April 12, 2010 - 10:54 AM

One More from California

My trip to California draws to a close tomorrow, so I thought I would put up one last posting from the field.  It's been a great trip, with over 1,200 miles driven, many miles hiked, and I've enjoyed the adventures tremendously. This much time alone out in nature sure makes me feel human again! Yet again, I've learned that some of the best shots and experiences come from when you least expect it.

What I considered failures in exploration almost always provided the soil for later success.  For example, the last picture of this posting, "Nepenthe at Garrapata", was the result of a failure.  I had gone on a long hike to another location, and due to state cutbacks, the trail was in very bad shape, and not marked at all, so I ended up going up the wrong sequence of trails, with daylight running out.  I hurried back to the trailhead, and with only minutes of light left, found this shot which I believe is better than anything else I would have gotten on the original hike.  Oh yeah, and the title - "Nepenthe" means "no sorrow"! 

Now its back to Kansas City, where I can be with my kids and Adele, sleep in my own bed, greet my wonderful dog Nikki, and eat home cooked food! I'm anxious to work on the landscape shots from this trip, most all of which need to be worked up in the digital darkroom before I can show them here.  I hope you've enjoyed the few postings I've been able to put up.  Thanks for tuning in!!  More to come soon.

Title: "California Morning Dew"

Location: Shell Creek Road, near Santa Maria, California

Title: "Clover, Poppy and Crystals"

Location: Shell Creek Road, near Santa Maria, California

Title: "Twin Cala Lilies"

Location: Big Sur, California

Title: "Nepenthe at Garrapata"

Location: Garrapata State Park, Big Sur Coast, California

April 04, 2010 - 2:00 PM

Spring!

Here is a post of new pictures from my travels in California; a tribute to spring.  It's Easter today, so Happy Easter, happy spring solstice, or just plain thank goodness for a new growing season, depending on your inclination.  It feels ecstatic to confidently start shedding the dark, wet, cold blanket of winter and start soaking in the warm sun of spring. 

Here are a couple of quotes that may capture some of the rejuvenative essence of spring:

"Sitting quietly, doing nothing, spring comes, and the grass grows by itself."

  - Zen Proverb

"Science has never drummed up quite as effective a tranquilizing agent as a sunny spring day."

  - W. Earl Hall

Title: "Wildflower Vibrance in Thirds"

Location: Figueroa Mountain, Santa Lucia Ranger District, Los Padres National Forest, California

Title: "Shooting Stars of Henry Coe"

Location: Henry Coe State Park, California

Title: "Figueroa Hillside Impression"

Location: Figueroa Mountain, Santa Lucia Ranger District, Los Padres National Forest, California

Title: "Harlequin Lupine in Blue"

Location: Indians Area, Los Padres National Forest, California

Title: "California Oak Savanna"

Location: near Los Olivos, California

Title: "Waking Poppy Curves"

Location: Figueroa Mountain, Santa Lucia Ranger District, Los Padres National Forest, California

April 01, 2010 - 12:13 AM

California Trip Update, April 1

Title: "McWay Falls Framed in Oak"

Location: Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, Big Sur Coast, California

Title: "Santa Cruz Sunrise"

Location: Natural Bridges State Park, Santa Cruz, California

Title: "Pink Clover in Blue Lupine"

Location: Indians Area, Los Padres National Forest, California

Title: "Grace in Agave"

Location: Carmel, California

  It's been an adventurous couple of days!  Lots of hiking and exploring the Big Sur Coast of California, then traveling inland to the Los Padres National Forest, east of King City.  Along the many trails I picked up a florid case of poison oak, even though I was trying to be diligent about avoiding it!  Through the miracle of modern medicine, a prescription for Prednisone has kept the rash & itching in check.

