John O.

@fotojohn.bsky.social

102 Followers 27 Following

Utah-based photographer and naturalist.

A panoply of colors over Death Valley National Park.
A female leopard yawns on a warm afternoon in the Serengeti National Park. We had seen four of the Big Five, but the leopard had eluded us. We were heading to a public washroom and then back to camp when our guide hit the brakes and said "Leopard! There she is!" We had been looking at all sorts of nests and other dark leopard-shaped objects in far off trees. She was so close we had a hard time seeing her! What an awesome experience to watch this big cat relax! If you want to go on safari, by the way, look no further than "Serengeti Wilderness Calls" in Tanzania. Willie and Flo will take great care of you!
Sunset at Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, India. This image was made during the spring equinox, which is a time for pilgrimage to this spot. Sunset means as much to me as a sunrise. They both promise another chance.
Sunrise over Harbor, Oahu Hawaii
An incredibly simple image made from Estuary Island near Kovalam Beach, Kerala. A fisherman propels his boat through protected coastal waters while a woman carries a water pot. I love India not for the colors and textures and scenes, but for her people. Vibrant, accepting, hopeful, driven... It's all there if you can get past the culture shock. Having lived there multiple times helps me know, understand, and see her better than I do any other culture.
The sun rises over Snow Canyon State Park. Located near St George, Utah, the park is home to stunning rock formations and landscapes.
A blue sky shines over weathered hills in Death Valley National Park. In early 2021 after a year of coping with the pandemic and an adult son struggling with leukemia PLUS a high stress work place, I needed a break. I hit the road for a week of shooting throughout my native West. Death Valley in the winter can be brutally cold, but the light is softer and the features of the land pop out. When it feels like the whole world -- your anti-vax and anti-mask friends included -- are basically trying to kill your son, time with God and in nature are the answer (just like with everything else). The click of the shutter? It's just a fresh click to sooth that addiction (I swear I get a dopamine rush every time I see an image like this in my view screen).
The American Kestrel (Falco sparvarius) has a gorgeous orange and blue-gray tone to its feathering. Nature loves contrasting colors, as well! The encounter was thrilling. On one of the coldest days of winter, I saw this bird from a long way away. I walked ahead slowly, naturally, until I was within range. I snapped a frame, took seven steps, and snapped again. This went on for at least 2 min, until finally I had this frame, and the bird had had enough.
These bulges are caused by some sort of adverse conditions - fire, infection, infestation, etc. They are a sign that the tree has encountered adversity, and overcome. There's a lesson here about people too. Our adversities usually don't cause physical deformation, but they can still affect our mental well-being.
I really like this image of a #vervet #monkey, for a number of reasons. First, the trees frame the subject well. I could have cropped tighter, but with the trees the subject has room to breath, but is still the center of attention. Second, we are making eye contact with the monkey. The eyes are truly the window to the soul, and I often wonder what my subjects are thinking when I capture their images. Finally, I love the sharpness in this photo. I'm a huge fan of texture, and the uniform texture of the monkey's hair contrasts nicely with the random nature of the bark on the trees.
It’s called Death Valley in reference to how hot it gets, but #deathvalleynationalpark belies its reputation in January. It was below freezing on #badwaterflats, and I had been shooting the salt crust for a good hour or so waiting for dusk. The salt is fascinating here, because there are little pockets or crusted puddles everywhere. The texture is mesmerizing. I waited and waited through dusk, and captured this just before the sun set behind these clouds, which were rushing in. I was shooting RAW, high resolution (80mp) on my #Olympus EM1. I focus bracketed this image, to be sure I froze motion as much as possible (shooting at a wider aperture), but still had focus between a meter and infinity. The Oly 7-14 2.8 is a tricky lens. Like all ultra-wides, it picks up sun flare easily, but it surprised me that it picked up moon flare in this image. Unlike many wides, it doesn’t have a useful hood (it has a four-petal configuration making lens hoods pretty much impossible). Looking back, flare often shows up as a happy accident, adding character as well as depth to my images. On the tiny screen on my camera, I was pretty sure this was going to be a usable image. This was day 4 of a 6-day ‘winter sabbatical’ though, and I camped outside the park overnight, so it was several days before I saw it on a decent screen. I’m pleased with the outcome. Give me a like or a repost if you enjoy these longer “story behind the photos” posts!
