Urban nature photography

I love this...

Welcome, Spring!

Pigeon-toed duck

This handsome fellow was born last spring in our neighborhood pond. Being pigeon-toed myself, I really dig him.

Don't mess with a Dune Ant

As I mentioned previously, survival against the harshest imaginable conditions was a constant theme for us during our visit to Namibia. Well, not for us as well looked after tourists, but certainly for the all of the wildlife around us. We were constantly awed at what we learned about the ingenious survival techniques of desert dwellers. And not only must the animals be incredibly resourceful, but tough, tough, tough.

Take the Dune Ant. Every time I photographed one, after one or two snaps, the insect would sense me and, rather than scurrying away, actually stop its activities to look up at me and cock its sharp mandibles menacingly. As if to say, "Hey! Hey! Yeah, you, the papa-frickin-razzi. I'm workin' here. We ain't all on vacation. Get that lens outa my face before I bite your ass."

After coming home I read a bit more about the Dune Ant, and I'm even more impressed. They actually herd scale insects like livestock in order to milk their sugary secretions. And, according to a short description I read on PBS.org, they can navigate by the angle of the sun and "in order to limit water loss, they breathe in short rapid bursts." They also fiercely defend their nests and will fight intruders to the death, pinning a rival ant to the hot sand to cook it alive. Wow.

Have a look at this video courtesy of Animal Planet which explains more about this tenacious ant. And click the photos for a better, close up view.

Leopard, Namibia

Chin up, it's almost spring

Rain again today. Scott's in the office again today. I decided that in spite of those two less than ideal circumstances, I would have a nice day. I headed over to Kew Gardens to see if spring is here yet. Not bad. Definitely wet and chilly, but a good two hour walk always lifts the spirits and there were plenty of late winter flowers coming up.

There was still a good bit of ice on the pond I visited, but melting in such a beautiful way I wound up taking photo after photo of the water's surface. There was also a warm & steamy orchid exhibit which made me feel so happy. Click to enlarge the photos...

Namibia, day 1

On our first day in Namibia we rented a truck in Windhoek and drove about 2 hours southwest from the capital to a small lodge to spend our first night before venturing further afield for the rest of out 10 day road trip. Beautiful drive. Incredibly hot, unbelievably dry. So dry you actually don't sweat--any moisture evaporates instantly. In fact by the end of the first day I had a pounding headache from dehydration. The rest of the trip we drank around 3 liters or more each per day.

After four years in London, I guess I've come to take water for granted. If anything, the English climate has turned water, in my imagination, into an ever present, gloomy, drizzly weight that must be endured for endless stretches with a scowl and an upturned collar. A roadblock to wearing my new high heeled turquoise suede ankle boots. A compelling excuse to skip morning runs and therefore a contributing factor to my body's modest but nonetheless alarming new tendency toward muffin top in the absence of regular cardio. All of these unpleasant things, rather than the precious stuff of life it is most everywhere else.

So it was humbling to notice, when we stopped our truck so I could hop out and open a wooden gate to allow our vehicle to drive into the lodge on a dusty, heat emitting road, a swarm of tiny purple butterflies coating a patch on the ground. Why? Because upon closer inspection, I realized they had gathered to lick a faintly moist patch in the sand, most likely deposited by a leaky vehicle that had stopped previously in this same spot to open the gate.

A hundred tiny creatures, whipping their little tongues at the dampness. This was life or death for them. I immediately poured half of my water bottle onto the ground, hoping to give them a party.

Most of them scattered as soon as I approached and started taking pictures...only a handful of brave (or extra thirsty) ones stayed behind. Click to enlarge...notice the little guy coming in for a landing to the right in photo four below.

Signs of Spring continued

Some images from Kew Gardens from last weekend:

Mobile images, con'td

Continuing on my quest to document London via mobile phone, I took these images of the Thames late last night on my way home from work (it's been a long week).

I was so tired, having spent my evening at the office. Eyes sore and dry from the computer monitor, brain weary from thinking and writing.

It was so cold. One of those clear, quiet, bitter evenings where everything seems unbearably harsh, yet somehow twinkling and pretty, with your eyes tearing from the cold.

All the more reason to stop and appreciate my surroundings. I stood on the bridge snapping away at what seemed most beautiful to me at the time, in this instance the harsh almost metalic feel of lights reflected on water.

Snow Day

The whole city is taking a snow day. I had a walk around the neighborhood this morning with my camera...

(click on album for larger size photos, then select slideshow)

Botswana & Zimbabwe

Just realized that I never posted any of our pictures from Botswana LAST YEAR. In case you are still interested, here goes:

Sandibe Lodge, Okavango Delta (click here & select slideshow for larger view):



Savuti Lodge, Okavango Delta (click here & select slideshow for larger view):



Chobe National Park (click here & select slideshow for larger view):



Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe (click here & select slideshow for larger view):

Early Sunday morning

Some snaps from over the weekend in an around our neighborhood. I love living a block from the Thames.

Mobile images

I've been so busy with work, life, travel, everything these days that I've sadly had little time for creative pursuits. In desperation, I've begun snapping a great volume of pictures with my mobile phone, usually while commuting or running errands, anything to feel a bit more creative. My mobile camera is quite poor, which is fun because it makes taking interesting images all the more challenging.

I remember reading an interview with a Cuban filmmaker who was asked whether his country's limited resources prevented him from realising his vision for a particular movie. To the contrary, he said the constraints forced him to be even more creative. Not that my little mobile images are on par with Cuban cinema, but you get the idea.

(Click images to see them full sized)

Self portrait, Southbank, London

Parking ramp, Kingston-upon-Thames

Detail of sculpture, British Museum






















Saturday night boxing at York Hall Leisure Centre, Bethnal Green




















Southwark Tube station
























Car wash, West Kensington























Foggy morning on the Thames, as seen crossing Kew Bridge




















Phone booths, Turnam Green






















Rainy evening, Oxford Street























Scott at Prince of Wales, Esher





















'Reflection', Antony Gormley sculpture, Euston Street





















Rising moon and solitary porch light, Kew Green























Escalator, Oxford Circus Tube station





















Scott in reflection, morning commute on #391 bus






















Self portrait, upper deck of #65 bus, rain






















Self portrait, morning commute, #391 bus
























Waiting for my ride, lonely road, Esher railway station



















Evening commute, rain






















Wintery platform, Hammersmith Tube station
























Elderly man's reflection, upper deck, #267 bus