Letting Go

A winter's day in the mid 1990s.

I wrote this piece several years ago while on a workshop in Antarctica.

It’s for all he parents out there.

Earlier today I was thinking of the beautiful and sunny summer afternoon in the late 1990s in Croton-On-Hudson, NY. My neighbor, Earl, and I were teaching my 6-year-old son Marco how to ride a two-wheel bike. The training wheels were set neatly on the curb next to the tools that we used to remove them. I thought for a moment about how important these training wheels were for Marco at one point in is life, but no longer.

Marco was a bit nervous as I ran with him and pushed him down the street at what I am sure seemed like 80-miles-an-hour to him. He wobbled for a bit, almost lost his balance, but then rode almost straight as an arrow to the end of the street. He swung around. His beaming smile looking back at us said it all: You let go and I did it!

Of course, I had tears in my eyes. They were tears of joy – shed because I was so proud of Marco, and because I knew that it was the beginning of the letting go process – a process that lasts a lifetime. It’s a process that’s filled with happiness, pure joy and a touch of sadness.

Letting go of Marco when my wife and I dropped him off at summer camp when he was 10 years old was never easy for any of us. The first year we all had tears in our eyes when Marco ran off to find his friends. When we picked him up two weeks later, he ran as fast as humanly possible toward us. The second year drop-off was also emotional for all of us, but when we picked up Marco, his pace was a bit slower, as he slowly waved goodbye to his new friends.

Another major letting go experience happened when we sold Marco our old car when he was in highschool. I remember him turning the Honda Civic Hybrid around in our driveway and pulling away – waving to me to seemingly say, I’ll be OK dad, you will be OK, too. Or put another way, You’re letting go, I can do it!

Of course there were many more “letting go” moments – first band practice, first snowboarding trip, first late-night get-together at the local diner, first drive to see a girlfriend.

There will be many more to come.

For a long time I have been thinking about why letting to is so hard for me. My guess is that I cherish each and every moment and experience with Marco so very much, that when it will be my time to let go, for the last time, I wonder what I will say to Marco. Probably, something like this: We all have to let go sometime, Marco. You did it, now it’s my turn. That’s for practicing with me.

Explore the light,

Rick

Making Pictures on My Unisphere Photo Walk

What fun our group had making pictures on my free 2014 Unisphere Photo Walk. 

My first challenge/assignment to the group was to get a shot like the one you see above on the left – an image that included a starburst and the awesome shadows in the foreground.

My advice to get the starburst effect:

1) Compose the scene so that the sun is just peeking out from behind part of the Unisphere.

2) Use a wide-angle lens. I used my Canon 17-40mm lens set at 17mm. My 17-40mm lens is my favorite lens for city scapes and landscapes. (I shot with my full-frame Canon 5D Mark III.)

4) Remove all filters to avoid a ghost image of the sun in your photograph.

4) Set your lens at f/22, and make sure your lens is very, very clean. A spot of dust on your lens can look like a big blog in your photograph.

To capture the entire dynamic range of the scene, I suggested shooting HDR, and processing the set of images in Photomatix. (Click here to get a discount on Photomatix.) Above are the four images that I used to create what I call my HDR negative. The image on the top right in the opening pair of images in this post is my HDR negative).

To add color and impact to the scene, I used the following plug-ins: Topaz Adjust/Spicify, Nik Detail Extractor and Tonal Contrast, and Nik Image Borders. (Click here to get a discount on Topaz Adjust.)

We found the best light by using my Photo Sundial app. In addition to many other features, the app shows an aerial view of your shooting location. Yes, that's the Unisphere you see on the screen in the above image on the right. Pretty, pretty cool, right?

Thanks to all those who participated in the event. We hope to see you again on one of my workshops. Attention snowbirds: I have several workshops scheduled for January in the Sunshine State.

A big thank you also goes to Adorama for sponsoring the event. Adorama is the place for great gear at a great price. Here is a look at all my gear.

Explore the light,
Rick

P.S. If you were on the walk and what to share your images, please post them here so other can see your fine (and fun) work.

Going on a Photo Safari? Check out these books and my class

Going on an East Africa photo safari? Research and preparation are important. Very!

Don't leave home without these two books by my friends Jonathan and Angela Scott:
Safari Guide to East African Birds
and
Safari Guide to East African Animals.

Susan and I are heading over to Kenya in August for a shoot with Jonathan and Angela (above).

Stay tuned for images, videos, podcasts, tweets, posts and more . . .

. . . from the beautiful Maasia Mara, which is a nice place to have breakfast.

At home, check out my latest KelbyOne class: Capturing the Wild: Safari Photography.

I also have KelbyOne classes on composition and lighting. Check 'em out.

