Kenya
I am fortunate to have been able to visit Africa again. This time I went on another Safari to The Amboceli National Park and the Masai Mara in Kenya. Everything about the trip was incredible—the people, the animals, the scenery. I still recall conversations I had with my Dad when I was 7-8 years old about wanting to visit Africa. I can’t believe these dreams came true.
I couldn't get enough of the elephants. All my life I have been fascinated by these incredibly large animals. To see them up close was absolutely amazing.
This image was taken using an Infrared Camera
It was sad to watch this very young elephant struggle in the muddy water.
This elephant is named "Craig" and he has the largest tusks in the world. He is protected by the Masai. We were given special permission to get out of our vehicles to photograph him.
This baby was doing everything he could to hold onto his mommy.
Elephant skin makes for creative textures.
African porn.
The giraffes are so beautiful and graceful.
Ox Peckers spend their days eating the bugs off of the giraffes.
If you look close you'll see the little poop nuggets dropping down from the larger giraffe.
I love when a herd of zebras crowd around to create a beautiful image.
Mother and (very young) child.
We were very fortunate to encounter so many Lions, Cheetahs, and Leopards.
This young cub was devouring a leftover zebra hoof.
Lions are constantly playing and showing affection toward each other.
I was amazed by all the flies on the Lioness' face.
The eyes of Leopards are simply stunning.
We watched these Cheetahs for several hours. Apparently these fights happen only once a year. They were brutal to watch.
These lions were finishing off a Cape Buffalo.
I thought this was amusing--the lion cub leaning over the horns of the buffalo.
When you think of a safari you think elephants, lions, leopards, giraffes--the big mammals. But what can be even more impressive are the birds. Their beautiful colors and interesting behaviors add so much to the experience.
Ostriches are amazing to see in person. Watching them mate is even more impressive. the male does a flailing dance until he's finished.
These storks are so gross they are beautiful to look at.
Rose Breasted Roller
These Hornbills spent the day feeding on snakes and frogs. Here's one unlucky frog.
Watching Flamingos is like watching ballerina dancers on the water.
We caught this male strutting his stuff trying to impress a female.
Ox Pecker picnic on the back of a Cape Buffalo
Sucks to be a toad!
This Heron played with it's Tilapia catch until it dropped it.
After the lions eat the jackals come in for scraps.
We watched these two jackals fight over a just killed rabbit. They tugged at it until it split in two.
Sunrise or sunset--you can't tell the difference. Both times of the day make for stunning images.
I watched for several minutes until this Topi walked directly in front of the sun.
Somewhere on the bottom is a lonely elephant.
Even the lizards are beautiful in Africa.
These two male Gazelles were going at it for a while.
These are our guides/drivers. They belong to the Masai tribe. Simon, Alex, and Jonathan knew where the animals were and all their behaviors. Here they offered to show us their dance by jumping up and down.
I never get enough of photographing baboons. They are so animated and the Mother baby interaction is adorable.
I find Hyenas to be incredibly ugly but they are amazing to look at--especially the pups.
We were watching a giant herd of Wildebeasts preparing to cross a river. They decided not to cross but this image looked like a painting.
Recent Paintings
(2022-2025)
Still Life from Chardin that I copied (and previously posted), painted, and now formally framed.
One of my favorite paintings. I bought 7 Bosc Pears, photographed them to create a Still Life, photoshopped 2 out of the image, and proceeded to paint the pears.
Still Life of radishes, tomato from the garden, and a loaf of fresh bread.
This is a painting from one of my photos on a safari in Tanzania.
Still Life of Smoked Mozzarella and olives with loaves of fresh bread.
I saw this image while in Krynica, Poland and I took a photo of it so I could paint it. I had no idea but it's called Lucky Man and it's for good luck.
Iconic image of John Lennon that I decided to copy.
This Lioness was photographed in South Africa.
I painted these pears on Copper. I had seen some old paintings in the Met in New York and I decided to give it a try. It's a small painting measuring only 5"X7".
Here's an old pair of Iwona's boots that I posted previously, but not it's formally framed.
Isle of Madeira
After flying into Lisbon, Portugal, my friend, Artie, and I flew to the Isle of Madeira—about 400 miles west of Lisbon. We then spent a week hiking throughout the island along with a group of other hikers from Great Britain, Canada, and one from the USA. Our guide took us around the island for great hikes and spectacular views as well as lessons in the history of Madeira.
Our first hike began along the peninsula north of Machico. The hike was full of ascents and descents with great views of the island and the Atlantic Ocean
Some of the images on these hikes were captured using Infrared Photography.