Interesting fact: if you visit the BLM site, information about Bears Ears is slowly disappearing... https://gis.harvard.edu/blog/mapping-bears-ears-national-monument I have loved my visits to this incredible spot - the solitude is invigorating and the stars at night? To die for!
A grey-headed kingfisher, adorned with blue, black, brown, and white feathers, perches in a tree overlooking the forest in Tanzania.
The Milky Way arches over Flaming Gorge.
A man peers from a bus window, Bangalore India 1987. It was forty years later when I realized the woman was making eye contact with me through the lens, which brought a whole new perspective to this image for me. Nikon N2000, Kodachrome 100.
A colorful bus moves slowly through a curve in rural mountainous India. The scene is alive with bright colors. If someone asked me to describe India and not talk about urban areas, this is the image I would try to paint for them. A forty-year love affair with what I call my second home has allowed me to see some of the most beautiful scenes God's hand has painted, and I love to share those with others.
The African Rift Valley covers several countries in Africa. Serengeti National Park.might be the most well-known section of the valley. I swear you can see the curvature of the earth, the grasslands are so wide and so large. It's what I think the American plains must have looked like centuries ago. What catches me by surprise is the density of wildlife. Animals are everywhere, especially zebra, wildebeest, and various antelope species. I've never been anywhere before where spotting wildlife is so... Easy. As a photographer, I found this to be thrilling. I made over 6500 frames - not all are good, fewer were keepers, but there was always an opportunity to make an image of something One challenge I kept trying to tackle was capturing the immensity of the landscape in a photograph. This shot of zebras comes close. Their presence lends to a sense of distance, and their visibility helps convey a sense of numbers. Reply in the comments and tell me - do you "feel" the size of the region and the depth of wildlife with this photo?
The Gray-crowned Crane (Balearica regulorum) ranges pretty much everywhere in Africa. Stunningly colorful, they draw the eye (and the camera lens). Olympus OM-D EM1 MK II, OM Systems 150-600, f/7.1, 1/2000, ISO 1000, 600mm
An adult leopard yawns while resting from the heat of the day in a large tree. They say big cats sleep up to 70% of the time. After a week-long safari, seeing these majestic creatures constantly resting... I believe that figure!
Lion prides do pretty much everything together, including hunting and eating. This mother of juvenile cubs lets out a roar, perhaps because she sees competition for food nearby. Hyenas and other animals often steal lion kill and eat it themselves. Life on the Savannah is real - really difficult, really united, really consequential.
African elephants use their ears as giant radiators, but a dust bath is just the thing to help keep body temps in check. This herd of 12 was totally focused on eating, as the onset of rains mean lush green grass and leaves abound everywhere. Elephants will munch up to 20 hours a day during the green season. As we watched patiently, the herd munched its way closer and closer to our safari jeep, ultimately coming so close that we could practically touch them. The experience of being so close we could hear and smell them was thrilling. Looking deeply into their eyes drive home the point that they are sentient beings, with joy and worries, cares and happiness, just like us. This is why, across the world, organizations seek to protect wildlife habitats and provide space for life. We are all intertwined in this life.
Two cheetah cubs play while their mom searches for food on Tanzania's Serengeti Plains.
The leopard is larger than a cheetah and not quite as fast, but it can still reach speeds up to 58 kmh. Their camouflage is perfect for the acacia tree - I literally had to zoom in on nest-like structures in trees day after day, because they look just like nests when they're in a tree. What differentiates a leopard from a cheetah? * Their spots are generally rings of coloration vs solid circles * They lack the 'tear lines' running from their eyes, like the cheetah has * They are larger, more stout, and less sleek than a cheetah They feed on essentially the same prey and are definitely competitors in a crowded field. And they are beautiful to see!
