Pixiq

First my sincere Yuletide good wishes and greetings to fellow Pixiq bloggers and readers. 

On the basis that you, like me, get to a point on Christmas Day or even Boxing Day (for those of greater stamina) where you need to escape Below you will find a few bits and pieces - links that I hope you’ll enjoy. I get a buzz from seeing people of real talent – particularly musicians (guitarists of all sorts) and photographers so I have included both.

Jingle Bells, Batman Smells...

So, here it comes again, just after we seem to have got rid of last year’s tree. The season of goodwill and that fat man in red with a predilection for getting stuck in chimneys (any comment Dr Freud ?) who has the capacity to distort the space-time continuum and re-write the Tensor equations to do his annual work.  

I like aspects of Christmas (no, Ebeneezer Scrooge is not quite my patron saint) but not the crass commerciality that manifests itself for a third of the year beforehand. Just going into a supermarket and seeing people with three trolleys piled high with things they didn't need sickens me. I don't know quite how but in Italy they have largely avoided this obscene misrepresentation of Christmas. 

As a kid I got unbelievably excited about Christmas - in fact, so excited that in my first two years in infant school I missed the Christmas party since it was all too much for poor little me …and I vomited beforehand. When my children were small there was a tiny cottage in West Wales that I had renovated and that was where we spent Christmas. It became a tradition that, together with my two children, I would escape after lunch and go walking along the sands of a local beach…a wonderful antidote to gluttony even in wind and rain.

One of the joys of Christmas here in Italy is that until 6 December there are a few decorations visible and these tend to be simple: in our local village they leave the decorations up from one year to the next and just switch them off (when they remember). Fortunately, there is an absence of those obese, inflated Santas that appear to be frantically humping buildings and trees. Decorations tend to be simple - just strings of tiny white lights. 

We have made a break with tradition and Christmas Day is simple: we have visited hot thermal pools and been the only ones there with our smoked salmon, home-made focaccia and ‘fizzy pop’: Prosecco. The first year was a challenge for we lived without glass in many of our windows – a double layer of heavy gauge polythene worked a treat. Sometimes that physics education comes up trumps. Our first Italian Christmas tree was belatedly created at 16.00 on Christmas Eve 2004: two steel jacks supporting a roof beam were bedecked with branches of Ilex Oak to create a 3m Christmas tree…icicles from the roof gutters were broken to add to a gin & tonic. 

In the few months that I have been submitting posts to Pixiq I have enjoyed being part of a new venture. Believe me, I am not being sycophantic in any way (not my style) when I say that from an early age I was influenced by things American. The very first record I ever bought at age 10 was Duane Eddy’s Because They’re Young and the next an album Buddy Holly and his Chirpin' Crickets. So, one of the delights for me is being part of a community of people - especially one where members are overtly enthusiastic and engaged in the pursuit of excellence. 

Under the Influence of...

On my visits to the USA, giving talks and running workshops for the American Orchid Society, I drew a great deal of encouragement from the fact that people who are enthusiastic and care about perfection (even though they struggled to obtain it) are not ostracised. Over many long years in Britain I have found that such things do not make you popular. All too often, it seems, mediocrity is raised to an art form in Britain, to which many aspire…an Empire in its dotage still convinced of a ‘special relationship’ with the USA government so that ‘brown nosing’ becomes a way of life. That may seem harsh but the UK (like many other countries) has become a place where intellectual is a dirty word and TV panders to the lowbrow. I feel alien when I return. True, the society in some ways seems more egalitarian but sadly, it still matters to some where you went to school. Incredibly, too, many of the aspects parodied by Hollywood refuse to die. Hey, we still vote upper class twits into parliament…propelling them right to the top!

When I first visited the USA in the early 1990s I stayed for a few days in the California hills as the guest of some orchid growers. The hospitality was memorable, as were the hummingbirds that came daily to the feeder but, best of all, were the shelves of bound copies of several years’ worth of Outdoor Photography magazine. Over the years I had managed to find occasional copies in the UK but the sheer indulgence of three days looking through these volumes is something I will never forget. Names such as Galen Rowell, John Shaw, Joe MacDonald...George Lepp

By comparison with the works of these American Masters, British photography seemed to me to be jaded, dining on past glories - nature photography was competent (good exposure, nice composition) but too often lack-lustre. I looked elsewhere. Film making was quite the opposite with the incomparable BBC Natural History Film Unit and Oxford Scientific Films and through it all one of my heroes Sir David Attenborough setting the standards.

