Ecstatic Wanderings

IN PRINT

I received confirmation last night that my first published photo(s) will be hitting the newsstands soon.    The cover image of the 20th Anniversary issue of Hand Papermaking Magazine will feature a image I captured of the Lesley Dill/Scott Skinner "Divide Light" kite flying over the Garden of The Gods in Monument, Colorado. 

The magazine features an article by Scott Skinner titled Waves to Washi to Wings:Traditional Japanese Paper in Contemporary Kites, as well as an interview with Lesley Dill and Scott Skinner about their collaboration in the Divide Light Project. 

Now should you be inters ted in getting you hands on this rather specialized journal contact The Drachen Foundation for copies that they will be selling.

Capturing San Francisco

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

The Drachen Foundation Updates Lawrence KAP Photo Spring 2006

With San Francisco in ruins after the devastating earthquake of April 18, 1906, Chicago photographer George Lawrence saw an opportunity to capture the "Paris of the West" in his famous photograph "San Francisco in Ruins," taken using a 49-pound panoramic camera raised 1,000 feet above the bay by a train of Conyne kites. To mark the centennial of the 1906 earthquake, and this seminal event in the history of kite aerial photography (KAP) The Drachen Foundation together with Bay Area photographer and Web site designer Scott Haefner, re-photographed Lawrence's San Francisco from the same vantage point, using a contemporary KAP rig.. 100 years after Lawrence's famous photograph was taken, Haefner lifted his camera in almost the same location as did Lawrence, in light winds, using a single Dopero kite. Haefner accomplished this feat from the bow of a boat expertly piloted by Malcolm Johnston in San Francisco Bay. Haefner's camera and rig weighed less than three pounds. Documenting the growth and change of San Francisco since 1906, Haefner's photograph reveals the awe of the city sighting west down Market Street the same way Lawrence's "San Francisco in Ruins" was captured. The challenges of capturing an aerial view of San Francisco today only gives more credit to the vision and brilliance of George Lawrence's "San Francisco in Ruins," as well as other kite aerial photographs taken by Lawrence following the 1906 earthquake. Original Lawrence photos can be viewed at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in the exhibition, "1906 Earthquake: A Disaster in Pictures." The exhibit closes May 30, 2006.

For Complete Press Release VISIT THE DRACHEN HERE

Filming the Kite Aerial Photography of Whales

Step Back Way Back  (Part 1)


I sit on the floor, next to the stainless steel trashcan positioned strategically to hide the electrical socket, at the San Diego international airport.  It is Sunday about 5:30 pm and it has been a long weekend filled almost constantly with motion of one type or another.

The weekend started, for the most part on Wednesday afternoon when I left the office to head to SeaTac Airport.  Our previously scheduled Thursday morning flight had to be rescheduled, when our scheduled flight on Areolinas California was canceled because the airline was shut down wholesale by the Mexican Authorities for failure to meet safety standards.  Despite the annoyance factor that Ali Fujno the Executive Director of the Drachen Foundation must have faced to reschedule our travel arrangements every thingworked out for the best.    Wednesday night at about 11:30 pm found myself, Ali and Scott Skinner a board member and founder of the Drachen Foundation, pulling up to the Good Night Motel, located conveniently a stones throw from the airport, and even closer to The BODY SHOP featuring Live Nubile Dancers.  We skipped the show and checked in and went to bed.

Thursday Morning we began the next stage of our travels when we were picked up at 7:00 am by Jose Sainz , another Drachen Board Member and skilled kite maker, (also know as "The Hose")  We returned to the San Diego airport we left a short 8 hours earlier.  A incident on the Shuttle bus from the parking lot would set the tone for much of the trip:

As we chattered away, full on a delicious Mexican breakfast from Henry¹s, Scottie spoke of our objective for the weekend.  Just as a unassuming woman boarded he stated rather emphatically, "This will be great were definitely goanna shoot some whales."  She froze right in front of him and gave him a mortified stare.  He then said laughingly to the woman,"Oh, I misspoke I meant to say we¹re gonna harpoon some whales!"

