claybolt

Wipe your tears dear readers (you both know who you are). I've moved to a new shared blog with photographic greats Niall Benvie, Paul Harcourt Davies and Andrew Parkinson. I'm not sure how I got the gig but I'm not complaining! Visit Images from the Edge today! Clay Read Full Story

A few years ago I became fixated on one simple, elegant statement in Piotr Naskrecki’s landmark book, The Smaller Majority . Simply put, the author writes that 99% of life on planet earth is smaller than a human finger with most being smaller than a fingernail. This immediately sent my head spinning. I looked out onto my backyard and began to wonder what might be out there to discover, photograph and share with the world. It didn’t take me long to realize that even in an area with a temperate... Read Full Story

Little Miss Muffett doesn't have a thing on me peeps! This beautiful mother and about 100 of her little ones patiently posed for this portrait yesterday. One doesn't have to travel far to find amazing subject matter! Read Full Story

As my children grow older, and their interest in nature grows as well, I've tried to find ways to get them involved with my work as much as possible. For a while now, I have thought that it would be fun to work with my oldest son Adam to document all of the species that live on and around a massive old tulip poplar in the woods behind our home. After a brief rain shower, I took a walk out to have a look at the tree only to discover the most amazing looking box turtle that I'd ever seen. Then... Read Full Story

Today, April 30th, 2010, marks a milestone for Meet Your Neighbours . Early on, it was decided that this date would mark the last day that we would be accepting photographer applications for the project. When Niall Benvie and I first launched Meet Your Neighbours back in February, we knew that it was a unique concept, but had no idea that it would take wings as quickly as it has done. To date, we have received applications from an amazing group of photographers representing North America... Read Full Story

I spent the better part of this evening lying in a small bog, photographing the emerging fiddle-heads of netted chain ferns. I've photographed this small cluster of plants each year as they've emerged but this is the first time that I believe I've come close to illustrating this ancient phenomenon properly. With the aide of my now indispensable Sigma 15mm 2.8 lens, I am able to show both the plant and its relationship to its habitat –an important element missing in a lot of macro photography... Read Full Story

Spring brings many things: flowers; bird song; and my favorite t-shirt, which has been resurrected from the depths of my closet! I was so excited to show it to you, that I didn't even bother ironing. I have spent way too much time behind the computer lately and I'm so happy to be getting back out into the woods and actually making some photos for a change. I was talking to a friend about this other day, and we were (half) laughing about how much time photographers actually have to spend... Read Full Story

You may have heard some photographers stressing the importance of 'making photos' rather than 'taking photos.' In order to make it as a professional (nature) photographer, one has to be able to adapt to the situation that you're faced with and come home with good, salable images. Otherwise, it is highly likely that your client will not call on you again. Although I love the serendipity of hiking along a mountain trail and coming upon an amazing subject to photograph, more and more, I find... Read Full Story

Most children draw and it isn't until about 10-11 years of age that they show any concern in regards to whether or not they are creating 'good or bad' art. These are the golden years of creativity, when everything that they show an interest in –or soak in from their environment- is played out on the canvas, paper, driveway, window and wall. My six-year old son Adam is currently obsessed with penguins and he has been drawing, modeling and painting them daily. My favorite iteration to date is a... Read Full Story

It has been a few weeks since Meet Your Neighbours was launched.We have received inquiries and interest from photographers and NGOs from around the world; the list includes places as diverse as Uganda, Brazil, Italy, the Ukraine, New England, Wales among others. Needless to say, I have been very encouraged by the response so far! If you believe that you would be a good candidate for this effort, please don't hesitate to send your information to clay@meetyourneighbours.org ! I also wanted to... Read Full Story