The 31 first pages of the book tells us the history of Henle’s path to becoming one of the most famous freelance photographers, from his taking an interest in photography as a young child in a pre-WWII Germany  and through his entire subsequent career photographing around the world and eventually ending up making St. Croix his home. The rest of the book shows a wide range and large amount (127) of his iconic images made in 1934 through 2007.

As I take in these captivating, strong images, two thought come to find. The first being “I can’t believe that these were shot with Rolleiflex”.  For me these images are a great reminder that you can create strong powerful timeless images with whatever technology that you have at the time as long as you master the tools that you have at hand. As it happens I  have been debating upgrading my Canon 5D MkII bodies to the just released Canon 5D Mk III bodies in he past few days. The additional 6o or so autofocus points and faster processor of this new body promise the ability to create stronger images. But when I think about the technology that Henles images were created with,  “number of autofocus-points” suddenly seem quite unimportant.

Secondly, as I look at these images, created in  different countries in a different eras, they elude feelings of nostalgia. Looking at an image of people at a Cafe’ on the Bastille in Paris in 1938 almost gives me the feeling that the scenes were “created to be romantic and nostalgic”. But of course they weren’t. In each image Henle mastered capturing the very  essence of what was then the “now”. He did not romanticize  bygone eras, but was rather observing and accurately distilling the elements that defined the very moments in time that he was living are working in. These images made me wish to pay closer attention to the world around me right now, to become more attentive to the questions, events, technologies, ideas, fashions, plights, and realities that define the times we live in right now. To be in the moment. To select the elements that will “explain” what this time in history felt and looked like. To create something that anchors  time, yet with a visual language that is timeless. Imagine creating an image today that will completely captivate the attention and mind of a future photographer that look at  the image while holding a camera in their hand that  has  technologically advanced 7 decades.  This is  what Fritz Henle accomplished.

What is luck?

When I first started taking DSLRs underwater in 2003 I read Howard Hall and Brian Skerry’s most excellent book “Successfull Underwater Photography” quite religiously. At the time I liked it so much that I even bought copies to lent to my aspiring photographer friends. In this book, the authors define “luck” as “when opportunity meets preparedness”. I think this equation sums it up quite well and is probably the first and most important lesson for anyone setting out to make great images.

I can not think of even one image that I would have created in the past 4 decades just by pure “luck”. Yes, I have always been fortunate to have great cameras, starting from the Kodak Brownie my mom gave me when I was a toddler to the amazing professional gear that I get to use today. I have never felt crippled by technology, but I do feel that it is extremely important for a photographer to understand exactly what your gear realistically can and cannot do in order to be able to create the image you set out to create.  So having the “right” gear for the task is important. But that great camera body won’t do much good, without the knowledge of how to use it and also having a solid technical understanding of photography.

Then there is that “good eye”. Do some people have a “better eye”, some sort of exceptional ability to see beauty or drama in the world more clearly than others? Maybe. But I will claim that everyone that was born with eyesight has the capability to see the world in their own unique way. Hence it is important to understand how to bring that vision forth, and this is where it is important to have at least basic knowledge in composition. Beauty is not accidental. As humans we are conditioned from birth to react to certain proportions that occur and recur in nature. Our brains seek to make order out of chaos.  Composition is about using visual clues that our viewers brains react in a certain way to. Knowledge of composition gives us the freedom create emotionally compelling images.

Finally, having the right equipment, knowing how to use it and having a good understanding of exposure and composition doesn’t do much good unless we put it all to use. Getting ourselves to the right places at the right times is important. This can require heap-loads of patience, especially for nature photographers.  Wildlife, weather conditions, light; it is unpredictable.To get a great image of a particular subject it is often necessary to return to the same spot several times. With some subjects, perhaps hundreds of times.  Underwater photographers know this all too well. Nature doesn’t work on our schedule,  currents and visibility cannot be scheduled, and most of the time fish do not want to model. But putting ourselves back in the water over and over again, eventually something great will come about. As long as we have the right equipment and are prepared to use it in the right way when that happens, we will indeed at times “get lucky”.

Now, sprinkle the foundation above with a little creativity, inspiration and good planning,and I believe that you have the recipe for that “lucky shot”.

As this was an opportunity for me to interact with large amount of people in a fairly short timespan I chose to show images of life under the surface of the ocean, so as to be able to draw attention to the importance of conserving the marine environment. It was a true joy to converse with such a diverse group of people on everything from climate change, shifting baselines on what should be considered “a healthy reef”, to just talking about fish and critters. It was fun also to get to interact with fellow creative people, both other show participants as well as  visitors. I was especially  inspired by the work of some of the painters, some that I already was familiar with and others new to me.

This July I had the opportunity to work with The Nature Conservancy to create images to support their important work in the Grenadine Bank to make small island nations more resilient towards the effects of Climate Change. Traveling in this area it became abundantly clear to me how strongly climate change affects small island nations and how urgent it is for  all of us to take heed and protect the natural resources that help mitaigate effects such as increased storm activity and rising sea levels. As I directed my lenses towards  these natural barries which are absolutely essential for he survival  of small island nations, I realized that I was also looking  at frames of some of the most beautiful scenery. It appears to me that compared to the manmade barriers such as seawalls and reinforced riverbanks,  nature provides for both better form and function with barriers such as colorful, healthy coral reefs, sandy beaches and vegetation that prevents erosion. Alarmingly, much of these natural barriers against the effect of climate change are being destroyed by badly planned development, pollution, unsustainable use of resources and especially sandmining.  On the upside, I was truly impressed by how aware people I canme in contact with in the Grenadine Bank  were about climate change. Climate change is real, but I believe that due the hard work and incredible dedication of organizations such as The Nature Conservancy and people around the world who are becoming increasingly aware of the real and urgent need to protect our natural resources, there is hope.

Traveling on the upper Sepik River and its tributary the April River, I sometimes felt like suspended between heaven and earth. To see my images from this mighty waterway and the life and cultures it nurtures, see my Sepik River  image gallery

I had the pleasure of photographing Chef Anita Lo, owner and executive chef of new York restaurant Annisa, prepare and exquisite dinner for 16 guests at the lush Estate Bella Sera overlooking the Caribbean Sea. The dinner was paired with wines by winemaker Jennifer Halleck who was also in attendance. This “Cork&Fork” dinner was arranged by St. Croix Foundation as a part of the annual “St. Croix Food & Wine Experience” culinary festival.

The “Nauti photographers team” was at it again this year during the 2011 St. Croix Yacht Club
Hospice Regatta & Optimist Regatta on February 12-13, zipping around and exposing our most treasured lenses to the wet and salty elements. To check out images from the event click here.

January brings fantastic photography opportunities in the form of the vibrant Crucian Christmas Festival. To see more images from the festival check out the full set in the stock galleries by clicking here