Behind the Scenes of The Power of Place

Jerry Monkman and I have been logging a lot of hours of filming for The Power of Place over the past few months. We are working on a documentary about the Northern Pass transmission line project, a proposed high voltage power line that would cut through 180 miles of New Hampshire, impacting some of the state’s most iconic landscapes, including the White Mountain National Forest and Appalachian Trail. So far we have interviewed more than a dozen people and visited and filmed areas all along the proposed route. The process has involved many long days, thousands of miles on each of our cars, terabytes of disk space, and hundreds of emails back and forth, but we are accumulating a ton of good material and both of us feel like this documentary is going to actually turn into something that just might catch people’s attention.

Most days after filming I am too tired or too busy to blog about it (although I do tend to post iPhone photos I shoot while out in the field to my Facebook page or to Instagram and Twitter), but I feel really guilty not talking about this project more because 1) working on it has been awesome and 2) not enough people, particularly New Hampshire residents, are well informed about this important issue.

Last night, Jerry and I spent the night atop a mountain under the stars to shoot sunset, sunrise, and the night sky in between. We’ve done this a couple times before by now, and I’d like to say it’s getting easier, but I’m not sure that it is. Even if so, it’s still hard! We rarely get much sleep (believe it or not, it is COLD in August in New Hampshire on a bald mountain summit overnight), and we are always lugging a ridiculous amount of hardware up and down steep rocky trails characteristic of New Hampshire. Regardless of how tough the journey might be, it’s always a pretty awesome experience, and we are getting some great footage thanks to our efforts, so it’s been 100% worth it every time.

Here is a small glimpse of what we’ve been up to. Jerry and I are both trying not to publish too much material that might make it into the film, but I’ve been taking pictures with my iPhone and even turned on my GoPro yesterday to capture some “behind the scenes” footage of the documentary process. Enjoy these snapshots and be sure to check out The Power of Place page on Jerry’s website to learn more about the project.

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Jerry and I are hoping to wrap up the majority of our filming within the next month as hints of autumn are already appearing in the north country and even the swamp maples are starting to turn at lower elevations and latitudes. That means there is a lot to do between now and the end of September, so I probably better get some sleep!

Thank you!

I feel really lucky lately. Granted, my life is not all sunshine and rose petals, but all in all, I have little to complain about. I live in a wonderful place, I’m surrounded by supportive friends and family, and I get to do things I love on a regular basis.

I’m a passionate person. I work hard, play hard, live hard, and love hard. I crash hard too. For the most part, many of the things I do, I do with all my heart and soul. My life is generally one big euphoric cloud of adrenaline and enthusiasm, and most of the time, I’m riding high on a big white puffy cloud of positive feelings. The thing is, the higher I get, the harder I can fall. Yet never once in my life have I fallen without someone to catch me.

Never once in my life have I crashed alone, and because of that, I’ve never crashed for long. My crashes are momentary bursts of emotion that tend to be a mix of sadness, loneliness, confusion, sometimes anger, and always incredible amounts of love. Even in the depths of my lowest lows, I always love the world.

I just got back from an amazing amazing trip to Acadia National Park with members of the North American Nature Photography Association. Acadia is one of my favorite places, and every time I go there I fall more and more in love with that place. I also always seem to meet really fun and interesting people there, and this trip was no exception. Despite the foliage not being quite at peak, the uncooperative weather, and limited shooting I did, I had an absolute blast because I was with incredible people. My co-leaders were probably the most inspiring group of pro photographers I’ve had the opportunity to work with, the participants were pleasant, positive, talented, and a whole lot of fun, and the others I met who don’t quite fit into the first two categories were simply exceptionally awesome people. I couldn’t have shared this experience with a more wonderful collection of individuals.

So when the good-bye hugs were shared, the “see you laters” murmured and car doors shut for the last time, I felt a sense of loss. This is not unlike other trips I’ve led, and I’ll admit a few or more tears were shed as I once again began to contemplate my whole life and what do with it. Internally, I felt my two halves – the one the yearns for a life of stability, security, and familiar roots vs the one that craves a life of constant inspiration, adventure, and exploration – tug at me. Part of me wanted to dive into the wilderness and not come out for a while. Part of me just wanted to get a massive hug from a friend.

I could go on and on about how these intense and immersive trips take their toll on me, or about how I have an amazing assortment of friends scattered all over the world, most of whom I see in person not more than a few times a year, if that, and how I wish that were not so much the case. Sometimes I feel like my heart can’t handle it anymore, being fragmented into so many pieces that have been broken off and given to various gypsies or homebodies whose home just happens to be a different place than mine. But then I realize I was gifted with massive heart, and no matter how many times I love I will always be able to love more because that is who I am.

I like who I am most of the time, and it’s possible for me to be that person because of the many kind and wonderful people who have been a part of my life, particularly those of you who have assumed an ongoing role. I’m a very independent person, but I thrive on human contact and interaction, and as much as I enjoy my moments of solitude, the truth is, I can’t be who I am in isolation. I need people. I need you.

