Christian Kiely Photography Blog

944 Magazine Profile: Unscene & Untouched

noreply@blogger.com (Christian Kiely) — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 01:24:00 +0000

The October issue of 944 Magazine (Orange County) edition includes a profile of my photography and win of the Orange County stop of the Unscene Photography Tour.

Many thanks to Julie Chytrowsky at the Unscene Tour, Katie Pegler and Kim Rose at 944 Magazine, and Chris Camargo for the photo shoot.

Click here for the link to the story.

New Photos Added: Eastern Sierras in Infrared

noreply@blogger.com (Christian Kiely) — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 17:44:00 +0000

New infrared photos have been added to the site from a trip to the Eastern Sierras. Click on the images, or here to view the updates.

Trona Pinnacles
The Trona Pinnacles are one of the most unusual geological features in the California Desert National Conservation Area. The unusual landscape consists of more than 500 tufa spires (porous rock formed as a deposit from springs of streams), some as high as 140 feet, rising from the bed of the Searles Lake basin. The pinnacles vary in size and shape from short and squat to tall and thin, and are composed primarily of calcium carbonate (tufa). They now sit isolated and slowly crumbling away near the south end of the valley, surrounded by many square miles of flat, dried mud and with stark mountain ranges at either side. The Pinnacles are located within 3,800 acres (15 km2) of federal land managed by the Bureau of Land Management.

The Trona Pinnacles are inside a BLM Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) designated to protect and preserve unique resources.

Manzanar
Manzanar is most widely known as the site of one of ten camps where over 110,000 Japanese Americans were imprisoned during World War II. Located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada in California's Owens Valley between the towns of Lone Pine to the south and Independence to the north, it is approximately 230 miles northeast of Los Angeles. Manzanar (which means “apple orchard” in Spanish) was identified by the United States National Park Service as the best-preserved of the former camp sites, and was designated the Manzanar National Historic Site.

146 prisoners died at Manzanar. Fifteen prisoners were buried there, but only five graves remain, as most were later reburied elsewhere by their families.

The Manzanar cemetery site is marked by a monument that was built by prisoner stonemason Ryozo Kado in 1943. An inscription in Japanese on the front of the monument reads, 慰靈塔 (Soul Consoling Tower). The inscription on the back reads "Erected by the Manzanar Japanese" on the left, and "August 1943" on the right. Today, the monument is often draped in strings of origami, and sometimes offerings of personal items are left by survivors and other visitors. The National Park Service periodically collects and catalogues these items.

Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest
The Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, located in the White Mountains of California, is home to the oldest known living trees on earth, the Great Basin Bristlecone Pine Pinus longaeva. The oldest tree, nicknamed "Methuselah", is more than 4,750 years old, and is not marked to ensure added protection from vandals.

The image here was taken in the Patriarch Grove at 11,000 feet above sea level, near the tree line. The grove is the home of the world's largest Bristlecone Pine, the Patriarch Tree. Its splendid remoteness and moonscape appearance gives the Patriarch Grove a surreal atmosphere. Bristlecone pines and limber pines dot the landscape with a background view of the Great Basin in Nevada.

New Photos Added: Cerro Gordo in Infrared

noreply@blogger.com (Christian Kiely) — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 13:00:00 +0000

New infrared photos have been added to the site from the Cerro Gordo Mine site. Click here or on the image to view the photos.

Cerro Gordo, Spanish for "Fat Hill," was a silver mining city high in the Inyo Mountains of Owens Valley. First discovered by Mexican prospectors in 1865, nothing much happened until a Mexican miner showed some silver ore to some mining people in Virginia City. That was all that was needed. An engineer named Mortimer Belshaw took over a mine that was producing lead which Belshaw needed if smelting was to be done at the site of the silver mine. This he did to save the cost of hauling the ore to Los Angeles for smelting and thence to San Pedro. Operations continued until about 1959 when all machinery was removed and taken to Candelaria, Nevada. Enough remains at Cerro Gordo to warrant a visit including the hotel, livery stable and other original buildings.

Cerro Gordo is located on the east side of the Sierra mountains in the Inyo Range some 9,000 feet high. From this abandoned town, now reached by eight miles of steep and winding dirt road, once flowed as much as $13,000,000 in silver and lead bullion. Deserted today, it stands as the greatest silver and lead producer in California history. From the little village of Keeler on the east shore of Owens dry lake, a dirt road heads up into the Inyo Range and Cerro Gordo.

