marcabrahms_blog

View the Jambo Kenya 2009 movie at:

www.youtube.com/marcabrahms.

In September of this year, I was fortunate enough to travel to Kenya for 15 days.  What I found were perhaps the most charming, inviting and warm people that I have ever met.  They were intelligent and very proud of their country… and of course, Barack.  Recently Kenya has had a drought, which is dramatically affecting not just the animals of the nation, but the millions of human beings that live in this economically impoverished land.  The waters of the Mara River in the Masai Mara region are very shallow.  If they dry up, and they well might, it is estimated that 400,000 animals will die within a week.  We went to Lake Nakuru for several days where we found the priceless flock of flamingos among other beautiful animals and of course, the warmth and charm of the people in that area.  We then went to the Masai Mara region and were truly overwhelmed with the biblical beauty.  I have enclosed some of these images on this blog to give you a partial feel of the region.  However, my photographs could not do justice to a region that must be seen.

On an overcast wintry day in February, I went for walk in one of the central squares in Brussels.  I had brought with me a lens which I have had for many months but had never gotten a chance to use.  It was Canon’s 24mm perspective control lens.  I knew that I would find buildings in Brussels and I certainly was not going to bring a view camera with me.  I used this lens in the late afternoon at ISO 400, and 1/100th of a second at f6.3.  I found out later that the building was the Dukes of Brabant house.  I love the perspective of this image and I have made a huge enlargement of it for my own house.  I hope you like it too.

On July 14, after several days in Belgium with very gray and rainy skies, the weather became crisp cool and clear.  This was the day to take the high speed train from Brussels to Bruge.  We did the most touristy of tourist things and took a boat trip on the canals.  I got an inside seat in the middle of the boat making it uncomfortable for people on both sides of me.  As we turned a bend in the river, I saw this beautiful, unusual weathervane against the purplish sky.  I was concerned that the engine vibration and movement of the boat would make it difficult to get a sharp exposure.

ISO 400, 1/320th of a second at f6.3
Lens: 70-200mm w/ 2x extender, Singh-ray Blue-Gold filter

In early August I went to Whole Foods and found some strangely shaped and sensuous tomatoes.  To my recollection, I had never seen them before.  But of course they are not a new invention - Heirloom Tomatoes.  I have purchased 40 pounds of these luscious tomatoes, both from Whole Foods, Wade’s Market and Upper Forty Farm.    I certainly have had a lot of tomatoes the past weeks.  I photographed them in a diffusion box.  I also tried natural light.  In the end there were a few images that I really loved and I hope you do too.

You might wonder what I did with the 40 pounds of tomatoes.  I cut them up, added Vidalia onion, basil, string beans and for the last few weeks I have been eating this with steak, eggs, hamburgers and even the occasional veal chops.  It is very good.

As I write this, we are experiencing a Biblical Rain Storm in Connecticut.  I wanted to think of a more peaceful scene and I was reminded of a photograph that I took at Emerald Lake in British Columbia a few months ago.  I think I would rather be there, as I look around and I see no arcs for sale.

I have been able to get up to Boston for a few of the Red Sox games this season. I like to take my boys, who are avid sports fans. It is great to be able to enjoy America’s past-time with my family.

The last two games I brought my camera. Bringing a camera to a sporting event has become somewhat of a hassle with security. I do not have a sport section on the website but I think that some of these pictures are worth sharing. Enjoy.

It is my pleasure to be a part of the upcoming 2008 “All Things Horses” show at the Center for Fine Art Photography. The show was juried by Christiane Slawik, who is “internationally recognized for her dedication to horses, in her photography, workshops and publications” (Announcement). To see more of my favorite images of animals, visit my animals portfolio.

Western Canada is a beautiful area any time of the year. I wanted to capture some of the spring flowers and budding birch trees with my camera. I convinced fellow photographer Bradley Wollman to join me on this expedition. In addition to the fact that I like his company, he has a world class sense of direction, and there were members of my family that believed I would have ended up in Greenland without a good navigator.

Our first stop was Vancouver Island, where we visited a butterfly garden. I found several images that I am glad to share with you, but shockingly, few of them are of butterflies. The Angel’s Trumpet flower was shapely and sensuous, dramatic and alluring… and apparently hallucinogenic.

See more flowers here.