Imaging With Purpose

World Elephant Day

𝐆𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐝: 𝐀 𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐭

𝐵𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑎𝑡ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑐𝑎𝑐𝑖𝑎, 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑑𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑚𝑒𝑒𝑡𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑘𝑦,
𝑎 𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑟𝑐ℎ 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚, 𝑤𝑖𝑠𝑒 𝑒𝑦𝑒𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑤ℎ𝑦
𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑐𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑜𝑟 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑛𝑒𝑎𝑟—
ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑚𝑒𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑦 𝑎 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑎𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑒 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟.

𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑤𝑎𝑙𝑘 𝑖𝑛 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡,
𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑒𝑙𝑑𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑛𝑘𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑛𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑑𝑒𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡
𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑎 𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑠𝑡𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑙𝑒𝑠, 𝑎 𝑠𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑤ℎ𝑜 𝑔𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑠,
𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑝ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝑚𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑛 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑦 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑠.

𝐴 𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑛𝑘 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑠 𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑙𝑦 𝑡𝑜 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑡 𝑎 𝑓𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑑,
𝑎 𝑟𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑡𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑑,
𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡ℎ 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑎𝑖𝑟, 𝑎 𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑢𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑢𝑛𝑠𝑒𝑒𝑛,
𝑏𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ 𝑚𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑜 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑒𝑛.

𝐺𝑟𝑒𝑦 𝑔𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑙𝑒𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑑, 𝑏𝑜𝑡ℎ 𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑔,
𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑐𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑒𝑙𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 ℎ𝑜𝑛𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚 𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔,
𝑟𝑒𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑜 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑒𝑑,
𝑡𝑜𝑢𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑏𝑢𝑖𝑙𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑙𝑎𝑠𝑡.

𝑆𝑜 𝑡𝑜𝑑𝑎𝑦 𝑙𝑒𝑡 𝑢𝑠 𝑚𝑎𝑟𝑣𝑒𝑙 𝑎𝑡 𝑏𝑒𝑎𝑢𝑡𝑦 𝑠𝑜 𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑑,
𝑎𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑠𝑑𝑜𝑚 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑝 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑓𝑒𝑤 𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑—
𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑖𝑛 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑝ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑡, 𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑙𝑒 𝑦𝑒𝑡 𝑣𝑎𝑠𝑡,
𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑠 𝑑𝑒𝑣𝑜𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑓𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑙𝑎𝑠𝑡.

Vincent F.

In Memory of Jackie (c. 2012 – August 10, 2026)

𝑱𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒊𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑩𝒊𝒈 𝑩𝒆𝒂𝒓: 𝑸𝒖𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑵𝒆𝒔𝒕

𝐼𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑑𝑜𝑤 𝑜𝑓 𝑆𝑎𝑛 𝐵𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑜'𝑠 𝑝𝑒𝑎𝑘𝑠,
𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑎𝑘𝑠,
𝑎 𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑐𝑘 𝑏𝑟𝑜𝑘𝑒 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝑒 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑠𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑑𝑎𝑦,
𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡 𝑜𝑓 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑏𝑜𝑟𝑛 𝑖𝑛 𝐵𝑖𝑔 𝐵𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑖𝑛 𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑠, 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑠𝑎𝑦.
𝐷𝑎𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑅𝑖𝑐𝑘𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐿𝑢𝑐𝑦, 𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑣𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑑 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒,
𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑙𝑎𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑜𝑙𝑑 𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑡, 𝑜𝑛𝑒 ℎ𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑖𝑓𝑡𝑦 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑡 𝑢𝑝 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑒.

𝐹𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑡𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑖𝑔𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑙𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑤,
𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑠𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑢𝑛𝑙𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑛𝑜𝑤.
𝐹𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡 𝑐𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑀𝑟. 𝐵, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ ℎ𝑖𝑚 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑔 𝑆𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑦 𝑡𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝑓𝑙𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡,
𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑦 𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑑, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑠𝑢𝑚𝑚𝑒𝑟'𝑠 𝑙𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡.
𝐼𝑛 𝑡𝑤𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑠𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑒𝑒𝑛, 𝑎 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑒—
𝑆ℎ𝑎𝑑𝑜𝑤, 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑛𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑑 ℎ𝑖𝑚, 𝑤ℎ𝑜 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑣𝑒, 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑓𝑙𝑒𝑒,
𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑙 𝑀𝑟. 𝐵 𝑦𝑖𝑒𝑙𝑑𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑓𝑙𝑒𝑤 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒,
𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐽𝑎𝑐𝑘𝑖𝑒 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑘𝑒𝑑 𝑢𝑝𝑜𝑛 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑛𝑒𝑤 𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑒.