  Weather has been mixed, but often windy and cloudy.  I'm trying to drive to places where the weather still holds promise, but the forecast isn't promising - more rain.  One of the highlights so far has been the Indians Area of the Los Padres National Forest.  It's a hard place to get to, but I was rewarded by finding fields upon fields of Blue and Harlequin Lupine mixed with clovers and other wildflowers.  Very interesting rock formations as well, with small overhangs & caves with ancient rock art from natives long past.  This was one of those places that had a special feel to it; some might say mystical, or spiritual.  Places with interesting geological formations, lush, undisturbed botanical environments, and evidence of long past peoples combine for a special feeling.

  Below is one more picture from that area, and here is the link from my SPOT satellite device that sends an OK message back home that includes a GPS coordinate from where the message was sent (within 3 meters anyway!)

Title: "Oak in Indian Rock"

Location: Indians Area, Los Padres National Forest, California

March 26, 2010 - 3:03 PM

Filoli Garden

Title: "Filoli Grandeur"

Location: Filoli Garden, near Woodside, California

Title: "Garden Heaven"

Location: Filoli Garden, near Woodside, California

Title: "Garden Vantage Point"

Location: Filoli Garden, near Woodside, California

I've been in a lot of gardens in the last 20 years in a handful of countries, and as far as "manicured" gardens go, this may be the most artistically beautiful I've ever been in.  The horticulturalist at the Filoli Garden is a true artist, using layers of color and perspective lines, forms, etc to create an experience that just takes your breath away at each turn. As you walk slowly along the paths and enter new "palettes" you just have to stop in your tracks in amazement.  Its like walking through a collection of incredible paintings in a museum. 

This is an expansive garden, 16 acres in the English Renaissance style. The estate is anchored by a 36,000 square foot house built in 1917 by Mr. William Bowers Bourn whose wealth came from gold mining.  The name Filoli came from an acronym built from the first two letters of each word from his credo: "Fight for a just cause, Love your fellow man, Live a good life.  

The estate was bought by the Roth family in 1937, and Mrs. Roth donated 125 acres which include the garden and house in 1975 to the National Trust for Historic Preservation.  

March 25, 2010 - 5:26 PM

Japanese Tea Garden, San Francisco Arboretum

Title: "Cherry Blossom Arch"

Location: Japanese Tea Garden, San Francisco Arboretum

Title: "Tea Garden Sculptures"

Location: Japanese Tea Garden, San Francisco Arboretum

Title: "Cherry Blossom Rain"

Location: Japanese Tea Garden, San Francisco Arboretum

Title: "Cherry Blossom Sun"

Location: Japanese Tea Garden, San Francisco Arboretum

Designed by Japanese immigrant and gardener Makoto Hagiwara, this is the oldest Japanese garden in the United States, originally constructed in 1894.  This was a quiet delight after negotiating driving in San Francisco traffic all day!  There is a quaint Japanese tea house where you can take pause from your stroll through this magnificent tailored garden.  I was particularly fond of the bridges over a small brook, and especially the Zen rock garden in a secluded section of the park.  The stillness, calm and flowing lines had a pronounced therapeutic effect. 

For more information, visit the Japanese Tea Garden website.

March 11, 2010 - 3:30 PM

What is Biophilia?

Title: "Savanna Slopes"

Location: Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, California

I’m a firm believer in the healing benefits of nature experiences, be it direct experiences in nature or in the form of nature art in hospitals and in the workplace.  One of the main directives of this blog is to explore why we experience this positive effect from nature.

There are many theories under investigation about why this positive connotation exists, some of which I have talked about in earlier posts.  At a very basic level one must first look at the longstanding inter-relationship between humans and nature.  The following quote is an excellent encapsulation of this history:

“If the last 2 million years of our species’ history were scaled to a single human lifetime of 70 years, then the first humans would not have begun settling into villages until 8 months after the 69th birthday.  We have broken with long-established patterns of living rather late in our life as a species.  For the great majority of human existence, human biology has been embedded in the natural environment.”

  Frumkin, Howard, M.D., “Beyond Toxicity”, Human Health and the Natural Environment”,  American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2001: 20(3), 234 - 240.

