tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47209451555742153042024-03-13T12:54:46.288-07:00Chase the LightRandom Musings On the Business, Art & Obsession of PhotographyTony Novak-Cliffordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655259467072243424noreply@blogger.comBlogger501125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720945155574215304.post-30232602375131264272016-02-12T09:05:00.001-08:002016-04-05T19:51:23.387-07:00
We've moved! You can now find and follow the blog here:
http://www.tonynovak-clifford.com/blog
Tony Novak-Cliffordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655259467072243424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720945155574215304.post-88442291323283545682015-05-21T18:06:00.000-07:002015-05-21T18:16:54.000-07:00Natural History
Found this nest next to my car last evening when on my way to a meeting. It was most likely dislodged from nearby branches by the strong winds we've been experiencing of late.
Belonging to Zosterops Japonicus and commonly referred to as Mejiro, Japanese White-Eye or Silver Finch, I've learned that construction of this nest can take 7-10 days. A combination of spider webs, Tony Novak-Cliffordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655259467072243424noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720945155574215304.post-88293218884345437702015-05-20T18:08:00.000-07:002015-05-20T18:10:09.074-07:00In The Lair of Fair
Spent a couple of hours last week nosing around the home & studio of artist Deybra Fair (http://www.deybrafair.com). Turning into the hillside drive way I am greeted by the screeching of peacocks roosting in nearby trees. There are found objects and art made of found objects liberally scattered around the grounds, hanging on walls and spilling from every shelf and covering every surface. Tony Novak-Cliffordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655259467072243424noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720945155574215304.post-26617749370812283412015-04-29T11:59:00.001-07:002015-04-29T11:59:54.973-07:00Hungry Now?
Monday morning, bleary-eyed drive to the airport in torrential monsoon rains so that Assistant Niki & I could catch the first flight to H'lulu. Upon landing, we're greeted by sunny skies, picked up & whisked away by our client who transported us to the commercial-fishing waterfront where we would spend the day photographing all manner of tasty offerings from the kitchen of Nico's PierTony Novak-Cliffordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655259467072243424noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720945155574215304.post-3126346250890414732015-02-06T15:41:00.002-08:002015-02-06T15:42:25.691-08:00
Intense full moon this phase cycle...
Tony Novak-Cliffordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655259467072243424noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720945155574215304.post-28820284289099677432015-02-03T20:54:00.003-08:002015-02-03T20:54:44.676-08:00
Reaching out to clients and potential clients with regular marketing spam is one of the necessary evils in pursuit of work. When given the opportunity to, I always ask what their feelings are about receiving these things from photographers. Most are kind and generous and positive about receiving them.
Here's winter's effort... destined for 650 inboxes worldwide.
[VIEWWEBSITE]
Tony Novak-Cliffordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655259467072243424noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720945155574215304.post-64541099291246869662015-02-02T14:29:00.000-08:002015-02-02T14:29:00.383-08:00
The best & most productive days always start like this.
After the morning pup stroll, it was back at the desk sorting through emails, going through end of year business for the accountant and organizing a shoot scheduled for Wednesday.
Weather has taken a decided turn for the worse since the dawn stroll and predictions are for heavy winds from the south and rain thru fridayTony Novak-Cliffordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655259467072243424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720945155574215304.post-91261164410841298242015-01-28T22:09:00.000-08:002015-01-28T22:21:16.981-08:00
Waiting around for a corporate meet-n-greet event to begin, started staring at the ceiling of the hotel where the event was held. Rather bland architectural details took on a luminous abstract quality when isolated.
Tony Novak-Cliffordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655259467072243424noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720945155574215304.post-9393820958738060892015-01-27T19:32:00.001-08:002015-01-27T19:32:26.631-08:00
A hectic two-week shoot schedule has just concluded. A top-secret outing for the FORBES Magazine brand suddenly appeared. Along with it came an introduction to wonderful Photo Editor R, a woman who, to date, as provided the best, most direct and generous creative direction I have ever been provided for any assignment. The assignment involved some inter-island travel and should Tony Novak-Cliffordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655259467072243424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720945155574215304.post-66664457462723140992015-01-15T17:23:00.003-08:002015-01-15T17:23:55.045-08:001.15.2015
Just arrived... Cargo Cult. New book from New Mexico based photographer & wundergal Karen Kuehn. A signed copy, no less. Mahalo KK!
Tony Novak-Cliffordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655259467072243424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720945155574215304.post-77720975486454205162015-01-10T09:53:00.001-08:002015-01-10T09:53:20.175-08:001.9.2015Tony Novak-Cliffordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655259467072243424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720945155574215304.post-75345804642910169242015-01-07T20:05:00.001-08:002015-01-07T20:05:13.057-08:001.7.2015Tony Novak-Cliffordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655259467072243424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720945155574215304.post-24732654263207196332015-01-06T18:52:00.003-08:002015-01-06T18:52:51.314-08:001.6.2015Tony Novak-Cliffordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655259467072243424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720945155574215304.post-91051481715291993602015-01-05T15:05:00.000-08:002015-01-05T15:05:48.432-08:001.3.2015
Already behind in my daily posting resolution for the new year. Selah...