New Photos Added: Bodie State Historic Park in Infrared

noreply@blogger.com (Christian Kiely) — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 13:05:00 +0000

New photos from Bodie State Historic Park have been added to the site. Click here or on the image to view the photos.

Bodie State Historic Park is a ghost town east of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in Mono County, California, United States, about 75 miles (120 km) southeast of Lake Tahoe. As Bodie Historic District, the U.S. Department of the Interior recognizes it as a National Historic Landmark. The ghost town has been administered by California State Parks since becoming a state historic park in 1962.

Bodie began as a mining camp of little note following the discovery of gold in 1859 by prospector W. S. Bodey (also spelled Body). That November, Bodey perished in a blizzard after making a supply trip to nearby Monoville.

In 1876, the Standard Company discovered a profitable deposit of gold-bearing ore, which transformed Bodie from an isolated mining camp comprising a few prospectors and company employees to a Wild West boomtown. Rich discoveries in the adjacent Bodie Mine during 1878 attracted even more hopeful people. By 1880, Bodie had a population of 7 - 8,000. Over the years, Bodie's mines produced gold valued at more than $34 million.

As a bustling gold mining center, Bodie had the amenities of larger towns, including two banks, a brass band, railroad, miner's and mechanic's unions, several newspapers, and a jail. At its peak 65 saloons lined Main Street, which was a mile long.

Gold bullion from the town's nine stamp mills was shipped to Carson City, Nevada by way of Aurora, Wellington and Gardnerville. Most shipments were accompanied by an armed guard. Once the bullion reached Carson City, it was delivered to the mint or sent by rail to the mint in San Francisco.

Bodie is preserved in a state of arrested decay. Only a small part of the town survives. Visitors can walk the deserted streets of a town that once had a population of nearly 10,000 people. Interiors remain as they were left and stocked with goods. Bodie is open all year, but the long road that leads to it is usually closed in the winter due to heavy snowfall, so the most comfortable time to visit is during the summer months.

Infrared Photography

noreply@blogger.com (Christian Kiely) — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 13:00:00 +0000

In the coming weeks I will be adding a portfolio of infrared photography images. When using infrared photography, the film or image sensor used is sensitive to infrared light. The part of the spectrum used is referred to as near-infrared to distinguish it from far-infrared, which is the domain of thermal imaging. Wavelengths used for infrared photography range from about 700 nm to about 900 nm.

A filter is placed over the lens that completely blocks all "visible light." The filter is completely opaque and only allows light in the infrared spectrum into the camera body. Photos taken with these filters and special films (or digital sensors) exhibit what is knows as the "Wood Effect."

The effect is mainly caused by foliage (such as tree leaves and grass) strongly reflecting in the same way visible light is reflected from snow. There is a small contribution from chlorophyll fluorescence, but this is extremely small and is not the real cause of the brightness seen in infrared photographs.

The other attributes of infrared photographs include nearly black skies and penetration of atmospheric haze, caused by reduced Rayleigh scattering and Mie scattering, respectively, compared to visible light. The dark skies, in turn, result in less infrared light in shadows and dark reflections of those skies from water, and clouds will stand out strongly.

I have experimented with two types of infrared film, Kodak HIE and Macophot 820c. Kodak HIE is a much "faster" film and is well known for its large grain, a feature of prints from this film. Kodak HIE also does not have an anti-halation layer on the back of the film, this often results in a glowing, or halo effect from strong infrared light sources. Macophot 820c is a much slower film and is much smoother in grain appearance. However, my strong preference is for digital infrared photography. I have shot with both Fuji S2 Pro and Fuji S3 Pro cameras.

Shutter speeds for most IR captures are quite long and lend themselves to capture movement, or ghost like images. I like to use IR photography to portray scenes in a darker mood, or those that express a feeling of emptyness or abandonment.

New Photos Added: Hawaiian Sunrises & Sunsets

noreply@blogger.com (Christian Kiely) — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 16:45:00 +0000

New photos from Hawaii have been added to the site, to view them, please click here or on the image.

These photos were taken on: 1) the Kohala Coast of the Big Island of Hawaii, north of Kona, 2) the Wailiea Coast of Maui, 3) the Lihue Coast of Kauai.

Kohala Coast
Kohala is the name of two districts — North Kohala and South Kohala — on the northwest portion of the island of Hawai‘i in the Hawaiian Archipelago. Both the northern and southern portions of the district that lines the western shore is commonly known as the Kohala Coast, homes to the area's premier golf courses and seaside resorts.

