost.
But still, much of the frost remains, which shows how little heat the sun produces this time of year, because it stays so low, where its intensity is held back by the earth’s atmosphere. The official high temp was 17° — plenty warm enough for the sun to melt the frost if it had more oomph.
Official sunrise-sunset times were 10:11 am – 3:59 pm, but the sun is below the mountains during some of that period.
January 4, 2017
Canon 5Ds R
Raspberry Road
I transcribed this because I think it’s SO IMPORTANT!!!!!!!!!!
As I look back over my life now, and as people look back and think: if they get a diagnosis like stage 4 cancer…. I can only speak for myself….
I start reflecting on a lot of things in my life. Who I need to say ‘I’m sorry’ to? Who I need to do something for? And it is a time of really positive reflection. And I wish that I had done this maybe before I had the diagnosis, maybe 15-30 years ago. And we can all do that.
And I would like to see the year of 2017 be a year of reflection of all of us of our own lives.
And if that means that we need to go back and make some amends, or if we need to go back and do some things that will make our lives even better at this point and their lives better, then it’s time.
– Joyce Riley on The Power Hour 12/23/16, hour 2 @ 11:55
• • •
From: The Power Hour Week of DECEMBER 19 – DECEMBER 23, 2016
FRIDAY – DECEMBER 23, 2016:
2nd Hour Open Line
[…]
Today’s Show is Audio Archived at:
December 23, 2016 (hour 1) – News LIVE with Daniel Brigman & Josh joined by Joyce – so good to hear her voice again!!!
December 23, 2016 (hour 2) – Guest Ken Ludwig [Joyce discusses making amends @ minute-7!!! – ed.]
December 23, 2016 (hour 3) – Guest Rick Caylor
Related:
I got this word from God for a church founder in Anchorage, 25 years ago, while getting ready to discuss with the then, head pastor what I had recently been shown about why God couldn’t move in our church.
It says a lot about what needs to happen for real Christianity and full revival to occur. And this is also a salvation issue: “There is therefore now *no condemnation* to those who are IN CHRIST Jesus, who don’t WALK according to the flesh, but ACCORDING TO THE SPIRIT.” (Romans 8:1)
This is also the prophecy that inspired my ’93 4GIVNG and ’95 NOHATE license plate — as I was told: “STRONGHOLD of UNFORGIVENESS”:
Aug, 9,1990
“Our eyes are full of sawdust. We can’t see clearly to see the kingdom. There is MIGHT and there is POWER and there is GLORY, but it is being withheld until these relationships are made right, until we love our brother enough to feel his hurt deeply and say kind words of salve that heal their souls.
[___] can do this. This is vital. They are necessary. For he must do this for healing to occur. He is a man of integrity in many ways.
Fear must decrease. Love must increase. He will fight and he will win the battle over the stronghold of fear and unforgiveness, sayeth the Lord.”
“PUT ANY WRONG DONE TO MAN RIGHT AGAIN”:
The Welsh Revival of 1904-05 by J. Edwin Orr: A Countrywide Asbury-like REVIVAL! The 4 Points: #1 Confess any known sin, and put any wrong done to man right again. #2 Put away any doubtful habit. #3 Obey the Spirit promptly. #4 Confess your faith publicly
RECONCILIATION IS THE KEY:
(video) Asbury Revival, 1970: RECONCILIATION the KEY! — “‘Dr. Kinlaw, I am a liar. Now what do I do?’ … Three days later, she came to me radiant, and she said, ‘I just hit my 34th person and I’m FREE!’”
I remember the exact moment when I first heard this song — because it blew me away!!!
About 15 years ago, I was filling equipment outside in the dark winter, ramp lights turned on, with the fuel truck at NWA air freight, which had a radio. I heard this and was stunned!!! I called the radio station when I got inside to hear who it was, and then bought the CD.
The Bible says to “LOVE the Lord, your God, with *ALL* of our HEART, SOUL, MIND and STRENGTH!” To me, the audio here partly achieves this. If we’re going to worship God then let’s really worship!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The audio was probably recorded in the studio, and the video portion was reenacted; though, a nice story. The girl had been wandering, and found wholesome truth in Christmas.
It’s not just the soaring electric guitar. Something is spiritually right here; even though, some of the musicians may not even be Christians.
The heart and soul of this likely comes from the blonde, guitarist leader, probably the guy on the left. I have this DVD too, but haven’t watched it for awhile.
Outstanding, especially the worship factor of the audio!
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7_E-buo_g8
02.O holy night – Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Ouch!! The airborne girl in purple demonstrates why helmets really are a GREAT idea! I hope that’s a helmet. The boys, already down, are clearly so equipped.