You can see the hikers trekking along the crest of the mountain.
Here we took a rest stop while in the clouds.
This hike was along Madeira's Levada and while we hiked you did not want to look down--it was a steep vertical drop.
We hiked into the Fanal Forest where we came upon trees that were over 1000 years old. This is a Unesco World Heritage site.
One of the highlights of the trip was capturing the sunrise atop one of the highest mountaintops in Madeira. We got to the top (by bus) and we were met with 100's of other hikers to witness the sunrise. After the sunrise we proceeded to hike all the way down.
Scenes form the fish market in the Old Ton of Funchal--the capital of Madeira.
Black Scabbard fish--a popular and delicious meal served fried with banana and passion fruit sauce.
Florida Everglades
I had the opportunity to escape the cold snowy northeast weather and take a short trip to southern Florida to visit the Big Cypress State Park and the Everglades National Park. Throughout the Marshlands and the Gulf of Mexico there are large numbers and varieties of Pelicans, Cormorants, Herons, Spoonbills, and Alligators.
These Spoonbills were so easy to photograph as they remained still and posed
Throughout the Gulf were dozens of Cormorants on branches allowing for nice silhouettes
Watching a large flock of Pelicans was quite humorous as they constantly moved around
You watch and you try to figure out just what makes them decide to all enter the water at once
It was amazing to watch these waterfowl catch and devour their prey
Hard to believe they swallow these fish whole
Infrared image taken in the swamp during an Airboat ride
Caught this Egret just before it flew off (Infrared image)
As ugly as they are these Vultures are beautiful to photograph
Amazing to watch this happen
I had no idea my reflection was in this alligator's eye--you can see me behind the fence taking the photo
This bird played with its catch for over a half hour
Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge
and
White Sands National Park
I recently had the opportunity to visit New Mexico and photograph the Wildlife at Bosque del Apache and then head south to one of the newest National Parks—White Sands National Park.
The sheer number of birds at Bosque del Apache was overwhelming. The views of White Sands National Park were not only stunning but so unique. We felt like we were visiting the moon.
This is an image taken using Infrared Photography
Another Infrared image of a Cottonwood Tree
I'm amazed at the twist of the neck by these geese
While the Sand Cranes graze they are completely unfazed when, all of a sudden, hundreds of waterfowl fly around them
The male Sand Cranes will bark all day trying to impress the women
A pair of Sand Cranes landing to roost for the night. Like clockwork these flocks come flying in
The beginning of The White Sands trip showcasing all the dunes that you can walk on
Black and White Infrared showing the patterns in the sand from the wind
As a photographer nothing beats rain clouds that let in a crack of sunshine. Blue cloudless skies are the worst.
Just before we got to the park on our last day it rained which allowed for these images once the rain stopped and the sun broke through
Just like on the beach you see runners along the dunes
This image was taken with Iwona's cell phone and then edited in B&W
The patterns in the sand are so artistic
One of my favorite images--lone silhouette on a dune and I applied a filter in my editing.
South Africa and Botswana
Jersey Shore Birds
I discovered the Rookery at the Ocean City, NJ visitor center where one can experience hundreds of nesting birds as well as birds constantly flying in and out of the area. The Edwin Forsyth Wildlife Refuge in Galloway, NJ has an 8 mile loop to drive/walk around to experience a beautiful birding paradise.
Hiking in Andalusia, Spain 2024
This Spring I had the opportunity to spend a week in the Andalusia region of Spain with my good friend, Artie and several other hikers from Great Britain and the U.S. We hiked throughout the countryside, the Olive Groves, and along the Caminito del Ray (which was quite scary). Our guide, Miguel Newcomb, was fantastic—he made sure everyone was safe, properly geared up, and had fun. It was an awesome trip.
Sunrise view from the farmhouse that was our basecamp for the week.
The rain stopped just as we summited. From here we ate our lunch.
Infrared image of the countryside. This one is done in Black & White. The following images are Infrared Color images.
This and the following images are from a Flamenco Dance performance in Madrid. After Madrid we took a train to Malaga to meet the hiking team and our guide.
One of the trails we hiked before we got to the summit for a lunch break.
Another view of one of the trails we hiked during the day.
Another view of the Sunrise from the Homestead.
We hiked along the Caminito del Ray overlooking the El Chorro Gorge. Fascinating history of this trail.
Another view of the Caminito del Ray
View of the countryside of Ronda, Spain
Our dinner on the last evening was a two foot pan of Paella
