Nature Photos

Although videography is the mainstay of my art today, ever since my fraternal grandfather, Pop Joe Namm, made me a present of a Kodak Pony 35mm camera for my Bar Mitzvah in 1946, I have had a great interest in capturing life on film. My interest in still photography, like everything else I have done in my lifetime, has always been eclectic. Never simply satisfied with taking pictures of family and friends, my interests have taken me into such exciitng avocations as portrait photography (I took a correspondence course from Idaho University while spending sixteen months above the 38th parallel in Korea in 1956-57) and sports photography in places like Ebbetts Field, the legendary home of the Brooklyn Dodgers, and Shea Stadium, the home of the New York Mets, and Belmont Race Track; and now, living on the North Carolina coastal marsh, when time and travel permit, digital nature photography. However, I have always envied professional freelance photographers like my good friend from the United Kingdom, Frazer Ashford, who produced "The Serial Killers" documentary series, in which I was judicial consultant and sometimes interviewer, and the documentary, "A Question of Guilt, the Martin Tankleff Story," which he coproduced with Nancy and myself, and in which I doubled as creator and host. Frazer's great work through the lens of his camera, from the 1970's and 1980's , when he photographed much of Great Britain's royalty and the world of British entertainment can now be found on the web, and a simple click of your mouse will get you there.http://www.frazerashford.com

Although I have traveled to many exotic places in the world, with both Lenore and Nancy, I have yet to visit one of the most unique and important sites for nature photography, the Galapagos Islands, in the Pacific Ocean some 600 miles off the coast of Equador. The Galapagos, home to many unique creatures found nowhere else on Earth, was the birthplace of Charles Darwin's controversial theory of evolution, controversial to those who take the words of the bible literally. God willing, on January 19, 2006, Nancy and I will be our way to the Galapagos for the first time. On that day we will board an American Airlines flight from Raleigh, North Carolina to Quito, Equador, with an eight hour layover in Miami, Florida. In Quito, the beautiful capital of Equador, we will spend three days at a lovely Spanish style hotel, Hotel Patio Andaluz http://www.hotelpatioandaluz.com/index_en.htm before taking a smaller plane dirctly to the island of Isabela where we will board the 93' trimaran, the sixteen passenger MS Trimaran Lammer Law http://www.larc1.com/galapagos/lammer_law for an eight day snorkel-dive-hike exploration of many of the islands of the Galapagos and its surrounding waters. We will be afforded the opportunity of photographing and videotaping, both underwater and above, the unique marine life and animals, like the Galapagos Tortoise and the Marine Iguana, found nowhere else in the world. Hopefully, upon our return, after two more nights at Hotel Patio Andaluz, we will have many interesting photos and video clips to fill this page.

October 2006 update: Our trip to the beautifully, exotic and unique Galapagos archipelago 600 miles East of the west coast of Ecuador was more interesting than we had ever anticipated. We came back with hundreds of photographs and some intriguing video footage of the very unusual and unique wildlife and sea life. Some of these videos can be seen under "Works in Progress," as we have not had enough time to put together a complete video, the past year having been consumed with our very important documentary project: "Men of Truth and Courage; The 17th Infantry in the Korean War." Nonetheless, in a short while, well be taking off for a two week photograpy and videography safari in two of the most exotic places in Africa: the Serengeti of Kenya and Tanzania. It will be difficult to top the Galapagos for exotic beauty and interest, but we are certain that we are going to return with hundreds of fantastic wildlife photos and high definition video. Stay tuned to these pages!

Meanwhile, please explore and enjoy some of the exciting video clips from earlier travels around the world. Simply click on the yellow Internet link, and the video will automatically download to your computer, but please be patient as download time depends upon the speed of your connection, the length of the clip and Internet traffic at the time of download.