If we look at this timeline closer, I would say that our real separation from nature on a daily basis began with the industrial revolution.  I say this because this is when we began to embrace technology as a means for our salvation for a better life. The power of reason and our machines provided a fulcrum point in our dominion over nature.  Using say the mid 1800's as a separation point from nature, this would put us much closer, perhaps within days of that 70th birthday on the scaled history timeline.  

It would seem far fetched to believe that as a species, we did not have some innate affinity, and even affection for the environment that shaped our survival. Thus enters the term “biophilia”.  Eric Fromm first used the term to refer to a psychological attraction to all that is alive and vital.  The term is most often associated with the famous environmental biologist E. O. Wilson who describes biophilia as “the connections that human beings subconsciously seek with the rest of life.”  He suggested that humankind's deep connection to nature is rooted in our biology.

Even though our daily activities now seem removed from the natural environment, there is nothing in our lives that isn’t dependent on functioning ecosystems.  The cars we make, the clothes we wear, the medicines we take to help us heal, everything directly or indirectly comes from nature.  

Our biology may encode our affinity for nature, but perhaps on some subconscious level, we understand our dependence on the natural world, and this intensifies the positive affiliations we experience.

March 02, 2010 - 1:19 PM

Missouri Botanical Garden Orchid Show

Title: "Purple Orchid Group"

Location: Missouri Botanical Garden, Saint Louis, Missouri

Title: "Tight Pink Camelia"

Location: Missouri Botanical Garden, Saint Louis, Missouri

Is anyone else out there ready for spring?  I couldn't take the cabin fever anymore, and decided to visit the Missouri Botanical Garden's annual orchid show in Saint Louis, Missouri. If you live or are passing anywhere near St. Louis, I highly recommend this destination. The MOBG is one of the best in North America. Founded by Henry Shaw in 1859, it is the nation's oldest botanical garden in continuous operation and a National Historic Landmark.

The orchid show this year is placed against a backdrop of murals depicting a French cafe and garden.  Although attractive, the murals are strongly upstaged by the orchids and surrounding vegetation. (For a video tour, please click here).  What you won't see here is the enormous amount of work that lies behind the show's production.  It takes over a year to plan and execute the show, where over 800 plants are on display and up to 100 plants are switched out each week with fresh ones from the gardens extensive greenhouses.

The MOBG collection of over 8000 plants representing over 2500 unique species is one of the largest in the United States.  Some Vanilla Orchids in the greenhouses date back to 1901!

When you walk into the show from the browns and greys of winter, it becomes nearly a sensory overload.  A winding path takes you through a layered display that takes many "laps" around to fully take in all there is to see.  From ground dwelling species to the epiphytic tree dwelling species above, each pass through the garden brings new discovery.  

I highly recommend this show which runs through March 28th.  Take a stroll through the orchid show, then go upstairs for lunch or coffee at the Sassafras restaurant, then take another pass through the orchids - I'm sure you'll find a cure for the winter doldrums.

P.S.  Also don't miss the Linnean Garden house, where hundreds of Camelias are in bloom.

February 23, 2010 - 10:10 AM

Peak Experience

Title: "Mud and Sunset"

Location: Canyon De Chelley National Monument, Navajo Nation within Arizona

I am conducting a research project and I would like to invite our blog readers to participate.  Quotes from responses will not be shared with anyone outside of Kevin Sink Photography without permission of the respondent. The content of the responses will be categorized and compared, and the resulting comparisons shared on this blog. I will post a full summary of the project when it is complete. Please answer the following question as honestly as possible:

A peak experience can be defined as a high point in one’s life, during which the person feels ecstatic and more alive and whole than is usual.  Another way to describe a peak experience is a time where you felt unusually positive, happy, and at ease or harmonious with the world around you.  Can you remember any specific examples of when you may have had a peak experience?  Please give a short description of the experience and where and when it occurred, and if you have more than one experience to share, please include them as well.