King Kamehameha I, the first King of the unified Hawai‘ian Islands, was born in North Kohala near Hāwī. The original Kamehameha Statue stands in front of the community centre in Kapa‘au, and duplicates are found at Ali‘iolani Hale in Honolulu, and in the US Capitol in Washington, D.C..

The natural habitats in Kohala range across a wide rainfall gradient in a very short distance - from less than 5 inches a year on the coast near Kawaihae to more than 150 inches a year near the summit of Kohala Mountain, a distance of just 11 miles. Near the coast are remnants of dry forests, and near the summit is a montane cloud forest, a type of rain forest so called because it obtains some of its moisture from "cloud drip" in addition to precipitation.

Wailea
Wailea Resort is a 1,500 acre, master-planned resort located on Maui's sunny, southern leeward coast. Its development is guided by two important documents: a master plan that allegedly ensures low density and good community planning, and the Wailea Community Association's design guidelines which claim to preserve Maui's island environment in all new building projects. Wailea was named one of the country's 99 Best Recreational & Residential Private Communities in America. Many of Wailea's single-family and condominium complexes offer gated entryways for enhanced security and privacy. Utilities are buried underground, and roadways are landscaped. Nearby are Wailea's many amenities, including restaurants, championship golf courses, tennis facilities, shopping, and beaches.

Wailea is home to several prominent resort properties including Grand Wailea Resort & Spa, Wailea Beach Marriott, Four Seasons Maui, Fairmont Kea Lani Maui, Wailea Beach Villas, and the Maui Prince.

Lihue
Līhuʻeis the county seat of Kauaʻi County, Hawaii. Līhuʻe (literally, "cold chill" in Hawaiian) is the second largest town on the Hawaiian island of Kauaʻi.

California State Parks Foundation "Photo of the Month"

noreply@blogger.com (Christian Kiely) — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 01:36:00 +0000

Crystal Cove Sunset #001 was recently named Photo of the Month by the California State Parks Foundation.

The California State Parks Foundation was founded in 1969 by William Penn Mott, Jr., former director of both California's Department of Parks and Recreation and the National Park Service. With our 95,000 members, CSPF is the only statewide independent nonprofit membership organization dedicated to protecting, enhancing and advocating for California's magnificent state parks. Since 1969, CSPF has contributed more than $136 million to benefit state parks. CSPF is committed to improving the quality of life for all Californians by expanding access to the natural beauty, rich culture and history, and recreational and educational opportunities offered by California's 278 state parks—the largest state park system in the United States.

Some of the major areas of work for the CSPF include:

Serving as the independent voice for state parks by facilitating capital improvements, advocating for adequate funding and sound policies for state parks, including deferred maintenance support, and funding educational programs, habitat restoration and land acquisition.
Cultivating stewardship of state parks by hosting annual Earth Day Restoration and Cleanup programs and supporting Volunteer Enhancement programs.
Encouraging environmental education and visitation of state parks by supporting programs such as Coast Alive!, FamCamp®, Bay Youth for the Environment, Junior Rangers and Junior Lifeguards.

One of the prizes for the California State Parks Foundation Photo of the Month is an annual pass to California's State Parks... I look forward to using to take more photos!

New Photos Added: Denali National Park

noreply@blogger.com (Christian Kiely) — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 15:42:00 +0000

New Photos have been added to the site from Denali National Park.

To view the images, click on here or on the image.

About Denali National Park
Denali National Park and Preserve is located in Interior Alaska and contains Mount McKinley (Denali), the tallest mountain in North America. The park and preserve together cover 9,492 mi² (24,585 km²).

The word "Denali" means "the big one" in the native Athabaskan language and refers to the mountain itself. The mountain was named after president William McKinley of Ohio in 1897 by local prospector William A. Dickey, although McKinley had no connection with the region.

Denali habitat is a mix of forest at the lowest elevations, including deciduous taiga. The preserve is also home to tundra at middle elevations, and glaciers, rock, and snow at the highest elevations. Today, the park hosts more than 400,000 visitors who enjoy wildlife viewing, mountaineering, and backpacking. Wintertime recreation includes dog-sledding, cross-country skiing, and snowmobiling where allowed. The national park is located near Denali State Park.

Denali is home to a variety of Alaskan birds and mammals, including a healthy population of grizzly bears and black bears. Herds of caribou roam throughout the park. Dall sheep are often seen on mountainsides, and moose feed on the aquatic plants of the small lakes and swamps. Despite human impact on the area, Denali accommodates gray wolf dens, both historic and active. Smaller animals, such as hoary marmots, arctic ground squirrels, beavers, pikas, and snowshoe hares are seen in abundance. Foxes, martens, lynx, wolverines also inhabit the park, but are more rarely seen due to their elusive natures.

