I enjoy taking pictures. You can find more photos on my instagram.
Water
Abraham Lake, Jasper National Park
Waves
An aerial self portrait over the shores of Lake Tekapo. After visiting a collaborator at the university of Canterbury, I took 4 days to explore the area around Aoraki Mt Cook. The distinct light blue color is caused by so called "glacial flour" suspended in the water - this is formed from bedrock, pummeled into a flour by the unstoppable flow of the glacier.
A shot of Motuariki Island in Lake Tekapo on a foggy day. The name comes from the Maori "Motu" (island) + "Riki" (chieftain). Taken in 2020, six years after a fire destroyed over half the trees on the island.
A freighter leaves its dock in Curacao.
"Wizard in the water" - After giving a talk at the University of Oregon, I took two days to explore the nearby Crater Lake national park. I woke up at 3:20am and hiked two hours to take this photo of Wizard island at dawn. Even in May, the trail to this spot was covered under 10 feet of snow. Navigating by my iPhone compass under the light of a half moon, when I arrived at 5:10am the first thing you notice is its sheer size. Even on a 14mm full frame lens, you can't fit both sides of the lake into the frame. I stood there precariously perched on a rocky outcropping and shot Wizard island nonstop for about an hour before my fingers became numb from the cold.
A young South African penguin takes a shower on a hot autumn afternoon. Taken at Betty's Bay in the Western Cape.
A drone shot of a formation within a glacial braided river system near Seljalandsfoss, Iceland.
A minke whale comes up for a breath of air in the early morning mist. Taken in the Saguenay Fjord national park in Quebec.
A bird on a buoy in the bay.
Rocks
The stars sweep over the skies above Mt Rainier. This is a composite of 120 pictures taken over the course of an hour during a warm July night. If you look carefully, you can see the headlamp trails of two teams making their way up the mountain. I wonder if they made it?
Aoraki Mt Cook at dawn, taken from the streambed of one of the many glacial streams that feed Lake Pukaki. Soon after this photo was taken, America would go on to attain the dubious honor of becoming the world's #1 covid sanctuary.
Table mountain (South Africa) enjoys a permanent cloud cover during the summer months as winds force moisture-rich ocean air upwards causing water to precipitate into clouds.
Cape Point - the extreme southwestern tip of Africa. It was an overcast and incredibly windy day. Leaning over the edge, the winds rushing up the rock face were almost strong enough to knock our stocky guide off balance.
Long Island, from Montauk.
"Road to Paradise" - In 2019 I attempted a 3-day summit climb of Mt Rainier via the Disappointment Cleaver route. On summit day, we retired to our tents at 5pm, hoping to wake up at 11pm to begin our summit bid. That night the howling winds buffeting the tent walls made sleep impossible; at multiple points during the night I had to open my eyes to make sure the tent had not been blown away. Finally at 3:30am our lead guide made the call - we would not be summitting Mt Rainier on this trip. I took this photograph at 9500ft on our way back down the mountain. Our destination - Paradise, the area so named by John Muir, calling it "the most luxuriant and the most extravagantly beautiful of all the alpine gardens I ever beheld in all my mountain-top wanderings." The lone figure is a member of our team, who walked out ahead, disappointed, but safe.
The Hawaiian islands are littered with craters. It was surprising to me that most of the craters are the remnants of old volcanos that collapsed after spewing its guts onto the surrounding landscape. This one here is Koko crater on Oahu, as seen from a helicopter.
Total solar eclipse, April 8, 2024. Observed from Arkansas. Composite of 7 images taken w/ different shutter speeds.
Animals
I found Nemo!
What sharp teeth you have!
At night, we set up lights at the back of the boat to attract plankton. The plankton attracted Fernando.
A whale shark appears out of the depths in the Maldives.
A wild vector field appears!
Taken on a safari in South Africa. We were no more than 15 feet from this young male who rose from his nap to stare straight at me.
This Venezuelan troupial was constantly on alert for an opportunity to raid our kitchen. When the coast was clear, he would signal to his partner in crime and together they would conduct a coordinated strike on our strategic bread reserves.
A rear view of a white-breasted nuthatch perched on our bird feeder.
Hillary plotting to take over the world.
Asian wild doge.
Birb. Why does he have feathers on his beak? Very sus.
Found this stray at the Manoa Falls trailhead in Hawaii. The area was reminiscent of rural farming villages in China, where local farmers lived in harmony with all sorts of animals, all free to roam around the area. I stooped to the ground and took this shot with a 400mm lens to give the little guy some space.
Aron, defender of the realm.
People
A diver blows bubble rings in the Maldives.
A traveler gazes in wonder at...
The gang tests the water.
A collaborator at the University of Canterbury. Our paper provided a perfect excuse to visit New Zealand.
I've never seen somebody so happy while washing dishes.
A boy studies the pattern of the waves before entering the water. It was late afternoon by the time I arrived at the beach and saw this figure. I waited for some other surfers and beach goers to exit the frame, and then took this shot. Backlit by golden light diffused by ocean spray, I was happy to catch this serene, if fleeting moment.
Our illustrious guide. Disowned alcoholic, divinity scholar, ex-anti-apartheid militant, and mentor to neglected youth - this guy has been through some shit.
Helen was very cold.
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