We arrived in Loreto on the Baja Peninsula of Mexico two hours and one Paloma later.  Paloma (Spanish: White Dove) is a drink that is made of one part Tequila, two parts grapefruit soda and a squeeze of lime.

Despite a few snags at customs we were out of the Loreto airport and on our way in a Van provided by Kuyima EcoTourism by 1:00.  The drive to Magdelena Bay would take us South past the town of Mulege (approximately 2hrs) where we stopped for lunch and then on to San Ignacio (2hrs more).  At San Ignacio we turned off the twisting two lane paved road that services all of Southern Baja, and on to a dirt and sand road that leads out to Magdlena Bay approximately 2hours away.

So six+ hours after departing Loreto, we arrived in Kuyima¹s camp just after witnessing the sun setting across the salt flats located just outside the camp.  Oscar Frey a Marine Biologist and whale enthusiast welcomed us into the camp mess hall for a beautiful dinner.

Another Step Back - (Part 2)

Friday morning our work would begin in earnest.  We woke early to the sun and the sound of wind and crashing waves only feet from our cabins.  After a hearty breakfast of eggs and beans with the delicious and ever present handmade tortillas, we moved to the boats.  We would spend the most of the next two days in two 28 foot open boats powered by outboard motors, and captained by boat captians Maximo Perez and  Ramiraldo.   Scottie, Jose and Oscar piled into Max¹s boat and shoved off and Ali and I followed with my camera trained on their every move.  We traveled for about 20 minutes out into the heart of Magdalena bay, a sanctuary established by the Mexican government for the protection of the mating and calving grounds of the  California Grey Whales.

Within minutes of arriving in the primary area of the sanctuary we started hearing the distinctive sound and seeing the accompanying puffs of water from a whales surfacing and blowing or exhaling.   With a strong breeze up Scottie and Jose put together a Rokaku kite approximately 8 feet  feet across, as Oscar readied his Kite Aerial Photography gear.  Amazingly they quickly got the camera airborne by securing its mounting frame to the kite line with a picavet system, and then releasing the kite line the kite pulling the camera higher and higher.

Now one would think that, ok I can make the mental leap and picture the camera being carried by the kite but how can you possibly get the thing over the whale.  Well the California Grey Whales in Magdalena bay have a very peculiar behavior, they like people and really seem that they like to be petted. Yes petted like a dog, So not only could we approach the whales once the kite was airborne, but we were able on several occasions to reach over the side and pet these enormous creatures that docilely swam circles around our boats.

Over the rest of the day and the following day Oscar, Scott and Jose would run the kite up attach the camera and attempt to get a pictures of these majestic creatures from above. What is amazing is the level of success that they reached using this methodology.  While they wrangled whales and kites , Ali and I would trail in our boat, as I wrangled microphone levels attempting to keep my two radio mics balanced Ali would give direction to Rimunaldo  to position us so that I could get the perfect shot.

I guess this would be as good a time to mention my rather militant looking gear set-up for this trip. I can hear the fashion commentators now, "Matthew is sporting the West Marine low profile, compressed air life vest over an improvised sling system that used ingeniously to keep his camera harnessed to his person, he has rounded out his outfit with a lovely fanny pack strapped to his stomach with all they audio accoutrement that no documen-tarian should find themselves without.  While looking rather absurd, this styling makes a certain statement about the digital age."

Just a little further back - (Part 3)

Looking at the project as a whole I am impressed with many things.  First and foremost are the whales, these creatures are just so compelling in person and filled with personality and charisma i have not previously seen in the wild. Secondly each time I see more images captured using this strange technique, I am more taken by it. While the practice is rather gear heavy and requires constant tinkering to make it work, Kite Aerial photography provides an uncommon vantage point from which to capture images.  It is an aerial image that is still at human scale.  So much like KAP my efforts this past weekend were focused on gain a better picture of the whole process.  This goal had our boat stepping back as I refocused till I found all the elments in the frame; the boat, the kite, the camera and the whales. 
 

