The Mojave Desert Sucks

Carbon dioxide, that is.

A fascinating “ongoing study by Desert Research Institute researchers may indicate that deserts are absorbing more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than previously thought”. “The annual removal of the greenhouse gas from the atmosphere was upwards of 100 grams of carbon per square metre, on a par with some temperate forests, with the majority being consumed during spring months.”.

Read the Desert Reseach Institute press release here. You’ll find a link to the Abstract here.

I guess the desert isn’t such a wasteland after all. Or maybe it is?

You are visiting the blog of fine art photographer Michael E. Gordon. For additional photos and information, please visit his official website.

NO to Loaded and Concealed Guns in Our National Parks!

One of the stupidest most ridiculous ideas of all time is being considered at this moment by our federal government. The National Rifle Association (NRA) is pushing the feds to allow LOADED and CONCEALED guns in our national parks, wildlife refuges and monuments under the ruse of “safety”. Folks, it goes without saying, if you feel unsafe somewhere, please don’t go there. So, NRA administrators and members, if the parks, refuges, and monuments seem unsafe to you, the easy answer is not to modify the current and sufficient laws - just stay home and polish your weapons. Our national parks, wildlife refuges and monuments are some of the safest places to be and to spend time and we would like them to stay that way.

PLEASE TAKE ACTION: here’s an easy way to send your concerned comments to multiple agencies and officials with one click. Please act now.

Additional reading and viewing:
New York Times article
CNN article
CNN video

What do you think?

You are visiting the blog of fine art photographer Michael E. Gordon. For additional photos and information, please visit his official website.

New Photograph: Owens Valley Pond

For years now I have wanted to make the quintessential Owens Valley photograph; one that I could look at again and again (without it growing old) and that would transport me instantly to this deep and beautiful valley. I think I may now have that photograph.

I have been visiting, exploring, and recreating in California’s Owens Valley for more than half my life, and accordingly, it holds a special place in my heart. This image makes me feel the Owens Valley like no other I’ve made before.

I made this photograph outside Independence, California. Seen here are an Owens River side pond, a cottonwood tree, the bountiful sagebrush that fills the Valley, and the Inyo Mountains in the distance. I hope you enjoy the photograph and feel the Owens Valley, too.

You are visiting the blog of fine art photographer Michael E. Gordon. For additional photos and information, please visit his official website.

New Photograph: Untitled

I don’t have a title for it yet, but I’m working on it (send your suggestions!). Photograph made in the Chuckwalla Mountains with my Chamonix 4×5″ view camera and a vintage Wollensak Verito 9″ lens. Neat and funky objects are always waiting to be found in the desert.

You are visiting the blog of fine art photographer Michael E. Gordon. For additional photos and information, please visit his official website.

Desert Tortoises, Under Siege

Despite their dwindling numbers and imperiled status, I’ve been fortunate to encounter quite a few wild desert tortoises over the years, including this cooperative and patient fellow found in the Chuckwalla Mountains (photographed with my 4×5″ view camera; view cameras can be slow, but tortoises are slower!).

As if the tortoises haven’t had it hard enough, Fort Irwin is expanding its operations and is displacing and relocating many desert tortoises (760 so far). If only the relocation was successful. L.A Times story.

You’d think that we’d have learned by now that tinkering with nature generally produces unexpected and unfortunate consequences, yet “In an effort to prevent further losses, the Army has requested that the predators, described by one military spokesman as a “rogue clan of coyotes,” be eradicated by animal control sharpshooters.” Someone please help me with this one; how can the most powerful (and presumably smartest) military in the world not realize the stupidity of such a statement? They’re not going to target a “rogue clan”; they’re likely to kill every coyote they can find, “innocent” or otherwise. Further, when coyotes come under fire, they don’t vanish - they reproduce and expand their territory. Shooting random coyotes will accomplish nothing, as generations of ranchers have already learned. Why are innocent coyotes and tortoises going to have to pay the ultimate price for the U.S. Army’s blunder?

The Center for Biological Diversity will “file suit later this month against the Army, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Bureau of Land Management for allegedly violating the federal Endangered Species Act in their management of desert tortoises.”

They have my fullest support.

“Tug on anything at all and you’ll find it connected to everything else in the universe.”
John Muir

“The outstanding scientific discovery of the twentieth century is not television, or radio, but rather the complexity of the land organism. Only those who know the most about it can appreciate how little we know about it. The last word in ignorance is the man who says of an animal or plant: “What good is it?” If the land mechanism as a whole is good, then every part is good, whether we understand it or not. If the biota, in the course of aeons, has built something we like but do not understand, then who but a fool would discard seemingly useless parts? To keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intelligent tinkering.”
Aldo Leopold

You are visiting the blog of fine art photographer Michael E. Gordon. For additional photos and information, please visit his official website.