As you can see from the photographs above, and below, we are like-minded photographers.

Before I go, here's a quick video we shot on our past photo safari.

Explore the light,
Rick

P.S. Here is a link to a previous post I did on recommended camera gear.

Part II – When the Lion Roars: Big Cat Man Speaks Out on His Love Affair with Kenya

This is Part II in a blog post series written by my friend, photographer and naturalist Jonathan Scott. Jonathan has an important message for all of us. Here is a link to Part I, which ran back in May.

All photographs by my friends Jonathan and Angie Scott.

Susan and I are thrilled to have the opportunity to join Jonathan and Angela Scott - The Big Cat People - on safari at Governors Camp for ten days in early September (be sure to check out the Governor's Website). This is 'migration' time in the Mara when tens of thousands of wildebeest and zebras mass there during the dry season from early June to November. The Mara is Big Cat Country so we know we will be enjoying amazing wildlife viewing in great company.

Say Hi to us if you are visiting during our stay - we will be the ones with the big white lenses! And remember a safari is an Adventure of a Lifetime - something everyone has to experience at least once in their life. We will be recording every moment of our stay to share with you on our website - and so will Jonathan and Angie."

Kenya has been my home for forty years, my wife and daughter are Citizens, our Grandson Michael was born here and has made more safaris in his first year than many people will be privileged to do in a lifetime – and he has enjoyed a holiday at the coast. Right now Michael is on safari in Amboseli with his Mum and Dad and Grandmother who is visiting from England. He celebrates his first birthday in a weeks time.

Four weeks ago this prompted me to write an article that appeared in the travel section of the Saturday Telegraph in the UK – the land of my birth – telling people just how much Kenya needed tourism – that it was vital to our economy and to conservation. Without substantial revenue from tourism our wildlife will be even more vulnerable to poachers; setting aside wilderness areas for animals even harder to justify to land hungry humans. The article was circulated widely by the Kenya Tourist Board to encourage overseas guests to visit this wonderful country in the face of a barrage of Travel Advisories that have cast a long shadow over our tourism industry. If you look on a map you will see just what a tiny part of Kenya is prompting security concerns – yet the repercussions of recent events and the impact of Travel Advisories has been devastating and on a scale that in no way reflects the situation in the country as a whole.

What a difference a month can make on this fast paced planet of ours. The World Cup has kicked off and the reigning champions Spain are already on their way home – with England not far behind them. But however disappointing, that is not what is preoccupying my attention right now. It would be easy to feel despondent reading headlines telling the world of renewed loss of life on the Kenya coast not far from the ancient city of Lamu, together with the killing of Satao barely a month after the death of Mountain Bull, two mighty ‘tuskers’ slaughtered for their magnificent ivory tusks worth nearly US$ 2,000 a kilo in the Far East.

The bulls were in their mid to late 40s and had lived through events both locally and internationally that have blighted Kenya’s tourism industry in the past – the bombing of the Norfolk Hotel in Nairobi on New Years Eve 1980/81; the Gulf War of 1990/91; the bombing of the American Embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam in 1998 and the political violence that erupted at the time of Presidential elections in Kenya in 1997 and 2007. Despite these setbacks the tourism industry has always shown a resilience that has enabled it to dust itself down and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. But make no mistake these are difficult times. All the more reason then to redouble our commitment to Kenya, put our fears in to perspective and to ‘light a candle rather than curse the darkness.’

Terrorism and poaching go hand in hand. They feed on fear and insecurity. The battle to save our planet’s increasingly endangered wildlife might appear to be a lost cause whether attempting to protect the last few thousand wild tigers in Asia or stemming the catastrophic epidemic of elephant and rhino poaching in Africa. Even the Masai Mara where Angie and I continue to follow the lives of its charismatic big cats has seen an alarming upsurge in poaching in recent months with reports of 117 elephant carcasses new and old discovered during a census of wildlife in the Reserve - minus their tusks. At times like these it is understandable to feel powerless and downhearted. But each individual can contribute in a meaningful way by simply holding up their hand and saying ‘NO’ to the killing.

When I was working on a book on leopards in the 1970s it was estimated that 50,000 leopards were being trapped, shot and poisoned across Africa each year for their beautiful spotted coats. In the 1980s a brilliantly orchestrated advertising campaign writ large on billboards and in cinemas across Europe and America turned the tide in the fight against fur with graphic images from photographer David Bailey showing a model dragging a blood soaked fur coat above the words: “It takes up to 40 dumb animals to make a fur coat but only one to wear it.” And in 1989 when Kenya set fire to 12 tons of ivory in Nairobi National Park it caught the imagination of the general public, helping to change people’s perceptions and leading to a ban on the trade in ivory that same year. But as recent events have shown we must always be vigilant on behalf of wildlife – some people are wearing fur again, some never stopped. And until China bans ivory imports the killing of our elephants will continue apace.

