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Nick Karagiaouroglou
{K:127263} 10/23/2009
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Hi Andre!
And I see also that what they practiced was not just the "romantic of the wild" for just celebrating some kind of "natural miracle" and nor was it to just sit and play "old and wise", as many too many hollywoodian farces are presennting us. It was reasonable and very practical too. It sounds only reasonable to me to know that we don't live in some world with unlimited supplies and so we can't live pretending that what we do doesn't affect the lives of others, whatever they are called.. people, animals, plants.
But it is not only a question of that balance to me. It is also a question about the very "valuation" of my own temporary passage through this world, and this is extremely important to me. I don't want to die as somebody that only needed and needed and took and took... My old good grandpa once said to me: "My kid, we shouldn't walk down the streets with the attitude and the look of the eternally insatiable. This is not worthy for a human being - in *case* of course we want to be named as such."
I think that all "sympathy" for any living being on this earth is only then meaningful, when I am able to realize how few the important things are that I really need in order to live well. It's like Diogenes who threw away his cup when he saw that a young kid drank exactky as well by using... the own hands. Of course this would be exaggerated if it was understoof as some style of living for avoiding all possible problems but it is exactly this very logical conclusion of Diogenes which shows something.
Cheers!
Nick
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Andre Denis
{K:66407} 10/22/2009
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Hi Nick,
It's interesting that we are all learning what most of the Native North Americans already practiced centuries ago. Take only what you need from the land to survive. Use every part of a hunted animal. Leave everything on the land exactly as you found it. Apparently a lot of the tribes believe that you should not even disurb a single fallen tree because that dead fallen tree has it's purpose until it rots away completely. Habitat for small animals, food for insects, all part of the balance of nature.
Andre
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Nick Karagiaouroglou
{K:127263} 10/19/2009
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Hi Andre!
I guess your son and his girlfriend are back again in the meanwhile, and I hope the two of them had a great time. (Away from parents, that is! ;-))
Well, the winter starts showing here, it rains chairs and sofas (as always ;-)) in Lucerne, and I try to get prepared for... waking up for the job in the moiddle of darkness. ;-)
About the sympathy for those living beings... they have mine. But I am afraid that my sympathy alone will not be enough to put an end on stealing their place for living on this earth - one of the related phenomena being their feeding on ashes.
Take for example something very very simple: Each time I turn on the light for reading in the night I am one of those who endanger them by pushing production (and thus also consuming resources) above all limits. It is not just "producing electricity" as the naive would perhaps think. A simple calculation in physics can readily show the minimum amount of additional space (I mean real physical space on this earth) that the expansion of human activities needs in order to supply me with electricity. If I expand that much, then they will have less and less space, more and more forests will be endangered (be it fore or anything else) and more and more of the living beings will be sacrificed on the alter of my need to "read in the night".
It is clear that no purely "sympathy-attitude" is enough. And even more clear it is that no such attitude is a responsible one. So, I have to consciously limit my consume in any possible direction. I have to distinguish between what I need to live well and what I just wish to have... for just complying to some useless general terms of "life quality" basing on pure plentitude, on wasting. (This is also why I abandoned my big flat in the middle of the country and moved to my one room flat in the city. ;-) One room is enough for one person. Even my whole gear of guitar amplification finds its place here very very comfortably, though some neighbours have their doubts! ;-))
But in a more serious note, we should re-think about what we really need, keep that, and leave the rest. The additional benefit of it is that you simply pay some 100 bucks per year for electricity, and some another 100 bucks for heating. A direct measure of what we all can do in order to prove that we mean something when we talk about sympathy for living beings, ey? :-D
Cheers!
Nick
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Andre Denis
{K:66407} 9/5/2009
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Hi Nick,
My youngest son is in British Columbia right now on a mini holiday with his girlfriend. (her parents live in Vancouver) They are in Whistler BC right now and I believe it is going to rain for a few days. The weather has been great there for the last few weeks and I think all the major fires are out now. California has their brushfire season going on right now.
Ps
And lets not forget the sympathy for all of these fantastic creatures that live in these forests. The little guy in this image would have a tough time feeding on ash.
