Finally!The time has been spent wisely, though. I've intentionally taken a week or so to get my business organized. Since May, I've shot well over 2000 still images, and over 10 hours of video that have to be uploaded, cataloged and edited. And, that takes a lot of time.
But, I've run into a snag... I can’t upload (capture) video to my computer. I have a $3500
Canon XH-A1 Hi Definition pro camcorder, a firewire connection, and the top of the line Mac dual quad core Xeon maxed out with 
16MB RAM, almost 4 Terabytes of hard drive space, and the best video card available. When I try to transfer video from the DV tape in the camera to Final Cut Express HD or iMovie HD editing software, the program quits -- without warning or error messages. It just quits. Every time. And, in random places during the capture.
I know that's more information than most of you wanted to read, but I included it in this blog entry because I actually need some help.
I’ve been on the phone with both Canon and Apple tech support for a total of over 4 hours. I've reinstalled the editing software, deleted the software's Preferences file, reinstalled the computer's Operating System, tried a different camera… nothing works.
Canon told me that there is no reason there should be any incompatibility between the camera and the software, and that they’ve had no complaints about problems capturing video from this camera. Apple told me that the Canon XH-A1 isn't on their "approved" device list and that I may have to upgrade to either the $8000 Canon XL-H1 camera or the $1200 Pro version of Final Cut's video editing software. That may allow me to upload video, but it still doesn’t answer the question of why the problem occurred in the first place. And, I'm not sure I'm ready to drop $1200 (much less $8000) to find out.
Sunsets and Lava Rocks,
Up until about 10 million years ago, horses (and their ancestors) roamed over 60 percent of the present day continental United States. From that time until about 10,000 years ago, with their migration North into Canada, and across the ice bridge into Russia, and South into Central and South America, their numbers here dwindled to just a few small, scattered herds. We stayed relatively "horseless" until sometime around the 1500s when horses were reintroduced to North America by the Spanish and English. It is these horses and their descendants that gave life to the iconic roaming herds of the Wild West.The American claim is by the right of our manifest destiny to overspread and to possess the whole of the continent which Providence has given us for the development of the great experiment of liberty and federative self-government entrusted to us. It is a right such as that of the tree to the space of air and earth suitable for the full expansion of its principle and destiny of growth.John O'Sullivan, 1845
entity is forced into too small an area, whether that entity be man or beast, that area becomes over-burdened and decimated, ultimately resulting in land that is devoid of sustenance for even the smallest band of creatures. We've seen it with cattle over-grazing as well as with human consumption. Too much stress on an ecosystem will cause that ecosystem to fail.
measures to begin reducing their population. Thousands of undernourished and weak horses were removed from their herds and sent to processing plants for feed, cosmetics, and industrial supplies. Over time, the populations were culled even further to include perfectly healthy horses -- partly as a means to reduce the stress on the land, and partly to keep up with the increasing demand for horse-based products.The emotional part of this tale is beautifully told by John Huston's The Misfits, starring Clark Gable, Montgomery Clift, and Marilyn Monroe. Mostly character-driven, the movie does a great job of depicting the desperation of the wild horse as two down-on-their-luck wranglers (Gable and Clift) try to make a few bucks rounding up the last of the ill-fated mustang herds.
And, even though 5000 acres is a lot of land, it is nowhere near enough for 300 horses to survive on without help. Horses are migratory grazers, just like bison or elk. When they strip an area of food, they must move on to the next area of abundance. When they strip that one bare, they move on to the next. And by the time they come back to where they started
(having given it time to reseed and sprout anew), that area is once again lush with food. But with most of today's lands fenced off or developed, these animals can't migrate like they once did, and they are forced to subsist on lands that can never have time to regenerate. So, they must be fed or they must die.
Well, I still managed to follow the wrong streambed (it being dry season, there were several from which to choose), and take the wrong turn on the path (I went left when I should have gone right), and I soon found myself almost to the far edge of the property almost 3 miles from where I needed to be. After having lugged 100lbs of camera and camping gear 2 miles in and another mile up the hillside, I picked a spot, dropped the gear, and scouted the territory around me hoping to find signs of the watering hole.
manzanita, I neared the top of the ridge and still wasn't anywhere close to water. Fortunately, I brought plenty with me. Having reached a nearly impassable stretch of dense foliage, I retraced my steps and made my way back down the ridge toward the road where I parked the car.
Not more than 100 yards from where I stood was the dried creek bed. The correct one this time! And another 100 yards beyond that was the triple set of shallow pools, fed by a trickle of a mountain stream where the wild horses went to drink.
grove of trees on the east side of the creekbed, far enough away from the watering hole so as not to spook the horses when they came by for a drink.
Now, Wild Horses are a skittish bunch, and even though these guys were used to seeing humans occasionally, they were no exception. Any move I made could send them running off in another direction, ruining any chance I had of getting a decent shot. And, sometimes I wasn't the only one to send them running. Since the horses tended to
group themselves into small bands of anywhere from 3 to 15, the arrival of another band could be enough to cause them to turn tail and head for the hills.
image, for instance, of the horse that had had just about enough of the heat was fortunately captured both as a still and as hi-def video. And, he was doing exactly what I had wanted to do since I'd arrived -- go for a swim!
her little foal. Life out on the Sanctuary is protected, but it's tough. And it's real. And these horses are living life just like they had for millions of years... playing, fighting, mating, and having babies. And, the babies are as healthy and playful as anyone would expect a foal to be. But, they're obedient, too.
