Category: Close encounters

Close Encounters With Stinky

Marie with Arctic Fox

Allow me to introduce Stinky… he’s an Arctic fox cub who I got to know very well on our trip to Greenland. Allow me to explain…

We’d left the ship for one of our last landings and Ali and I were scouring the landscape, enjoying taking pictures of tiny trees and Ptarmigans. I was out of Ali’s sight when I heard a gasp from above me – two fellow passengers who been relaxing on the rocky hillside above me had an Arctic fox prowling towards them. I looked up and eye-balled the fox. A shiver ran down my spine as he squeezed past the passengers and continued his descent down the hillside. I had little time to react and was petrified that my movements might scare him off so I decided to do away with subtlety and the moment he temporarily averted his gaze from me I threw myself over the nearest bolder to steady my camera.  Here I waited….

My patience paid off, and the fox ambled slowly towards me, never faltering. With my heart pounding in my ears, he came closer and closer, ever inquisitive at my presence. My stone-like stance did not waver as he ran around me, taking every opportunity to interact, even sniffing my back as I lay on the rock. After a few playful minutes he ran off, alerted by the presence of other people, keen to explore further. It was then I sat up and realised why he’d been so inquisitive …I had inadvertently thrown myself into a pile of wet and fresh fox dung. No wonder I was so appealing!

Alistair with Arctic Fox

Additional images from our adventures in the Arctic are available in our Taraji Blue Arctic Photo Gallery.

Close Encounters That Make You Feel Insignificant

Greenland’s icebergs are immense. Up to 200 feet in height, and numerous in volume. I took to the fjord in in a zodiac eager to explore further. Here I stumbled across this ice monument and was immediately enraptured by its texture, contrast and intense colour. I waited until the clouds framed the iceberg in an ethereal way and took the opportunity to capture my favourite imageNotes: Handheld on an zodiac cruise

Greenland is guaranteed to maximise any inferiority complex you might have – and if you don’t have one, it’ll nurture one. It is, without a doubt, one of the most incredible and gigantic places on earth.

200ft icebergs towering over you in every direction are bound to have a powerful effect on you. Balancing on a small inflatable zodiac you bob in-between them as they groan and roll, casting waves that threaten to topple you into the icy waters.   Here we stumbled across this ice monument and were immediately enraptured by its texture, contrast and intense colour. We waited until the clouds framed the iceberg in an ethereal way and took the opportunity to capture my favourite image.

Curtains of green aurora borealis twist over the icebergs and mountains of Rypefjord, Greenland

At night the sky comes alive with the dancing lights of the Aurora Borealis. The silence is incredible – the movements and patterns disturb no-one and make no noise.  It’s just you and nature’s greatest display. As I lay on the deck of the ship in my pyjamas in the dead of the night the lights danced around me. At one point the aurora created an incredible chandelier which seemingly danced fingers of light right onto the surface of the water. I held my fingers up, wiggling them as if I could touch and tickle the light. I looked around me and fellow passengers were doing likewise. The silence would be broken only by the sounds of giggles and gasps as the display grew in intensity. I shed a tear or two – it was overwhelming. Surely this was a dream?

Further photos of the Aurora Borealis are available in the Taraji Blue Arctic photo gallery. 

It’s World Elephant Day Today… Recalling first close encounter with a wild elephant

 

 

A baby elephant uses his trunk to pull thorns from the ground

For many, our relationship with these vulnerable giants begins as a child. Whether it’s a fleeting glimpse of an elephant at a zoo, or an introduction to the species though nature documentaries, it’s hard not to be mesmerised by these giants of the African Savannah. But nothing, yet nothing compares to your first sighting of an elephant in the wild. It’s an experience guaranteed to catapult you back to childhood, to an age when adults towered

over you and elephants were the largest giants to roam the planet. A time when you perceived elephants to be so large that you’d have to crane your neck to glimpse the sky above their bulk.

