Abstracts
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Other observations near the Bentonite Hills
Salton Sea Ultramarathon - April 26
Aselection of photos below. Click HERE for more.
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Miles 2-6; Running through Salton City
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Mile 6.5; The culvert under highway 86
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Mile 8; A first sandstorm heading to Anza Borrego
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Mile 10.5; Climbing the first hill
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The microwave tower (mile 14, checkpoint #1) is a landmark visible for many miles along the course of the race
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Miles 15-23; Through the desert
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Mile 24; Another sandstorm at the turnoff to Font's Point
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Mile 31; Approaching Borrego Springs
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Mile 40; Hellhole Canyon - checkpoint #3
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Miles 40-41; Setting out on the hiking and riding trail
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Atmospheric phenomena while we detoured back to camp overnight in the warm, dry desert (while, the runners continued through the night at higher elevations in cold, wet and misty conditions.)
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Mile 45; Culp Vally, checkpoint #4
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Miles 70-81; Climbing in mist and rain up the East Grade Road to the finish atop Palomar Mountain
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 Bob Becker - new record oldest finisher at age 80! |
Amboy, Route 66 - April 25
John C. Campbell Folk School - March 23-29
A class in Close-up and Macro photography
Focus-stacked images of spring flowers in the school grounds.
Close-up photography is a good medium for abstract compositions...
Large fungus with ring-light illumination
Norwegian National Museum, Oslo - March 13
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Arctic Norway; Feb 25 - March 12
A visit to northern latitudes in hope of encountering the Northern Lights. We flew to Tromso via Oslo, and there rented a car (our first experience with an electric vehicle, in a country where 95% on new car sales are electric). driving first to Senja island, and then via Narvik to the Lofoten Islands.
Lofoten Islands
Our last auroras in Norway
Flagstad beach sand patterns
Reine - we stayed in a rorbuer at the tip of the village
Narvik
Driving from Senja to Lofoten we stopped for a night in Narvik - an opportunity to vsit the War Museum, and eatat the best fish restaurant we found in Norway (Fiskekroken)
The Trinigon Monument outside the War Museum in Narvik
National Monument for Peace, Narvik. Also known as "Trinigon." Erected by the Norwegian government on the 50th anniversary of the liberation of Norway. By the artist Espen Gangvik.
Playing with distorted reflections from the Trinigon monument.
Senja Island
Two evenings the aurora failed to fully materialize
 View from Bergsbotn utsiktsplattform; Senja Island, Arctic Norway |
 Lighthouse at the tip of Tungeneset; Senja Island, Arctic Norway |
 Driving into a snowstorm; Senja Island, Arctic Norway |
Minimalist photography of trees in a white-out at the top of Skaland pass before the tunnel.
Skrolsvik Fort
Skrolsvik Fort at the southwest tip of Senjawas built by the occupying Germans in 1941 during World War II. After the war, the Norwegian Navy took over the fort, and it became part of the fortifications under the Coastal Artillery . In 1989, the fort was closed down, along with many other forts in the same area. Large parts of the fort are still intact, both with bunkers and prepared/established permanent positions. In addition, the four German 15 cm guns are still intact.
After the closure, the Senjehesten Coastal Defence Museum took over the facilities, and the properties were put up for sale. The site has variously functioned as a campsite, hotel, and museum but now is open to wander in its decaying state.
We visited on a cold, grey and very windy day. A monochrome presentation seemmed most appropriate to capture the atmosphere.
Rust patterns needed to be in color!
Across the bridge to Senja Island, and our lighthouse home for 5 days
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 Boat prow; Senja Island, Norway |
Lyngen Alps, Nordkjosbotn
After navigating the confusing intersections in tunnels under Tromso we drove a short 100km to the small town of Nordkjosbotn, siuated at the end of a long fjord extending to the sea. We stayed for two nights at Vollan Gjestestue, a cozy lodge with excellent food. Our first night was clouded in, but the second brought clear skies, so we drove out to the Signaldal valley for a clear view of Otertind, a stunning mountain peak that rises over 4000 feet above the river with dual peaks that look as if cleaved by the giant axe of a Norse god. For about two hours before clouds rolled in we were treated to a spectacular, ever changing display of auroral acrobatics.