We are not alone in our commitment to change. Kenya is loved around the world for the warmth of its people and the wonder of its great migration of wildebeests and zebras. Right now the animals are thundering in to the Mara in their tens of thousands. This is the time to be there to witness the greatest wildlife show on earth. If my fellow ‘Brits’ are pondering the wisdom of visiting Kenya they can do no better than embrace the Stay Calm and Carry On attitude of their own Royal Family who have lost loved ones to acts of terrorism in the past - the Queen’s cousin Lord Louis Mountbatten was murdered by the IRA in Ireland (along with three other people including his grandson Nicholas), when a bomb detonated on his fishing boat in 1979. They live with the threat of terrorism wherever they are in the world.

Prince William and his wife Kate are one of the most recognizable and iconic couples on the planet - and great friends of Kenya. The Prince proposed to his future bride while on holiday in the country. Like his father Prince Charles, William is passionate about wildlife and recently launched United for Wildlife bringing together a coalition of conservation groups committed to making a difference.

Under the banner of Whose Side Are You On, and harnessing the power of charismatic sports personalities such as football’s David Beckham, motor racing’s Lewis Hamilton, cricket’s Raul Dravid, rugby’s Francois Pienaar and China’s basketball superstar Yao Ming, United for Wildlife is mounting a Social Media campaign on Facebook, Twitter and Google to spread its message to all corners of the earth. Imagine if we could engage Kenya’s beautiful and talented Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o alongside our world beating sportsmen to show solidarity with a campaign that will help protect our own wildlife? Knowing Kenyans they will.

One might draw some grain of consolation from the loss of the world’s wildlife if it was the disadvantaged and impoverished among us who were benefiting from the carnage – the people losing their lives and jobs right now. But it is not. It is the rich and greedy – and seemingly untouchable - who are turning a vast profit from the illegal trade worth US$ 5 – 20 billion annually, as is the case with the other major criminal activities that are such a stain on our character: trafficking in drugs, weapons and people across the globe. A friend recently sent me artwork depicting The Earth’s Land Mammals by Weight. It showed all too graphically just how much of our planet we humans and our livestock – cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and horses - already occupy. Wildlife is being squeezed out of the landscape like never before. Africa’s 450 to 500,000 elephants are barely visible in the larger picture. So how will things look with another 2 billion people on this earth by 2050? We must act now.

When it comes to tourism wildlife is Kenya’s greatest asset as one long time resident reminded me in his response to my recent article. “The world is littered with beautiful places that lure vacationers. Many have beaches, sunshine, great food and lovely people…..just as Kenya does. However Kenya’s amazing wildlife is its advantage over all those other destinations.” With so many options for travellers these days we cannot afford to rest on our laurels. Our tourism product has to be competitive in price and services if it is to keep topping up our foreign exchange coffers so we can continue to conserve ‘world heritages’ like the incomparable Masai Mara. That is why tourism is so vital to this country along with the tens of thousands of jobs it helps to create.

The message we wish to send to our friends overseas is this: ‘Sign up to the Why I Love Kenya campaign as you plan your next safari. Lend your collective voices to United for Wildlife by embracing the challenge of Whose Side Are You On. If you do that today we all stand to benefit – people and wildlife the world over.

It may be too late for the iconic Mountain Bull and Satao, but we can still honor their memory.

• • • • •

Thank you Jonathan for your heartfelt post. See you and Angie in August.

Readers: If you are planning a photo safari, my KelbyOne class – Wild Safari: Capturing the Wild – offers tips on photographing and traveling.

A Business Lesson From Genghis Khan’s Wife

I took the opening image for this post in Mongolia during a reenactment of a Genghis Khan attack. Talk about action photography!

Looking at these dudes, charging at full speed with their bows and arrows ready to fire, made me realize how Khan was able to create such a vast kingdom – the largest in the world at the time! Obviously, his warriors worked together as a team to scare the heck out of those in Khan’s path.

When Khan died, his wife brought together their four sons. She held a single arrow in her hands and easily snapped it. Then she held four arrows and tried to snap them. She could not.

She said (in Mongolian, obviously) “Stand together and you will be strong. Alone, you will be weak, easily broken.”

Well, the younger Khans stood alone, and that was the end of the Great Mongolian Empire.

Moral of this story: In business, working together as a team is usually better than working alone.

Don’t make enemies could be another one :-)

Stick together - don't ride alone.
Rick

P.S. I teach action photography on select workshops.