3rd Place, Trees, 2008 Prix de la Photographie, Paris

I am excited to announce that my ‘Extraordinary Trees’ series took 3rd Place in the ‘Trees’ category in the prestigious and international 2008 Prix de la Photographie, Paris competition. The jury selected 2008’s winners from thousands of photography entries from over 85 countries. You can find my winning series here. The “Prix de la Photographie, Paris” (Px3) strives to promote the appreciation of photography, to discover emerging talent, and introduce photographers from around the world to the artistic community of Paris. Winning entries from each major category are exhibited in Paris at the prestigious Galerie Acte 2 from June 26-28 and published in the high-quality, full-color Px3 Annual Book, which is distributed to galleries, agencies, publishers and bookstores worldwide.

You are visiting the blog of fine art photographer Michael E. Gordon. For additional photos and information, please visit his official website.

Arnold Schwarzenegger: Go Back to Hollywood

Thanks for your service, Arnold, but we Californians have had enough of you.

Please do me a favor, Governor Schwarzenegger, and place in your hand a 2005 California State quarter. You’ll notice that this coin prominently features Yosemite Valley’s world famous Half Dome, our imperiled California Condor, our famous conifers, and the Grandfather of Conservation, John Muir (you could learn a lot from his leadership and values, Mr. Schwarzenegger). Please note that nowhere on this coin will you find the Hollywood sign, cityscapes, toll roads and freeways, or power lines. Why? Because we Californians value most our natural places, open spaces, and the tremendous scenery and beauty of our great state. Why then, do you insist on representing the interests of big business and developers instead of protecting our natural resources?

You have the nerve to propose closing 48 of our California State Parks due to your administration’s financial failures; you booted Bobby Shriver and Clint Eastwood from the State Park and Recreation Commission because they were opposed to a toll road that you supported - one that would needlessly slice through a State Park; and now this: your pressing of State regulators to allow massive power lines to cut through Anza-Borrego - California’s largest state park.

With all due respect, Arnold, what in the hell are you thinking? We Californians DO NOT support your proposed State Park closures; we DO NOT approve of your toll roads cutting through our open spaces; and we DO NOT approve of power lines cutting through our state parks. Where are the discussions of conservation? This is the foremost fundamental item any sound leader would and should discuss. However, instead of encouraging more drivers to carpool to lessen freeway congestion, you take the easy path and promote a damaging tollroad; instead of encouraging San Diegan’s to conserve and use less energy, you promote an unnecessary power line through our great Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.

It’s time to look at reality, Arnold: California (especially Southern) cannot continue with this breakneck pace of growth and resource consumption. Like your administration, our state is headed for long-term failure if it continues down this path.

To my California readers: I encourage you to voice your concerns with the Governor’s office. Email Arnold or send snail mail to:

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814

You can also express your disgust by phone or fax:
Phone: 916-445-2841
Fax: 916-558-3160

Thank you. As always, I solicit your comments on this topic.

You are visiting the blog of fine art photographer Michael E. Gordon. For additional photos and information, please visit his official website.

Making the Photograph: Drivers Wanted

I can rarely explain in advance what kind of subjects or scenes will impel me to photograph, but when I find something that stirs my photographic soul, I become excited, act impulsively, and take a “shoot first, ask questions later” approach. These moments arise only infrequently, and it is most common for me to spend days looking for photographs without actually photographing.

Drivers Wanted is one of these photographs. In September 2006, I found this scene in Panamint Valley, California (the western boundary of Death Valley National Park), and was completely enthralled by it. The arrangement of the burned out vehicles, the rich copper color, and the grotesque and blackened cottonwood trees drew me in. I didn’t immediately understand why the scene so captivated me, but I didn’t particularly care - I was excited to make a photograph! I used my 4×5″ view camera, a vintage soft focus lens (an early 1900’s Wollensak Verito), and Fuji Pro160S film. A shallow aperture (f8 or f11) and view camera movements helped to bring the VW bus up front and center.

The title Drivers Wanted came to me before I had even exposed a sheet of film, and is a reference to VW’s successful and popular ‘Drivers Wanted‘ campaign. Further, Americans of a certain age range will recall that VW buses (this one is a Type II T1) were symbols of American culture and counter-culture during the 1960’s and 1970’s. Ironically, that counter-culture is gone, and so is the Type II. Even more ironically, gone is the possibility of ever again making a photograph of this scene. In February 2008, an organized cleanup took place, removing the vehicle hulks and all other debris at the location. Follow the link to see photos of this bus being loaded onto a trailer for recycling.

My greatest attraction to photography is likely its ability to freeze forever a moment, place, or time into single still frame. Even though I can never again remake this photograph, I’m happy to have found and photographed it while it existed.

You are visiting the blog of fine art photographer Michael E. Gordon. For additional photos and information, please visit his official website.

