Flagstaff Mountain Film Festival — Director’s Award — Into the Canyon

petermcbride November 23, 2020November 23, 2020 Leave a comment

2019

My New Book — the deluxe, large format #SeeingSilence is finally here! (Order Link in Bio).
These aerials of the dry Colorado River delta always amaze me. This once famous estuary is now nearly all dry and it often looks like high tides of the Gulf of California go looking for it’s old Rio friend - creating root-like tendril patterns.

In my book Seeing Silence I explore the power and fragility of natural sounds and silence in places like this and others around the world — and how their landscapes support wildlife, us but yet many have changed — in soundscape as much as land.

I’ve hiked this entire delta dry and during a unique restoration pulse flow nearly a decade ago I floated it. The contrast in sight and sound was remarkable — from dead to chirping and howling with life.

This new Seeing Silence comes with a print, custom clamshell case and new, never published images - spanning 20 years of my work. To snag one go to my bio link or
https://petemcbride.com/seeing-silence-deluxe/ — 5% of sales goes to conservation groups I work with and from now until October 15th, use code EARLYBIRD for $25 off.

#nature #water #aerial #wildlife #silence #sound #photography #petemcbride

My Backyard Buddy: I always have fun photographing my wild neighbors, from the bear that has moved into my backyard and visits me daily to the regular migration of elk that frequent the rivers around my home. Thanks @sonyalpha for a lightweight camera that does it all when I'm on the move.

#alpha1 #elk #blackbear #wildlife #fall #sonyalpha #sonyartisan #sonypartner

Mountains give so much life, spirit, inspiration and more - but also take so quickly. I’m so deeply saddened by the loss of @hilareenelson and 💔 for her family and her partner and best friend @jimwmorrison.
Words are insufficient but I do hope all find the strength and courage for the path ahead.

Nature Bats Last: Sights and sounds from a landscape that has been under water my entire life — from a recent story I shot and wrote for @smithsonian (link in bio).

As drying conditions and drought persist across the Western U.S., Lake Powell is now at its lowest level since they built Glen Canyon Dam in the late 1960s - arguably a colossal structure that was built without proof of purpose.

But as America’s second largest reservoir retreats, a silver lining is revealing itself in the slots and cathedrals of this sunken treasure — the natural wonders of Glen Canyon are returning - from ghost forests to archeology, arches and humbling alcoves. Thanks @lennecefer, @ericbalken and @ecoflight for making this exploration and story possible.
#nature #water #Coloradoriver #drought #hope #glencanyon 📸 by #petemcbride

What do you think of when you hear the word "fire"? For members of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, fire is everything. It has ceremonial and ecological power and is critical to helping prevent uncontrolled wildfires. I was honored to speak with these young stewards, Alexii and Esak, and see the work they are doing with @castateparks to preserve lands on the central coast of California. Thanks @bankofthewest and @parkscalifornia for supporting solution-based work.

#BOTWambassador #stewardship #native #culture #california #conservation #nature #wildfire

There's nothing like working with this incredibly powerful, gentle, and threatened species. Happy #WorldRhinoDay and thanks to @nrt_kenya for helping to ensure their survival.

#kenya #conservation #wildlife #rhino #cute

Water is life — and rivers are the arteries. I’m honored to give the keynote address tonight for @mountaintowns2030 at 6 pm in Breckinridge CO.

I’ll be sharing my decade plus work on the Colorado River, water, its mega drought, the impacts of climate on all — and solutions I’ve witnessed.

A few frames from a recent #GrandCanyon trip rowing through the eye of storm and the calm after.

#water #nature #drought #coloradoriver 📷 by #petemcbride

Teaming up with deep-time wisdom: Here are a few more frames from my time with the amazing members of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band in California, who have partnered with California State Parks to preserve landscapes using controlled fire as a tool to prevent catastrophic wildfires. As one tribal steward told me, "With the reintroduction of fire, we hope to address some of these climate change issues that we've been facing.” Kudos to @bankofthewest and @parkscalifornia for supporting projects like this that unite people and wild landscapes with natural solutions and indigenous deep-time knowledge.

#BOTWambassador #nature #wildfire #solutions #native #publiclands

It was an honor to meet and hear the wisdom of Valentin Lopez, Chairman of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band. Tribal stewards have partnered with CA State Parks to bring their conservation practices, like prescribed and cultural burning, to protecting the landscapes of the central coast of California. Thank you to the Amah Mutsun for your stewardship and for working with us on this @bankofthewest project.