𝐹𝑜𝑟 𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑟𝑢𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑎𝑘𝑒'𝑠 𝑟𝑜𝑦𝑎𝑙 𝑝𝑎𝑖𝑟,
𝑡𝑤𝑜 𝑒𝑎𝑔𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑑𝑒𝑣𝑜𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑠𝑜 𝑟𝑎𝑟𝑒.
𝑆𝑖𝑥 𝑒𝑎𝑔𝑙𝑒𝑡𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑎𝑡ℎ ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑛'𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝑑𝑜𝑚𝑒—
𝑆𝑖𝑚𝑏𝑎, 𝑆𝑝𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑡, 𝑆𝑢𝑛𝑛𝑦, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐺𝑖𝑧𝑚𝑜 𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑑 ℎ𝑜𝑚𝑒,
𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝐿𝑢𝑛𝑎 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑆𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑦, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑜𝑓 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑒,
𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑙𝑎𝑢𝑛𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑑 𝑠𝑘𝑦𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑔𝑛𝑒𝑑.

𝐵𝑢𝑡 𝑖𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑡𝑤𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑦-𝑡𝑤𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑦-𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑒𝑒
𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑑𝑒𝑣𝑜𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑏𝑒—
𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑦-𝑓𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑏𝑢𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑡,
𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒, 𝑒𝑔𝑔𝑠 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑏𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑡.
𝐴 𝑚𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑑𝑒𝑟, 𝑛𝑜 𝑒𝑎𝑔𝑙𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑠𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡,
𝑦𝑒𝑡 𝑏𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑎𝑡ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑑 𝑏𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑘𝑒𝑡, 𝑎 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑏𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑏𝑢𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡.
𝑆ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑎𝑏𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒 𝑠ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑑 𝑚𝑎𝑑𝑒,
𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑚 𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 ℎ𝑒𝑟, 𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑡 𝑚𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡'𝑣𝑒 𝑠𝑤𝑎𝑦𝑒𝑑—
𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑦𝑒𝑑. 𝑆ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑑. 𝑆ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑑𝑎𝑦.

𝑀𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑜 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑎 𝑠𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑛
𝑓𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝑖𝑛 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑒𝑎𝑔𝑙𝑒, 𝑠𝑜 𝑓𝑖𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑒.
𝐴 𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑤𝑛, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑎 𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑒,
𝐵𝑖𝑔 𝐵𝑒𝑎𝑟'𝑠 𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑔𝑢𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑛, 𝑖𝑚𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑖𝑛 𝑓𝑎𝑚𝑒.

𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑐𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑢𝑚𝑚𝑒𝑟 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑑𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑟 𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑤 𝑛𝑒𝑎𝑟—
𝑡𝑤𝑜 𝑟𝑖𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑠 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑑, 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑢𝑛𝑐𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑟.
𝑆ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑒𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚 𝑚𝑖𝑑-𝑎𝑖𝑟, 𝑎𝑠 𝑎 𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑖𝑜𝑟 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑,
𝑑𝑒𝑓𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑤𝑎𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑.
𝑇𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑚𝑒𝑡 𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑠, 𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑓𝑒,
𝐽𝑎𝑐𝑘𝑖𝑒, 𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑑, 𝑓𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑡 ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑟 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒.

𝑇ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑏𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑙𝑒 𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑛𝑜𝑡 ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒𝑎𝑟—
𝑎𝑛 𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠 ℎ𝑎𝑑 𝑤𝑒𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑑 ℎ𝑒𝑟, ℎ𝑖𝑑𝑑𝑒𝑛, 𝑢𝑛𝑓𝑎𝑖𝑟—
𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑒, 𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑖𝑡 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑙𝑙,
𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑡𝑒𝑒𝑛-𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑠𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑖𝑔𝑛 𝑤ℎ𝑜 𝑟𝑒𝑓𝑢𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑓𝑎𝑙𝑙
𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑙𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑, 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑙𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑓𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑓𝑜𝑟 ℎ𝑒𝑟 ℎ𝑜𝑚𝑒,
𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑡, 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑎𝑘𝑒, 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑘𝑦 𝑠ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑑 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤𝑛.

𝑇ℎ𝑟𝑒𝑒 𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑘𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑓𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑓𝑜𝑟 ℎ𝑒𝑟, ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑠 𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑙𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑒,
𝑎𝑡 𝑂𝑗𝑎𝑖'𝑠 𝑅𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑜𝑟 𝐶𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟, 𝑑𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑑𝑜.
𝐵𝑢𝑡 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑓𝑙𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙, 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑗𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑦𝑠 𝑚𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑒𝑛𝑑,
𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝐴𝑢𝑔𝑢𝑠𝑡'𝑠 𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑘 ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠, ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑝𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑡 𝑑𝑖𝑑 𝑏𝑒𝑛𝑑
𝑡𝑜𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑧𝑜𝑛 𝑤𝑎𝑖𝑡𝑠 𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑙𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡—
𝐽𝑎𝑐𝑘𝑖𝑒 𝑡𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒, 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑛𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡.