The Alaska Range, a mountainous expanse running through the entire park, provides interesting ecosystems in Denali. Because the fall line lies as low as 2,500 feet (760 m), wooded areas are rare inside the park, except in the flatter western sections surrounding Wonder Lake, most of the park is vast expanses of tundra. and lowlands of the park where flowing waters melt the frozen ground. Spruces and willows make up the majority of these treed areas. Because of mineral content, ground temperature, and a general lack of soil, areas surrounding the bases of mountains are not suitable for sufficient tree growth, and most trees and shrubs do not reach full size.

Having a range of elevations, there is a variety of vegetation zones. From lowest to highest, there is low brush bog, bottomland spruce-poplar forest, upland spruce-hardwood forest, moist tundra, and finally the highest of elevations, alpine tundra.

Tundra is the predominate ground cover of the park. Layers of topsoil collect on rotten, fragmented rock moved by thousands of years of glacial activity. Mosses, ferns, grasses, and fungi quickly fill the topsoil, and in areas of "wet tundra," tussocks form and may collect algae. Wild blueberries and soap berries thrive in this landscape, and provide the bears of Denali with the main part of their diets.

New Photos Added: Along the Denali Highway

noreply@blogger.com (Christian Kiely) — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 01:00:00 +0000

New photos have been added to the site from the Denali Highway.

About the Denali Highway
Denali Highway (Alaska Route 8) is a lightly-traveled, mostly gravel highway in the U.S. state of Alaska. It leads from Paxson on the Richardson Highway to Cantwell on the Parks Highway. Opened in 1957, it was the first road access to Denali National Park (then known as Mount McKinley National Park). Since 1971, primary park access has been via the Parks Highway, which incorporated a section of the Denali Highway from Cantwell to the present-day park entrance. The Denali Highway is 135 miles (217 km) in length.

The highway is now little used and poorly maintained, and closed to all traffic from October to mid-May each year. Only the easternmost 21.3 miles and westernmost 2.6 miles are paved; whether the remainder should be paved as well is a continual source of debate.

Travelling west, the Denali Highway leaves the Richardson Highway (Alaska Route 4) at Paxson, and climbs steeply up into the foothills of the central Alaska Range. The first 21 miles, to Tangle Lakes, are paved. Along its length, the highway passes through three of the principal river drainages in Interior Alaska: the Copper River drainage, the Tanana/Yukon drainage and the Susitna drainage. Along the way, in good weather, there are stunning views of the peaks and glaciers of the central Alaska Range, including Mount Hayes (13,700 feet), Mount Hess (11,940 feet) and Mount Deborah (12,688). At MP 15, from the pullout on the south side of the road, in clear weather you can see the Wrangell Mountains, the Chugach Mountains and the Alaska Range.

The first 45 miles winds through the Amphitheater Mountains, cresting at Maclaren Summit, at 4,086 feet the second highest road in Alaska. The road then drops down to the Maclaren River Valley with fine views north to Maclaren Glacier. After crossing the Maclaren River, the road winds through the geologically mysterious Crazy Notch and then along the toe of the Denali Clearwater Mountains to the Susitna River. After crossing the Susitna River the road extends across the glaciers-outwash plains to the Nenana River, and then down the Nenana River to Cantwell on the George Parks Highway (Alaska #3).

The rough gravel surface makes driving slow, but the scenery is truly extradordinary, in some ways nicer than the extension of the Denali Highway into Denali National Park.

New Photos Added: Coastal Brown Bears

noreply@blogger.com (Christian Kiely) — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 15:12:00 +0000

New wildlife photos have been added to my site. These images were taken of Coastal Brown Bears near Wolverine Creek in the Redoubt Bay Critical Habitat Area in Alaska.

Coastal Brown Bears are technically the same species as all other brown bears (Ursus arctos), but grow significantly larger than other brown bears due to their diet. It is not uncommon for a large male coastal brown bear to stand over 10 feet tall and weigh in excess of 1,500 lbs.

The Redoubt Bay Critical Habitat Area is a 268 square mile low lying expanse of wetlands braided with riparian habitat. It is best known as the nesting ground of the Tule white-fronted goose and is located approximately 40 miles southwest of Anchorage on the west side of Cook Inlet.

Photo of the Day at MyParkPhotos.com

noreply@blogger.com (Christian Kiely) — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 18:24:00 +0000

My photo Crystal Cove Sunset #001 was selected as "Photo of the Day" at www.MyParkPhotos.com. MyParkPhotos.com is an online community for public lands enthusaists with over 3,500 members.