Responses may be sent to info@kevinsink.com.

Thank you for participating!

February 17, 2010 - 10:10 AM

A Memory Boost from Nature

Title: "Aspen Grove"

Locatiion: White River National Forest, Colorado

How would you like a 20% increase in your ability to remember?  For the most part my mind is a steel trap, but occasionally one or two facts are momentarily misplaced.  (I can hear my kids snickering & sputtering across the room.  I get no respect.)  OK, so I could use a 20% boost.  How do I sign up?

Professor John Jonides and graduate student Marc Berman published a fascinating study looking at how taking a walk effects memory.  Participants were given memory and attention tests prior to a walk.  When they went for a walk in an urban setting, there was no improvement in the post walk tests of memory and attention.  However, when they walked in nature (an arboretum), their post walk assessments showed a 20% increase in memory and attention.

What was particularly surprising was that the effect was still measured if the participants just looked at pictures of nature.  Looking at pictures of urban settings resulted in no cognitive improvement.

The results support the Attention Restoration Theory referred to in earlier posts.  It says that our minds can be attentive in essentially two ways.  One is a focused, direct attention on something we must pay attention to (work, school lecture, etc)  The other is an involuntary attention where your mind investigates something merely because it finds it interesting.  Long periods of directed attention result in fatigue, whereas involuntary attention is restorative.  As Mark Berman noted, “You don’t hear very many people say, ‘Boy, I really got tired out looking at that waterfall’”.

For a more detailed synopsis of the research, there is a very good article by Jack Penland on the ScienCentral website.

The original research was published in the journal Psychological Science, December, 2008.

Enjoy the articles!  Now I’m going to go for a walk, if I can find my coat! 

February 09, 2010 - 3:40 PM

Nature and the Present

Title: "Cloud Circle"

Location: Lake Superior Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada

I woke up driving to work this morning.  I hadn’t fallen asleep, but I wasn’t awake to what was happening around me; lost in planning for the future and in reviewing the past. Driving the same route had created a monotonous fog for my mind to drift in.   I was in a darkness to any beauty or message the natural environment was offering.  I’m reminded of a James Joyce quote,  "Mr. Duffy lived a short distance from his body."  (The Dubliners)

While waiting for traffic to clear, a dramatic light finally penetrated my train of thought; the warmth of the rising sun gleaming in gamboling clouds. The light and movement of nature awakened me to a beautiful moment amidst the rat race of getting to work. Here is where I would like to make a tie to the discussion of why nature art enjoys such broad popularity.  Nature photographs remind us of the richness of being fully present, awake and aware.

A photograph is a two dimensional reflection of a precise moment in time.   In our busy lives our minds are pulled, jerked and strained by expectations and hypotheticals.  Stopping our lives to observe a moment with inquisitively vigilant senses is not only rare, it carries a stigma of being unproductive, as if we will quickly fall behind by embracing such trivial foolishness.  Somebody might honk their horn at us!

Looking at a photograph, where the world is still, makes observing the moment accessible, socially acceptable and inherently gratifying.  The two dimensional image resonates in our mind to build a multidimensional experience.  This experience is particularly pleasurable if the image invokes memories of past peak experiences. 

I need to research this more, but in asking a number of friends and family what experiences in their past invoke the most positive, relaxed, and joyful memories, a large proportion of those experiences took place outdoors.  A poignant comment was, “All of my fondest childhood memories are of times spent outside climbing trees, in the lake and such.”

Times spent outdoors not only conjure feelings of being connected to a life sustaining environment, but they also remind us of times when we fully experienced the moment.  Hurrying into the future was gladly allayed by all sharing the experience.  In short, we participated in being truly alive.  A well composed nature photograph or painting opens a window to the visceral memories of those peak experiences.

“Hold to the now, the here, through which all future plunges to the past.”  James Joyce, Ulysses