Oregon Odyssey #1: Lines In The Desert

They say time flies when you're having fun. Turns out they're right. I ended up having so much fun in Oregon with Marc that I never made it to Yosemite National Park as planned. Instead, we ended up criss-crossing Oregon to the tune of 1,700 miles in just nine days. Rainforests, deserts, mountains, sand dunes, lakebeds, cities -- you name it, we traversed it. The roads varied from smooth pavement to very rough dirt axle-breakers. My minivan damn near mutinied on me.

At one point, I stupidly left my very expensive tripod on top of my vehicle and forgot about it. So, guess what? Yep: we had to backtrack 150 miles looking for a proverbial needle in a haystack. I think it was my minivan's way of exacting its revenge. But, I had the last laugh, because, against all odds, we found my tripod laying on the side of the road. It was a high-five moment, to be sure.

Below are two of my favorite images from the trip. They are from the Alvord Desert region of Oregon. It's one of Marc's favorite places on Earth, and I can see why. It offers things you just don't see anywhere else. The lines you see in the photos are salt deposits left from lakeshores that evaporated. These photos are from the very last 24 hours of our trip. The Alvord can be very rewarding if you are willing to make the journey.

I will be back soon with more images from my Oregon Odyssey. 'Till then, take care. And be nice to your car. ^_^

Alvord Desert Sunrise (Large version here.)

Meandering Salt Line (Large version here.)

Three for the road!

Prepare yourself for some crippling disappointment: I'm not going to pontificate much today. I know, it's hard to accept, but after you've finished bawling your eyes out, read on.

My reason for being to the point is this: it's late, and early tomorrow morning, I leave for a three-week road trip to the Pacific Northwest. I will be shooting in a place I've always wanted to, but never been: Yosemite National Park. Even better, I will once again be rendezvousing in Oregon with world renowned landscape photographer Marc Adamus. Last year, he and I really hit it off, and I expect this year will be no different. He's going to take me to some rarely seen places, and I couldn't be more thrilled.

For now, I have three images to show you from my recent trip to Olympic National Park. I was caught off guard by how diverse and beautiful the park is. This was primarily a scouting expedition, as the main reason I was in the area was to visit an old friend in Seattle. Thus, I only had a day and a half in the park, along with only my camera, two lenses and a tabletop tripod.

I will definitely be back in the future for a proper photography trip, one where I can really give the park its due.

Autumn Rainforest

This is from the Hoh Rainforest area of the park. This is an image I've always wanted to make, yet have never been able to, because A) I just don't get to the Pacific NW very often, and B) forest images are notoriously difficult to shoot. Finding a spot that has the right light and room to make a good composition is not easy.

Old and New

I was surprised to find such vibrant fall color. The juxtaposition of the young and old tree along with the vivid colors was what persuaded me to make this image.

Second Beach Sunset

This was taken at Second Beach, which is one of the many spectacular beaches in the coastal section of the park. I visited about ten different beaches in the area, and this was the one that was the most visually stunning to me.

Well, that about does it. As usual, you can see larger versions of these photos in my Best Of Gallery. Thanks for looking and take care!

It's been an honor.

Well, at long last, the photographs from Darren and Erin's wedding are done. Rather than make my usual pontifications, I'm going to keep it short. I'd just like to say that I was honored that they asked me to do this for them. I hope that I lived up to their expectations.

Below you will see some of my personal favorites from the big day. To see larger versions of these and all the rest of the photos, please go to Darren and Erin's Wedding gallery. (If you can't figure out the password, just email me.)

Thanks for looking and take care.

Nearly nerve-racking nuptials.

(I know what you're thinking: "Wow! Kory actually updated this photoblog TWO days in a row?!". Yep, it's true. If you look out your window, you'll probably see pigs soaring through the air.)

As I said in my last blog entry, I recently shot my first wedding. It was, to say the least, quite an experience.

If I learned one thing about shooting weddings, it's this: it ain't easy. While overall I don't think it's as demanding as landscape photography, it definitely has its own set of challenges. It's much more fast-paced and stressful, because A) these are some of the most important photos people will ever have taken, and B) you only have one chance to get it right. Try telling Mr. and Mrs. Newlywed that you screwed up the shots from their wedding kiss and see how many milliseconds it takes them to pummel you.

And, that's the biggest challenge of all: the people. It's the people you are working for that can really make or break you. Every family is different. Some are easy going and some are... not. Ever seen that TV show Bridezillas? Think about actually trying to work with someone like that, and worse, trying to satisfy them. Ahaha... hoo-boy. I'd rather take an acid bath.

Luckily for me, I got to deal with some of the nicest and warmest people ever: my friends Darren and Erin.