A link to the image on my site can be found here.

This photo was taken at Crystal Cove State Park in California. It is the result of a digital stitch of approximately 26 images with AutoPano Pro. It was also my primary piece on display at the Festival of Arts... printed at 30" x 50" in a 40" x 60" mat/frame.

360-Degree Panoramic: Marcel Vigneron Cooking Demonstration at the Festival of Arts

noreply@blogger.com (Christian Kiely) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 13:14:00 +0000

On Sunday August 24th I shot a 360-degree panoramic shot at the Festival of Arts in Laguna Beach. Top Chef contestant Marcel Vigneron was conducting a cooking demonstration while the John Heussenstamm Blues Quartet was setting up on stage.

Place your cursor in the image and drag to the left or right to scroll.

TOP CHEF MARCEL VIGNERON WRAPS UP THE ART OF COOKING SERIES PRESENTED BY THE FESTIVAL OF ARTS IN LAGUNA BEACH

Sunday, August 24, 1-2pm

Laguna Beach, CA - Are you a fan of Bravo TV’s Top Chef? If so, this is your chance to see Season Two runner up Marcel Vigneron demonstrate his culinary talents in person. Marcel will wrap up The Art of Cooking Series at the Festival of Arts on Sunday, August 24 from 1-2pm. Marcel is a 28-year-old gastronomical genius who has studied and cooked all over the world. He prepares avant-guard cuisine, which is strongly influenced by his creativity and passion for delicious, high quality food. After the cooking demonstration, Marcel will greet fans and sign copies of the Top Chef The Cookbook, which will be available for purchase at the Festival of Arts gift shop. The cooking series is Free with Festival admission ($7).

Marcel was a fan favorite and runner-up on season two of Bravo’s TOP CHEF who was known for his crazy hairstyle. He describes his experience on the second season of Bravo's Top Chef as "a little bit bizarre, very interesting, and all in all, just a wonderful opportunity."

Top Chef The Cookbook features more than 100 recipes and tips from the Top Chef TV series Season 1 through Season 3. The book highlights information about Chef Marcel and some of the recipes he created while competing for Top Chef. It also includes interviews and funny commentary that will entertain you while you cook up one of these recipes.

Marcel commented in the Top Chef Cookbook, “Like any artist - and I consider myself a culinary artist - I go through phases and when I was on the show I just wanted to be as creative as possible: pile garnish on top of garnish on top of garnish. Since then I’ve been becoming more refined.”

Although Top Chef made him famous, Marcel is also known for his culinary knowledge and cooking skills all over the world. In New York he was the Sous Chef to Dwayne Lipuma at the Ristorante Caterina de’ Medici. He has taken his cooking skills internationally to Barcelona, Spain where he took classes at Bulli restaurant, rated 2007 top restaurant in the world by Restaurant magazine.

Marcel attended the acclaimed Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in New York and took courses in various areas including Butchery and molecular gastronomy. After presenting a nine-course tasting menu, Marcel was hired on the spot to work at the Mansion in Las Vegas as a Master Chef to Joel Robuchon, the world-renowned chef who was named “Chef of the Century” by Gault Millau.

Festival of Arts Gala

noreply@blogger.com (Christian Kiely) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 05:08:00 +0000

Saturday 23 Aug 2008 was the Gala Benefit at the Festival of Arts.

The 10th Annual Pageant of the Masters Gala Benefit at the Laguna Beach Festival of Arts Returns for a Festive Celebration of "All the World's a Stage"

WHO & WHAT: The Festival of Arts - California's Premier Fine Art Exhibition presents the 10th Annual Pageant of the Masters Gala Benefit. This exclusive, highly anticipated, one-night event, will offer guests a private viewing of the Festival's fine art exhibition, music, dancing, silent auction, and a performance of this summer's extremely popular Pageant of the Masters, entitled "All the World's a Stage." The event is sold-out, attending will be approximately 2,600 guests. Neil Patrick Harris, Golden Globe- and Emmy-nominated actor, will host the Festival of Arts and Pageant of the Masters 10th Annual Gala benefit on August 23rd. He currently stars as Barney on the CBS comedy series HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER, which has garnered him rave reviews. No stranger to theater and film, he has a long list of credits, including starring in Arthur Miller's "All My Sons" at the Geffen Playhouse and many Broadway productions. Harris is well known for his teenage role as the adored title character in DOOGIE HOWSER, M.D. Additional guest celebrities scheduled to attend, include Adrianne Curry, Julie Bowen, football star Jim Everett, Kate Flannery, Christopher Knight, Joe Mantegna, Joseph Mascolo, comedian Mike McDonald, Charles Shaughnessy, Marcel Vigneron and many others. WHEN: Saturday, August 23 at 5:00 p.m. 4:45 pm - 5:45 pm Celebrity photo ops. Front entrance - red carpet. Celebrities and Pageant of the Masters Director Diane Challis Davy and Festival of Arts President Wayne Baglin will be available for interviews. WHERE: 650 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach, CA