Andre
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Nick Karagiaouroglou
{K:127263} 8/16/2009
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And I wasn't aware of how hard it can get to put out such a fire, Andre. The resin in pines trees and similar coniferous burns almost explosively under higher temperatures and once such a forest starts burning it takes a huge amount of water to extinguish the fire. The pines act much like grenades, exploding and spreading further the fire. There are some methods for dumping this kind of "self amplification" of the intensity of the fire, like for example planting acacias in series between the other trees, since their wood burns extremely difficult, but it seems that the methods for bringing real awareness of the surroundings to the people are much less developed - at least in Greece. We don't seem to really understand that it is not only for "having a forest that we can find beautiful" in some sentimental way, but that it also affects very real and practical problems. No air, no life.
Not to speak about the fact that we seem to have a completely false understanding about value. We seem to connect it much more with price, and what doesn't cost anything is often understood as having also no worth, no value. But even the most fundamental things in economy itself (which claims to have defined what value is) would not work without these "free assets". For example, no air with oxygen and you can't produce iron or steel. And the whole world depends on such a product. So, a forest is not only "a nice thing to visit". It provides much of the basic things for everyday life and also for big scale economy. But we don't seem to get it in Greece.
And what about British Columbia? Did the situation get better? Are all fires put out or at least under control? And above all did the temperatures got back to more usual levels?
Nick
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Andre Denis
{K:66407} 8/1/2009
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Hi Nick,
It is a shame about the fires in Greece and Spain. We saw a few video clips of the water bombers attempting to put them out.
It sound almost like one of those conspiracy theories. Big corporations starting fires to make way for new developments.... I somehow wouldn't doubt it.
It looks like British Columbia is holding their breath again due to the high temperatures out there. They are getting 40C plus which is very unusual for them. Lightning is one of the big culprits for starting and continuing fires out there in conditions like that.
Andre
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Nick Karagiaouroglou
{K:127263} 7/28/2009
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Well, Andre, indeed there are ecosystems in which a fire is the "new birth". In such systems it is natural and also useful. But some others are definitely not of that kind. For example the intensity and the frequence of the fires in greek forests has almost eliminated them completely. You see almost only rocks and washed out earth there, where in the past there were very dense forests. Most of those fires nowadays are just the result of either idiotically uncareful people or even of plans in order to buy land there afterward for building houses, hotels, etc. Especially when you see that eleven fires break out at the same time in different locations in the forest around some city, then you know that this can't be just "natural coincidense".
This is where we fell down to. On our quest for money and profit we burn our forests (and also cities sometimes) and then we start crying against our government that "does nothing". A real pride for the land that once brought philosophy, science, arts to the world, isn't it? I hope that the new generation will remember that. At least my hometown still remains different in such things.
Cheers!
Nick
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Andre Denis
{K:66407} 7/27/2009
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Hi Nick,
I'm not 100% sure, but I think I remember learning that forest fires were around long before humans helped to start them. Isn't it a natural phenomenon? I think it's one of natures ways of starting over. The leftovers from the fires are like rich fertilizer for new growth. Of course this is not the case for certain kinds of forests and eco-systems. Some trees are very sensitive and take much longer to mature. Others grow very fast.
Andre
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Nick Karagiaouroglou
{K:127263} 7/25/2009
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"Long winded", ey?? ;-)
But seriously now, Andre, the same goes for me too with your comments and replies. Always interesting and never hollow. I really enjoy this very much, especially when you give me things to think about.
Considering good equipment, you seem to be very right. I think that I already start to overshoot with my expectations about what the Hasselblad will be able to do. Enthusiasm is OK, but I a bit of realism is also very good.
Another problem will be the development of the medium format film. Except of the locak photography club I don't know of any shop that does it. Let's see.
About the fires in Canada, this was exactly what I meant. Perhaps I start seeing devils and demons but I have the impression that the climate plays a role for the gradual extension of such fire toward the north. In places like California it is of course even more critical. Spain has already almost no bigger forests and I know from Greece that they fight with fires each and every summer. It is something really usual there, especially because many too many don't watch out and underestimate how easy such a fire may start under such a dry climate and such temperatures.
I hope that the countries will find a way to reduce those fires drastically, but for the time being it doesn't look at all like that, unfortunately.
Cheers!
Nick
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Andre Denis
{K:66407} 7/24/2009
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Hi Nick,
You never get on my nerves Nick. I always look forward to your "long winded" comments ;) You always cover all the bases, and we have some great conversations.