Back in the day, growing up in Minnesota, we never had helmets. But since it was outside, we always wore thick stocking caps.
This is the “Ice Chalet” in Dimond Center, Anchorage, Alaska. The reason the ice is curved is because I was shooting the entire scene with a fisheye lens, and this is nearly a 100% crop of part of it.
The idea was to shoot at a slow enough exposure to blur any of the moving skaters’ faces, but still capture the essence of this fantastic venue that I hope will be able to stay open, despite the EPA’s new standard that may shut it down: The EPA’s War on Ice Rinks.
November 17, 2016
Olympus E-PL5 w/ fisheye lens
So Mom and I were on our way to an event, just before sunrise. When I opened the door, it startled a moose who then trotted in front of our garage. The other more slowly made her way there. They decided to munch on our raspberry bushes, which are right next to our driveway.
Since we couldn’t leave anyway, I decided to do my photo-a-day thing to capture the event until they left the yard. The Mom has a nice disposition, and showed me a cute expression in one of my photos captured there.
As we drove away, we saw the pair about 100 feet away, above Raspberry Road. So I got out of the car with my big boy camera this time, and took this photo of the mom and calf eating sunflower plants.
This is the public berm built to deflect sound. Our neighbor had the great idea to throw some sunflower seeds there, which grew into these.
The mom has a wonderful expression here too, and the calf can be seen behind. And that is a car going by on the right.
After taking this, I had to skedaddle because we were blocking our neighbor who was trying to leave. And we actually barely did make the beginning of our event anyway.
In all of the years I’ve lived here, starting in 1980, this is the first time I recall the moose almost making me late for an event. Although, there have been many times I’ve had to turn around or take a significant detour while walking on trails.
One time, I was driving into our driveway with the window down at night, and a moose startled me, being only a few feet away in our raspberries.
Years ago, I was walking on a trail immersed in prayer, listening to music with ear buds, and could have almost touched the moose that I walked by. I usually now pay more attention and don’t listen to music at all.
I have encountered some ornery moose on occasion too.
In this photo, the light was a little darker than this. I lightened it a bit in post.
She’s cute! Check out her snout/mouth especially : )
November 18, 2016
Canon 5Ds R
Four years ago, during my last day working for Delta (NWA), I photographed these hangers from inside the Anchorage International Airport here.
Now I get to compose these stunning hangers from the outside with my best gear at the best time : )
ConocoPhillips 737s N959BP & N668CP shuttle their workers to Alaska’s North slope: North Slope company ‘bus’ is a plane.
November 19, 2016
Canon 5Ds R
Upon leaving the Christmas Arts and Crafts Emporium at the Dena’ina Center, downtown Anchorage, I spotted this scene.
Who they are:
Alaskan Boreal Bouquet’s Gourmet Herbal Vinegars offer a tantalizing taste sensation as well as a fragrant memory of the endless summer sun of the subarctic. Organically grown herbs are cultivated without the use of chemicals on a traditional Alaskan homestead nestled in the boreal forest of Fairbanks. Fresh bouquets of flowering herbs are hand harvested and suspended in seasoned rice vinegar, in an attractively labeled, square marasca bottle.
November 20, 2016
Panasonic LX100
Fabulous variety of city lights reflected by the Peterson Tower in downtown Anchorage — while some windows don’t reflect. One office room has a sign that reads: “WARNING: WATCH FOR DOG MUSHERS.”
November 21, 2016
Canon 5Ds R
I discovered this lovely scene on my way to photograph the multicolored staircase, which I then photographed later: Photo-a-Day #87 (upper portion of staircase shown in center here).
Although, I do like this image, and did the best I could in processing and even tried another angle with a different lens later, my heart sank a bit when I first opened the image. Without the third dimension of depth, the overhead branch doesn’t reach over and the center tree merges too much with the foreground tree, so the wonderful sense of canopy is mostly lost.
With a 2D-only camera, it’s too hard to tell where those lights really are. This scene would be a great candidate for 3D, if such technology becomes practical someday, to capture the essence of this place.
November 22, 2016
Canon 5Ds R
Downtown Anchorage, Alaska
This is the first pile of moose poop that I recall having been dropped on our sidewalk. So to document this event for my photo-a-day project, I thought I’d walk the yard to see how many other piles I could find. I counted 14 total. We had a lot of visitors during this period, and enough days with very little snow….
At this time of year, moose mainly eat twigs, so these droppings are woody, dry and not really repulsive. It looks like sawdust where some are crumbling apart.
Gift shops actually sell gifts partly made of moose poop, for example: Handmade Alaska moose poop jewelry and gifts!