Fuji Film Comparison

I don’t know the numbers, but Fuji films surely dominate the market especially with nature and landscape photographers. Fuji Velvia was first introduced in 1990, and quickly rose to become the staple film in the bags of most outdoor photographers. However, things have changed. Rarely do publishers request original transparencies as digital files are now the preferred and easier medium by which to deliver images. Further, for those photographers whose primary output is the fine print, Velvia has hardly ever been the best choice - largely due to its high contrast and limited exposure latitude. So what Fuji film should you consider if the fine print is your primary goal? I’d suggest Astia or Pro 160S for color, and Acros for black and white. Like Velvia, Astia is a transparency (slide) film, while Pro 160S is color negative and Acros is black & white negative. All three of these films provide greater exposure latitude than Velvia; scan more easily; and due to their more neutral color palettes (excluding Acros, of course) provide greater flexibility in interpreting the scan for the print. Any color film can be made to look like Velvia.

Take a look at the photo of the Fuji film comparison. Please note that this has been converted to the sRGB color space (which is a much smaller color gamut than wide-gamut Adobe RGB). Also note that this has been downsized for web display to 72ppi (a far cry from printing resolution). These two facts hamper the accuracy of this image, but what is not hampered is the obvious gains in the shadows made by using Astia or Pro 160S. Note that the transparency films (Velvia and Astia) have only been scanned and color corrected to match the transparency (no contrast adjustments). The Pro 160S (rated at ISO 100 and processed normally) has been scanned and color corrected to most closely match the transparency films. Acros has only been scanned and has NO adjustments. Fuji Velvia may appear the most colorful, but have a look at those difficult shadows; your scanner is not going to like them!

Velvia may look pretty impressive on your lightbox, but if the fine print is your primary medium, you’ll be better served using Astia or Pro 160S.

I welcome your comments!

You are visiting the blog of fine art photographer Michael E. Gordon. For additional photos and information, please visit his official website.

California Desert Wildflowers - A Great Spring!

If you’ve never seen California’s vast and ephemeral displays of spring wildflowers, you’ve been missing out! Now is the time, and I mean NOW! As of Monday, March 10, many areas of the California desert are at peak color and form, and in some places, the flowers are already dwindling due to lack of recent precipitation and climbing temperatures. My friend Harley Goldman is seen at left in Joshua Tree National Park’s Pinto Basin, photographing a vast expanse of Desert Sunflower (Geraea canescens). It was truly a sight to behold and a fragrance for which to die.

If you can bear viewing an almost continuous fifty mile stretch of desert wildflowers, and you have a high-clearance vehicle (4WD recommended) and requisite off-road driving experience and skills, here’s my recommended driving route. Including stops for walks, lunch, and smelling the flowers, this route will take you most of the day to complete. I don’t recommend you rush! The Automobile Club of Southern California (AAA) San Bernardino County map will serve you well on this drive.

Begin your tour just one mile west of Amboy, California (off National Trails Highway/old Route 66) at the Amboy Crater. Here you will find square miles of desert sunflower, as well as great spreads of sand verbena and loads of desert lily. Go for a walk; I also recommend hiking to the top of the crater for a panoramic view. From Amboy Crater, head south on Amboy Road towards Sheephole Pass. As you begin your climb toward the pass, a continuous blanket of wildflowers covers the landscape and also continues down the south side of the pass. About four miles south of Sheephole Pass, head east (and then south) on Ironage Road. You’ll find wildflowers from here all the way to Highway 62. Some of the densest spots are at Ironage Road and Hwy. 62.

From Highway 62 and Ironage Road, head west about six miles to the graded dirt Gold Crown Rd and hang a left (south). Again, vast carpets of desert sunflower stretch before you. If you’re not an experienced off-road driver and/or lack 4WD/high clearance, you may only be able to proceed comfortably for another 5-6 miles. Experienced drivers will head south into Pinto Basin via a rugged and at times steep and exposed road. Wildflowers will be found entirely along the way, and your first view into the vast Pinto Basin will once again reveal many square miles of desert sunflower!

Head south across Pinto Basin via Old Dale Road for about ten miles (good dirt). You’ll see wildflowers through the entire Pinto Basin crossing. Join up with the paved Pinto Basin Road and head south toward the Cottonwood Canyon entrance to Joshua Tree National Park. You won’t even have to look too hard here; the wildflower carpet might very well be thicker here than anywhere. Interstate 10 will be found a few more miles to the south, thus concluding your journey.

If you have only a 2WD and no off-road experience, I recommend exploring Gold Crown Road as far as you’re comfortable, and then turn around and head west on Highway 62 for twenty miles or so to Utah Trail (paved) in Twentynine Palms. Follow the signs into Joshua Tree National Park. After about seven miles, hang a left (south) at Pinto Basin Road and connect with our route above at the junction of Pinto Basin Road (paved) and Old Dale Road (dirt).

This is an amazing route, but you must go now to catch the flowers at their peak. The Desert USA website may also be helpful in planning your day and to determine current wildflower conditions.

I hope you enjoy your wildflower day!

You are visiting the blog of fine art photographer Michael E. Gordon. For additional photos and information, please visit his official website.