That can be a problem with great equipment. No more excuses when you are using some of the best. Then you feel nothing is good enough to show :)
Yes it is quite surprising the amount of forest fires in Canada. Even far into the north under the right conditions. I think the worst situation must be like when it gets like California and Spain. High winds dry the trees quickly and keep the fires spreading.
Andre
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Nick Karagiaouroglou
{K:127263} 7/23/2009
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Hi Andre! So nice to hear from you!
About me, well, you won't get rid of me so easily! ;-) Only some pauses sometimes, but otherwise I'll be back to get on your nerves! ;-)
I am glad you enjoy your new lens. I guess your next images, and especially those of the races, will be both fun to shot and also to look at. So I wait enthousiastically for some shots of the events there.
I didn't buy the Hasselblad set yet, but it won't take long. I only have to save some more money and then I go for it. So I prepare myself for verrrrry serious critiques in the sense of: "What??? This is what you come up with using a Hasselblad??" ;-)
Good to know that things are gradially getting back to normality around Kelona. I didn't know that the fires are so common there and I couldn't image that too. My "image in mind" of Canada was that the forests are rather humid and that fires are rather seldom. Thanks for telling me, since I thought that such fires are limited to more southern regions of the earth. Anyway, I hope that the damage remained low.
Cheers!
Nick
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Andre Denis
{K:66407} 7/23/2009
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Hi Roberto,
There was a Flicker in the backyard yesterday when I didn't have the camera set up. :( Today I was ready, but no Flicker. Isn't it always the way. :)
Andre
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Roberto Baez Duarte
{K:5317} 7/22/2009
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hello thanks for your explanation about woodpeckers and carpenter. all my bird had been shot at my wife´s father garden, in caracas. we have many diferent kind of bird around home. i hope to see your news about good picture soon. best regard, roberto
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Andre Denis
{K:66407} 7/22/2009
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Hi Roberto,
Thanks for commenting and visiting.
I'm glad you like my wildlife images.
About this one... we have three or four different kinds of Woodpeckers in our area. This one is about 8-10 inches long. It is called a "Hairy Woodpecker"
I have visited your portfolio and I will go back to comment on some of the images. I was noticing the bird called "Carpenter". They look a lot like a bird we have here called a "Flicker"
I still have to get a good shot of one. When I do , I will post it.
Andre
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Andre Denis
{K:66407} 7/22/2009
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Hi Nick,
It's good to see you back after so long. I thought we might have lost you.
I am enjoying the new lens. It's working out great for wildlife, and auto racing. I will be using it at a ladies tennis tournament in a couple of weeks.
So, you bought the Hasselblad? I hope so, I'm looking forward to seeing some great images from it. I know the optics are fantastic on those cameras, so you will have no excuses. ;)
I believe most people have been allowed back to their homes near Kelona BC, where most were evacuated from. Apparently at least three major fires are still burning, but under control. It is quite a common occurrence in that part of the country. But, this was a close call for many people and their homes.
Andre
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Roberto Baez Duarte
{K:5317} 7/20/2009
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hello denis, i like a lot bird. i have on my portfolio a lot of bird, also i have many Woodpecker from venezuela, they look diferent from canadian woodpecker. i hope you Come and visit my portfolio too , to see the diference.
best regard,
pd- i like a lot your animal pictures.
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Nick Karagiaouroglou
{K:127263} 7/20/2009
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Hi Andre!
With a big phase lag of months, that is. :-D Excuse please my disappearance. Summer seems to always be my personal chaotic time for complete reorganization. (Which means something like total destruction of almost all "sure" things and starting over from the beginning! ;-))
I hope you get as much fun as possible with your new lens/teleconverter. And also that the trip to Cape Cod was great for you all. (Soon I'll be inspecting your results... without mercy! ;-)) BTW, why "hypocrite"? Even I was thinking abpit going digital this summer. But then I saw a complete set of an old medium format Hasselblad at an affordable price, and of course the song was too sweet for me to resist. ;-)
But what's up in British Columbia? Is the fire under control now? After reading the news today about people being evacuated from their places I have the impression that it is quite an emergency case. I wish all people a quick extinquishing of the fire without any further losses.
Cheers,
Nick
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Andre Denis
{K:66407} 5/5/2009
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Hi Nick,
Having said all of that about making do with what we have.,, I've decided to treat myself to a new lens anyway. :) What a hypocrite I am. :) Tomorrow, I am going to order a Nikon afs 300mm f4 and a 1.4 Nikon afs teleconverter. This set-up is supposed to be excellent for wildlife and sports. It has been a while since I've spent this kind of money on photography equipment. But, as they say about money. "You can't take it with you!"
I will have to wait for delivery 7 to 14 days. Hopefully it comes in time for our trip to Cape Cod at the end of May.
Andre
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Nick Karagiaouroglou
{K:127263} 5/3/2009
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Yes, and thanks a lot for reminding me of the exact saying in English, Andre. I knew that there is the analogous expression but I didn't remember exactly the words.
Actually it originates as a saying in this form back in ancient Greek (as almost anything else on this world too ;-)), but I think that all people realized that simply by living under certain necessities, limitations, etc. "People are not stupid kid. They need time but they are not stupid.", my grandpa used to say.
Another version of that is what we say in German: "Even the devil eats flies when under necessity". ;-)
Cheers!
Nick
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Andre Denis
{K:66407} 5/2/2009
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Hi Nick,
And I suppose a related saying would be "Necessity is the mother of invention."
Andre
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Nick Karagiaouroglou
{K:127263} 4/23/2009
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Exactly, Andre! What fun would that be if it all was only easy? In ancient Greece they used to say that "Poverty develops arts" and with the word "arts" they meant in ancient greek language all science, techniques, arts, tricks and really creative work in general. It was how to achieve the most out of the least. I like that. ;-)
Cheers!
Nick
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Andre Denis
{K:66407} 4/19/2009
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Hi Nick,
Again, I suppose it depends on how much you are willing to pay for one of those super fast and efficient lenses. Obviously, the further away you are, the more time you have. Unfortunately, we can't all afford the price of those super lenses that allow the luxury of great distance, combined with quality.
But, what fun would it be, if it was too easy? :)
Andre
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Nick Karagiaouroglou
{K:127263} 4/13/2009
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Hi Andre!
Thanks a lot for the info about photography of wildlife/birds. Which reminded me again about the value of a camera having also the capability of manual focus. In such a case, as you describe, auto focus would be really not at all practicable. It seems then that one has to somehow pre-focus without pointing at the bird, which includes somehow estimating the distance or the light. Old but timeless skills once again, I guess.
Cheers!
Nick
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Andre Denis
{K:66407} 4/11/2009
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Thanks Allen,
There may be a few more to come in the next few weeks. Lots of songbirds are making their way back this way now.
Andre
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Andre Denis
{K:66407} 4/11/2009
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Thanks very much Mojgan.
It is a good time of year for birds around here, so I might post a few more in the next few weeks.
Andre
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Andre Denis
{K:66407} 4/11/2009
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Hi Nick,
There seems to be something about the cyclops "eye" contact of a lens that is intimidating to most birds. I read an article on wildlife photography where the author explains that if you see a bird that you want to shoot, you are better off to walk around aimlessly while staring half at the ground, with the camera pointed down. You can get much closer that way. Of course the camera has to be ready and set for a few good shots, because as soon as you point it in their direction... away they go.
Andre
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Andre Denis
{K:66407} 4/11/2009
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Thanks Marcio,
Glad you like it!
Andre
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Allen Aisenstein
{K:3693} 4/6/2009
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Nice wildlife capture of this beautiful bird. Well done.
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Mojgan Bahasadri
{K:16243} 4/6/2009
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Hi Andre!
Very nice shot, I love the composition ,colours and dof.......all of them are EXCELLENT !!
best to you,
Mojgan
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Nick Karagiaouroglou
{K:127263} 4/4/2009
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Hi Andre!
And thanks a lot for the very interesting info about the woodpecker and about the shot. I know exactly what you talk about with those shy beings. Even if they stand quite near to you and show no interest for what you do, at the very moment when you aim a them with the camera they will look right in the lens. As you say, they know what a a camera is and they don't like the idea of being published on an image! ;-)
But seriously, it is quite amazing to me that they might get used to the presence of humans but they are not used to the presence of the camera. This is why I also asked you, since the bird seems to look at you with that kind of attention that it has in front of some potential danger. As if it was ready to flee.