This is about 2/3 of a single pile, and resembles a figure 8:
November 23, 2016
Canon 5Ds R
I actually have fond memories of Holiday gas stations. As a boy, I used to ride my bicycle to the one near Minnehaha Creek in South Minneapolis. When we later moved to Bloomington, Minnesota, where Holiday is based, Dad would often get gas at a nearby location.
This beautiful, Swiss-roof-with-stone store is only a few blocks from our house and one block from Minnesota Drive — imagine that — in Alaska!
I also very much like their royal blue color — but their brightly lit, billboard ad peddling junk not so much — which I made sure to avoid in this image.
So during this Thanksgiving Day holiday, I photographed our nearby Holiday : )
Thanksgiving Day – November 24, 2016
Canon 5Ds R
Frankly, being that this was idea #89, I was running out of creative ideas, especially because the weather was so bland. I hadn’t taken a photo of downtown Anchorage in this series, and clouds obscured the mountain background, so I decided to portray a version of Anchorage I have not yet seen: Anchorage in bokeh balls (out-of-focus lights), with some Cook Inlet reflections where there wasn’t white ice.
TWO PHOTOS are below for COMPARISON: bokeh balls and in-focus, so the light sources can be identified.
The Hotel ‘Captain Cook’ sign is the largest red orb to the right of the three flags: USA, Britain and Alaska, which show that night’s northerly wind. Scattered lights in the upper left are from the Government Hill area.
This is Anchorage in bokeh!
November 27, 2016
Canon 5Ds R
(On standard to large screens, widen browser until images don’t get any bigger)
This begins the posting of my ninety, photo-a-day images, started on August 31, 2016 — which I’ll post in reverse-chronological order. Subjects will vary greatly. It starts here with a BANG!!
I was driving Mom’s Volvo (smashed here on right) during AM rush hour on Tudor Rd. in Anchorage, Alaska. The black, 6,000 pound Mercedes SUV (behind the police officers) was driving in the entrance lane to the Seward Highway beside us. Instead of going onto the highway, he drove straight into the barrier (which his front bumper still almost touches here), and his rear end jackknifed into us — to our utter dismay! As you can see, the streets were dry, so it wasn’t ice related.
The elderly driver’s airbag deployed, but he did have some injuries. He’s in the ambulance here. One of the police officers said he ran into a sign further down the road. I don’t know why.
Two drivers stopped to help and give testimonies to the police. Impressive and much appreciated!
Nov. 28, 2016
Panasonic LX100
I took this photo in Anchorage a few hours ago of enthusiastic sign wavers. What really made it special were the dozens of friendly honks — the best being from semis!!!
Really special! United we stand : )
I used a long exposure for effect. The guy in the middle is waving a sign that can barely be seen.
Written on the back of the Trump sign is “DRAIN THE SWAMP,” which can be seen by drivers coming towards us.
Clicking on photo may open larger. I’m working on this blog to be able to publish some larger photos for my photo-a-day project, coming soon!
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Wayne Grudem was one of my professors when I attended seminary. We also attended the same Vineyard church together.
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I remember playing the cassette of this album, “The Sky is the Limit” a number of times while attending seminary during the spiritually dry second time.
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Earth people, (this is love)
Please come in, (this is love calling Earth)
I am not alien,
This is love calling, (this is love)
Please come in, (this is love calling Earth)
I want to be your friend.
I have been around you since the world began,
I have even visited you and walked upon your land,
I have known your leaders down through history,
Some have made the effort to communicate with me.
Earth people, (this is love)
Please come in, (this is love calling Earth)
I am not alien,
This is love calling, (this is love)
Please come in, (this is love calling Earth)
I want to be your friend.
I don’t want to harm you; it’s the last thing on my mind,
I just want to share my love with all of mankind,
When your heart is broken, and the world has been unkind, I’ll pick up the pieces and I’ll give you peace of mind.
(this is love)
(this is love calling Earth)
(come in, come in, come in)
(this is love)
(this is love calling Earth)
(come in, come in)
Scientists are seeking immortality,
Astronauts are searching the skies for our destiny,
It’s not complicated, what this planet needs: love is still the answer to life’s mystery.
Earth people, (this is love)
Please come in, (this is love calling Earth)
I am not alien,
This is love calling, (this is love)
Please come in, (this is love calling Earth)
I want to be your friend.
Earth people, (this is love)
Please come in, (this is love calling Earth)
I am not alien,
(fade)
Leon Patillo – Love Calling Video 2010
I’ve learned a lot from Michael, and am very sad to see him go. He had such a high standard of excellence when he wrote or spoke his product reviews. No one held the photography industry to a higher standard than did Michael. He was forward thinking, cutting edge, while they too often rest on their laurels, stuck in the mud with archaic ideas that stifle the productions of great art.
