Happy Native Plant Week

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Lech

I hope everyone reading this takes a moment to enjoy some plants native to their home, because it’s California Native Plant Week! Yes, be aware of lots of geeks (like myself) walking around your favorite park and staring at a single plant (usually its very small) with a small hand lens and a thick dictionary-like book nearby.

These are the plants that define place to me. The tall trees, or short grasses, or mucky wallows or vast seas of chaparral. All these places are unique because of the evolutionary and ecological processes that have culminated in the vegetation you see. I’m in love with our hills, or rivers, mountains and drylands all. These landscapes are ALL filled with amazing stories of survival, adaptation, and luck…

Cirsium fontinale v. fontinale – the rare Mount Hamilton thistle

Here’s a list of very cool events (introvert alert)! You will learn so much – please do try a field trip out.

Also, I’m working on a native grass photography workshop – yes – this will be very directed towards grassy plant nerds with cameras. More to come…

Rabbitbrush in full bloom in the Tehachapi mountains

The Biological Things Lech Does

Posted on April 5, 2013 by Lech

My biological field experience is what eventually led me to pick up a camera and use it as a tool for conservation and awareness. I was first attracted to the idea of creating National Geographic style images. You know, eye candy (for plant nerds). Grand, sweeping landscapes that sing of feelings of vastness and purity. Those classic photos oftentimes are thought to create a feeling of wilderness – a landscape untouched by humankind.

As I work more and more as a restoration ecologist, I have come to realize that the hand of humankind is critical in maintaining so many species and landscapes we might perfunctorily believe are “liberated” or protected from humans. It is our hands that help protect these places. And I’m not talking about raising fences and locking gates, I’m talking managing invasive plants, rewarding sensitive ranching practices, and leading hikes to get more people hooked on nature. Continue reading →

Tejon Ranch, The Biggest Conservation Success – April 2013 Desktop Calendar

Posted on April 2, 2013 by Lech

April Fools Day is over and traveling thru (a small part) of Tejon Ranch was a great way to spend it. The Tejon area was flush with extensive swaths of fiddleneck (Amsinckia eastwoodiae) coloring the hills orange. Truly, this may be the best display of fiddleneck I’ve ever seen.

Continue reading →

B-E-S-T engagement photo… Evah!

Posted on March 22, 2013 by Lech

Sometimes you’re just at the right place at the right time. And sometimes that’s enough, but if you don’t have the right people, the place and time are almost meaningless… well at least for photography. And actually, as I think about that a bit more, it’s a truism that rings throughout everything we do. Pleasurable, fulfilling life experiences become so much richer when place, time, and personality come together.

So here we are at Golden Gate park enjoying a remarkable spring day when we come across a gang of people.

Continue reading →

Bringing Back the Butterflies

Posted on March 1, 2013 by Lech

Restoration is a favorite activity of mine. There’s an intrinsic healing that happens within oneself when your hands get dirty, plants comes to life, caterpillars become butterflies, and you generally work as a hand that protects and celebrates nature. It’s kind of like gardening, but way cooler!

In this month, my field work has ramped up and there are lots of amazing flowers and creatures that have come to enjoy their rebirth in spring. This desktop calendar celebrates an almost 30 year effort to understand and save one species in particular, the Bay Checkerspot Butterfly.

Here’s my desktop calendar March – free for all who want to use it as such. I wanted to celebrate the work of Dr. Stuart Weiss (see this wacky character, mentor, revolutionary above) and his associates (okay, fine, I’m one of them) in restoring habitat before a species becomes extinct. More info about the Creekside Center for Earth Observation here. Click on the photo, then right click and save the image, or see the link below.

Here’s the download to the full size picture for your desktop – Please enjoy!

Rhythm of the Lodgepoles

Posted on February 1, 2013 by Lech

My February calendar download pays tribute to a wonderfully, snowy lodgepole pine stand. I warn you, it’s abstract. In that, I think this sweeping long exposure provides a lot of ecological information on the stand. From this abstract you get a sense of openness and light in the forest stand – this has shown to decrease pine bark beetle invasion and help maintain larger trees for longer. Yes, this is reason to go hug your favorite forester.

The openings, the hand of humankind in its management have created the rhythm of our lodgepoles.

This photo hails from a lodgepole stand in Whitefish, Montana.

I hope you enjoy the still sleepy, cool tones of the end of winter. Please feel free to click on the image and save it as your desktop calendar for the month of February. Or you can click here for the direct link.

Enjoy!

PS Why is rhythm such a hard word to spell if its just so important in life?

2012: A Year in Review – An ebook look into Lech Naumovich Photography

Posted on January 30, 2013 by Lech

I’ve been working on trying to recap and learn from my past year of photography. This year, for the first time, I’ve taken on creating an ebook with my 16 favorite images, and offering it as a sort of brief, updated portfolio. Continue reading →

Dr. Martin Luther King Day

Posted on January 21, 2013 by Lech

The sleepiness of December weighs heavily on me every year. I feel like the new year is a time for reset, but for the most part I don’t feel like I’m in peak shape, or creativity, and certainly not productivity. But then the day to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream arrives and I personally feel like my life becomes refocused, and reinvigorated. Take a moment – listen to one of his speeches – get inspired by his voice and delivery. He was truly an amazing human being.

Continue reading →

City Hall Wedding with Class

Posted on January 10, 2013 by Lech

I recently photographed a wonderful marriage in City Hall. Kim and Tim (the Im’s) looked stunning especially with the grand architecture and history surrounding them. They are fantastically warm and kind people who have been in love for some time and finally tied the knot.

For me, it was great to be a part of their wedding and to witness what happens in City Hall. After delivering their finished photos, I spent some time finalizing a few pics in a low-contrast, high ISO feel with grain and old times. This isn’t typically what I offer clients (unless they ask specifically), but I thought the BW finish and the feel of the event worked nicely. Continue reading →

Warmth and Hope in the Chiliest of Times: January 2013 Desktop Calendar

Posted on January 2, 2013 by Lech

Happy New Year!

I must say that I’m very sad to see 2012 go (but still excited for 2013 at the same time). It was a thrilling year with many great happenings. There were also trying times when it seemed like this place we celebrate as home is aching. The winter is just the season to allow for rest, regeneration, slow days, and cold cuddle-up-with-someone nights. More to come on recapping 2012 and looking forward to 2013.

Here’s my desktop calendar January – free for all who want to use it as such. I wanted to celebrate the cold, quiet, slow times and know that they are as important as peak growing season. Here’s a photo from Yosemite valley celebrating just that. Click on the photo, then right click and save the image, or see the link below.