By Rachel Swan - EastBayExpress - October 17-23, 2007
Rarely do we get to see the savannahs of Africa or the ice planes of Alaska without the filter of a BBC nature documentary, which usually involved a meticulous, passionless narrator, and tawdry cinematography.
But this month, photographers Oliver Klink and Munir Kureshi will regale the folk of Hercules with a more subtle and captivating glimpse of the natural World. The photographer's new exhibit, Africa Meets Alaska: A Wildlife Experience combines visions of pristine nature - a flower opening like pouting lip or a cloud band at twilight, mottled with the same purples and blacks that color the bruised part of a fruit - with surreptitious shots of eagles eviscerating their prey, or two zebras catching a stolen embrace.
Defying the cheesy lyricism of a National Geographic safari, Klink and Kureshi opt for a more expressionistic, often astonishing view of the road less traveled.
Africa Meets Alaska runs through November 17 at XZiBTit Hercules Art Gallery. IBTranslateit.com - Rachel Swan.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Friday, October 5, 2007
XZIBTiT Gallery - Duo Exhibition by Oliver Klink & Munir Kureshi
IT TAKES TWO PHOTOGRAPHERS FROM EAST AND WEST TO CAPTURE NATURE’S ESSENCE IN AFRICA ANDALASKA
** OVER 60 Photographs Exhibited **
By Ihsan Bouabid
Hercules, Oct 6 – Oliver Klink and Munir Kureshi met in 2004 while photographing Yosemite National Park. From then on, they traveled together several times to Alaska. They also went to many natural reserves and national monuments all across the United States.
“The natural complement of skills and personality made us team up. Munir brings his flair and the artistry of film, medium format and digital photography, where my engineering experience eases planning and post processing,” explained Oliver.
From October 6 to November 17 at XZIBTit Hercules Art Gallery, "Where Africa meets America: A wildlife experience," features some of their combined most recent photographs of nature and animals taken in East Africa and Alaska. It is their first exclusive duo presentation at an art gallery.
The 44 color photos capture moments of the daily life of the Big 5 in Africa, the lion, the leopard, the elephant, the buffalo and the rhinoceros and their counterparts in Alaska, the grizzly and the black bears, the moose, the whale and the eagle.
With themes such as love and care, hunting and eating habits, they convey the beauty of nature and wildlife at its purest.
“As far apart as the two continents are, wildlife goes through the same process of life and survival. Africa is seen as abundance of species, where Alaska is survival. The cycle of life is shortened in the latter with the season, where in Africa it is rougher with the competition,” said the photographers.
Born in Lausanne, at the edge of Swiss Alps, Oliver Klink was introduced to nature at an early age and to photography by his father when both were hiking. “I was excited when I could see the wonderful sceneries and memories. I then took on photography when in college, focusing on black and white,” recalled Oliver.
Educated in his home country, Switzerland, as well as in Germany, Canada and the United States, he holds a Masters in Physics engineering and an MBA in business. He has lived and worked in the US since the early 1990s.
Using a Canon (1d Mark III, 1d Mark IIN), his technique is to apply the discipline of film photography to digital.
“Prepare, think, and photograph,” is what Oliver teaches in his workshops the latest of which took place last month. For him, photography is a natural complement to his field of expertise, where he searches for symmetry, clean lines, and perfect composition.
“Perfect science is about simplicity. My photographs invite the viewer with their simplicity,” commented Oliver.
Among his influences in photography, he cites Frans Lanting (USA), for merging art and multimedia and Australian Peter Lik (Australia) whose photos are an expression of “nature at its best,” according to Oliver Klink
As for Munir, he was born and grew up in a very well known family in Ahmedabad, a densely populated city in the State of Gujarat, India, which was at the forefront of the Indian independence and civil disobedience movement in the early twentieth century.
It’s from Ahmadabad that in 1930, Mahatma Gandhi initiated the Salt Satyagraha by embarking from his ashram on the Dandi Salt March and Munir’s great grand father and grand father spent most of their adult life with Gandhi and accompanied him at the Salt Satyagraha.
During his childhood and youth, Munir spent all his free time with one of his father’s friend who was in charge of a local zoo. “He encouraged me to become a veterinarian and that’s exactly what I did,” he said
After earning a BS in Zoology in India, he went to the School of Forestry at the University of Florida and graduated in Natural Resources and Wildlife Management. Back to India, he went to the College of Veterinary Medicine in Bombay, before returning to the United States for an internship in New York and other studies at the University of Missouri.