Here are three articles (with some videos) written by those who knew Michael personally:
Missing Our Friend
August 18, 2016 by Kevin Raber
Michael Reichmann – Reflections
August 18, 2016 by Alain Briot
I wrote the following comment at LL’s Facebook page in response to Alain’s article above:
Heartwarming article and videos! In order for Michael to be such an innovator with Luminous Landscape it’s not surprising that he didn’t have the patience to focus on just one image like Alain did and does. I really like Natalie’s comment:
“He did not care what others thought about these controversial articles that he published on his website. The more controversial the article, the more he seemed to enjoy publishing them.”
I’ve found that very few reviewers would really challenge camera and printer companies like Michael would. He was fearless. Getting better products was a main goal for him.
I recently found out that Canon dropped the green ink in their latest printers, and replaced it with a chroma optimizer. I wonder what Michael would have said. The color gamut is almost certainly reduced now that they’ve taken out an ink they used to find essential.
I hope Luminous Landscape still carries on his fearless and high standard work.
It’s A Sad Day For Luminous-Landscape
May 19, 2016 by Kevin Raber
I wrote this comment after hearing:
I appreciated Michael’s emphasis on EXCELLENCE, and have learned so much from him. Very sorry to hear this! Michael’s contribution to photography and the photographic community was huge!
Life is short.
: (
Jim Brandenburg (born November 23, 1945) is an environmentalist and nature photographer and filmmaker based near Ely, Minnesota. His career includes over 10 years as a newspaper photojournalist, over 30 years as a contract photographer for the National Geographic Society…. (source)
I’ve read Jim’s story, and bought the DVD of this film years ago. It’s so inspiring and very deep! I’ve now decided to finally do my own “1 photo a day” project, which I almost did last year. Goals are good. It’s time to do it, but with looser rules: being allowed to shoot more than one frame a day, and subjects will not be limited to nature.
I should say too that I can relate to Jim’s story. I also replaced shooting guns with shooting photos at an early age, and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in northern Minnesota was one of my primary inspirations too. I laid my camera down too, though, for an extended period, unlike Jim.
DANGER ALERT @ minute-55: despite the many greatnesses of this work, bringing me to tears at times, we must not violate God’s principles. “Worshipping” the creation instead of the Creator Who made nature is the fall of man Romans 1 describes, that we must not fall into. In the film, Jim often departs from the 6,000 year Biblical creation story when he mentions the mythical evolutionary time frame. Nat Geo is renown for doing this, and this has always bothered me. [12/16: now they’re promoting 9-year-old transgenderism!] To me, photographing nature is an act of worship. My #1 goal is to show the glory of God revealed in what He created, as stated in Romans 1:20:
For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.
Some quotes I transcribed:
“..one of two settings…that moved Brandenburg early in life to swap a hunting rifle for a camera.” – Narrator
“To capture an animal with a camera is something I’ve never grown tired of.” – JB
“..his passion, it is so deep….” – Ann Bancroft
“Jim is as focused as anybody I’ve ever seen.” – Anthony (JB’s son)
“The raven is the key to getting an image of the wolf.” – JB
“This is my story. I find that developing a grounded sense of context of where you live, knowing your subject better than a far off, exotic place, over a period of years and years and years. And telling that story, I find a much richer experience.” – JB
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3vW1kglEnk
Chased by the Light A Photographic Journey with Jim Brandenburg
Galen’s book, “Mountain Light,” got me interested in photography again. I’ve also visited his gallery in Bishop, CA.
He was a real pioneer!
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Photographers Barb & Galen Rowell – appreciation & farewell from Bay Area Backroads
About 10 miles south of Anchorage — a big deal for us all!
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Exclusive: Very First Aerial View & Narration of the McHugh Fire Aftermath
Published on Jul 25, 2016
July 23rd, 2016: Watch the very first live exclusive aerial footage of the aftermath of the 778 acre McHugh Fire located on the steep terrain south of Anchorage, Alaska.
Operations Section Chief narrates the piece and describes the impacts and confinement strategy utilized by firefighters working in steep and dangerous terrain.
The cause of the fire which threatened the Potter Valley and Rainbow Valley subdivisions remains under investigation.
As of July 25th, 2016 the McHigh Fire #541 was 778 acres in size, 35% contained, 65% confined with 315 fire personnel assigned.
Raw footage provided by the Alaska Interagency Incident Management Team. Media outlets are welcome to use the footage in their news reports. Please credit Alaska Interagency Incident Management Team and PIO Kale Casey.
I just want to hear Him say “Well Done.”
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