This guy….
…. BLOWS MY MIND!
His name is Paul Nicklen and he is a nature photographer, and-then-some.
He grew up in a remote part of Canada in an Inuit community and now photographs mainly in the Polar Regions.
He’s, basically, across between Bruce Parry and Ray Mears…
… ohh, and his images are REDICULOUS!
I wish I could get my hands on his new book, Polar Obsession… EPIC.
Shepard Fairey, the man behind the ‘André the Giant Has a Posse’ sticker campaign of the late 80s and later the international ‘OBEY’ campaign, has been commissioned to create the artwork for the 2010 EARTH HOUR.
Fairey’s story is an interesting one, you should read his book if you can, Shepard Fairey – Supply Demand. Having read it, he comes across to me a man clearly driven, at least initially, by a relentless desire for fame and for a feeling of importance. Nevertheless, you can’t deny that he has played a huge part in the evolution of street art as we know it today, has gained a HUGE international following, and clearly is a very talented graphic artist.
Everyone will probably recognize this one!
EARTH HOUR is a campaign set up by the WWF to raise awareness to the overuse of power and the effect man has on our climate. The idea is that a petition is created of individuals and business from all over the world who pledge to switch off all their electricity for an hour at 8pm on the 28th March 2010. The campaign has been running since 2007 and 2008 saw 36 million people participate, so it’s BIG! I’m meant to be organizing it in Fiji for 2010 so you might hear more about it later.
Check out Fairey’s work on this one – me like!
Check out the EARTH HOUR website if you want to learn more or even participate!
So tropical cyclone Mick has ENGULFED Fiji.
The Category 2 hurricane arrived on Fiji’s main island of Viti Levu on Monday and slowly travelled in a south-easterly direction towards the country’s capital, Suva.
I have to tell you, I have never experienced anything like it before, it was intense! Winds around the eye were hitting 95mph and the rain was relentless.
The WWF office closed at lunch time and by about 2pm the entire country had closed, except, thank be to the god of bad music, the radio stations.
I tried to venture outside to go to a local shop (the Chinese was open), but as soon as I got out onto the street and into the open I realised that it probably wasn’t going to happen. Seeing tree branches fly through the air at me while trying to walking against 95mph winds and being blinded by horizontal rain made me think that Mother Nature was ahead of the game this time – thanks Mum!
Suva was lucky really as the eye never really made it over head, but the poor people on the west coast really took a battering and tragically 3 people lost their lives. There are still others that remain missing.
However, in Suva, where I was, people I met on the street seemed to be enjoying it and I have to admit that I kind of did it as well. Some girls had decided that it was a good time to take their dog for a walk (the dog also seemed to be having the time of its life) and there were even people playing touch rugby in the park!
Electricity went out pretty early for Fiji as did the phone lines and they weren’t reinstated until Tuesday night. The only entertainment I had then was the radio and there is only so much Black Eyed Peas I could handle… silence was then adopted.
There are currently 3845 people being housed in temporary refuge shelters due to the extensive flooding and damage to private property. A national food drive has been launched to redistribute food to those in need as food prices rocket due to the damage sustained by crops.
Jürgen Freund is a nature photographer that specializes in the marine environment. In April this year he was sent on an 18 month expedition around the Coral Triangle to document the WWF’s field work in the region and investigate the connection between man and sea.
Imagine that, being paid to travel around the Coral Triangle for 18 months to take pictures of the people and marine life! Phsss…
Anyway as you can see, he’s pretty handy with a pixel maker, sorry, digital camera.
He’s also writing a blog during the expedition HERE. He’s only been away since April but has already amassed a HUGE archive of stories and pictures
… check it out! He’s living the [my] dream!
I want to share with you a piece of text that makes me very happy when I read it. We should all think like this as much as possible:
Whenever you go out-of-doors, draw the chin in, carry the crown of the head high, and fill the lungs to the utmost; drink in the sunshine; greet your friends with a smile, and put your soul into every handclasp. Do not fear being misunderstood and do not waste a minute thinking about your enemies.
Happiness is all in your head.