Aye Matie...Thar She Blows

So if you thought this kite thing had been taken to its farthest illogical end, hang on. Portraits of a city using a Kite Aerial Photoraphy is nothing in comparision photographing whales using KAP. So I am off again, this time to Magdelana Bay on the Baja Peninsula of Mexico. The plan is to test KAP as platform for imaging in whale research. My role is to document the process of conducting Kite Aerial Photography and the specific requirements when attempting to use it in conjunction with a scientific application.

So para los padres here is my current itinerary:

Wednesday April 5th
Depart Seattle to San Diego
Alaska Airlines - Flight 0558
8:58 pm

Thursday April 6th
10:00 am flight Air Mexicana
Arrive Loreto 12:00

Drive to San Ignacio

Arrive at Camp -
Established by Kyumia Eco-Tourisim around 5:00pm
There will be no connection to the outside other than by radio
You can reach the Office of Kyumia at either of the following numbers
That no. is 615. 154.0070 office or 615. 154.0170

Friday April 6th & Saturday April 7th

Kites and Whales!

Sunday April 9th

Wake Early to make the 4 hour drive back to Loreto.

Air Mexicana Flight from Loreto to San Diego approximately 2:00 pm
arrive San Diego at 4pm

Depart San Diego to Seattle
Alaska Airlines - Flight 0557
8:35pm
Arrive 11:18 pm

This is a recent revision as our previous carrier was deemed unsafe by the FAA earlier this week. See the story below.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/business/3767111.html

MEXICO CITY -- Mexican aviation officials have suspended operations at Aerocalifornia after determining that the low-cost carrier failed to meet safety standards. The airline offered flights to 22 Mexican cities and Los Angeles. The Civil Aviation Department announced the closure in a news release late Sunday, saying the agency "has determined that this airline no longer guarantees that operations meet safety standards." Department and airline spokesmen were not immediately available for comment. A woman answering the telephone at an Aerocalifornia office in La Paz, where the airline is based, referred a caller to a different office, where no one answered the telephone.

Hold on for just one second

Today a co-worker Diana Carter, yes sort of like Wonder Woman except it was Linda Carter the actress who played Diana Prince the character, told me a little tidbit. Now this wont take but a second....

Tonight just after one Oclock in the morning it will be for just one moment

1:02:03 04/05/06

Thank you for you time.

A Dry Run

Our first attempt this past weekend at capturing a portrait of San Fransisco that matches the 1906 George Lawrence photo( as posted previously), was not without its hitches. However when viewed as a dry run, practicing for our next attempt we did very well and learned many things that will increase our likely hood of success the next time around, which will be Easter Weekend

In any equipment filled exercise, and in this one there was plenty, you are bound to encounter technical difficulties.  Just moving around and keeping gear straight on a 40 foot power boat was a challenge in and of its self.   We had 1 video camera, 1 specialized panoramic film camera and probably 3 or more digital cameras.  Then there was the sound equipment for the video, the radio equipment, for the Aerial photography rigs and  the life jackets and harnesses designed to keep us tied into the boat.  Then you throw in a kite and some line and the whole process is a three ring circus as imagined.   Did I mention waves and rocking.

One of the biggest successes was the fact that despite being checked out at a very short distance by the Alamedas County Sheriffs Department and the Coast Guard and a detailed conversation with them by radio, we were deemed not to be considered a color elevating threat to the Bay Bridge or other boat traffic.  This was one of our primary concerns going into the weekend was weather we would last ten minutes flying a kite a quarter mile from the bridge. 

So the above is a shot of the San Francisco skyline that was captured this weekend by Scott Haefner on the digital camera.  Unfortunately we don’t have many others as we also learned the fickle nature of digital media. When his memory card came down we found out it had been corrupted and failed to save many of the images. While the photo above that Scott did capture is close to the George Lawrence photo we still have some things to iron out to get to a shot that is closer to the original..   Here is his KAP Website if you are interested in seeing some more of his work, it is worth the time :  CLICK HERE.