“Being around animals since childhood, I started taking pictures of them and so, I developed a passion for photography,” added Munir. With animals, you have to be ready for any type of situation, you have to be creative in your technique and knowing their behavior is very important,” he pointed out.
In order to achieve this, he uses a Nikon camera because it’s a quality equipment that allows preciseness and speed.
“Animal photography is lots of fun: go out and enjoy taking pictures. At the same time respect and preserve the wildlife,” concluded Munir Kureshi. (XZIBTit/2007)
Contacts:
Oliver Klink http://www.incredibletravelphotos.com/
Munir Kureshi http://www.mkphotogallery.com/
** OVER 60 Photographs Exhibited **
By Ihsan Bouabid
Hercules, Oct 6 – Oliver Klink and Munir Kureshi met in 2004 while photographing Yosemite National Park. From then on, they traveled together several times to Alaska. They also went to many natural reserves and national monuments all across the United States.
“The natural complement of skills and personality made us team up. Munir brings his flair and the artistry of film, medium format and digital photography, where my engineering experience eases planning and post processing,” explained Oliver.
From October 6 to November 17 at XZIBTit Hercules Art Gallery, "Where Africa meets America: A wildlife experience," features some of their combined most recent photographs of nature and animals taken in East Africa and Alaska. It is their first exclusive duo presentation at an art gallery.
The 44 color photos capture moments of the daily life of the Big 5 in Africa, the lion, the leopard, the elephant, the buffalo and the rhinoceros and their counterparts in Alaska, the grizzly and the black bears, the moose, the whale and the eagle.
With themes such as love and care, hunting and eating habits, they convey the beauty of nature and wildlife at its purest.
“As far apart as the two continents are, wildlife goes through the same process of life and survival. Africa is seen as abundance of species, where Alaska is survival. The cycle of life is shortened in the latter with the season, where in Africa it is rougher with the competition,” said the photographers.
Born in Lausanne, at the edge of Swiss Alps, Oliver Klink was introduced to nature at an early age and to photography by his father when both were hiking. “I was excited when I could see the wonderful sceneries and memories. I then took on photography when in college, focusing on black and white,” recalled Oliver.
Educated in his home country, Switzerland, as well as in Germany, Canada and the United States, he holds a Masters in Physics engineering and an MBA in business. He has lived and worked in the US since the early 1990s.
Using a Canon (1d Mark III, 1d Mark IIN), his technique is to apply the discipline of film photography to digital.
“Prepare, think, and photograph,” is what Oliver teaches in his workshops the latest of which took place last month. For him, photography is a natural complement to his field of expertise, where he searches for symmetry, clean lines, and perfect composition.
“Perfect science is about simplicity. My photographs invite the viewer with their simplicity,” commented Oliver.
Among his influences in photography, he cites Frans Lanting (USA), for merging art and multimedia and Australian Peter Lik (Australia) whose photos are an expression of “nature at its best,” according to Oliver Klink
As for Munir, he was born and grew up in a very well known family in Ahmedabad, a densely populated city in the State of Gujarat, India, which was at the forefront of the Indian independence and civil disobedience movement in the early twentieth century.
It’s from Ahmadabad that in 1930, Mahatma Gandhi initiated the Salt Satyagraha by embarking from his ashram on the Dandi Salt March and Munir’s great grand father and grand father spent most of their adult life with Gandhi and accompanied him at the Salt Satyagraha.
During his childhood and youth, Munir spent all his free time with one of his father’s friend who was in charge of a local zoo. “He encouraged me to become a veterinarian and that’s exactly what I did,” he said
After earning a BS in Zoology in India, he went to the School of Forestry at the University of Florida and graduated in Natural Resources and Wildlife Management. Back to India, he went to the College of Veterinary Medicine in Bombay, before returning to the United States for an internship in New York and other studies at the University of Missouri.
“Being around animals since childhood, I started taking pictures of them and so, I developed a passion for photography,” added Munir. With animals, you have to be ready for any type of situation, you have to be creative in your technique and knowing their behavior is very important,” he pointed out.
In order to achieve this, he uses a Nikon camera because it’s a quality equipment that allows preciseness and speed.
