Highly Commended, Environmental Photographer of the Year, 2009

I have just been informed that one of my photographs has been 'Highly Commended' in the 'Natural World' category of the 2009 CIWEM Environmental Photographer of the Year Competition. I am so honored to receive this recognition and send my sincere appreciation to the judges of this year's competition. Although this is my first time winning an award in the London-based EPOTY, it will be the second year in a row that I have been part of the exhibit which is presented at a number of locations across Europe as well as in various media outlets.

The purpose of the global competition is to "...share images of environmental and social issues with international audiences, enhancing our understanding of the causes, consequences and solutions to climate change." I am so grateful to be a part of this undertaking.

More information about the competition can be found on the CIWEM Facebook page, as well as at the link above.

Let Children Experience Nature First-Hand

Although there certainly isn't any shortage of wildlife and nature programs on television these days, I have begun to worry that many of these programs aren't sending the right message out to viewers. It particularly concerns me that many children get most, if not all, of their knowledge about the natural world from this sensationalist programming.

In February of 2008, Animal Planet revealed their new brand-image that moved away from traditional natural history programming to a more campy-fare; one that involved 'Monsters of the Deep' or 'I was swallowed by a Bloodthirsty Croc and lived to tell about it in all the glorious gory details and bad re-enactments that a person could ever dream of." As Marjorie Kaplan, the president of Discovery Communications said in an interview with Broadcasting & Cable, "We feel a little too human, a little too soft, a little too all-family and not powerful enough," "We're being more aggressive and tapping into the instinctual nature of compelling animal content." WOOF!

Those of us who are parents and share a concern for the natural world really must take the time to allow our children to explore woods, fjord streams, catch insects, raise tadpoles and generally just have fun in a natural environment. With two boys of my own, I understand just how difficult it can be not to panic when your child climbs to the highest branches of a tree or gets a really bad bee-sting. However, the confidence that they will gain, no doubt, from experiencing freedom in nature transfers over to other areas of their lives as well. Recently, I heard that my oldest son is the 'go-to' person among all of his friends whenever someone finds a spider or snake. Not only is he able to share his knowledge with others, but he is also learning how to become a leader.

T.V. is fine – we love all of Sir David Attenborough's programs – but nothing will ever take the place of just letting kids run wild and discover The Life in the Undergrowth of their own backyards. Don't let Animal Planet, and other stations with similar shows, taint your children's view of what the outdoors are really all about.

Conserve A Legacy: Cover Draft

If anyone has been wondering why I've been so slack on posting lately –I can just feel the vibes– it is because I've been in the trenches completing the layout & design for the book that I've been making images for over the past 1 1/2 years. The book, which has now been titled, "Conserve a Legacy: Natural Lands & Waters in South Carolina" is going to the publisher–Mountain Trail Press– later this week if all of the stars align properly. Can I tell you just how happy I will be when that happens? :) Seriously, the book looks really good. I sincerely hope that readers will take notice of all of the amazing things that the SC Conservation Bank has been able to accomplish over the past 4 years. The bank needs everyone's support in these difficult financial times. In addition to my photos, the book also features images by Thomas Wyche, Richard Bernabe and Greg Kiniry to name a few.

To prove that I've actually been doing something other than chasing bugs in the backyard, I've attached a fairly complete draft of the front cover; I hope you like it. Once this goes out, things should slow down a bit and I can immediately jump into another project, which I can then use as a new excuse for not posting regularly.

A Project Ends on the Black River

I thought that I would write a quick post to let you all know what I've been up to. I made my last last picture for the South Carolina Conservation Bank book this weekend. The property in question was located on the incredibly beautiful Black River; a South Carolina state Scenic river found in Georgetown county along the coast. The book is divided up into the four geographic regions of the Palmetto State: Piedmont, Central, Pee Dee & Coastal. Like the Black River site, most of the properties that I photographed for the book are found in coastal SC. This was a really great educational experience for me because I live, and usually shoot, in the Piedmont.

The Black River was one of the most hauntingly beautiful places that I've ever had the privilege of photographing. Now that I've fallen under its spell, I am certain that I will be spending more time there. I would really like to spend some time photographing the wide variety of flora & fauna that thrives along its banks and the riparian corridor that surrounds it.

Bogged Down in Beauty

The post was originally published in the July/August 2007 issue of the now deceased South Carolina Magazine. For three years I wrote a column for the magazine called "Our Wild State." In the future, I'll be sharing several of those pieces with you all. You're probably asking yourself right now, just how did I get so lucky?

The incredible tenacity of nature never ceases to amaze me. Regardless of natural environment or circumstance, life tends to find ingenious ways, not only to survive, but to flourish. I can think of no better living testimony to this than the communities found in South Carolina's bogs. It is here, among the sphagnum and peat, that a truly incredible group of plants thrive in the face of adversity.

