Photographing Iconic Destinations - Podcast

The 3rd episode of Northwest Nature Photography podcast is now available. I had hoped for this to be an interview with another photographer but due to technical difficulties that will be coming up in the next couple episodes. After my recent trip to Zion National Park I had some thoughts crop up that I have experienced before and I thought would be interesting to cover for a podcast. Basically I talk about how it can be a different mindset and process to photographing iconic locations than lesser known and lesser traveled areas. Also posing the question are some places like icons over photographed today. I believe everyone deserves their own take and chance to photograph these natural wonders. Yet there are a number of things to think of when photographing them depending on your intent for the final image. Listen to the podcast for more...

Zion National Park - Fall Visit 2009

A couple weeks back I set out for a short yet fun trip with my peer and friend Kevin McNeal. We flew into Vegas, drove out to Zion for a few days of hiking and shooting. Needless to say anytime is a great time in Zion but I think Fall is now my favorite and not just because of the colors. The temps are much more pleasing, although some might say too cold, and it's not nearly as busy as the summer months. I have been here once on Memorial Day and there is nothing like a crazed atmosphere of human beings in nature than a National Park on a National Holiday!

Anyway, Kevin and I enjoyed the time with some other photographers that we knew which also made for a more memorable experience. I do like to travel by myself sometimes but traveling in small groups does add to the experience in a different way, usually a good way, at least that is the hope and in this case it did. Here are a few images from this trip which included a hike to the iconic Subway.

The Traveling Landscape Photographer

The Traveling Landscape Photographer is what I cover in the latest episode of Northwest Nature Photography Podcast. I appreciate all the feedback I have received already and the many subscriptions. Let me know if you have any ideas for future episodes and I will do what I can to incorporate them. Happy listening!

On this topic that the podcast is covering I should disclose how bad I felt from a recent trip to Zion I took with my good friend Kevin. We were staying at a hotel for a couple days and my thermostat in my body must have been WAY off. The A/C was on the whole time we were there (or not there) and it was not warm outside. Kevin said he could not turn off the A/C when we arrived but I truly thought he was joking as I was unpacking my stuff, since I was comfortable. I heard the wall unit but I assumed it was just the fan running and not the A/C. To make a long story short it was left on the three days we crashed at this place and the manager commented at check out how odd it was that we had it on the whole time. They rarely see that this time of year in Zion. The cleaning crew I guess were freezing when they went in there. I am still a little bewildered why the cleaning folks did not turn it off on the first day. I know I would have. Anyway, even though I was comfortable in the room with temps outside in the 30's and the A/C on (ya, I can't figure it out either but Kevin said he was cold!), I feel bad from an environment standpoint as I would not have done this, especially while not being in the room. We hardly use our central A/C here in our own home when it's 50 degrees warmer!

Note: Please bare with me as I get the audio improved. I just purchased new equipment that should make the 3rd podcast even a little cleaner sounding.

Mountain Light Interview with Kah Kit Yoong

Recently I was asked by Kah Kit Yoong to do an interview for the Mountain Light group on Flickr. In case you are not aware this group does showcase some of finer nature work on Flickr plus some other great interviews with the like of Guy Tal, Michael Anderson and more. Definitely worth taking a look around and spending a little time reading. Here is the link to the interview I had with Kah Kit, who by the way is an excellent landscape photographer from Australia.

Mountain Light Interview with Adrian Klein

In Search of Fall Foliage - Mt Hood Oregon

I spent a couple days recently cruising the main and back roads around Mt Hood in search of fall color. A couple shots were larger scenes but most were more intimate moments of the forest and the vibrant fall foliage. When you see a great image or print of a forest realize how tough they are to pull off well. Even the best photographer can spend hours or days searching for the right scene. I did find some that I liked but none that I truly loved. They are tough for sure. My fav from the day ended up being one that I did not expect, go figure! That is why it's hard to judge when you are out in the field. I always need to remind myself to not get too excited or disappointed about images from a trip until I get home. Sometimes you just know but that is not on every outing. Anyway, the image below with the reflection and mystical lighting turned out to be my favorite. Some of the other posts came from the same day. All were taken in the Cascades in the Mt Hood National Forest area. Thank you for dropping by.

Northwest Nature Photography Podcast

Well, this has been on my list to do for some time now. I finally got around to recording the initial episode of the Northwest Nature Photography Podcast. I will try to keep this blog entry brief since I can let the podcast do the talking here! In a nutshell I want to record podcasts primarily geared to the nature photographer. I hope you find this of value. Happy listening.

Or can click on one of the below icons to subscribe. Just one click away from adding to iTunes and have it on your iPod to listen while you are on the go!

Above The Clouds and Manifest Destiny

Photography is normally a still life viewing event, except for watching your images in a slideshow or capturing time lapse work. With that said I must say it was rather interesting to watch one of my images in trailer for what looks like will be a pretty interesting film. Justin Chambers is a student finishing up his degree in cinema work at Columbia College in Hollywood. He contacted me last year about using one of my images in the movie he is producing for his class. I looked through his work and could tell it was for real but had no idea how serious this was. His trailer for the final film looks way cool and and I can't wait to see the final movie now. Feel free to check out the trailer where you will briefly see this image brought to life with a bird flying through the scene.

www.manifestdestiny-themovie.com/trailer

Jefferson Park Wilderness

On a recent weekend just at the beginning of fall I had a chance to do a short backpack trip with a long time friend of mine Josh. We decided to head up to Jefferson Park Wilderness in the Cascades just outside of Detroit. It's a beautiful place and was eagerly awaiting what mother nature was going to show us for the weekend. High up in alpine country the color turns quickly. Before you know it the summer wild flowers are frail wilted foliage and the fall color comes roaring through to take them over.