𝑁𝑜𝑤 𝑆ℎ𝑎𝑑𝑜𝑤 𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑠, 𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ,
𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑟𝑒𝑓𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑠 𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑠𝑖𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑛𝑜𝑤.
𝐵𝑢𝑡 𝐽𝑎𝑐𝑘𝑖𝑒'𝑠 𝑙𝑒𝑔𝑎𝑐𝑦 𝑠𝑜𝑎𝑟𝑠 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑙,
𝑖𝑛 𝑠𝑖𝑥 𝑒𝑎𝑔𝑙𝑒𝑡𝑠 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑠𝑒𝑑, 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑠ℎ𝑒'𝑙𝑙 𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑙,
𝑖𝑛 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑠𝑜𝑢𝑙 𝑤ℎ𝑜 𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑑, 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑, 𝑖𝑛 𝑎𝑤𝑒
𝑜𝑓 𝑎 𝑚𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟, 𝑎 𝑓𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑒𝑟, 𝑎 𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑓𝑙𝑎𝑤.

𝑅𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑛𝑜𝑤, 𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝐽𝑎𝑐𝑘𝑖𝑒, 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑏𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑛,
𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑟𝑒𝑖𝑔𝑛 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝐵𝑖𝑔 𝐵𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑏𝑒𝑔𝑢𝑛—
𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑡ℎ, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑚𝑒𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑦, 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑑𝑒,
𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑣𝑜𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠 𝑛𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟, 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑓𝑎𝑑𝑒

Vincent F.

Rest in peace, Queen Jackie. Your reign over Big Bear will never be forgotten.

For fourteen remarkable years, Jackie ruled over her nest at Big Bear Lake, California—first as the valley's own hatchling, then as devoted mother to six eaglets she successfully raised alongside her mate, Shadow. Believed to be the first bald eagle born in Big Bear Valley in recent history, she became a global icon through the Friends of Big Bear Valley's live-stream camera, drawing millions of viewers who followed her through nesting seasons, brutal winter storms, and everyday moments of quiet grace. (Picture used is one of a female eagle nesting on the banks of Lake Erie)

Imaging With Purpose

A cropped picture of a Savannah Sparrow, taken in a filed in Toronto, Canada. This is a picture that I took with the new Sony a7R VI, and the new Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5 GM, mounted on a Sony 2X converter!

The picture was shot at f/9, so wide open, 800mm, at ISO 1000, on a full sunny day, around 1PM, so worse conditions. I really wanted to push both the camera and the lens to their limits, in order to know what I could achieve with the pair. I can say that Sony really nailed it once more. They will for sure, be in my backpack on my next Sababu Safaris, along with the 600mm GM, paired with the a1 II.

To see the image in full, look at the first comment. Let me know your impressions on the lens performance.

𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐚𝐲: 𝐂𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐀𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧

Throughout human history, no celestial body has captured our imagination quite like the Moon. Long before telescopes revealed its cratered surface, civilizations across the globe wove it into their mythology, religion, and daily lives. The ancient Egyptians linked the Moon to Thoth, the god of wisdom, time, and writing, believing its phases governed cycles of knowledge and rebirth. In China, the Moon has been celebrated for over 3,000 years, most notably during the Mid-Autumn Festival, symbolizing family reunion, harmony, and gratitude. Greek mythology gave us Selene, the Moon goddess who drove her silver chariot across the night sky, while Indigenous peoples throughout the Americas used lunar cycles to mark planting seasons, ceremonies, and sacred rituals. Islamic culture bases its entire calendar on lunar months, and countless other traditions—from Hindu festivals to Norse legends—reveal how deeply the Moon has shaped human spirituality and timekeeping across every continent and era.

This profound cultural connection makes humanity's eventual journey to the Moon all the more remarkable. On July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 carried astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to the lunar surface, transforming millennia of myth, wonder, and folklore into tangible human achievement. We went to the Moon not just to plant a flag, but to test the very limits of engineering, courage, and international cooperation during the Cold War era—and to answer profound scientific questions about the origins of our solar system, since the Moon itself is essentially a time capsule from Earth's early history. It was a statement that human curiosity and ingenuity could overcome seemingly impossible challenges.

Today, as we celebrate this legacy, our sights are increasingly set on Mars—the next frontier in space exploration. The Red Planet represents humanity's most ambitious goal yet: understanding whether life ever existed beyond Earth, testing the technologies needed for long-duration space travel, and potentially establishing the first human settlement on another world. Just as the Moon once seemed impossibly distant until we found a way to reach it, Mars now stands as our next great challenge—one that will require the same blend of scientific rigor, international collaboration, and boundless human curiosity that first carried us to the lunar surface over half a century ago.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗼𝗽𝘆: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗻-𝗧𝗼𝗽 𝗧𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻
A World Rainforest Day tribute - Part II

Meet the cotton-top. 👑

That impossible white crest isn't vanity — it's identity. The cotton-top tamarin (Saguinus oedipus) is one of the most visually arresting primates on Earth, and one of the most imperiled. Fewer than 6,000 survive in the wild, all of them confined to a narrow strip of tropical forest in northwestern Colombia — a country that has lost over 75% of its original forest cover. The IUCN lists them as critically endangered. They are, by any measure, among the rarest primates alive.