There is just something about carnivorous plants that seems to capture the popular imagination. Since the time of their discovery, the Palmetto State's wide array of “meat-eaters” have been a subject of much discussion. Perhaps it is due to the fact that they exhibit behaviors primarily only found within the animal kingdom, or that their alien-like appearances are so beautifully bizarre. In the end, we are simply drawn in by their charms much like the very prey that they seek.
Although many species of plants world-wide are considered to be carnivorous, arguably the most famous member of this clan – The Venus' fly trap (Deonaea muscipula) – is found solely along the Carolina coastline. The first formal announcement of the discovery of this species to the western world came on April 2nd, 1759 in a letter written by the famed botanist William Bartram. In it he writes, “We have a kind of Catch Fly Sensitive which closes upon anything that touches it.” Over two hundred years later, we are still fascinated by this discovery. These fly traps are triggered by sensitive hairs found on highly modified leaves. When an insect brushes against these hairs, the leaf quickly folds, trapping the creature inside. Over a period of time digestion takes place.

In South Carolina, carnivorous plants are not limited to coastal and Low Country areas. In the mountains of the Upstate several species thrive in special bog-like areas called “cataract bogs.” One of the most unique examples is the very rare Mountain Sweet Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia jonesii) which only occurs in a handful of locations in the mountains of SC and NC. Pitcher plants are considered to be passive traps because they do not use movement to trap insects. Instead, they rely on large funnel-shaped leaves which are filled with digestive juices that dissolve the creature over time. Other pitcher plants found across our state include Frog Breeches (S. purpurea), and Yellow Trumpets (S. flava).
Contrary to what one might think, carnivorous plants don't just rely on the insects and small animals that they capture for nutrition. Their traps, which are comprised of modified leaves, actually employ photosynthesis just like everyday trees and shrubs do. However, in the case of these bog plants, the purpose of capturing prey is to make-up for the loss of vitamins which they are unable to extract from the poor, acidic soil in which they grow. The poor quality of the soil results from the fact that bogs receive most of their water from rainfall which allows very little mineral content to be added back into these unique wetlands.

Other types of carnivorous plants include bladderworts, sundews and butterworts. Each of these are very special in their own right and are worth seeking out and protecting for future generations. No matter where you live in South Carolina, the opportunity to see one of these amazing species is usually just a short drive away.

My Interview on 'Sound Off South."

I was interviewed for a live TV broadcast for local NBC affiliate WYFF this morning (part 1 & 2). The segment, part of the station's 'Sound Off South' feature, was conducted by anchor Kelly Coakley who did an excellent job of steering me away from prattling on –for the most part. At one stage it suddenly occurred to me that I was on television and I quickly blurted out a mishmash of "nature...errr...biology...me like camera...spider furry." Topics include this blog, my photography and the natural diversity of South Carolina's various eco-systems.

I had a really good time and mangaged to avoid the 'Nixon sweats.' Fortunately, I've been told that it wasn't too obvious that my legs were going a little Elvis with nervous tremors. However, I can't vouch for this 100% as my 5 1/2 year old, who gave me the good review, watched the broadcast in swimming-goggles. Since I don't have the stomach to watch it myself, I guess that you'll have to be the judge!

Pluff Mud & Oyster Castles

I spent last Wednesday in a spartina marsh, covered in dark, oozing pluff mud and absolutely loving every minute of it! When project leader Joy Brown asked if I liked the mud, my reply was that I preferred it to sitting in the office any day! I had been invited by The Nature Conservancy to document the organization's first coastal SC installations of Oyster Castles – a type of artificial reef– on a few privately held islands near Charleston. Over the next year, I'll be traveling down three more times to photograph the progress of these initial structures.
After leaving my hotel just past six, we headed to the dock and motored out to the project site with a three man crew from the SC Department of Natural Resources. During the short trip, I saw a small shark skirting the edge of the marsh, brown pelicans and just missed seeing an alligator riding a wake of its own across the channel. The morning was gorgeous, cool and foggy; perfect lighting for this type of shoot.
Upon disembarking from vessel, I promptly threw any apparent caution to the wind and stepped into a very unstable spot on the island; instantly sinking up to my knees into the concrete-like mud. Comedians seem to crawl out of the woodwork in moments like this and Joy asked me if I could stay where I was for a minute while she collected a plank for me to use as leverage. After barely pulling myself out with a audible sucking sound –surprisingly similar to the sound of my fleeting pride– I managed to head for the water and more solid ground; sounds counter-intuitive, I know, but just take my word for it.
In order to place the castles properly into the marsh, the biologists had to measure the distance from the water's edge to the nearest vegetation and space the structures equally apart from one another. This was done using hand-made frames which allowed for quicker measurements; each device was about a meter long. Joy would call out how many 'flips' it took to get to the vegetation and this was recorded for later calculations.
The Oyster Castles were constructed from giant concrete blocks, similar to over-sized LEGO pieces. Each block was composed of quite of bit of natural material such as shell and limestone so that eventually, they would be taken over by the marine life that the structures are created to house. At one point, I felt slightly guilty for not carrying the heavy blocks into the water's edge but, hey, someone has to document this stuff, right?
As the morning ended, I felt incredibly grateful to be allowed to witness this really important coastal restoration project and am looking for to heading down again later this summer. Next time, I'm hoping to focus on the fauna of the marsh-edge and the new life that we hope will be clinging to these palaces by the sea.