To best (but still not fully) encompass the extent of the aurora I used my widest lens, an 11mm f4 Irix lens on a full frame Canom R5. The camera settings were a matter of compromise. Most published photos of auroras appear rather blurred, as the light changes rapidly. Aided here by relatively intense displays I was able to keep shutter speeds down to 4 or 8 seconds to maintain sharpness in the serrrations of the light fans. That necessitated a high ISO of 3200 but the R5 hendles these settings well, and processing with Topaz de-noise handled remaining noise.
Faces of India; February 1 - 13
We traveled to India on a trip orgainized by Joe van Os Photo Safaris. The primary objective was to photograph the Kumbh Mela at Prayagraj (the largest religious gathering in the World). Beforehand, we visited Delhi and Varanasi, and finally spent a few days photographing tribespeople inthe Ran of Kutch. [PDF of Itinerary is HERE]
One of the members of our group, an accomplished portrait photographer, had set his camera to display in black and white and was showing us some impressive images. In processing my images I decided to convert many to monochrome.
Last studio portraits of local tribespeople visiting our resort
Vagadia Rabari Tribe
Dhaneta Jat Tribe
An early morning visit to a tribal camp
A visit to Nirona village
Rogan art, an ancient skill with its origins in Persia, came down to the Kutch around 400 years ago.
Abdul Gafur Khatri and his family in Nirona village are the last ones to sustain this rare art form from extinction.
A roadblock while driving to Nirona village
 Portrait of Maldhari herdsman holding staff across shoulders; Rann of Kutch, India |
Rann Riders Eco Lodge, Rann of Kutch, India
An overnight stay at Rann Riders, with opportunity to photograph local tribeswomen
The Kumbh Mela
The Maha Kumbh Mela 2025, a major Hindu pilgrimage festival, took place in Prayagraj (formerly Allahabad), Uttar Pradesh, India, from January 13th to February 26th, 2025. The Kumbh Mela is a major Hindu pilgrimage where devotees gather at the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna, and mythical Saraswati rivers to bathe in the holy waters, believing it purifies the soul and leads to liberation. It was the world's largest gathering, with more than 660 million (66 crores) people taking a dip in the river. My main photographic objective from this overwhelming throng was to isolate vignettes capturing the spirit of small groups and individual devotees and sadhus visiting the Kumbh.
 A small part of the Kumbh Mela, viewed from the bridge across the Ganges |
[High-resolution stitched panorama - click on the image to download full resolution file |
Final B/W portraits from the Kumbh Mela
Posed portraits with studio lighting in a tent with black backdrop
 Bead-draped sadhu with sword on black background; Kumbh Mela, India [He lost an arm in a mining accident when aske to check if a dynamite charge had exploded] |
B/W images from our second and third days at the Kumbh
Street portraits in the Kumbh
A boat ride to the most auspicious bathing site at the confluence of theGanges, Yamuna, and mythical Saraswati rivers
Walking back through the Kumbh
Rudraksha beads ar a sadhu akhara
Studio portraits of sadhus at our luxury tented encampment
B/W images from our first day at the Kumbh
Scenes at the Kumbh Mela
Bhandara
Bhandara is a free community feast organized at religious gatherings, temples, ashrams, and social events in India. It is an act of seva (selfless service) where food is served to all, regardless of caste, creed, or social status.
Devotees in the Streets
 Robed man, head tilted, holding staff; Kumbh Mela, Pryagraj, India |
Candid Portraits
B/W images from Varanasi
Harishchandra Ghat; the oldest ghat and one of the two cremations ghats of the city
Life along the ghats
Aarti ceremony on banks of the Ganges
Scenes and portraits along the streets and alleys of Varanasi
Portraits of women waiting in packed line to visit a temple
Some scenes of the ghats (riverbank steps) along the Ganges.
More photos from Varanasi to come soon...
B/W images from Delhi
One of the members of our group, an accomplished portrait photographer, had set his camera to display in black and white and was showing us some impressive images. In processing my images I decided to convert some to monochrome.
Street scenes in Old Delhi
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