They know that they'd better not get too far away from mom and dad, lest they become lost, or worse yet, lunch for a hungry mountain lion.
of days on their ranch while I work on getting images and video footage for my Vanishing America and Untamed projects.
Redding, and has become one of the most recognizable (and most photographed) features in the area. Calatrava (www.Calatrava.com) is known around the world for his sensual, organic shapes and creative support methods, changing the face of many cities with his memorable pieces, including the Athens Olympic Sports Complex and the Lyon Airport Station in France.
Sports don't do it. For whatever reason, I have a deeply rooted connection with compelling architecture. I studied Architecture for a year at Georgia Tech, and was intrigued by the ancient architecture of the Olde World that we studied in Art classes at UGA, but my interests in the field go back much farther than that, although I can't quite pinpoint the actual moment of epiphany.
em to have a natural talent for it. I was even doing regular pieces for San Diego Magazine, and Trump Resorts, and had my work published in three separate international coffee table books before I left San Diego to embark on this journey.
Theatre by architect Wallace Cunningham. He asked me to shoot one of his creations for San Diego Magazine, and, with a little tutoring and some loaner equipment from my good friend and photographer Pablo Mason, I got a cover shot and a 10 page spread. Everything else snowballed from there.
in the next several years, I will be able to make it over to Dubai to shoot some of the most incredible modern architecture in the world. (Do a Google image search for "Dubai" and you'll see what I mean.)
of those unique examples of architecture that inspire me. And I'd be remiss if, during my delay here in Redding, I didn't go out and shoot it at least once. Now that I think about it, I may just go back and shoot it again!
What's News in Alpharetta, Georgia? Well, I'll tell ya...!http://www.northfulton.com/1pubicindex.lasso?-token.editorialreferral=161419.112113
Alpharetta and Roswell Revue & News
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| August 29, 2007 It's a great big country out there and a hometown boy, Holt Webb, is aiming to see it all before it vanishes forever. Over the next two years, Webb, a professional photographer, will do what he does best – take pictures to elicit emotion within people. Using his camera he will capture the people, places, culture and architecture that are slowly disappearing from the American experience. The project, aptly named "Vanishing America," is unique, if not also just a little bit nostalgic. "Vanishing America is equal parts fine art photography and photojournalism specifically designed to capture the beauty and enchantment of the unique elements of our history and culture that are in danger of disappearing within the next two to three generations," said Webb, who grew up in Alpharetta, but now lives in San Diego, Calif. Inspired by a childhood of canvassing the local woods, 38-year-old Webb – back in town for his 20-year Milton High School reunion – can remember a time when community history was preserved and the wilderness was left wild. He recalls spending many summer afternoons biking through rural Alpharetta with his brother and some friends to the old Stovall's Grocery store. Even at his young age, Webb can remember the day the boys were stopped on their well worn trail by a large tractor getting ready to plow a new neighborhood – directly in the middle of their private, boys-only world. "I've felt a sadness and frustration as development for housing and shopping took those places away from me," he said. "And, now, as an adult, seeing that same thing happen in San Diego and across the country at an increasingly rapid rate, I've decided enough is enough." (Article continues... follow this link or the link below.) | ||
Link to the full article:
http://www.northfulton.com/1pubicindex.lasso?-token.editorialreferral=161419.112113
rituals, carving details of their lives into the soft sandstone.
Today the rock face is fenced off to help protect the ancient artwork, but the sandstone is fragile, and time and weather will eventually erase the writings and images from the stone forever.
Water, Water, Everywhere! (with apologies to Samuel Taylor Coleridge)
crosses the river at over 100 feet in the air. I'll make sure to get some great images on my return visit next week.
Yesterday I drove to Shingletown to scout out the Wild Horse Sanctuary. Great place! I just went to check it out for a later visit with all my cameras, and found it to be not only a sanctuary for the horses, but a beautiful place to just wander around and explore.
In the spring and summer months, to raise money to support the horses, the Sanctuary offers 2 and 3-day weekend pack trips to the public. We also offer a 4 day cattle drive. Each day ride the trails created by the wild horses and burros through pine and oak-studded hills--a bit of paradise dotted with meadows, woods, creeks, and ponds. Bordering Vernal Lake, our base camp consists of frontier style sleeping cabins: a "cook" house featuring a main kitchen, a wood-burning stove, hearty meals, and bathroom facilities, complete with hot shower.About the Sanctuary:
Rather than allow 80 wild horses living on public land to be destroyed, the founders of the Wild Horse Sanctuary made a major life decision right then and there to rescue these unwanted horses and create a safe home for them. And just as quickly, they launched a media campaign to bring attention to the plight of these and hundreds of other wild horses across the west that eventually led to a national moratorium on killing un-adoptable wild horses.
The Sanctuary is located near Shingletown, California on 5,000 acres of lush lava rock-strewn mountain meadow and forest land. Black Butte is to the west and towering Mt. Lassen is to the east. The current location features better accessibility for the public, a milder winter climate with more natural cover, and other benefits for the horses.
The Sunday paper! How about that? The first Vanishing America write-up is in the Redding Sunday paper. Pretty good start. Here's the link:
