On Assignment Archived
In 2005:
We went to NYC March 17-21, 2005 to present our report (lecture with HDV-video)
at the Explorers Club.
The 2005 Year began again with a major trip to Kenya, Eastern Africa, traveling with Danielle.
We joined Bob Pearlman on an Explorers Club "sponsored" expedition to study and documented
the rapidly disappearing oral histories of the Maasai.
These are our notes transmitted from the bush to the Field Journal:
Subject: Our Maasai Field Journal, Jan 1-25, 2005
Let me know of your reaction to the 12 entries in the daily "Field Journal" that Danielle and I
contributed to and supplied most of the images
http://www.maasaioralhistories.org.
Here is an exerpt:
Morton Beebe ©2005
Maasai elder woman interviewed by team members
Maasai Oral Histories Project
Field Journal, January 8, 2005
By Morton Beebe
Yesterday we visited Sekenani Primary School, a school of 475 students aged 5 to 14. Only 20 students were present. This low number illustrated the difficulty in communication. Landlines, cell phones, faxes, emails are all the modern tools we take for granted. Stanley Mpoe, the head teacher explained that at school break the children had been told to come back on the 10th of January. A change in opening date could not be communicated to all the children, some of them living as far away as 15 kilometers from school. .........
Regina Nakola 01/09/2005, Sekenani and Olchurrai Village, Narok, Keny 01/07/2005, Sekenani, Narok, Ken
Morton Beebe ©2005 with Sony Digital HD Videocam
Field Journal, January 13, 2005
By Danielle Chavanon Beebe
Today we went to Aitong Primary School up on a plateau overlooking the Maasai Mara Park. We crossed a private animal reserve with many zebras, wildebeest, elands and gazelles.
The school was nicely landscaped, surrounded by a fence so the animals do not destroy the vegetation.
Dormitories were under construction, so the children who live up to 50 kilometers away, can in future
sleep at school. Nowadays, those who live far have made arrangements to stay with relatives or
friends
Like the other two schools we visited, the buildings are inscribed with mottos like:
"Reward is after hard work" or "education is life".
The Elder, Ole Maitai, a man in his 70s, was dressed with the traditional blanket,
called oichiti. Whereas the other elders we listened to wore nothing below their colorful blankets,
Ole Maitai wore a raincoat and a cloth called enaga. around his wrist he was wearing a bracelet
called olkataar, passed from father to son. He was very animated, told interesting stories, which
fascinated the children who asked him many questions. At 12:45 a bell rang, children were leaving
for lunch, but in our classroom the students kept on listening attentively. I could not understand,
as I don't speak Maasai. I was eager to know what the stories were to understand their interest.
I learned later they were about warriors, the Elder's experience with a lion.
This is my last school visit as I am leaving Kenya on Saturday.
I am taking away with me great respect for the students. They must walk to school by any weather,
they have little but are eager to explore and learn. I will never forget the smiles on their
faces when for the first time in their life they discovered a computer and saw their pictures on
iPhoto. What a privilege to witness such a moment in a young life.
Cordially,
Morton & Danielle Beebe
Please check out
beautiful video of the Maasai Oral Histories Project from Friday's Films.
Here are some pictures taken over 20 years ago
This should be a tremendous experience, and the special access should yield unique new
images as well as capture an invaluable historic record that is being rapidly eroded by modernity.
For more information on this Safari and on the Maasai Oral Histories Project,
visit www.maasaioralhistories.org.
Big in 2004:
The year began with a major trip to Brazil.
I was accompanied by my wife and editor, Danielle Chavanon.
We took over a dozen separate flights and saw a great portion of Brazil's magnificent expanse.
Highlights included New Years, Carnival in Rio and a trip to Inguasu Falls a truly breathtaking
natural wonder. I photographed extensively, and came home with many new additions to my stock archive.
The year also brought an advertising shoot for Waipouli Beach Resort in Kauai, Hawaii.
Chris and Keith Singleton have a stunning resort-style condominium development going up on a
beachfront property on Kauai's Eastern coastline near Kapa'a.
The shoot resulted in a gorgeous brochure, website and advertising content. Soon, after coming up
for pre-sale, most of the units were sold -- and the development is not even finished yet!
For more information (and photos) visit
www.waipoulibeachresort.com.
Recounting Morton's experiences in Baja.
Subject: Baja California / Deep Flight Aviator Sub
Location: The Sea of Cortez in Puerto Escondido, Baja California.
"We just returned from Baja California, Mexico, where I had my most recent opportunity
to pilot the Deep Flight Aviator submersible."
Beebe dove with Graham Hawkes, inventor of the Deep Flight Aviator, the revolutionary new flying submersible.
Graham is the first recipient of the prestigious William Beebe Medal from
the Explorers Club in New York.
"Unfortunately, the water in the Sea of Cortez was highly occluded,
and visibility from inside the sub was poor for photography.
However, I came back from the trip with several excellent exterior images of the vessel in use,
as well as images of the surprisingly beautiful and varied landscape of the local environment.
I worked with newly released, excellent, 5 and 8 megapixel Olympus cameras for this shoot."
"Above are a few selected images from Baja, taken either by myself or
Danielle. We appreciated the hospitality and the Camino Real beaches.
Having the opportunity to fly the Aviator from the front seat-- on instruments--was
certainly an experience!"
"With zero visability, please accept my apologies for the unforeseen contact with the port!
It was reassuring to know that the vessel could be mended so quickly,
and was built to withstand such an impact.
I thought we were being chased by a pod of giant squid or was it a whale?"
Beebe Photos ©2004: Puerto Escondido Vicinity, Loreto Bay, Baja California, Mexico
Also to note: Deep Flight Aviator's inventor-First Pilot,
Graham Hawkes appears in the staring role:
Discovery Networks', "Dive to the Bermuda Triangle, Disappearance of Flight 19".
There are DVD copies from the Discovery Channel.
One of the most exciting aspects of his involvement with Deep Flight Aviator is
the ability to photograph from with in the all glass capsule to depths of 1,500 feet.
He earned his deep-sea aviator license in the first ever "underwater flight school"
in the Bahamas, February 2003.
Morton follows in the footsteps of (Relative) William Beebe,
deep-sea explorer (set the dive record a Half Mile Down with Ottis Barton in 1934 at 3028 feet).
It was a privilege to be the first to capture images from inside the all glass capsule of this
incredibly maneuverable submersible in search of a variety of underwater creatures from whales to
the giant squid.
His associate, Tim Kelly (underwater cameraman, aerial pilot/photographer,
and high definition video cinematographer) shot the underwater video of the sub's exterior
during Morton's dives.
We're releasing several video clips of works currently being edited together from
footage shot in Antarctica, Brasil, Peru's Manu Rain Forest, headwaters of the Amazon and
the launch of the Deep Flight Aviator.
These clips of the Deep Flight Aviator, Brasil, Peru and Antarctica can be seen at
http://fridaysfilms.com/mortonbeebe.html.
Photography workshop in France in the Fall 2004
Morton will be leading a photography worshop, repeating a highly successful workshop
first conducted in Fall 2002.
For more information visit
www.thetasteoffrance.com
and click on "Photography Workshop". More details to come!
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