WHAT ELSE: The evening proceeds will benefit the Festival of Arts Building Fund. Expected to raise over $200,000. The Festival is a non-profit organization that produces The Festival of Arts - California's Premier Fine Art Exhibition and The Pageant of the Masters-Where Art Comes to Life.

Neil Patrick Harris scheduled to Host the Event.

New Photos Added: Fiordland National Park

noreply@blogger.com (Christian Kiely) — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 04:52:00 +0000

New photos have been added from the Routeburn Track and Fjordland National Park in New Zealand.

To view the images, click here or on the thumbnail.

About the Routeburn Track:

The Routeburn Track traverses wild and scenic mountain country between the Hollyford and Dart Valleys at the base of New Zealand's Southern Alps. Since the 1880's the Routeburn Track has proved to be one of the most accessible and popular journeys into New Zealand's forests and mountains.

The hike began through dense beech forests along a well-graded trail that winds above the tree line at Key Summit. This is the only part of the track which passes through lower altitude Silver Beech forest. The rainfall in this area averages over 5000mm a year and this supports a rich variety of mosses, ferns and lichens which carpet the forest floor and decorate the trees. The wispy Goblin Moss which hangs from the trees gives the forest an eerie look. After descending Key Summit, I climbed steadily upwards through Silver Beech forest to the magnificent Earland Falls before descending to the emerald waters of of Lake MacKenzie... then all the way back to the divide in one day, about 22 miles in total.

About the Fiordland National Park:

Fiordland National Park (established in 1952) is a vast, remote wilderness and the heart of Te Wāhipounamu - South West New Zealand World Heritage Area in New Zealand's South Island.

Southwest New Zealand is one of the great wilderness areas of the Southern Hemisphere. It is an area where snow-capped mountains, rivers of ice, deep lakes, unbroken forests and tussock grasslands produce a landscape of exceptional beauty. Some of the best examples of animals and plants, which were once found on the ancient super-continent of Gondwana, still exist here.

New Photos Added: Westland National Park (New Zealand)

noreply@blogger.com (Christian Kiely) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 04:44:00 +0000

Photos from Westland National Park and Franz Josef Glacier in New Zealand have been added to the site.

Please click here or on the image to view the photos.

About Westland National Park:

Westland Tai Poutini National Park (established 1960) extends from the highest peaks of Kā Tiritiri o te Moana/Southern Alps to the remote beaches of the wild West Coast. It is an area of magnificent primeval vistas; snow-capped mountains, glaciers, forests, tussock grasslands, coast, lakes, rivers and wetlands.

This world-class scenic landscape has been recognised as such with World Heritage status. It is part of the Te Wāhipounamu South-West New Zealand World Heritage Area, along with Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park to the east, and Fiordland and Mt Aspiring National Parks further south.
Location

Westland Tai Poutini National Park (127,541 hectares) is situated about half way down the South Island on its West Coast.

About Franz Josef Glacier:

The Franz Josef (Ka Roimata o Hinehukatere in Māori) is a 12 km long glacier located in Westland National Park on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. Together with the Fox Glacier 20 km to the south, it is unique in the fact that it descends from the Southern Alps to less than 300 metres above sea level amidst the greenery and lushness of a temperate rainforest. It is also one of only three glaciers to come so close to a coastline.

New Photos Added: Wall Street Mill

noreply@blogger.com (Christian Kiely) — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 14:48:00 +0000

New photos have been added to the site from Joshua Tree National Park.

These are infrared photos from along the Wall Street Mill trail near the Wonderland of Rocks in Joshua Tree National Park.

To view the photos, click here, or on the image to the left.

Wall Street Mill in Joshua Tree National Park is an old ore processing mill included in National Register of Historic Sites.

Wall Street Mill in Joshua Tree National Park is one of the best preserved in the western US. Artifacts of human activity in this area, abandoned over 60 years ago, all wonderfully preserved by hot, dry and peaceful desert environment. Rusty old trucks beneath oak trees slowly sink into the desert sand, with shreds of the tires still on, doors torn off, and their engines exposed.

