Where's Jay?

Here are the two presentations from the FLW Aeolian Island workshops.

It’s a wrap!  FirstLight Aeolian Islands Workshops have finished, a cool & rainy Saturday on the island of Lipari followed by our closing dinner.

Both workshops offered a lot of photographic opportunities and I think our students used those opportunities to full value.  Below you’ll find a representative photo from each and I really think they capture an essence of what this place is about.

Enjoy the work and we appreciate your having visited the Aeolian Islands Workshop blog!

Winter Light on the Chesapeake will be our next workshop, which will offer great photographic possibilities.  Information on that workshop can be found on this website.

Photo by Roger Colaizzi

Photo by Deeva Garel

Photo by Libby Lush

Photo by Bruce Male

Photo by Sue Morris

Photo by Richard Sandor

Photo by Mark Silverman

Late afternoon on Salina, from the terrace of the Signum Hotel Olympus E-P3 75-300mm lens

Saro, local resident of Santa Marina on Salina Olympus E-P3 9-18mm lens

Week two is well underway; it’s been a great experience for all with many incredible photographs captured.   Giorgio Cosulich, our Italian FirstLight instructor, has done a fantastic job as our Lipari-based instructor: everyone not only loved his great insight into their work; they also really enjoyed his company in the islands.    All the FirstLight students will take away great memories of this trip, they’ll also all have new and powerful additions to their photographic portfolios.

Week one, FirstLight student Steve Hudson photographing local residents of Santa Marina Olympus E-PM1 9-18mm lens

We’re wrapping up the week, I’m sitting on the veranda of the Signum Hotel looking over the islands of Panarea and Stromboli in the pre-dawn light.  These islands have been a favorite place of mine since that assignment for National Geographic in late 1990’s.

Piazza Malfa on Salina, Olympus E-P3 14-150mm lens

We’ll post a final blog soon, thanks for visiting!

It’s always amazing how long these workshops take to finally arrive-then how rapidly they finish.  We are at the end of week one, everyone is back on Lipari for the final night presentation and dinner.  The slide show of student’s work was great, and we’re sharing an image from each of our attendees below. Enjoy the work and we’ll post another blog soon!

Matt Billingsley - Island of Lipari

David Bird - Island of Lipari

Linda Bird - Island of Lipari

Patty Bodwell - Island of Lipari

Connie Dines - Island of Salina

Brad Gilliam - Island of Vulcano

Steve Hudson - Island of Salina

Libby Lush - Island of Salina

Cliffs of Pollara, Olympus E-PM1 Diorama Art Filter

Wednesday, September 28.  Half of our group is with Becky and me on the island of Salina.  There’s been a bit of rain but that has provided some wonderful light we’ve been able to use.  Working with our local expert, Libby Lush, several great photo opportunities were provided to our students.  This included a portrait session with the S. Marina police chief and an afternoon in Pollara photographing the incredible cliffs there.

Wednesday we’ve chartered a sailboat that will pick up those students on Lipari, then sail to Salina where we’ll join them heading out for a day on the water.

A few images are included below…

Cliffs of Pollara, Salina Olympus E-P3 9-18mm lens 1/125th second f7.1

Salina fisherman Olympus E-PM1 1/4000th second f2

Overview of village of Malfa on Salina Olympus Pen E-P3 12mm lens ½ second f2

Students photographing lunch Olympus E-P3 9-18mm lens 1/160th f6.3

Sunset on Pollara, Salina. Olympus Pen E-P3 14-150mm lens 1/500th second f11

Police chief of S. Marina in Lingua Olympus E-PM1 14-42mm lens Diorama Art Filter

Lipari, Olympus E-P3, 14-150mm lens

September 25, 2011, our students are arriving in the Aeolian Islands of Italy.   I’d photographed a book project in the Aeolians  for National Geographic, a beautiful cluster of 7 volcanic islands located directly above Sicily.  Considered the most remote one can get in Europe, getting here is an experience in it’s own right.

