Oregon Odyssey #3: The Difference Between Life and Death

While in a random, desert-like part of eastern Oregon, we came upon a very unusual area. It was a sea of sand dunes... with trees growing in it. Never in any of my travels had I seen this. It was exciting because it offered the opportunity to create some unique photographs. I wasted no time in doing so, most often using the ripples in the sand as foregrounds leading the eye into the photograph towards the main subject: the trees, of course.

While we were busy shooting away, Marc taught me something that I had never really considered. He said that, most times, dead trees -- not living ones -- made the most interesting subjects. As soon as he said it, I knew he was right. It made perfect sense, I just hadn't really thought about it. Dead trees often have a peculiar aura -- they tell a story.

We soon came upon a dead tree that drove the point home. Although the living trees that we had been shooting were definitely photogenic subjects, this dead one was clearly more interesting. It seemed ominous, almost... wise. Something about it just made it seem more... intriguing than the other trees.

So, time for you to see for yourself. Below are two of the trees I shot that day. Both are similar compositions, but I think you'll agree that they have are totally different images. What do you think? Can you see the difference I'm talking about?

Look at 'em for awhile. I think you'll see it.

'Till next time. Take care! ^_^

Against The Grain (Large version here.)

Untitled

Oregon Odyssey #2: Balmy and Zero Degrees

Well, after an unexpected delay, I'm back with the next photos from my Oregon trip. Being that much of the country is going to have a very, very white Christmas, I thought it'd be a good time to break out these two photos.

These were taken in the Three Sisters Wilderness in central Oregon. I did several new things here. First, I'd never been to this place before. Second, I'd never been show shoeing before. Third, I'd never backpacked in snowshoes before. And, last, but certainly not least, I'd never camped in zero-degree weather before. I did all these things in the same night, and let me tell you, it was exhilarating!

Remember my broken, dislocated hip from last March? (Yeah, so do I.) Anyway, when you factor that in, I was actually pretty proud that I was able to do this. I carried a 55 pound pack 1.5 miles up a mountain, through a forest, wearing snowshoes, in three feet of snow, in some very cold weather. Now, for a guy like Marc, that's nothing, but for me, it was an accomplishment. I'm going to continue to heal, and by next year, I'll be ready to go further.

The next morning, we rose before sunrise, and trekked the last half mile to the top of the pass. From there, I captured the photo you see below. I call it Three Sisters Sunrise, and I hope you enjoy it. The other photo is of yours truly, and is just for laughs. Which is usually what people do when viewing photos of me anyhow.

I'll have more photos from the trip soon. 'Till then, take care. And, maybe go buy some snowshoes -- looks like many of you are gonna need 'em. ^_^

Three Sisters Sunrise

Look, Ma! I can't feel my face!

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)