Guanaco on the Chimborazo vulcano. Ecuador.

As I write this I’m waiting for the first in a series of flights and ferries that will take me to Isla Grande de Chiloé in Chile. The waters surrounding this island are part of one of the most productive marine ecosystems on the planet, and harbor the largest known aggregation of blue whales on the southern hemisphere. I’m going there to photograph a blue whale and southern right whale conservation project for National Geographic Netherlands/Belgium.

As I’ve never been to Chile before, the photo above is from Ecuador. But it does symbolize the journey I’m about to embark on. I made it when I was fifteen with my first camera, a four-megapixel digital compact with a video teleconverter attached to the front. Four megapixels seemed huge to me at the time. How far this technology has come in a few years! It was not truly my first camera though—my first camera was made of blue plastic and had one button to release the shutter and a dial to advance the film to the next frame. A gift from my parents when I was seven. It broke down after exposing as many as three rolls of film. But in a way that digital compact was still my first real camera—for the first time I was taking pictures with the intention of creating good photos as opposed to just holiday snaps for the family album. And on this trip to Ecuador, for the first time, I dreamed of going on photographic adventures for the famous yellow-bordered magazine…

I have to board the plane now, so I need to finish up. The next post will be from Chile!

Western Crowned Pigeon. Burgers' Bush.

As you may know I was nominated for the National Geographic Emerging Nature Photographer Award 2012 together with Joris de Raedt (Belgium) and Marten van Dijl (the Netherlands). This is a new award in the Netherlands and Belgium for “seriously talented photographers with proven contributions to nature conservation and awareness raising (…) meant to stimulate [them] in their professional career.”

I am thrilled to announce that the jury has appointed me as the winner!

Right now, this means several of my photos are in the Dutch edition of National Geographic Magazine, which is in the stores today. Those images are part of a photo story about Burgers’ Bush that I shot during a 6-hour challenge for the contest. I’ve added it to the photo stories section of the website, so you can see all the images if you wish. There you can also view the photo series about barn owls that secured my nomination.

For the near future, the award means that I will travel to Chile to photograph a blue whale conservation project for the Dutch National Geographic Magazine. I’m sorry that this is a little hastily written, but I will try to share more later as it is a very interesting project. I’m hoping to take you with me ‘into the wild’ through the means of the world wide web. I may be able to do some blog and/or video updates from the field, either here or on the Dutch National Geographic website, and I might devote a post or two to the preparations, but like I said, more about that later …

I have several interviews in the Dutch media today. Firstly, the newspaper Dagblad van het Noorden has again devoted a page to me with an interview and several photos. Also, you can tune into Radio Noord between 16.00 and 18.00 (Central European Time, UTC +02:00). The piece will probably air around 17:00. Finally, I will be on RTV Noord live in the studio at 18.00. If you don’t live in the area, you can listen and watch the livestreams for the radio and television broadcasts.

Finally, be sure to check out the work of my fellow nominees Joris de Raedt and Marten van Dijl as they are both excellent photographers, and in addition Joris does beautiful illustrations of the natural world.

Update — Here’s the piece that aired on RTV Noord:

Theater technician Frans van Rijn in the OUTheater.

For my monthly feature in Universiteitskrant Groningen I like to try and find a subject whose job is often overlooked and put this person in the spotlight. This month, that is literally what I got the chance to do with theater technician Frans van Rijn.

Frans worked in the OUTheater since its inception 22 years ago (then known simply as University Theater). Here, he taught inexperienced students the tricks of the trade, and helped bring some 2500 shows to the stage. But this Friday the curtains will fall for the last time in the OUTheater. Faced by budgetary cuts, the university’s cultural centers are closing it down, to be converted into a lecture hall. Nevertheless, Frans looks back with joy at the good times: “What is more wonderful than a place to experiment? A place to collaborate? When you create something with a team and everything comes together that gives a tremendous kick.”

Click to enlarge (requires Flash).

Jan Huizing, Beadle of the University of Groningen, in the Senate Chamber.

For the third installment of ‘Joris Kijkt‘ in Universiteitskrant Groningen, I photographed beadle Jan Huizing.

Jan Huizing has guarded over the university since 1980. He started working as a security guard and saw many incidents during those years. Recently he caught two burglars hiding in a toilet. “When I started working there was still respect for someone wearing a uniform, but nowadays those guys don’t hesitate to pull a knife. I loved the work, but looking back I am glad it is behind me. It became too dangerous.” He is still a guardian of the university, but today the subject of his protection is protocol. In his present job as beadle, he makes sure that PhD ceremonies and inaugurations flow smoothly. “For centuries we have performed these ceremonies according to the same protocol, and it should stay that way—the way it’s always been. As beadle it’s my responsibility to uphold it.”

Click to enlarge (requires Flash).

Close-up of little owl's eye. Picardie, France.

Dear reader, I’m afraid I have neglected you a bit these past weeks. A lot is going on behind the scenes and I will share it with you as soon as I can. Today, I will just relate the story behind the photo above, and I will follow up with two new photos from my section in Universiteitskrant Groningen. But before I do so, I’d like to bring to your attention that the website has a new section with photo stories and films, so that they don’t get buried and forgotten in the blog.

Now for the story. A while ago I spent a few days in France to get away from the the city’s distractions and work on a paper. This is the sort of place where you wake up to the sound of birds singing, and where the hum of a car in the distance makes you realize it’s the first to pass in hours—it’s quiet. On this day, the phone rang, disturbing the peace and quiet only ever so slightly. The call was about a little owl that got itself trapped in the living room of a house in the next village after falling down the chimney.

For some reason this particular chimney appeals to owls. Maybe it looks like a good shelter. Last year two fledgling barn owls fell down the same chimney and sadly rescue came too late for one of them.

Last year a barn owl fledgling died from hunger after falling down a chimney. Picardie, France.

I hurried over to find the little owl had vanished. Puzzled, we started to search the house and found a few pellets and a trail of items it had knocked over. It must have been trapped for a few days already. But after going over all the rooms twice there was still no sign of life. A little owl sure is little, but not thát little—it had to be in the house. Finally, we started taking books from the shelves and, sure enough, there it was, hiding inside a binder. After a few photos it was time to release our little owl and watch it fly away into the quiet of the French countryside, hopefully a little wiser. For this owl, rescue came in time. I could go back to writing my paper with a smile on my face.

Little owl ready for release. Picardie, France.

This is the second installment of ‘Joris Kijkt‘ in Universiteitskrant Groningen, featuring biologist Maarten Loonen.

Maarten studies barnacle geese and spends several months a year on the Arctic island of Spitsbergen for his field work. Since a quick round-trip to the Arctic didn’t quite, erhm… fit the budget, I photographed him while practicing another passion of his: teaching. This photo shows him collecting crabs and other marine organisms for display in an aquarium during a weekend course on the marine life of the Dutch estuaries. (Click the image for a larger version; requires Flash.)

This is the cover of the October issue of the Journal for Evolutionary Biology, featuring my photo of a smooth newt. It accompanies an article about crest evolution in newts. This goes to show how valuable a tool photography can be to you if you’re a scientist. Not merely as a means of collecting data, but as a way to get your research on the cover.

Coincidentally, this is one of my photos on display in the Museum of Figurative Art. I wrote a post about how the photo came together previously. It’s one of my favorite images because it allows you a peak into the world of a newt from its own perspective. I’m continually amazed by the beauty that lies hidden in these small ponds, which seem nothing but dark and muddy from the surface. There’s a whole world in itself down there…