Hyacinths, narcissus & daffodils brighten up these winter days.

Passion Flower

Pam Arguelles snapped this photo of her first Passion Flower.  This very exotic tropical plant has a dozen more buds.  It is a fascinating and beautiful flower.  The size and structure of flowers of other Passiflora species is optimized for pollination by hummingbirds.  The fruit of the plant is the passion fruit.  Hundreds of hybrids have been named and hybridizing is currently being done extensively for flowers, foliage and fruit. A number of species of Passiflora are cultivated outside their natural range because of their beautiful flowers.

A LITTLE HISTORY:

Todd Gipstein has been working as a photographer, writer, producer and lecturer for more than thirty years.

He studied writing and film at Harvard University, where he graduated with honors in 1974. After working for Time-Life Multi-Media in New York, he started Gipstein Multi-Media in Boston in 1975. There he created numerous multi-image shows for museums and corporate clients. His writing included scripts, magazine articles and columns. He also travelled extensively as a photographer.

In 1989, he moved to Washington, D.C. to work full-time as the Director of Multi-Image / Executive Producer for the National Geographic Society. His work for National Geographic included writing and producing shows about geography, history, nature, cultures, photography, environmental issues and the Geographic. His work provided him opportunities for travels around the world as a photographer and lecturer. He also worked with Vice-President Al Gore on media related to environmental issues.Though the topics of his documentaries have been extremely varied, Todd has tended to focus on projects dealing with history and culture. He has been very successful at bringing the past to life and making it relevant to contemporary audiences. 
Todd’s photographic archives include approximately 250,000 images. His work is currently represented by the National Geographic Society, Getty Images, and by Corbis.

Todd has lectured across the United States and around the world on topics as diverse as Machu Picchu, the Panama Canal, Venice, photography, visual communication, geography and history.

Over the years, his productions have won more than 40 gold awards in media festivals. His work has also garnered a dozen grand-prizes in international competitions. He is a member of the Association for Multi-Media International’s Producers’ Hall of Fame, and he has also received several lifetime achievement awards.

In 2005, Gipstein Multi-Media moved to Groton, Connecticut. Todd continues to photograph on contract for National Geographic. He has his own production studio where, along with his wife Marcia, he creates compelling original media presentations in a variety of formats. Todd continues to lecture and teach. He is always looking for new challenges and forums to explore storytelling media. He is committed to continuing his long career of creating elegant, emotional shows that touch a responsive chord in viewers. In short, “media with a message.”

Story submitted by Jane Bogdan.

These photos, taken by Carol Connor, give a glimse of the beauty there.