We've been good friends for years, so when they asked me to photograph their wedding, I was happy to do it. Sure, the pressure to "get it right" was still there, but just knowing that my employers were people with hearts of gold made it manageable. And, in the end, I feel that I did a pretty good job. Yes, there were some snafus, but overall I'm quite happy with the results. I think they will be, too.

Before I go, I have one piece of sage advice: "It's not easy to both be a guest at a wedding AND photograph it at the same time. Tread with care all who consider doing so."

And now without further ado, here's that teaser shot I promised last time. It's of the stunningly beautiful bride, Erin, and her four brothers. It's one of my personal favorites from the day. Enjoy, and I'll be back with the rest as soon as I can, probably in a couple weeks.

Bride and Brothers

Out of the frying pan and into the fire.

I'm tired.

It's been about 10 days since I returned from my trek through Colorado, and I've scarcely had a moment to think. I've been volunteering all of my weekends at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival for the past six weeks. (No, not as the village idiot. I asked; they said I wasn't smart enough.) That, combined with regular work, has robbed me of nearly all of my time. Only in the last couple of days have I been able to begin the gargantuan -- and, let's face it, dull -- task of reviewing and editing all the photographs from the trip.

But, what a trip it was! In addition to my usual pursuit of landscape and wildlife photos and all that entails (getting up before sunrise, long hikes through the wilderness, long drives, etc.), I also shot my first wedding. I'll write more about my wedding experience next time. For now, I have one photo from the trip to show you.

This picture does a pretty good job of illustrating what I'm going through right now. It's a long, arduous trek to the top of Great Sand Dunes National Park, let me tell you. The wind was whipping, the weather stormy. But, despite the exertion involved, we carried on because it's all worth it in the end. So it is with me. I know that, despite the long hours that I will soon face behind the computer, once the photos from the trip are done, it will be worth it.

I call this one The Climb. Enjoy. I'll be back soon with a teaser from the wedding.

The Climb (large version HERE)

Close but no cigar.

Being that I'm still recovering from my hip injury, I don't do a whole lot of running these days. So, it's kind of funny being called a "runner-up". Yet, that is indeed what I am.

I ended up taking second place in that photo contest I mentioned last month. I really would've liked to have won, but placing in the top 5 out of almost 600 entries isn't too bad I guess. Plus, I did win a bit of cash, and that's never a bad thing. THANK YOU very much to all who voted for me!

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The Boudary Waters trip was a blast. The weather was much drier this year, and our campsite was one of the best I've ever seen. It was like a fairy tale.

Ironically, the photography conditions weren't as good as last year's trip. All of the sunrises save for one were obscured by dense cloud cover. The sunsets were't much different, either. And, much of the area we based out of was fairly burned out by a recent fire. Still, I did come away with some keepers which I will elaborate on below. Most importantly though, we all had a smashingly good time and enjoyed getting the heck outta the city. That, my friends, is priceless. (Cue cheesy Mastercard commercial.)

Coming Together

This was taken right from our campsite during the only half decent sunset we had. Look closely and you can see many different islands in the lake. We never tired of gazing out on this scene.

Loon Family

This mother and her young ones visited our campsite many times each day. I'd like to think they were fond of us, but I think it was the campsite itself that drew them in. Even the wildlife knew that our campsite was awesome.

Fixin' Dinner

Sure it's easier to use a portable cook-stove to make dinner, but it's not as fun.

Going My Way?

This Ruffed Grouse was more than a little curious.

Ready for Adventure

On the dock and ready to depart less than an hour after sunrise.

Two for the road!

Recently, I was looking through my digital negatives from past photography trips and managed to find a couple of "keepers" that I had overlooked previously. Since I'm leaving on another trip tomorrow, I thought it would be a good time to show those new-found beauties now, before I'm inundated with all the new shots I'll have from the trip.

Fire and Ice (larger size)

This first one is from Hawaii back in '05. We were lucky enough to be up the summit of Mauna Kea just after the area re-opened after a snowstorm. This is an abstract of the red volcanic soil and the wind-driven snow and ice that was interlaced with it.

Teddy Bear Nightmare (larger size)

This one is from my road trip through the western US last fall. It was taken in a Teddy Bear Cholla cactus garden near Joshua Tree National Park. Despite being extremely careful, I still got stuck by one of these little buggers. OUCH! It hurts more than you'd think. Hence the image title.

So, where am I going tomorrow? The good ol' Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. I should have some treats to show you when I get back. Let's just hope the weather is decent -- last year I thought I was gonna see Noah's Ark pass by our campsite. ^_^

P.S. If you haven't heard, I entered a local photography contest and made it to the final 10 out of almost 600 entries! The voting for the overall winner ends at noon, so if you're reading this in time, you could help me out by casting a vote for me (mine is the one that says "K. Lidstrom"). By the time I return from the BWCA, the winner will be revealed. Wish me luck!