The Wall Street Mill was once owned by a famous local Joshua Tree character Bill Keys who bought it in 1930. The mill was used for "custom milling" meaning that local miners would bring their ore to this mill to be processed.

The 2-Stamp mill on the site was first built around 1891 and was moved to this site from Pinyon Well in 1933.

The mill was last operated briefly by Bill Keys in 1966.

Winner of Orange County UnScene Photography Tour and 944 Magazine Seven-City Tour Stop

noreply@blogger.com (Christian Kiely) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 04:16:00 +0000

Additional information regarding the Orange County UnScene Tour event can be found here or on the image to the left.

New Photos Added: Tongariro Crossing

noreply@blogger.com (Christian Kiely) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 04:22:00 +0000

New photos have been added from a trip to Tongariro National Park in the Central North Island of New Zealand.

The Tongariro Crossing has been listed by National Geographic as on the the Top 10 "One Day Walks" in the world.

To view the images, click here or on the image to the left.

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Tongariro Crossing
The spectacular geothermal setting is the backdrop for the Tongariro Crossing,
a ten-and-a-half-mile (17 kilometers), point-to-point hike billed by the Department of Conservation (DOC) as the country's "best one-day walk."

The upswing is due in part to the park's recent star turn as Mordor, the dark realm in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. In addition to Mount Tongariro, the crossing skirts Mount Ngauruhoe, the almost perfectly symmetrical, 7,513-foot-tall (2,2890-meter-tall) cone that served as Mordor's Mount Doom on-screen. Either of these peaks can be bagged in a day, but the park's biggest draw for hikers (or what Kiwis call "trampers") is the chance to traverse a boggling range of ecosystems in only eight hours—from hills purple with heather to dense rain forest, through arid badlands to steam-wreathed volcano summits—the sort of diversity that usually requires multiple days in the backcountry, and sometimes multiple countries.

Hold on to Your Hat
The route is challenging, even harrowing at times, but the rewards are ample. "You go out on an alpine crossing and a see a spectacular volcanic landscape, without carrying an overnight pack," says Johnson. "But," he cautions, "come prepared for the weather." Frosts are fairly common, and winds assail the peaks year-round. The force of these gusts can be surprising. "Today alone, in the gully down below, we picked up 42 baseball caps, a slew of pack covers, all manner of clothing, and a few small children," Johnson says, deadpan.

The crossing's windswept ridgeline trail ascends 6,188 feet (1,886 meters) to the summit of Mount Tongariro's Red Crater, which last erupted in 1926. The cone is stained brick red from oxidized iron. Fumaroles ringed with yellow crystals belch out reeking vapors. A slip-slide down dark gray scoria slopes brings you to the shores of the Emerald Lakes, three crater pools gleaming in an alpine gravel field.

According to local mythology, Ngatoroirangi, a Maori shaman, embarked on a winter ascent of Mount Tongariro. Freezing and close to death, he prayed for warmth, and a torrent of flames burst up from the ground. Ngatoroirangi survived, and the land still bears the scars of his rescue. In 1897 a preservation-minded Maori chief ceded the sacred peaks to the government. Ten years later the area became New Zealand's first, and the world's fourth, national park. Tongariro now draws almost a million visitors annually, more than the renowned South Island national parks of Fiordland, Aoraki/Mount Cook, and Abel Tasman, combined.

A recreational hub for skiers and ice climbers in winter and for trampers and
rock climbers in summer, this is the country's most closely monitored seismic terrain. Its trio of active craters forms the southern edge of the Pacific Ring of Fire—a string of volcanoes stretching as far north as Alaska. Tongariro's most volatile cone looms over the southern part of the park: 9,177-foot (2,797-meter) Mount Ruapehu, the North Island's highest peak. In 1995 ash and acidic water erupted from Ruapehu and blanketed the surrounding slopes, home to the North Island's only ski areas, Whakapapa and Turoa. Both remained closed for two years.

The cones are currently dozing. But the chance that they might rouse themselves at any moment is what makes the Tongariro Crossing such an adrenaline-charged hike.

Pink mud, green grass
Descending from the barren heights, I navigate rocky switchbacks and stop for a breather at Ketetahi Hut—one of four spartan but comfortable cabins available to more ambitious trekkers on the multiday Tongariro Northern Circuit. On the hut's deck, trampers from home and abroad mingle with the conviviality of partners in a shared quest.

