J.K. Putnam Photography

Twig, Catskill Mountains, New York

Wed, 22 May 2013 05:53:04 -0400

Twig, Catskill Mountains, New York

Tsukiji Fish Market, Tokyo, Japan

Mon, 20 May 2013 22:40:41 -0400

Tsukiji Fish Market, Tokyo, Japan

J.K. Putnam

Mon, 20 May 2013 06:22:54 -0400

J.K. Putnam:

Check out my pics on Exposure, and if you’re signed up… vote. Otherwise just look at the pictures, that’s what they’re for.

Steps and Shrine, Fushimi Inari Taisha, Kyoto, Japan

Thu, 16 May 2013 22:40:24 -0400

Steps and Shrine, Fushimi Inari Taisha, Kyoto, Japan

Golden Statue (Kannon Bodhisattva), Kyoto, Japan

Wed, 15 May 2013 22:14:00 -0400

Golden Statue (Kannon Bodhisattva), Kyoto, Japan

Millipede Hiding in Moss, Ramapo Mountain State Forest

Sun, 12 May 2013 17:30:36 -0400

Millipede Hiding in Moss, Ramapo Mountain State Forest

Blueberry Flower, Ramapo Mountain State Forest, NJ

Sun, 12 May 2013 13:35:39 -0400

Blueberry Flower, Ramapo Mountain State Forest, NJ

Garlic Mustard (or Jack-by-the-Hedge), Ramapo Mountain Sate...

Sun, 12 May 2013 10:24:00 -0400

Garlic Mustard (or Jack-by-the-Hedge), Ramapo Mountain Sate Forest, New Jersey

California Sea Lions, Moss Landing

Fri, 10 May 2013 21:13:31 -0400

California Sea Lions, Moss Landing

A Banana Slug’s Long Journey, Fall Creek, California

Fri, 10 May 2013 06:53:04 -0400

A Banana Slug’s Long Journey, Fall Creek, California

Elephant Seal, California Coast

Thu, 09 May 2013 22:00:34 -0400

Elephant Seal, California Coast

Coastal Scene, Pacific Grove, Califonia

Thu, 09 May 2013 18:46:56 -0400

Coastal Scene, Pacific Grove, Califonia

My Favorite Spot, Pacific Grove, California

Thu, 09 May 2013 06:24:19 -0400

My Favorite Spot, Pacific Grove, California

California Poppy, Point Lobos State Park

Wed, 08 May 2013 19:31:00 -0400

California Poppy, Point Lobos State Park

Beach Plum, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, New York

Sun, 05 May 2013 17:05:45 -0400

Beach Plum, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, New York

Joshua Tree National Park: Desert in Bloom No matter where...

Sat, 04 May 2013 10:36:00 -0400

Joshua Tree National Park: Desert in Bloom

No matter where you live, there will always be spring; flowers will bloom and trees will leaf. It is a powerful time of year. I consider myself very lucky to have traveled to Joshua Tree National Park this spring to bear witness to the mass Joshua tree bloom, a once in a lifetime event. No one knows why (it could be a defensive reaction to drought or just plain stress) but for some reason almost all of the Joshua trees bloomed; something that they just don’t do, not all at once. This occurrence was reflected throughout the desert, everything was in high bloom; yucca, ocotillo, cholla, everything. The Joshua trees themselves were bearing fruit as big as a person’s fist. In turn, the desert was alive with activity. Standing next to a Joshua bloom and listening carefully you could hear the munching of the yucca moth’s larva feeding on the tree’s seeds. Arriving at an ocotillo patch in the evening you could find them swarming with hummingbird moths; fluttering among the red flowers and pollinating the entire grove as they traversed from one plant to the next. Such a barren place yet so filled with life.

Before traveling, I do a lot of research on the area and the species of interest to me. In this case the Joshua trees were my main focus, as seen in the previous post. I like to go to a place with a specific vision in mind. In finding out about the mass Joshua bloom I wanted to highlight it and really show the exclamation of such an event. I believe the first photo in this series does that. It was the last photo I took in the park before departing. It took me five days to find the right tree and conditions and I succeeded in creating an image that represents both the power of the bloom and my vision of it.

Joshua Tree National Park: Namesake Many of the Joshua...

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 18:24:00 -0400

Joshua Tree National Park: Namesake

Many of the Joshua trees that are standing today were taking root a century and a half ago when Mormon immigrants first gave them their name, some were already full grown. The pioneers saw the figure of Joshua, a biblical character, reaching towards the sky in prayer, personified in the trees. The name stuck and was eventually adopted by the National Park Service. Joshua Tree National Park is a stark, rocky place adorned with beautiful granite boulders, desert gardens, and of course Joshua trees. Out of any natural landscape I have visited in the U.S. this place looked and felt the most foreign. It reminded me of the Australian Outback or parts of Africa with its moonscape features and bizarre plant life. The Joshua trees are rooted deep in the history of this place. They provided fuel and materials for settlers and Native Americans and gave food and shelter to desert wildlife long before that. The Mojave Desert is their home, and Joshua Tree National Park is their monument.

The glaring, mid-afternoon sun gave feeling to the harshness of the high desert, as did the touch of a Joshua’s palmy branch against bare skin. Twilight brought with it a soft pale light that laid pleasantly across the landscape, washing everything in cool relief. The night sky sparkled with stars and the moon was bright enough to illuminate the landscape. The Joshua trees stood like sentinels across the landscape, spread out for miles as if they were marching through time.

My Point of View, April 10, 2013

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 20:11:56 -0400

My Point of View, April 10, 2013

Where the River Narrows On a whim, my wife and I packed our...

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 20:07:00 -0400

Where the River Narrows

On a whim, my wife and I packed our bags and took a trip. It’s strange for us not to head into the wilderness when we have a week off, but we hadn’t allowed ourselves a lot of time to plan. The night before we left we simply looked at the map to see what was within driving distance. We chose Quebec City, Canada. Quebec City sits on the northern bank of the Saint Lawrence River, a mighty waterway that stretches from Lake Ontario to the Atlantic. Our thirst for adventure would be quenched by the idea of escaping to another country, a place where English wouldn’t necessarily be spoken by everyone we ran into. We weren’t sure what to expect. We had both been to Quebec when we were younger, and both during the peak tourist season. We remembered Quebec as a novelty, a disney version of France. We were relieved to find that Quebec does actually feel like another country, its own country in fact. Perhaps this had a lot to do with the fact that we were seemingly the only visitors in town. It felt as if we had the place to ourselves. The shops and attractions were empty of English speaking tourists. Locals strolled through the streets with a certain ease, like they were taking the time to enjoy their home free from crowds, even if just for a short period. It didn’t take long for that to change. We had arrived on a Saturday, by Thursday the whole town seemed to be prepping itself, and by Friday busloads of people were swimming through the shops and restaurants. The offseason had ended. Coincidentally, the ice-flows we had watched pass the city each day with the ebb and flow of the river’s tide had all but vanished. Winter had passed and with the arrival of Easter weekend spring had begun. On our last night in town we slipped away to the top of a hill that overlooked the city. The crowds didn’t follow, the March mud and remaining snow had concentrated them to the streets and sidewalks. We were happy to have the place to ourselves one last time.

My Point of View, March 14, 2013

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 06:52:38 -0400

My Point of View, March 14, 2013