From the Field

17 Feb 2002

Been practicing photographing hummingbirds between rain showers. (It is the wet season). Trying to learn how to shoot with the digital Olympus E10 camera as opposed to 35mm film cameras. Getting a good natural background is tough. Seems there is almost always a dark area where a wing or some body part disappears into nothingness. This is not a problem unique to digital cameras and also not to just hummingbird photos.

For years photographers have argued over the digital tweaking of images. With images shot with digital cameras there is a need to adjust digital "image levels" in almost every image. This is designed into the cameras by the manufacturers to allow better field performance and faster processing of images by the camera as they are taken.

The digital adjustment of the images is comparable to darkroom processing of film prints and is not "tweaking" or an alteration of the original image. However, the background of the above photo was "tweaked" using a digital blur filter. The image below is the original image with normal processing adjustments and the natural background, without the blur filter.

Now we are asking you to tell us which you like best and why. If you have an opinion about digitally altering a photograph we would like to hear it.

Please take a moment and email us your opinion. Just click here…
Here is my opinion!

The other day I photographed a hummingbird feeding on an orchid flower. It just so happened to be one of my favorite orchids, Galeandra pubicentrum. The hummingbird came to the flower; it hovered, and then went right in for nectar. I was delighted to see the bird feed on the flower as I had only thought he may hover by it for a shot or two. I was able to get only one image with the bird actually in the flower. He would zip in and zip out so fast that in a few seconds he was gone.

Sometimes digital enhancements can save a beautiful photograph. Although the flower of the orchid is not pure white, it is very light in color. The hummingbird is very dark in color. The proper exposure for the hummingbird would leave the flower totally overexposed, while the proper exposure for the flower would under expose the bird. I chose an exposure half way between both ends and got a flower that was to light and a bird that was to dark! Thanks to the digital darkroom I have in my laptop computer I was able to develop the image into a picture I really liked. Perhaps it is more art than photography…but then after all, photography is art with light as paint, isn’t it?

14 Feb 2002

Keep checking. We should be having more crabs in the future…….if all goes

13 Feb 2002

We visited Roberto's "picaflor" project. There has been so much rain that we really did not expect to see any hummingbirds. But Lance set up his camera and flash system and then we waited inside one of the viewing bungalows. Behold a hummingbird did came and feed on lantana.
Flowering plants that attract hummingbirds and butterflies are being planted. Seed and fruit feeder stations are positioned near each viewing bungalow.

English: hummingbird / Spanish: picaflor / Ese'eja: Qua ii

We have been unable to identify this hummingbird species (above photo)
Nor can we find this bird in " A Field Guide to the Birds of Peru".

Are there any bird experts out there that want to give this one a try?
If so, please tell us : gonewild@gonewild.net

11 Feb 2002

Visited Roberto's chacra. The Picaflor project is coming along very nicely. The moloca is built and ready (almost) for visitors and patients who need healing. Robertos picaflor and moloca project is an example of a "new advancement" in his native Ese'eja community. Bringing traditional and non traditional creative knowledge together to build self confidence and pride within the native community. A chacra need not be just a farm anymore! Robertos idea reminds of the idea behind western "dude ranches" in the U.S. We are certain Roberto has never been to a "dude ranch". But he would probably find one very interesting!
Human beings around the world are longing to experience something new, something traditional, something true, something else.

Roberto has the right idea! Build it, and they will come !!!

Welcome to "E Shi Hi", Ayahuasca, spiritual healing, medicinal garden.
Master vegetalista shaman Shae'jame

The Masias family moloca construction crew.

For more information and reservations to visit "E Shi Hi" please contact Lance y Belinda Peck,
Puerto Maldonado, Peru tele: 51-84-573587
or email : gonewild@gonewild.net.
Interested persons my contact Roberto Masias by email at : Roberto@gonewild.net (Spanish and English)

04 Feb 2002

Still rain falling off and on today. Weather pattern looks like its going to hang around for a while. Roberto showed up with canoe. Will go to the chacra in the morning…...rain or shine, to see how the project is going.

03 Feb 2002

Planned to go to the chacra today. It rained and Roberto didn't come down river, probably tomorrow if the skies clear a bit.

01 Feb 2002

The rainy season officially started for us here in Puerto Maldonado, Peru. Rain almost the whole day. Estimate close to 12 inches just by looking at the yard around the house. Could stand in the yard and the water was over our ankles.