NATURE VIDEO CLIPS

Living on the North Carolina coastal marsh, our home is a nature preserve, including all sorts of insects like Argiope aurantis, the Black and Yellow Garden Spider, which, because of its size and perpetual activity is enough to send shivers up a stranger's spine. However, they are very beautiful, and harmless to humans. Here is one spinning its web in September 2008.

http://www.legaleagleproductions.com/Movies/Spider Spinning Web 092908.wmv

On a seventeen day cruise in 2002 around South America aboard the ms Ryndam, we traveled the very rough seas around Cape Horn; followed Charles Darwin's route through what is now known as the Beagle Channel; and stopped at such exotic places as Ushuaia, Chile, the southernmost city in the world and Punta Arenas on the Argentine Patagonian peninsula where we were introduced to the very social and uninhibited Penguins of Patagonia in their natural habitat.

http://www.legaleagleproductions.com/movies/MarchofthePatagonianPenguins.wmv

On a barren rock island in Beagle Channel covered with Cormorant guano, a colony of Seals of Tierra del Fuego live in a perfect symbiotic relationship with hordes of flightless Imperial Cormorants. The island is very peaceful and quiet until male Bull seals decide to battle for territorial dominance over a harem of females.

http://www.legaleagleproductions.com/movies/BeagleChannelSealsandImperialCormorants.wmv

Once again on Holland America's beautiful ms Ryndam, on a cruise to and from Alaska, on the last night at sea, we spotted three magnificent Killer Whales (Orcas) in the waters off Vancouver Island racing alongside the ship which was then cruising at about 22 knots. The Killer Whale is a member of the dolphin family, and can live 50-80 years in the wild. In captivity, it only has a life span of 10 years.

http://www.legaleagleproductions.com/movies/KillerWhales.wmv

The effect of global warming on an ancient Alaska glacier. As this continues to happen all over the world, ocean levels will rise and threaten coastal communities.

http://www.legaleagleproductions.com/movies/AlaskaGlacier.wmv

NATURE PHOTOS

Great Blue Heron in flight over Intracoastal Waterway

Doe and her Fawn, Mills River, NC, August '05

Multi-flowering Hibiscus in Hampstead, North Carolina, May '05

TMating Turtles Sept 05

Box Turtles mating in Hampstead, NC, September '05

Note: The larger Turtle on his back is the male. They can couple like this for hours!

Bull Seals battle for territorial dominance on island colony in Beagle Channel off the coast of Ushuaia, Chile (the southernmost city in the world) Dec '02

Green Frog on Hampstead, NC coastal marsh displays Mother Nature's camouflage, May '03

American Anole consumes a Butterfly on coastal marsh in Hampstead, N.C. July '05.

Two frogs of the Hampstead, North Carolina coastal marsh. Are they in love or just good friends?

The Upper Falls on the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway, just a short drive up a beautiful mountain road from our home in Mills River, North Carolina

An early morning view of majestic Pike's Peak from our hotel in Colorado Springs which was the site of the 2006 reunion of the 17th Infantry Regiment Association

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East Africa Photo and Video Safari

October-November 2006

Kenya and Tanzania

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Amboseli National Park (Tortilis Camp)

Samburu National Park (Larsen's Camp)

Lake Manyara National Park (Lake Manyara Serena Lodge)

**Ngorongoro Crater Coservation Area

(Kirawara Serena Luxury Tented Camp)

*Olduvai Gorge

(*Site of Louis and Mary Leakey excavations)

**Serengeti National Park

(**UNESCO World heritage site)

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Amboseli National Park

"The King of the Beasts"

Eldest Lioness of a large pride nursing one of her youngest cubs at Amboseli National Park, Kenya, October 2006. The Lions, king of the beasts, do most of their hunting in the very early morning, or in the cool of the early evening. The Lioness is the master of the hunt, and very often, the entire pride, including young cubs, will become involved in the chase, and the eventual kill of a Zebra, Gazelle or Wilderbeast. We followed two such hunts while in Africa, but never got to see the resulting kill. During the heat of the day-never more than the low 80's-the pride can be seen resting under the shade of an Acacia, or some other East African tree. Rarely does the pride finish off the kill, leaving the remains of the carcass to be fought over by scavengers like Vultures, Hyenas, Jackals and the Maribou Stork. Lions, after having feasted on a kill, with their bellies full, may go as long as five days before the next kill. But, there will always be scavengers ready to finish the remains. While in Africa, one really gets an opportunity to appreciate Nature's food chain at work. We saw many scenes such as this video of the battle over the last vestiges of a picked over carcass. In this case, it was a young Zebra carcass.

http://www.legaleagleproductions.com/movies/Africa2006(Vultures&Jackal).wmv

Note (April 2009):

CBS News, 60 Minutes, reports that Lions are being killed at a startling rate in Kenya through the use of Furodam, a deadly insecticide poison, which is freely obtainable at local Agro Pharmacies at a very low price. Please view the video below, through the courtesy of CBS News and 60 Minutes. The culprits seem to be the Masai who lose some of their cattle to the Lions. We must do something to stop the killing of one of the great predators of the world! Please write the Kenyan government to ask them to ban this insecticide before there will no longer be magnificent lions in the wild! We must not silently allow the great creatures of the world to become extinct in the world without taking a stand.