#conservation #wildfire #california #stewardship #bankofthewestambassador

Fighting Wildfire With Fire: In the central coast of California, the ancient, indigenous practice of controlled burns is returning to help the land become more biodiverse and resilient to uncontrolled wildfires. I recently had the privilege to meet and document members of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, which has implemented cultural and prescribed burns in partnership with California State Parks to mitigate wildfires and protect the Quiroste Valley cultural preserve. Native peoples have used fire for conservation work for thousands of years, but we are just starting to understand their deep-time knowledge. It was an honor to meet members of the tribe and see some of their efforts in action as part of a @bankofthewest project. Read more about their work and hear the wisdom of Tribal Chairman Valentin Lopez and stewards Alexii and Esak at the link in my bio.

#conservation #tribal #community #california #wildfire #nature #botwambassador

Dropping back into this place of deep time...

A few years ago I joined @kevinfedarkoauthor and @richrudow on a little 800-mile wander with many amazing souls through this open-aired wonder. It was one of the hardest and most remarkable experiences of my life. While I still love the simplicity of traveling by foot, I welcome the float this time - even on the dwindling and very warm lifeline — the Colorado River.

#grandcanyon #publiclands #nature #water #sonyalpha 📷 #petemcbride

Who is watching who - and who is hearing what - is key to living in the world of wildlife.

Fun facts: Leopards can hear five times more sounds than humans. Giraffes are silent but now believed to hum. The Lilac Breasted Roller makes calls similar to steam trains. Lions can hear prey up to a mile away. #africa #kenya #wildlife #nature from my new large format #seeingsilence book coming out this week. #sonyalpha 📷 #petemcbride

To finding music and escaping the noise.
Happy Labor Day weekend.

How I love sleeping under the stars.

From my new #SeeingSilence large format book coming out next week. Sign up for it in my bio link.

#nightsky #timelapse #milkyway #nature #sonyalpha #sonyambassador #sonykamdotrip 🎥 #petemcbride

Monday Meditation - where land, water, wind and time make us feel wonderfully small.

From my 800 mile Grand walk and the book and film that followed. #grandcanyon #betweenriverandrim #intothecanyon #nature #blackandwhite #petemcbride #sonykandotrip

Where water - and hubris once sat — a canyon returns.

In the wake of the Colorado River’s mega drought which is seeing reservoirs like Lake Powell retreat, there is another story: the return of a natural wonder - Glen Canyon which I recently documented for a story with @smithsonianmagazine coming out this fall. Thanks @glencanyon_institute and @lennecefer for the laughs.
#water #drought #coloradoriver #climate #nature 📷 #petemcbride

That time we danced with lightning while looking for a water God…

Ten years ago I climbed 17,057 ft.(5199 m) Batian Peak of Mt. Kenya — Africa’s second highest peak to see the wonders of Kenya's water tower— and document its changes. it used to have 16 glaciers. Today it has less than one.

We didn’t make the summit as a lightning strike too close for comfort made us flee, feet from the summit. But as they say, it is about the journey, not the destination — and that journey I will never forget. Thanks @mountainworld @francothepapa @kimhavell for the memories. To learn more, check out “The Water Tower” on Vimeo.

Happy #globalclimbingday #water #kenya #africa #adventure #climate #batian #lightning
🎥📷 #petemcbride

High altitude happy huffing — good to be back home. Amazed how little snow is left up high. #rockies #colorado #nature #water #watershed

An excuse to be curious, look, pause and learn — that is what photography has been for me for over two decades. It has been a passport to the wonders of our world, both far away and right in my backyard.

Much of the time I use photography to try to increase awareness about the challenges we face with freshwater, drought, wildlife, habitat, cultures and climate; but it is also just an excuse to be present in a fleeting moment.

For me, the best camera is the one in my hand — which means one that can handle low light, photography and video and a wide range of views from wide angle to telephoto, long exposure to high speed. Thanks @sonyalpha the #alpha1 is my camera because it does it all.

Happy #WorldPhotographyDay

Photos #kenya #costarica #mexico #colorado #utah #travel #water #drought #climate #culture #petemcbride #SonyPartner #SonyArtisans

Exciting News! My book "Seeing Silence" is coming out in a limited edition, large format version. This 12x12 edition is the same as the original, but bigger with new imagery, a signed print and a beautiful clamshell case. It shares my stories from all seven continents about the magic and fragility of silence and natural sounds — from the whisper of bat wings to the rumble of elephants that we can’t hear.

This 20-year span of my work — both imagery and words — for the likes of @natgeo @smithsonianmagazine @nature_org and so many more is the collection I am most proud of. I hope it transports you to many rare places where natural sounds and silence still live and the human cacophony of our mechanical world has not entirely changed the soundscape or landscape.

Sign up at the link in my bio to be notified when Seeing Silence Deluxe is ready to order.

#SeeingSilence #wildlife #nature #photographybook #naturephotography #conservation

Layers of Alpen Light - filled with morning mist and more… Hello Alps.

#aerial #montblanc #france #europe #mountains #sonyalpha #fineart 📷 by #petemcbride

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