With our workshop attendees split between the islands of Lipari and Salina, one group will be with Giorgio Cosulich, the other group with me.  Mid week, we’ll have a sailboat pick up both groups for a day-sail of the islands.  At that point, the groups will sway, Giorgio’s group going with me, and vice-versa.

The islands are really beautiful with a unique character for each.  From the busy feel of Lipari city to the rural quiet of Salina, and a visit to the island of Vulcano, the photographic opportunities are abundant.

We’ll be posting a blog, hopefully on a daily basis, or at least every other day.

I’ve posted articles on this website and in other publications as to the Olympus Pen system.  I’m shooting with the Pens on this trip, having the luxury of using the just released E-P3.  I love the idea of minimizing what I carry so the assignment and subject become the focus of my intent.  My bag weighed a fraction of what my normal travel gear weighs, and the quality of the images is extremely high.

I’ve posted camera and exposure info under each of the photos, will post the next group soon

Jay

Vulcano mud baths, Olympus E-P3, 9-18mm lens

Vulcano, Olympus EP-3, 9-18mm lens

Vulcano, Olympus Pen E-P3, 9-18mm lens

Lipari during fish festival in Marina Corta

In Tracy Arm, a bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) prepares to lift off

National Geographic Expeditions:  Alaska’s Inside Passage

Although I’ve worked, cumulatively, for many months in Alaska, I still do not fully know the state; the scale of the territory is pretty much beyond my comprehension.  It’s a series of superlatives ranging from the wildlife to the landscape to the people, all of which make it one of my most favorite destinations.

With much excitement I recently headed out for two, back-to-back National Geographic Expeditions to Alaska’s Inside Passage.  Over a thousand miles in length, this waterway parallels the western coast of North America, mostly protected from the Pacific Ocean by over 1500 islands.  I’ve been in the Passage several times: a story for American Way Magazine aboard a small cruise ship, (American Airlines in-flight magazine-thanks to an assignment from the editor, John Ostdick!); trips on the Alaska Marine Ferry from Bellingham to Haines/Skagway (while working for National Geographic magazine); and a number of flights over the Passage on various other stories. 

National Geographic has two ships that regularly travel the Inside Passage:  the Sea Bird and the Sea Lion. These are smaller boats, both carrying about 60 guests, and I was aboard the Sea Bird.  These smaller ships allow a much more intimate experience for the traveler/photographer, as the ship can get into locations that a larger ship couldn’t fit.  Also, the smaller groups allow more time photographing and assimilating the ambience of this incredible place.

The first of the two Inside Passage trips was a Photographic Expedition, so there were a high percentage of photographers aboard as we left Sitka on the ship’s first Alaskan trip of the season.   These trips start in either Sitka or Juneau, with the following trip reversing the just finished Expedition.  Departing Sitka had us working our way towards Lake Eva, the Inian Islands, Elfin Cove and George Island. Glacier Bay National Park was next on our schedule and the immensity of this park is staggering.  A 60+-mile trip, all within the Park, took us to our northernmost destination, Margerie and Grand Pacific Glaciers.

Days 4 and 5 took us to Iyoukeen Cove, Basket Bay, LeConte Bay and the Alaskan town of Petersburg.  Then, we finished trip in Tracy Arm, always on the lookout for whales- and we were not disappointed because they were in abundance.  Bears were also just coming out of hibernation, feeding along the water’s edge.

Finishing in Juneau, we took on the next group of travelers that also included another pod of photographers.  This was a great way to do the trip, as revisiting several areas allowed me to be “prepared” for those photographic situations.  Hope you enjoy the images; I’ve attached information as to what equipment was used.

** If you want a good overview of Alaska and her characters, read John McPhee’s Coming into the Country.

Tracy Arm, a bald eagle takes flight

Steller Sea Lion enjoying a lunch of flounder, Inian Islands

It’s April.  That means this year is almost 1/3^rd over??