I feel that things have changed dramatically with a new generation of photographers, people who care deeply about their natural heritage and portray it with an artistry that I find inspiring. In fact, in the past few years I have been lucky enough to have contact with some very talented photographers throughout Europe whose vision is pushing things forward. They tend to work alone, sometimes without plaudits but the advent of the Internet means that it is very easy for us to check what they're doing.

So, without further ado here is some of the talent that I have happened across that you might like - excuse me if you know already.

If Music be the food of love... FEED ME

Music has always been central to my life though to Lois' chagrin I prefer rock to classical though I love both..yep, I have seen The Who, Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Stones, Beatles…Frank Zappa, Steve Vai LIVE...

Right, if you like joyous exuberance mixed with phenomenal virtuosity check out this version of George Harrisons’s “While my Guitar gently Weeps” a live performance by Australian guitarist Tommy Emmanuel and Jake Shimabukuru on ukele

Then a man who mixes fun with outstanding performance Antonio Forcione and Heard it Through the Grapevine

And check here for an unassuming man who takes bass playing to unheard-of levels of sheer musicianship and technical brilliance - Victor Wooton with a new take on Amazing Grace playing a solo spot with the virtuosic Béla Fleck and the Flecktones

Last but not least and just to show I am not a musical Philistine here is the man who in my eyes is the consummate guitarist – unbelievable. With technique and musicality combined. Many people have recorded the Rodriguez Guitar concerto - Concierto di Aranjuez (or Orange Juice as it is known in the trade) but it takes a gypsy who does not read music to show what was intended: here he is Paco da Lucia  touched by the Gods…how else do you explain it?

AND PHOTOGRAPHERS…here are just a few you might like to catch up with and take note of what they are creating.

I share a blog: Images from the Edge with two true talents - Niall Benvie and Andrew Parkinson.

Niall Benvie is, to my mind, far and way the best (and most innovative) nature photographer working in the UK. He is dedicated to conservation (a founder member of the International League of Conservation Photographers) and a thoughtful, provocative writer always pushing the boundaries. With Clay Bolt, another excellent photographer Niall has set up MYN – Meet Your Neighbours.

Niall's latest book Outdoor Photography Masterclass is different – inspirational and recommended a weekend workshop between covers and if ordered directly from Niall you get an instructional DVD as well

Andy Parkinson is making a huge name for himself with features in National Geographic. He is a purist, photographing only in the wild, mainly in the UK and spending months getting shots he wants. Some of them are magical, revealing his deep insight.

These are photographers who put nature first – it is not a cash cow to be milked to feed their egos. They tend to work locally minimizing that hard-to-justify carbon footprint. Also on that British list check out the remarkable work of  Danny Green, Pete Cairns and Laurie Campbell…lots of snow for those who like that nasty white stuff!

Moving onto continental Europe brings me to Italian photographer Stefano Unterthiner whom I met at WildPhotos 2008 when we were on the same bill. A highly qualified zoologist, Stefano’s dedication is incredible, coupled with an outgoing personality that breathes enthusiasm. Stefano's shots of Crested Black Macaques are astonishing… but then so are his penguins, bears…This is a man who, on his own admission, does not photograph species - Stefano captures individuals. 

Another photographer who brings deep knowledge to his subjects is Solvin Zankl this he mixes with a deep sense of art to create outstanding work. On the Spanish scene no-one has done more to open people’s eyes to the richness of Spain than  José B. Ruiz whose touring exhibitions and presentations have gained wide acclaim.

When it comes to macro work take a look at these masters of their art. First, a photographer whose name I have mentioned before is Piotr Naskrecki, again I met him at Wildphotos 2008/ Piotr is a Harvard zoologist with a profound knowledge of his subject: his invertebrate shots are simply amazing. Then, from Spain Luis Manuel Iglesias – a friend and naturalist whose love of nature sings through his images

Thinking of trying Image stacking? Then drool over what Charles Krebs is doing - he has achieved mastery of this area.

And finally if you fancy An Italian holiday then take a look at what we (Lois and I) have on offer for 2011. Our very best for the coming year.