New Photos Added: Kauai Surf

noreply@blogger.com (Christian Kiely) — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 16:00:00 +0000

I've added a series of images from a trip to Hawaii in 2007 to my site. The images were taken at sunrise on the island of Kauai.

The images can be found here or by clicking on the image to the left.

Voted UnScene Orange County Winner!

noreply@blogger.com (Christian Kiely) — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 14:49:00 +0000

More details to follow later... but I'm looking forward to Vegas!

"UnScene OC took place July 30th and Christian Kiely won. He will be going on to Vegas in the spring to compete against six other artists."

Photos from the UnScene Orange County / 944 Magazine event

noreply@blogger.com (Christian Kiely) — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 13:43:00 +0000

Photos from the UnScene Orange County / 944 Magazine event have been posted here.

Photographic credit to: Devon Dick

Festivals going 'green' in a big way

noreply@blogger.com (Christian Kiely) — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 13:15:00 +0000

Festivals going 'green' in a big way
By Barbara Diamond

Green is more than a color to the city's arts community.

Festival of Arts

The Festival of Arts will collaborate with the Endangered Planet Foundations to present "A Day of Art Goes Green," from 1 to 4 p.m. July 26, to increase awareness of environmental issues

Educational and cultural activities and entertainment will show visitors how they can go green on a daily basis and how green colors the artists' work.

"Festival people came to us, based on the green festival we are going to do in October," said Charles Michael Murray, founder of the foundation and the Endangered Planet Gallery that spawned it.

"They wanted the artists to embrace the concept of going green and how artists can align themselves with the environmental movement that is so powerful right now.

"Artists are often in the lead of movements before the general public and politicians. They think outside of the box."

The foundation will be actively involved in the Art Miles Mural and Art Shoes projects announced for the afternoon.

"Several murals will be exhibited, and we will be there to talk about artistic ventures occurring globally," Murray said.

The mural project promotes peace through art.

Thousands of banners painted throughout the world will be gathered in 2010 in Egypt to build a "Pyramid of Peace and the Exhibition of the Century," with 12 miles of murals and modern technology.

Festival visitors and artists will paint three murals as well as participate in the Shoes of Hope project.

Donated shoes will be painted and shipped to needy African children.

A special handwritten message of peace and hope is tucked into every shoe sent to babies, children and youth in refugee centers, orphanages and schools.

Other activities scheduled for Green Day include a lectures on green art throughout the afternoon by former festival board President Bruce Rasner.

Docent Gretchen Thompson will conduct a tour of the festival at 3 p.m. Mary Anne Henderson will lead a tour at 3 p.m.

The tours will provide insight into the creative use of sustainable, recycled, ecologically safe and recovered materials as demonstrated in the works of fiber artist Rose Hamner and oil painter Eric Gerdau; mixed-media artists Mia Moore, Mada Leach, Carolyn Machado and Claudia Posvar; photographers J. Romeo and Christian Kiely; ceramist Monica Dunham; printmaker Julita Jones and watercolorist Geri Medway.

"Hopefully my vision will prompt you to do your part to save this wondrous, delicately balanced world, that we have been gifted to live on! May we become better, more conscientious stewards," Medway wrote in her artist statement.

"Go green."

UnScene Orange County voting is live... please cast your vote!

noreply@blogger.com (Christian Kiely) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 13:13:00 +0000

Please cast your vote!

http://www.944.com/rsvp/unscene/finalists.phpx

Orange County Fair

noreply@blogger.com (Christian Kiely) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 02:36:00 +0000

I finally had a chance to visit my photos at the Visual Arts display at the Orange County Fair.

My photo, Crystal Cove Sunset #011 (Anemone Sunset), seen to the left won 1st place in the Seascape Class of the Professional Photography Division.

This image was taken 06 NOV 2005 at Crystal Cove State Park between Laguna Beach and Newport Beach. I utilized a 3-Stop Hard Graduated Neutral Density Filter to even out the sky and foreground, and added fill flash to illuminate the foreground.

A collection of sunset images from Crystal Cove State Park, including this one, can be seen on my website here.

Updated display at Festival of Arts

noreply@blogger.com (Christian Kiely) — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 04:17:00 +0000

I've updated my display at the Festival of Arts and added two new prints.

1) California Golden Poppies taken in the California Poppy Preserve out near Lancaster, California.

2) First Light on El Capitan taken on a chilly October morning in Yosemite National Park. I arrived at this spot waiting before dawn for the light to hit the face of El Capitan and capture the reflection in the Merced River.