On the other hand, how could they trust as too? Wherever the human intervened it meant troubles for other living beings (and for other humans too). Not only troubles for some specific individual of them but for the whole species. Until now we must be the only representants of this planet that managed so well to bring many other representants to extinction. We have that tendency to consider ourselves automatically as absolute "kings" of the place. Even if we don't explicitely state this, we do our best to maximize our own gains on the cost of minimization of their possibilities to live. The human being must feel like a constant threat to them, unfortunately.
Cheers!
Nick
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Marcio Janousek
{K:32538} 4/3/2009
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Very good picture Andre congratulations.
Well focused with a nice background ..hugs.
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Andre Denis
{K:66407} 4/2/2009
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Thanks Ray,
These guys are fun to watch and fairly difficult to get a decent shot of. They are very shy, but can be caught by surprise on occasion, when hard at work. I was pretty pleased with this shot after taking many of this species surrounded by branches and bushes. :)
Andre
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stingRay pt.4 .
{K:250401} 4/1/2009
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What a lovely little bird Andre, you have caught it wonderfully well with great detailing. I love that little splash of red in the plumage, love too the textures of the tree and the superb dof. Well done to you my friend, a great capture.
I'm just back on site again and on the catch-up trail over the next few days. Hope you are well. My very best wishes to you as always.....Ray
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Andre Denis
{K:66407} 4/1/2009
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Hi Nick,
I forgot to answer you about if he noticed me.
Check out his eyes. You will notice that 99% of all bird pictures have the bird's eyes trained right on the camera. I didn't really notice it that much until recently. Every species is constantly aware of the camera!! Big ones, small ones, Ducks, Hawks or any other species. They just don't trust us. :)
Andre
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Andre Denis
{K:66407} 4/1/2009
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Thanks Alicia,
Glad you like it!
It's good to see you back again. :)
Andre
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Andre Denis
{K:66407} 4/1/2009
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Thanks Nick,
I was happy with the way the tree trunk looked along with the bird. I think the combination made the image. I guess I picked the right Fstop this time to keep the "good" stuff in focus.
As I was mentioning to Marcus, these Woodpeckers are tricky to get decent shots of because they are so shy and usually protect themselves in areas where there are so many intertwined branches that it is almost impossible to focus nicely. Even if you do get them in focus there is usually some distracting element in the way.
Andre
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Alicia Popp
{K:87532} 4/1/2009
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magnífico retrato!!!
Es preciso el pájaro y la foto estupenda!
Felicitaciones!!!
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Andre Denis
{K:66407} 4/1/2009
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Thanks for the comment and visit Clay.
I was pretty happy with this one. I try to keep the colour as natural as I can for this kind of shot. It's so tempting to over saturate sometimes, but I think this is pretty close to the way it looked that day.
Thanks again.
Andre
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Andre Denis
{K:66407} 4/1/2009
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Thanks Marcus,
There are quite a few of them around here this time of year. I was fortunate enough to get this guy in good light, away from the dead sticks, brush and other stuff they have a knack of hiding in. Sometimes you can sneak up on them while they are busy pounding on some dead wood. But, as soon as they detect you near, they simply walk around the tree trunk.
The Woodpeckers that are the most fun are the Pilleated Woodpeckers. The ones with the Woody Woodpecker "laugh" They go crazy after a summer shower when the bugs come out of the rotten logs. They actually do fly around all crazy like Woody and laugh like they are stoned. I've seen them do Kamikaze dives head first into rotten stumps to break open the wood to get at the larvae inside.
Andre
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Clay Boutin
{K:28722} 3/31/2009
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Beautiful shot Andre. Love the color and details. Well done!
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Nick Karagiaouroglou
{K:127263} 3/31/2009
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I find it so attractive because the bird *and* the tree on which it sits are both so well in focus, Andre! This adds a certain degree of "real wold life" for my eyes, as it doesn't present the bird isolated but inside its habitat. The restricted DoF helped to put the emphasis on the bird itself, and the lower light conditions made it look like in the woods, which one connects to wild life.
The details and the contours of the woodpecker are absolutely clean and well visible. The wood texture behaves the same way. So it is as natural as an image of nature should be.
A very good timing too. Did it noticed you while shooting?
Cheers!
Nick
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Marcus Armani
{K:36599} 3/31/2009
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wonderful capture Andre, this is my favorite woodpecker, there are alwasy sightings of these guys down here, but i always seem to miss the boat. I would love to get a few clear views and shots of one...
excellent..
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