So dominant, so overwhelming. You’ll struggle to take a breath the first time a wild elephant walks by. Rooted to the spot you’ll want to reach out, overwhelmed yet unafraid of the magnamity that is this wild beast. You’ll notice details you never have before. The long, seductive eyelashes, slowly fluttering to protect the tiniest of eyes. The whiskers protruding from the mouth, drawing further attention to the stature and age of the matriarch. The minimalist tail, naked but for a few tatty end hairs which the young cling onto.

As the elephant ambles by, you’ll notice the plodding nature of the giant feet and your attention will be drawn to the footprints left behind in the sand, their size somewhat magnified as the youngest of the herd gingerly follow in the elders’ footsteps. It’s almost hard to spot the smallest among the herd. So protective, so loving, the elder females will encourage the young to walk in the centre, ever mindful of potential dangers yet seemingly oblivious to the risks of such small and fragile frames underfoot. Morphing between giddy with excitement and shy and retiring, each elephant calf will transform before your very eyes as they gain confidence with each step and they explore new landscapes.

The trust that these young have in their elders is evidence in their body language, their cries and their gazes. Reaching up to the sky with what little strength and trunk control they have, the youngest fondly caress the trunk and mouth of stooping elders. With delightful squeals and a skip underfoot, they exhibit a freedom and a soul that’s seemingly untouched and unrivalled by humans.

This is how an elephant’s life should start.

Extract from the TarajiBlue book, Vulnerable Giants.

Close Encounters With Another World

Space Shuttle Endeavour takes off on mission STS-130

My husband and I were lucky enough that our birthdays coordinated with the launch of the last ever night shuttle launch from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA.  Being space and science geeks we could think of no better way to celebrate and, after a tense ticket purchase process, we eagerly packed our bags and jumped on a flight out to the USofA.

On the evening of launch Endeavour STS -130 was delayed by 24 hours, meaning we’d end up spending three nights and 4 days without any sleep. We spent two full nights at Kennedy Space Centre on cold February evenings, anticipation building as we wondered will it / won’t it take off this time? We followed the astronauts on the big screen as they got suited and booted and took the ride to the launch pad and scaled the mighty launch towers. Commentary was provided by ex-astronauts who joined us in the cold evening air, fielding questions from the eager crowds as anticipation mounted. During the day we toured the space center and met the astronauts trying to understand what an incredible feat they were about to undertake.

28 hours after we first arrived at Kennedy Space Centre, she took to the sky. It was like nothing we’d ever experienced. Night instantly turned to day as the flames lit up the sky, creating an artificial dawn at 3:45am.  My knees literally gave way and I was grateful for my tripod as I slid to the ground I wonderment and cried tears of concern and joy.

Whilst I expected the launch to move me in ways like never before, what I did not expect was the profound impact this experience would have on us – for days we would discuss and de-construct the experience, marvelling at science’s achievements and debating whether a future generation should continue this passion for exploration. We discussed how we felt about our own lives and jobs – what it was to feel meaningful and how we could capture their spirit of exploration.  The whole experience of being at Kennedy Space Center during the prep and launch was an honour  – we met some incredible people, learned lots and were lucky enough to witness the shuttle on the launch pad literally hours before launch.  This is about as close as we will get to space (for now….)

The picture below is me with Alfred Worden, perhaps best known as America’s First Astronaut to perform a Deep Space EVA on the return from the moon aboard Apollo 15. It was an honour and a pleasure to meet him.

Marie Knock and Al Worden

Further images from Kennedy Space Center are available in our Taraji Blue USA Photo Gallery.

Icy ‘Close Encounters’ Of The Titanic Kind

Search lights explore the surrounding fjord in an attempt to find a navigable path out of the jigsaw of icebergs that had surrounded us as we slept.

This truly was a close encounter of the titanic kind… Whilst resting in Greenland’s Scoresbysund one evening, our ship was struck by an iceberg. Our captain used powerful search lights to explore the surrounding fjord in an attempt to find a navigable path out of the jigsaw of icebergs that had surrounded us. As the single beam of light danced over the water, icebergs emerged out of the black of night. I captured this image, heart in my mouth, wondering what the beam would illuminate next.

Further images from our Greenland expedition are available in our Taraji Blue Arctic photo gallery.