I just returned from Central and South America by Private Jet for National Geographic.  Someone has to do these…

Starting in Orlando we flew to Guatemala to visit the ruins of Yaxha and Tikal, cradles of the Mayan culture.  A short flight to Peru for a stay in Cusco and on to Machu Picchu.  Two days later, we were in Bariloche, Argentina for a couple of nights in Patagonia, then on to Buenos Aires for some tango.  More flights to Iguazu Falls, the Amazon and Costa Rica.   Hope you enjoy the images…you can click here to see more photos

Iguazu Falls, Brazil – Olympus E 5, 7-14mm @ 7mm (14mm 35 equivalent) 1/250th @ F7.1, 100 ISO

Machu Picchu – E 5, 12-60mm lens @ 18mm, 1/250th @ F8, 200 ISO

enroute to Machu Picchu on the Hiram Bingham train – E 5, 7-14mm @ 7mm 1/500th @ F4.5, 200 ISO

Flying over Patagonia – E 5, 12-60mm @ 16mm, 1/200th @ F7.1, 200 ISO

Gulls on Lake Nahuel Huapi, near Bariloche – Olympus Pen E-PL2, 9-18mm @ 18mm, 1/250th @ F8, 200 ISO

Tango in Buenos Aires – E 5, 14-35mm @ 20mm, 1/15th @ F2, 1250 ISO

Tango in Buenos Aires – E 5, 14-35mm @ 23mm, 1/13th @ F6.3, 1250 ISO

Tango in Buenos Aires – E 5, 14-35mm @ 23mm, 1/13th @ F6.3, 1250 ISO

“Horse Whisperer” Gaucho, near Buenos Aires – E 5, 50-200mm @ 104mm, 1/500th @ F 7.1, 400 ISO

Polo match near Buenos Aires – E 5, 50-200mm @ 200mm, 1/500th @ F 5.6, 400 ISO

Canopy walk, Amazon Rainforest – E 5, 12-60mm @ 12mm, 1/160th @ F6.3, 1250 ISO

In the Weddell Sea, penguins transverse an iceberg

January, 2011 found me once again in the Antarctic, aboard the National Geographic Explorer as the “National Geographic Expert”.  Two, back-to-back trips provided a lot of photographic possibilities.  We had an amazing experience in observing a leopard seal attacking a group of  Adélie Penguin chicks(Pygoscelis adeliae) near Brown Bluff. On the Antarctic peninsula, this remote area is remarkable in not only it’s starkness, but also in the abundance of Adelie & Gentoo penguins The leopard seal had been sleeping on an ice flow for a couple of hours, not far off shore.  Hundreds of penguin chicks were experiencing their first exposure to the water, many getting pretty freaked out by the cold and leaping on the closest piece of ice.  A few had actually jumped on the ice with the seal, who seemed to ignore them at this point.  Finally, the seal slipped into the water, and Lindblad photographer/naturalist Mike Nolan and l were close witness to the attack on several of the chicks.  Below, you’ll find a series of images from this event.   Click Here to be taken to a gallery of images from this trip

all images, Olympus E-5,  the penguins on the iceberg was shot with the 90-250mm with 2x extender.  1/800th @ F7.1, 200 ISO 852mm (35mm equivalent)

Leopard seal attack, all images Olympus 50-200mm, various exposures all @ 200 ISO, final image 1/1000 @ F5.6, 120mm (35mm equivalent)

Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain

In September into October,  I was aboard the National Geographic Explorer, for their “European Odyssey”.  Hugging the western coast of Europe, this three-week trip made it to many ports.  To see more images, click here or anywhere in the photo above

Hercules Tower lighthouse, La Coruna, Spain

Copenhagen to Lubeck, Germany, on through the Kiel Canal, to Amsterdam.  Weather prevented us from visiting Brugge, Belgium, but we did  go to Bayeaux, France, and spent a day visiting the D-Day Beaches of Normandy and Cherbourg, a site of major action in WW II.  From there, St. Malo and Mont St. Michel-a place that met expectations, then on to Ile d’ Aix, La Rochelle and La Cote Basque, France.  We arrived very early at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, a stunning place.  La Coruna, Spain with a drive to Santiago  de Compostela, Islas Cites and Bayona Spain, then on to Oporto then Lisbon.  Whew, makes me tired to read that!