Dutch Darrin was a famous man among America's "newly wealthy" class. For a fraction of the cost of a #RollsRoyce, he converted Packards into status symbols. The grill of this '32 Darrin captures the grace of the vehicle, and belies its power. Upcoming Hollywood stars loved his refreshed look, making his car an affordable status symbol. Capturing an image like this takes time and planning. The light must be diffused carefully so as to make the subject appear to glow. Not every subject lends itself to this technique but it can be used to highlight aspects of a classic car rather than leveraging the same boring 3/4 shot we usually see.
The mongoose has to be the cutest creature in all of Africa (no offense, cheetah cubs!). Mongoose.love to live in old termite mounds. They're about as cute as otters, playing with each other in rough-and-tumble games. This photo was made in Tarangire National Park in Tanzania.
While we waited for the fog to burn off along the banks of the Yamuna River (across from the Taj Mahal), this young man approached us offering camel rides. He was just such a kind human being - I believe this photo captured his very essence. Portrait photography is so difficult, until or unless the subject is in their environment. Once they are 'at home,' everything changes.
Prepping for a regional holiday, these two boys were selling kites in a marketplace. For religious reasons, they will never receive a traditional education but they already spoke English well at a young age, and were convincing merchants in my book!
India abuses all five senses, with a cacophony of color, smell, noise, textures, and tastes. Sometimes you miss the details in all of that. While this man and I didn’t connect, I felt drawn to him as his bus passed through a roundabout. Where was he going? Was someone waiting for him? Was he on his way home, or just leaving? Only decades later did I realize the woman sitting behind him saw me. How often as humans are we so distracted that we miss connecting? When do we put down our guard and reach out to others, to show they have value in our eyes? When do we connect, and share our humanity?
I have been blessed to not just travel in India, but to live there extensively several times. In the 80’s I would shoot rolls and rolls of film, not knowing if my photos came out until long after the shutter click. There are a few, though, that I remember making. That’s because there was a connection in that brief but intimate moment. “Spice Man” is one of those photos. As humans we have more in common than we have different. Who is this man? Is he the proprietor or an employee? Who does he go home to each night? Do his grandchildren bring him joy like mine do me? In 2025, I see evidence all around that we have forgotten our humanity. It’s my hope that photos like this inspire us to slow down and make connections, as equals. Let’s see one another, really SEE each other.
I saw this man as we were transiting in India. I gestured with my camera, he nodded in approval, I snapped this photo and off we drove. I often think of him along with the other two men in my 3-part mini series (Man in Doorway, Man in Bus, and Spice Man). I wonder what their dreams are, what they were thinking about that make them look so pensive. Do they have families? What joys are theirs in life?
The Church of the Good Shepherd at Lake Tekapo, New Zealand. I planned end executed a series of shots spanning late evening, sunset, and blue hour on the front, and made this image assisted only with moonlight.
We were invited to watch the sun rise across the Yamuna River from the Taj Mahal. When we arrived it was still fully dark and very foggy. As the sun began to rise, the fog slowly began to burn off. Just as everything was reaching the peak of perfection, this man came into the scene with his camel. Photographic serendipity! The best images come with the greatest hardship: early rise, long journey, difficult hike, tempestuous weather. Nature seems to reward the sacrifice, often enough that we just keep going.
A humpback whale breaches within yards of three kayakers. Hoonah Bay, Alaska USA. This image is not photoshopped. This isn't my favorite image I have taken. It has little artistic value, but as a photographer I stop time and capture moments. This will never happen again, and I am grateful for the amazing chance to have been in the right place at the right time. The double kayakers were honeymooning. They ended up in the drink, were pulled out by their support boat, and went right back into their kayak. These whales were exhibiting a feeding phenomenon called bubble feeding. As the kayakers were unknowingly interfering, the pod sent one to 'brush them back' a bit. Mission accomplished! Three copies of this image exist today: one on my wall, one at the couples' home, and one in a shop in Hoonah Bay, where you can sign up for a whale watching tour, too. I highly recommend it, as you never know what might happen.