Tony Novak-Cliffordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655259467072243424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720945155574215304.post-87561357314004398892015-01-03T11:46:00.000-08:002015-01-03T11:46:36.609-08:001.2.2015Tony Novak-Cliffordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655259467072243424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720945155574215304.post-24397054426054230572015-01-01T19:07:00.000-08:002015-01-01T19:07:19.069-08:001.1.2015 Tony Novak-Cliffordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655259467072243424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720945155574215304.post-16449190995764710492014-11-21T15:39:00.000-08:002014-11-22T09:35:21.330-08:00On To Raja Ampat - Things Really Get Interesting...
Nikko ferried us to the docks of Sorong early monday morning. Our plan was the catch the first ferry to Waisai Island that morning and return on the last ferry back to Sorong. From Waisai, we assumed that we would somehow find access to the marine preserve and fabled tiny islands of Raja Ampat.
Boarding the large ferry, we had plenty of company. Inside the boat where plush red velvet seats Tony Novak-Cliffordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655259467072243424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720945155574215304.post-84424307896958649772014-11-20T19:30:00.000-08:002014-11-20T19:30:14.945-08:00Sorong
As promised, we began the approach to Sorong around 10 o'clock on Sunday morning. We had been sailing for 9 days and this would be the Manta Mae's final port of call for this trip. Here the boat would anchor for more than a week as it waited for it's owner to arrive from Europe. The crew, in shifts, would fly home for a few days each, leaving someone always on board to keep an eye on things.
Tony Novak-Cliffordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655259467072243424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720945155574215304.post-68742431041203886472014-11-20T17:27:00.000-08:002014-11-20T17:27:20.263-08:00On To Raja Ampat... or Not...
Our final night at Bwano Island, the three of us stayed on deck late into the evening. Mr. T & I talked while Widi and the crew fished with handlines off of the ship's rear. Sunset was again spectacular! We were all tired from a full day of activity but equally excited about the final days of the journey.
Finally, exhausted and ready for sleep, we climbed below deck to our Tony Novak-Cliffordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655259467072243424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720945155574215304.post-23253413993763076212014-11-20T16:30:00.003-08:002014-11-20T16:31:32.818-08:00Bwano Is Good To Us
By mid-day the tide was getting perilously low and it was time to say goodbye to the village and our hosts on Bwano (Buano?) Island and return to the boat. Nikko waited with the zodiak at the edge of the lagoon as we waded out thru the reef to meet him and be ferried back to the Manta Mae.
Once we had climbed into the dinghy and stashed our cameras, Nikko decides we should take a tour Tony Novak-Cliffordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655259467072243424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720945155574215304.post-15609682632496876382014-11-19T17:21:00.001-08:002014-11-19T17:21:24.424-08:00Things Begin To Get Interesting
After leaving Bau Bau, we quickly returned to our routine of eat, nap, watch the horizon, nap, eat, watch a movie and sleep. It would be two more days of landless vistas before we would make our next landfall.
The first night and day at sea were uneventful... calm seas, few visits by marine life of any sort, a few birds and fishing boats seen in the distance. We made good time and Tony Novak-Cliffordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655259467072243424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720945155574215304.post-23174875495970592802014-11-19T12:43:00.003-08:002014-11-19T20:00:31.058-08:00Exploring Pasar Bau Bau
After leaving the Kraton and Fortress, we made our way to the Pasar... the central market for Bau Bau. Here, chef would shop for fresh fish and vegetables and my companions and I would search for photo-ops. Asian markets are a personal favorite of mine. The smells... strange fruits and vegetables, the frenzied activity involved in the haggling over prices, the welcoming faces of strangers... Tony Novak-Cliffordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655259467072243424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720945155574215304.post-21669421936136009212014-11-19T10:48:00.000-08:002014-11-19T10:48:35.351-08:00Making Landfall in Bau Bau
Through the early morning haze we could make out details of the coastline that lay ahead... tankers and cargo ships lining the docks, buildings and mountains rising up behind the town. As we sailed closer, the coastal waters were busy with small fishing boats, ferries and water taxis making their way back & forth across the harbor. Soon we could make out the buildings lining the Tony Novak-Cliffordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655259467072243424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720945155574215304.post-53617429596826321602014-11-18T20:07:00.000-08:002014-11-18T20:07:30.456-08:00Our First Day At Sea
The Island of Lombok and Mt. Rinjani at SunriseUp before sunrise, we three hitchhikers, well... this hitchhiker at least, were excited and anxious to get up on deck to catch the sunrise. My two companions had yet to find their sea legs and looked a bit "green around the gills" after a night below deck in slightly choppy seas. A cup of coffee or two later and both were feeling much Tony Novak-Cliffordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655259467072243424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720945155574215304.post-70873884850834127272014-11-17T19:42:00.002-08:002014-11-18T16:14:03.103-08:00The Manta Mae
Before I share anymore of the shipboard adventure, I suppose I should show you photographs of our home at sea during the journey.
The Manta Mae was commissioned and built in Manado, Sulawesi, Indonesia by Bugis shipbuilders... a culture of renown seamen and shipbuilders, the best in Indonesia. The Bugis (pronounced Boo-Gee) are also the people from which the mythical "boogeyman" derives Tony Novak-Cliffordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655259467072243424noreply@blogger.com0