Huzzah!

Huzzah! I feel great! Why? Because I just got my camera replaced. (Yep, I wrecked another one. Again. I am now quite certain that the ocean has a personal vendetta against my electronics.)

I've got about a month left here in the Virgin Islands, and now that I'm back in action, I will be churning out quite a few landscape images before I leave. In fact, I've already begun scouting locations, and should have the first images posted soon.

It just feels so GOOD to be out shooting again. Which is why I say: Huzzah!!

And, speaking of "Huzzah", I have a special image to show you. It's from the closing ceremony of the Minnesota Renaissance Festival. It's not easy to get a spot up front to photograph this, but I have my ways. Hope you enjoy it. The larger version can be found here.

As always, take care, and I'll be back soon with landscapes from the Caribbean.

P.S. I'd like to give a BIG thanks to fellow photographer Kelly Greer. She helped me in a big way when my camera was on the fritz. Thanks, Kelly!!

Oregon Odyssey #4: A Difference Of Opinions

As I've said before, my friend and companion on this odyssey, Marc Adamus, is currently one of the best landscape photographers in the country, if not the world. As such, I give my utmost attention to everything he has to say about photography. He is a treasure trove of knowledge and a great teacher.

So, it is exceedingly rare that I disagree with his advice. Yet, the photo I'm about to show you is one such case. (Hey, at least that proves I can think for myself at least once in a blue moon, right?)

This is a very little known waterfall in the Colombia River Gorge in northern Oregon. Now, there are plenty of rarely visited waterfalls in the Gorge, but what makes this one special is its close proximity to an urban area. We were literally able to drive our vehicles right to the foot of this beauty, close enough that the spray from the falls obscured our windshields. And we had the whole place to ourselves. Pretty unusual, I'd say.

Soon after we arrived, we busied ourselves with photographing the falls. When we finished, I asked if we could walk downstream a ways and explore. Marc was happy to oblige. When we came upon this spot in the photo, I immediately said to Marc that I thought there was a strong photograph there. To my surprise, he disagreed. He said that he'd looked at a similar shot many times in the past, but it never measured up for him. He just didn't like it. I for one certainly did like it and proceeded to shoot it with gusto. The results are below. Please be sure to view the LARGE VERSION, it does it much more justice.

I dunno. I have supreme respect for Marc's abilities, but even he is human. Perhaps this marks the first time that I saw something he didn't? Tough to say, I'll let you be the judge. But I think you know how I feel. Me likey. ^_^

Well, that's the last of the photos I have to show from my Oregon Odyssey. I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I did showing it to you.

Next time, I'll have some new stuff to show you from a completely different photo session. Till then, take care.

"Near The Source"

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.