The photo below is all of us on the deck of the boat I am on the left hand side with the video camera glued to my face, trying to get a shot of Scott and the kite. Scott stands at the bow of the boat with the kite reel in his  left hand while his right hand reaches down to his waist to trigger the camera.  Ali Fujino, sits to the left of Scott and Roger sits to his right.

This process is all so exciting and you will have a chance to read about it more in detail as we are going to be publishing a short book, I will keep you all posted on those details.

Kites Aloft for San Francisco Anniversary

On April 18^th, 1906 San Francisco was shaken by a sizable earthquake which followed by the great fire, wiping out most of the city .  Approximately 3 weeks later George Lawrence a photographer from Chicago took the above famous picture of the devastation caused by the 1906 earthquake and fire.  Using a kite train of 7 large kites Lawrence was able to lift his 40+ pound camera aloft to take a series of images.

This afternoon I travel to San Francisco to start documenting the 100 year anniversary (approximately) of this event.  I will be filming a team that is attempting to recreate this image using kite Aerial photography.  They intend to use only a single kite to lift their modern panoramic camera.  However we will be doing this from the back of a sailboat in the bay under about half a mile from the flight path for the approach to San Francisco Airport, so it should be interesting.

Kite Flyers Kill Babies

I dont know if you have seen this New York Times article take a look, I dont think and elaboration is needed:

March 11, 2006 Spring Is Near, but the Traditional Welcoming Kites of Lahore Are Grounded

By SALMAN MASOOD
QUETTA, Pakistan, March 10 — For the first time in memory, no kites will flutter in the Lahore sky for the boisterous spring festival known as Basant, which this year falls on Sunday.

They are too dangerous.

Kite flying has long been a passion in this part of the world, for adults as well as children. In Pakistan, people even fly kites at night, using powerful searchlights. And every year, Basant transforms the skies over Lahore, the capital of Punjab Province, into a glittery spectacle of hundreds of thousands of kites.

But adults and children love to indulge in kite duels, and that is where the danger lies. For duels, the kites are flown on a thin wire or on a thick string coated with glass or chemicals, to better attack opponent's kites.

Stray kites can and do drag their strings unpredictably, tangling around a human neck or limb and cutting it.

The Supreme Court banned kite flying last year, but allowed an exception from Feb. 25 to March 15, a step seen as a nod to the importance of Basant and an attempt to keep kite manufacturers and vendors in business.

During those few weeks, kite fliers and vendors were supposed to promise not to use wire or dangerous string. But kite flying began even before Feb. 25, and a spate of deaths and injuries in the last few weeks persuaded the provincial government to ban the sport on Thursday night, according to government officials.

On Friday, the provincial home secretary, Khusro Pervez, was quoted in state-run media as saying that more than 600 kite fliers had been arrested during the last two weeks for improper string. Chaudhry Pervez Elahi, the chief minister of Punjab, said Friday that the government would fully enforce the new ban and violators would face serious penalties.

"Can we ignore the pain of a family whose sole breadwinner has been killed on the road by flying twine?" Mr. Elahi said. "We can't allow a killer sport to continue at any cost."

The furor over kite flying gained momentum last month when a 3-year-old girl was killed by a kite string. "She used to call herself a little fairy," said Fozia Liaqut, 42, the mother of the girl, Mahnoor.

On Feb. 19, she was riding in front on a motorbike with her father, mother and two sisters. The bike sped into the path of a coarsened kite string, which must have dipped low with the winds.

"There was so much bleeding that she died before reaching the hospital," Ms. Liaqut said.

Many drivers now bend long rods over their motor bikes, attaching them at the front and back, hoping that any stray kite strings will slide along them and spare their necks.

Since Feb. 25 three more people, including a child, have died, and dozens of people have been injured, according to reports in the Pakistani news media.