Judge Stuart Namm (Ret)

Creative Director, Legal Eagle Productions

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4901291n

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"The King of the Jungle"

Huge lone Bull Elephant, in heat, moving rapidly towards our open Toyota Land Cruiser vehicle, as we were apparently in the way of his appointed task at Amboseli National Park, Kenya, October 2006. The sure sign that he was in heat was the trail that he left of continuous urination as he approached our open vehicle. Our driver-guide, Eric, was quick to keep the vehicle moving in reverse!

A curious and very beautiful Vervet Monkey studies our every move.

http://www.legaleagleproductions.com/movies/VervetMonkeyAmboseli.wmv

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Samburu National Park

Our unofficial welcome committee as we arrived at our second luxurious tented camp in Samburu, Larsen's Camp, was a seemingly hungry African Crocodile-mouth wide open, teeth glistening-less than a stone's throw away! Fortunately, however, there was a narrow, fast flowing stream which acted as somewhat of a barrier between him and our beautiful tent which was situated on the bank directly across from the open jaws!

At our last camp, Serena's Luxury Tent Camp in the Western Serengeti, Baboons were constantly roaming around the campsites. This is the mature male Silverback who spent the whole day outside the luxurious dining tent. There was a beautiful swimming pool at the camp which Nancy took advantage of each day after our morning game drive. While she'd be doing her water aerobics, this guy would be drinking from the cool waters of the pool.

While the legendary Mt. Kilimanjaro lies wholly within the East African Republic of Tanzania, the best view of it is from Amboseli in the adjacent Republic of Kenya. Some 40 years ago, there was a movie starring Ava Gardner entitled: The Snows of Kilimanjaro. Today that movie could not be made because global warming has caused the magnificent glaciers atop the mountain to recede, and almost disappear from view. If nothing is done to reverse this trend, our children will only be able to read about "the snows of Kilimanjaro," as the great glaciers will be a faded memory!

We had many internal flights on small prop planes while moving from one place to another in East Africa. On the final day of our trip, we had to fly from the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania to Arusha where we were to board a conventional Air Kenya passenger jet to Nairobi, Kenya. Our flight to Arusha was in a twin engine prop plane flown by a young Australian pilot. Sitting in the co-pilot's seat, I videotaped much of the trip over the plains of East Africa and several small mountains. Looking down at the clear view of the African plains and the vast Ngorngoro Crater which we had stayed at for two nights reminded me of the beautiful flights depicted in the two great classic films about Africa: Out of Africa and The English Patient. This is our homage to those great classics! Simply click on the link:

http://www.legaleagleproductions.com/movies/December2006FlightSerengetitoLManyara.wmv

On an early morning safari into Samburu, we spotted a magnificent Leopard camouflaged in a beautiful Acacia tree consuming what must have been the night's kill, which appeared to be a young gazelle. We waited around for some time, but could not get a good view because the Leopard was well hidden in the tree. He or she was eating and preening itself.

Returning in the afternoon for our late day safari with guide/driver Chaus, we found the Leopard again, but this time it was still in the tree, but it was no longer hidden from view. The kill was now at the base of the tree, and after preening itself for a little while, the Leopard, which was about 75' away from our vehicle, climbed down the tree to the ground, walked to another tree to relieve itself, laid down for a little while, and then nonchalantly strolled between the parked vehicles and disappeared in the bush. It acted as if no strangers were in the area, although, in point of fact, there were at least 10 safari vehicles in the area at that moment.

(The sounds of the local natives chanting on the soundtrack in the background is from video shot in Amboseli two days earlier at a local Masai village)

http://www.legaleagleproductions.com/movies/LeopardinAcaciaTreeSamburu.wmv

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The Serengeti

Our last place of lodging was the Serena Western Serengeti Luxury Tented Camp which was visited at all times of the day by a colony of Baboons.

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Lunar Eclipse of Full Moon

On February 20, 2008 there was a rare lunar eclipse of the full moon. This is a hand held hi definition video by Stuart Namm of the eclipse shot on the coast of North Carolina (simply click on the yellow link below).

http://www.legaleagleproductions.com/movies/Eclipse of the Moon(2).wmv