So this note is really a thank you to all of you. This is a thank you to the NANPA folks and other environmental photographers who inspire me and get me excited about the work we do. This thank you goes to my friends who are just a phone call away when I need someone to share good news with, to unload emotions on, or just to entertain me on a long drive. This is a thank you to the people who make me smile, who challenge me, and who remind me of who I am at the core of my soul.

So many people have touched my life, some only briefly, and some who have anchored themselves with roots that will continue to grow as the years go on. My mom has been my biggest supporter since the moment I came to be, and my adopted family in New Hampshire make a state I’ve lived in for only a couple of years feel like home. While biking across the United States in 2009, strangers took me in, fed me, and gave me a warm shower and a clean bed. I get messages and emails from kind strangers offering words of encouragement and support, and sometimes glowing compliments from people I’ve known only briefly, but whose comments touch me deeply.

I don’t know if it’s possible to adequately express the gratitude I feel towards all of you using words and the limitations of the English language, particularly via such impersonal and electronic means as a blog post. I mean to say thank you, and I mean it to mean something, but I’m imperfect and I don’t always know how. The truth is, you all make a difference, and I know that part of who I am is just because that’s who I am, and part of who I am is because of who you have allowed and enabled me to be.

Nature Photography Day and Contest

This Friday is Nature Photography Day. In 2006, the North American Nature Photography Association began Nature Photography Day as a way “to promote the enjoyment of nature photography, and to explain how images have been used to advance the cause of conservation and protect plants, wildlife, and landscapes locally and worldwide.” Now Nature Photography Day is celebrated on June 15th of each year and this Friday marks its 7th year.

In honor of Nature Photography Day, I’m holding a little competition. I want each and every one of you to get out and shoot something nature-y this Friday, so in order to encourage you to do so, I’ll be hosting a photo contest. The winner will receive a matted and signed 8×12 print of their choice from my collection of photographs, or a $50 gift voucher towards a larger print or canvas! I’ll also share your winning image on my blog.

Here are the rules:

  1. Each contestant may enter one (1) photograph.
  2. The photograph must be of a “nature” subject.
  3. The photograph must be taken on Friday, June 15th between 12:00AM and 11:59PM. Follow the time zone of your region.
  4. Photographs submitted should be between 800-1200 pixels on the longest side, and no more than 250KB. Photographs may contain a small watermark and/or thin frame or border.
  5. Email your entry to me at kari@karipost.com with the subject “2012 NPD Contest” in the subject line. In the body of your email, include your name and location.
  6. Photographs must be received by noon Eastern time (12PM EST) on Wednesday, June 27th. NOTE: The deadline has been extended ONE WEEK from its original date of June 20th!
  7. All photographers are eligible to win unless specifically prohibited. Photographers residing outside the continental United States may have to pay shipping to receive their prize.
  8. Winner(s) will be notified via email. Winning image(s) will be published on my blog in July.
  9. By entering the contest, you agree to allow your image to be published by Kari Post Photography, on its website, in social media, and in newsletters, for its entirety. Images will always be credited to the photographer, and will only be used in conjunction with the contest, other contests offered by Kari Post Photography, and/or Nature Photography Day and never for profit. The photographer retails all copyright and ownership of the image.

For more information on Nature Photography Day, visit NANPA’s website: http://www.nanpa.org/nature_photography_day.php

Don’t drink the water!

And don’t brush your teeth with it either. Rookie mistake and my tummy now hates me for it.

Other than that, things are great. Haiti is such an interesting place, and I’ve been enjoying my visit. Yesterday, we drove from Port-au-Prince to Jacmel to pick up the students and have lunch at the beach. Haitian towns are overflowing with interesting people and sights; if I didn’t feel as if it were a total intrusion I would take photos of everything and every one. After eating the best lobster I’ve ever had for lunch (and I live in New England these days), we then to Parc Le Visite. We managed to pack nine of us into a small SUV with much of our belongings tied to the roof, and drove up the longest untamed road I’ve ever been on; it was steeper, rockier, and curvier than any road I’ve seen in the United States or elsewhere, and it just went on and on forever. Thank goodness for our driver Wildor!

While most of yesterday was spent in the car, most of today has been spent hiking around the national park, photographing the scenery and chatting with locals (the kids do the chatting, I hardly remember much from my three years of French from ten years ago, and I know even less Kreyol). It has been an interesting experience; I want to me more involved but the language barrier is tough. That combined with my terrible stomach pains today made me feel like more of a spectator at times. However, the kids are great and even though I can’t understand most of what is being said, I can feel what a positive experience this is for them. The energy in the air is just bubbling with excitement.

Tonight, we are going to attempt to find some frogs, although it is the dry season and probably one of the worst times of the year to find them. However we had rain yesterday and today, so I’ll stay hopeful for the kids. They are very excited to find a krapo!

(Please excuse my less than stellar photos. I haven’t had the chance to do any editing or processing yet and are straight from the camera!)