Public outcry mounted with every report. Earlier this week, dozens of critics of kite flying and members of the aggrieved families held a protest rally in Lahore. Kites were burned and stomped upon. "Stop the deadly game," posters urged.

Opposition to Basant and kite flying is not limited to those who worry about the injuries. Islamists also vociferously oppose the festival for what they say are its Hindu origins. Clerics in Lahore had planned to stage a big demonstration after Friday Prayer but dropped the idea after the ban was announced.

Proponents of kite flying have questioned why there must be a total ban, urging the government instead to go after those who manufacture illegal string.

"The wisdom of stripping a city of a part of its culture, of denying people a part of life that is immensely important to many, needs to be considered with care," Kamila Hayat, a human rights activist, wrote in a recent op-ed column in The News, the country's most widely read daily.

For opponents, the wisdom is unquestionable.

"People are dying, and we are celebrating!" said Khawaja Izhar, 75, the chairman of Anti-Kite Flying Democratic Front. "Why allow kite flying for even a brief period?"

I've Been Everywhere

Johnny Cash has been on my mind a lot lately; it may because every flight that I have been on for the last month has shown, Walk The Line.  You know the movie that Reese Witherspoon just won an Oscar for, prompting her to say in her speech, “I’m just tryin to matter.”  Well that is neither here nor there. 

The point is that, well there is no point as is typically the case.  But yesterday I had the Johnny Cash song Ive been everywhere, stuck in my head, which goes something like this:

I've been everywhere, man

I've been everywhere, man

Crossed the deserts bare, man

I've breathed the mountian air, man

Travel - I've had my share, man

I've been everywhere

Now a song stuck in your head is annoying; one that is taunting you at the same time is significantly more annoying.  Taunting, yes I said taunting.  You see, I was stuck in traffic yesterday.  Now I know that to many of you, I have said that Seattle Traffic is no big deal. This is for the most part true and much like their sensitivity to the weather the residents of the Pacific Northwest are just thin skinned and don’t know what bad is.  Well this was bad.  It seems that much like in Sebastian Junger’s account of the Andrea Gail in The Perfect Storm, I and my truck Sweet Dominion were tangled in a confluence of events that led to the perfect traffic jam..

My commute is normally not a big deal if I leave early I can be home in 23 minutes. If the freeways look bad ,taking surface streets I can make it home from my cube at a Data Center north of Lake Washington in 39 minutes give or take 6 minutes depending upon the lights.  So I was hardly concerned about making my 6:20 pm meeting when I left work at 4:10 yesterday afternoon. 

Well 3 hours and twenty minutes later I pull in to my neighborhood. Not only an hour and a half late for the 6;20 meeting  but  half an hour late for the 7:00 meeting that I was supposed to attend following. 

What I did not quite understand about Seattle is that while the people here are thin-skinned about their traffic jams they have the right to be.  It is a case of bad nerves due to the potential for complete system failure as I experienced yesterday. Lake Washington is beautiful however much of the city both in Seattle and Bellevue (located across the lake) need to transit across this geographic obstacle on a daily basis. The sole method of crossing are two bridges one being I-90 the northern most interstate.  The second a floating bridge called 520. This is the one that got me.  Following an hour approach to the bridge due to high winds a waves they shut down the bridge just as I was about a quarter mile from the foot of the bridge.   When this occurred, all traffic was forced over I-90 or to go all the way around So as I crawled along, on a one mile an hour tour of Bellevue, Johnny Cash taunted me. 

Lake Washington,  a journey of about 35 – 50 miles.   I chose to try to take I 90.  And like one of those Choose your own adventure stories -  I CHOSE WRONG.  To travel the two miles to I-90 I spent another hour and a half stuck on approach on the surface streets. 

I’ve been every where man. 

I’ve been every where.

Stuck in traffics snare man . 

Breathed the sulfured air, man

Traffic I’ve Had my share, man .

I’m not getting anywhere.

Next time,  Ill just pull over and walk the line.

Malaysia Pics

Check out the Pictures of Malaysia on the Left tool Bar!