The threats are relentless: deforestation for agriculture and cattle ranching, charcoal production, and decades of capture for biomedical research that saw tens of thousands exported before international protections were enacted. What remains is a population clinging to fragments, hemmed in on all sides.

Yet they persist — partly because of Proyecto Tití, a Colombian-led conservation program that has spent decades working not just with tamarins, but with the communities living alongside them. Local women now weave eco-friendly bags from fique fiber as an alternative to charcoal harvesting. Forest is coming back. And the cotton-top, cautiously, holds on.
📸 Colombia

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐭𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭

On World Rainforest Day, I want to introduce you to one of the most charismatic ambassadors the forest has ever produced — the golden lion tamarin (Leontopithecus rosalia). Found nowhere else on Earth except the Atlantic Forest of Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, this small primate wears its name honestly: that spectacular mane of copper-gold fur, backlit by filtered canopy light, makes it look like a tiny, wide-eyed lion perched among the branches.

But behind the beauty lies a sobering story. The Atlantic Forest is one of the world's most biodiverse — and most devastated — ecosystems. Once covering 15% of Brazil's landmass, it has been reduced to scattered fragments accounting for roughly 12% of its original extent. The golden lion tamarin, utterly dependent on tall, mature forest, was pushed to the brink. By the 1970s, estimates put the wild population as low as 200 individuals. Two hundred. A species on the threshold of silence.

The response was one of conservation's great collaborative efforts. The Golden Lion Tamarin Conservation Program, led by Brazil's Instituto Pesquisas Ecológicas and partnered with over 150 zoos worldwide, launched a captive breeding and reintroduction initiative that has since returned more than 600 tamarins to the wild. Protected reserves were established. Local landowners were engaged as stewards rather than adversaries. The population climbed — slowly, painstakingly — to nearly 4,800 individuals today. Still endangered, but no longer staring into the void.

One of the most remarkable chapters in this story involves a highway. BR-101, a major artery cutting through the state of Rio de Janeiro, bisects critical tamarin habitat, splitting family groups and making any crossing a potentially fatal gamble. The solution was elegantly simple: rope bridges, strung above the traffic, allowing tamarins to travel safely between forest fragments. Camera traps confirmed what conservationists hoped — the animals found the bridges, used them, and began recolonizing territories that had been effectively cut off for years. It is a small engineering gesture with an outsized biological consequence.

The golden lion tamarin reminds us that extinction is not always inevitable — that with sustained will, scientific rigor, and community partnership, a species can be brought back from the edge. The Atlantic Forest still needs its little lion. And the little lion still needs us.

📸 Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil | Vincent Falardeau Photography

Imaging With Purpose

Food for thought.

A single tree is far more than wood and leaves — it is a living ecosystem. Mature trees, particularly long-lived species, have been documented to support thousands of species across their bark, branches, canopy, cavities, and root systems.

Insects find food and breeding grounds in leaves and deadwood. Fungi form intricate networks beneath the bark and in the soil. Mosses and lichens colonize the trunk and limbs. Cavity-nesting birds raise their young in hollows, while mammals forage on seeds, acorns, and the insects the tree attracts.

Research has found that a single oak tree alone can be associated with over 2,000 species of wildlife — including more than 1,000 invertebrates, dozens of bird and mammal species, and hundreds of fungi and mosses. Every tree planted is a habitat restored.

Images are generated by AI and for demonstration purposes only.

Source: Southwood, T.R.E. (1961). The number of species of insects associated with various trees. Journal of Animal Ecology, 30, 1–8.

𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝗟𝗞𝟭𝟭𝟲 — 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗟𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗤𝘂𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘁 🦁

This is LK116, one of the five brothers of the famous Lake Quintet coalition from the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania.

The Lake Quintet males are legendary for a reason: a five-lion coalition that dominates the Crater, renowned for their colossal size — up to 250 kg (550 lbs) — their thick, dark manes, and their fearless nature.

I was lucky enough to stumble upon LK116 while he was courting a lioness, doing his part to ensure his genes are passed on to the next generation. He was truly a sight to behold.