“Animal photography is lots of fun: go out and enjoy taking pictures. At the same time respect and preserve the wildlife,” concluded Munir Kureshi. (XZIBTit/2007)
Contacts:
Oliver Klink http://www.incredibletravelphotos.com/
Munir Kureshi http://www.mkphotogallery.com/
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
SOLD OUT - Photography Workshop - September 22-23,2007
Please join wildlife photographer Oliver Klink and Munir Kureshi to learn how to photograph hummingbirds. You will be surrounded by more than 50 hummingbirds, buzzing around feeders and natural flowers.
Schedule:
Day 1 - Instruction/Photoshoot 2PM - 7PM
You will learn about hummingbirds, their behavior and patterns to watch for. We will have the first photoshoot session, followed by review and Q&A session.
Dinner provided
Day 2 - Photoshoot 7AM - 6PM
Hands On Practice: Stations will be set up for you to photograph the hummingbirds under different lighting, backgrounds and situations. Wrap Up, Critique & Review.
Breakfast, lunch and snacks provided.
WORKSHOP FULL
"I never thought I would learn so much about photographing
hummingbirds in such a natural setting."
-Jim, San Francisco
Schedule:
Day 1 - Instruction/Photoshoot 2PM - 7PM
You will learn about hummingbirds, their behavior and patterns to watch for. We will have the first photoshoot session, followed by review and Q&A session.
Dinner provided
Day 2 - Photoshoot 7AM - 6PM
Hands On Practice: Stations will be set up for you to photograph the hummingbirds under different lighting, backgrounds and situations. Wrap Up, Critique & Review.
Breakfast, lunch and snacks provided.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
SOLD OUT - Photography Workshop - September 15-16,2007
Please join wildlife photographer Oliver Klink and Munir Kureshi to learn how to photograph hummingbirds. You will be surrounded by more than 50 hummingbirds, buzzing around feeders and natural flowers.
WORKSHOP FULL
"The number of hummingbirds was astonishing."
-Sarah, Cupertino
Monday, July 16, 2007
Photography Workshop - August 25-26, 2007
Please join wildlife photographer Oliver Klink and Munir Kureshi to learn how to photograph hummingbirds. You will be surrounded by more than 50 hummingbirds, buzzing around feeders and natural flowers.
WORKSHOP FULL
"I never thought I would learn so much about photographing
hummingbirds in such a natural setting."
-Jim, San Francisco
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Strawberry Festival Art Show, Oxnard - May 19-20, 2007
Please join us in Oxnard at the Strawberry Festival
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Saturday, April 7, 2007
Eagles (Haines, Alaska)
During early winter, bald eagles gather in Haines, Alaska. Up to 3,000 eagles can be spotted at the Chilkat State Reserve, as they feed on spawning salmon.
The spectacle is incredible with lots of flying and feeding. However, you just need to be well prepared as temperature can deep really low (0 F).
Photographing eagles is very challenging. They are fast flyer and hard to track. The black and brown contrast makes it difficult to meter correctly. And finally, they are in the wild and unpredictable!
Enjoy the show (more pictures)
Oli & Judy.
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Ostrander Ski Hut: Yosemite at its Best
Winter is almost behind us. However, there is still lot of snow in the backcountry.
The Ostrander Ski Hut is located 10 miles away from Badger Pass (Yosemite NP) and is accessible either by snowshoe or skis with skins. Once again, the snow and the company were phenomenal.
Until next, travel safe. (More pictures)
Oli & Judy.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Tanzania: An Amazing Adventure!
Last December, we had a chance to visit Africa. The first stop was the climb of Mt. Meru (4,650m), then a safari to the Northern Parks of Tanzania and finally an outback adventure to Southern Tanzania game reserve and national parks.
Each park visited is very unique and well worth a visit. Our true favorite was the Serengeti, with sighting of leopards at Seronera, the wildebeest migration at Ndutu and prides of lions devouring a kill at Lobo.
The eighth wonder of the world, Ngorongoro Crater, came as a close second. We spotted the last animal of the Big 5 family (Black rhino, elephant, hippo, lion and leopard).
In third place comes Ruaha National Park. Today, you can still experience the “old time” safari, with animals displaying their wild behaviors and hiding from cars and humans.
Arusha, Lake Manyara, Tarangire and Selous game reserve were outstanding for viewing and photography opportunities.
If an African safari is on your future travel list, feel free to contact me for advices and trip planning. This is an experience of a life time not to be missed.
Until the next adventure, travel safe (more pictures).
Oli & Judy.
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