Egypt

What amazing things are happening in Egypt. In May, 2009, I was privileged to be on a Lindblad Expeditions trip that included the Suez Canal, Cairo, and Alexandria. We boarded the National Geographic Endeavour at the south end of the Suez Canal and joined a parade of ships steaming north. Part way through the canal, the ship was stopped and the captain informed that an "extra fee" was required to proceed. We had already paid a hefty sum to traverse the canal. Luckily on board was a retired American ambassador, who called a friend in Washington, D.C., who then called someone in Cairo, and soon we were on our way.

In Alexandria, a similar incident occurred when we told that the ship could not leave the harbor. But more phone calls were made and off we went.

While touring the cities, it was a little disconcerting to have armed guards on the buses and armed vehicles in front and behind us. But one of the highlights for me was a visit to the New Library of Alexandria built atop the site of the legendary Ancient Library, which was destroyed in 642 AD during the Muslim Conquest. The new library, opened in 2002, is a futuristic 11-story structure designed by Snohetta, an international group of architects based in Norway. We witnessed a machine that could digitize a book in a few minutes and visited a reading room where up to 2000 people could be seated. The room was bustling with students doing homework (and probably checking their Facebook pages) at dozens of computer terminals.

Near the end of our visit to Alexandria, Massimo Bassano, the National Geographic photographer traveling with us, asked the local guides if the more "serious" photographers could walk the last mile or so back to the harbor. The guides did not like this idea but Massimo persisted; and finally, about 10 of us with our big, expensive cameras dangling around our necks were let off.

Massimo immediately headed up an alley teeming with people. We were obliged to follow. Stern faces stared at us. One man wagged his finger and shouted, "No photos!" But then someone asked me, "Canadian?" I timidly replied, "No, American." Suddenly the locals began to shout, "Obama! Obama!" Smiles spread across those dark faces and hands were thrust out with thumbs up. What a relief! Everybody wanted their pictures taken and soon a parade of men, women and children were following us.

And now it's goodbye to Mubarak. Other dictators? Beware. Exciting, remarkable times.

Elkhorn Ranch 2011 Photo Workshop

This year's photo workshop at the Elkhorn Ranch was the best yet...many participants, photogenic cowboys and cowgirls, and thundering herds. Remember that these workshops are not just for experienced photographers with expensive equipment. We teach digital newbies how to get the best out of their point and shoot cameras, which are amazing. Next year's workshop will be January 22-29. Come with your camera ready to aim and create outstanding images. Check out the Elkhorn website: www.elkhornranch.com.

The Canelo Project

We had the opportunity to visit the Canelo Project in southeast Arizona, where Athena and Bill Steen operate a B&B plus offer workshops in strawbale building. I have been constructing a small strawbale studio in Bluff, Utah patterned after one of their buildings highlighted in their book Small Strawbales. It was great fun to see the incredible possibilities when working with clay, sand, and lime. Check out their website: www.caneloproject.com.

Solstice Lunar Eclipse

All day long it did not look very hopeful for a view of the lunar eclipse on the solstice, an extremely rare celestial event. Thick flannel gray clouds blanketed Flagstaff's skies and an astronomer friend said that the forecast wasn't good. But we stayed up late (not easy for us old folks) and kept checking outside. Amazingly, as the shadow of the Earth slowly began to slide across the face of the moon, the clouds thinned enough for a most spectacular sight.

As you may remember from an earlier post, photographing the moon usually takes a normal daylight exposure since it IS the sun illuminating the lunar surface. However during an eclipse, the range of brightness is so extreme between the shadow and unshadowed areas that it is difficult to get a good exposure without resorting to High Dynamic Range techniques ( something to be discussed in a future blog - it's where several images are taken at different exposures and then combined using software). Additionally, once the shadow covers the moon, the light is pretty dim, requiring a much longer exposure. To keep it simple while I was outside in my pjs, I waited until totality was almost complete and then bracketed my shots. The best turned out to be .6 seconds @ f2.8; ISO 800.

Happy Holidays and Good Shooting (with a camera)! :-)

Old Roads

Ever try to photograph a thousand-year-old road in the desert? The ancient Anasazi built a system of "roads" in the eleventh and twelve centuries, even though they did not have wheeled vehicles nor large beasts of burden. Their purpose remains a mystery. Until fairly recently, archaeologists believed that these roads were restricted to the Chaco Canyon area in northern New Mexico. However, several Bluff, Utah archaeologists have been discovering a number of Chaco roads and Chaco-style features, such as Great Houses, in southeast Utah.

One road northwest of Bluff is exceptionally distinct from the air at sunrise and sunset when it casts a straight shadow across the desert floor. Yet from ground level, it is quite faint. The folks and dog in the foreground are standing on the road and if you look closely another person is in the upper left distance, also on the trace of the road.

Following it southeast, one comes to a set of remarkable steps dropping into a canyon. Whether or not these were carved by the ancient ones or "improved" later by cowboys, is still an unanswered question.

Bluff Arts Festival

October 22-23 was the annual Bluff Arts Festival. Kate Aitchison and Ann Kramer were two of the featured artists at the Cow Canyon Trading Post. Kate was showing her unique monotype prints, and Ann had a number of pieces made from recycled materials, such as coffee bags, bottles caps, and felted wool from old sweaters.

Bluff's first film fest was held Friday night, including a video about Katie Lee. Well-respected painter Shonto Begay was the festival's keynote speaker. An art walk on Saturday afternoon showed visitors the impressive diversity of artists associated with little Bluff City.

Additionally, art workshops were held each day. I got involved by teaching a digital photo class on Sunday morning. Don't miss next year's art festival. Go to www.bluffutah.org to see what events are coming up.

National Geographic Society

In mid-October, I had the great opportunity to participate in a three-day workshop for photo instructors put on by Lindblad Expeditions and held at National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C. It's not easy getting about 30 Lindblad staff together in one place at the same time. Some of us have been instructors for years while others were new at teaching photography. But it was a wonderful learning experience for all of us and, of course, lots of fun to see old friends and make new ones.

Gil Grosvenor, chairman of NGS, welcomed us the first morning. A Grosvenor has been involved with the society for more than 120 years...quite a legacy.

Then we began our workshop. I was definitely outnumbered by Mac users, but hey, I can buy several PCs for one Mac. At lunch, we tried to duplicate an historic painting showing the founders of NGS, including Alexander Graham Bell, John Wesley Powell, and C. Hart Merriam. Thanks to Lindblad Costa Rica staff member Willy Alfaro Cervantes for providing the sepia image. Later, we had a tour of the "basement," where a team of young engineers invent various ways to attach cameras to wild animals (critter cams) or vehicles to explore hostile environments, like the sea floor. What a fun job!

After three days, we were designated Lindblad Expeditions/National Geographic Certified Photographic Instructors. Whew. Sort of a long title, but you can just call me "The Photo Guy".