Well, the fall colors were prime in some spots, not quite the majority of the area yet (maybe a few days off from that) but we did find some nice bunches of color. And although the weather was great for backpacking, warm enough for multiple dips in the lakes, there was not one cloud in the sky all weekend. Yet that does not always make or break good images, especially in fall time. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy.

Broken Top Mountain Hike by Moonlight

Over Labor Day weekend I headed with my son down to Central OR. I figured this would be my best shot at decent conditions with the rainy outlook at home. We arrived at the trailhead in cold almost winter like conditions. 20 minutes before we got there I was shooting in t-shirt, Teva's and shorts thinking it was not that cold (see tree image below). I guess it was colder than I thought as the wind started whipping up, the dense fog rolled and the wet snow and sleet starting flying. We were not prepared for overnight camping in this weather (my son does not yet want to camp in the snow). Regardless I wanted to stick out the storm at the trailhead and hope it would break before morning. About this time Marc Adamus pulls up next to me in the parking lot, as everyone is making a mass exodus from this stormy weather. This normally very busy trailhead was dead on this day when the weather got bad. I should know by now Marc will go running for for this weather. Anyway, we were going to join him up high but could not due to the lack of winter clothing for my son. After a couple miles in the stormy weather we said have fun to Marc and slowly made our way back to camp, the car. In the last couple years I have ran into Marc traveling for shooting and hiking more than anyone else I know.

The next morning I woke up at 4:50 and it was beyond beautiful. The clouds had mostly cleared and it was a full moon. I could see Broken Top from outside the car in the bright dancing light of the moon, sifting through the fast moving clouds. Of course this was after opening the almost frozen car door. My son stayed back to sleep, I would not try to coax him anymore and let it be. It took me almost no time to hit the snow line walking up with the moon setting to the West of me and the sun starting to rise from the East. Not even 12 hours prior you could not see more than 50 yards, now the sky was clear, the wind calm and the snow fresh, what a change. This is one of those mornings I could care less what I got photo wise. I enjoyed being up there and soaking up the sunrise with a fresh dusting of snow. While enjoying this sunrise I found this thirsty turtle drinking from the stream. Ok, not exactly. I give the credit to others for the photo title. I then hiked up to top near the summit of Broken Hand to soak up all three sisters coated in a fresh dousing of powdered sugar. A fantastic late summer morning in the mountains was had. A fiery sunrise would have been nice but hey I will take what I can get!

Setting up the "Thirsty Turtle" shot required that I get my boots in the water somewhat. I wish I would have brought a towel and I would have removed my hiking boots and went into the ice water barefoot to get this exactly how I wanted it. I don’t like being in water when the temps are freezing but the conditions were right this day I would have been willing to do it. Instead I stretched my legs wide with the stream passing between them to try and get down and take this image of the glacial lake on the backside of Broken Top in the Three Sisters Wilderness. Oh and here is your tip for the day, always remember to leave the tripod open to dry before closing it up when it’s 30 degrees out! I know better yet I had a senior moment and it did not take long for one of the legs to freeze up and not want to come back out. Thanks for stopping by.

First Cup - Fine Art Display

Just a quick blog post to let everyone know that I have a half dozen new images up at the First Cup Coffehouse for display and purchase. These are different than anything I have displayed before as the prints are displayed on metal. Yes the photo is printed right onto the metal and can be dispalyed with no framing. A much different way display fine art photography. Images will be on display until the end of September 2009.
http://firstcupcoffeehouse.com/

Glacier National Park in Summer

Aaaahhhh, Montana! Recently I had the chance to spend about a week in MT with my family. Although Molly reveled in a 3+ week stay I am glad for the one week I had. Not to mention the 3 days in Glacier National Park with just Molly and I. Our first multi-night trip with out the kiddos in over 3 years. As Molly knows I miss those outdoor adventures we took on a regular basis a number of years back. Can anyone say backpack honeymoon in Europe, I sure can.

Anyway, after a whirlwind successful workshop on the beaches of the Oregon Coast I headed straight to Missoula for my week in Montana. I did not touch the camera while in Missoula just focusing on some family time and reading, it was a nice break. Oh and of course my spinach and cheese croissant from Bernice's Bakery. If you haven't, you must, they are worth the 550 mile drive! In Glacier I did some photography but it was limited. I wanted to make sure Molly was enjoying her time. Fortunately she understands the passion behind photography, being a photographer herself, and was not bothered by my occasional stops to get images here and there. I hear from peers and friends in the business how hard it is to mix family trips and photography. Often the spouse is not supportive or understanding. I am lucky though not with just Molly and I. We get to enjoy our love for nature, each other and photography. It's a great thing! We even enjoyed the time despite the insane summer crowds, the worst we have seen in Glacier. According to Molly's ranger friend Josh the gate traffic this summer is up 33%. Add that with construction on Going To The Sun Road and you have one busy park!

And as for the huge gap in blog posts, well that is life right now over here. The once a week blog posts are gone for a while. There are a number of photography projects taking my time not to mention other things. I appreciate everyones understanding.

Enough chit chat for now. Here are some images from Glacier National Park a couple weeks back. The images are the vibrant turquoise Avalanche Creek, St Mary's Lake with an ominous storm and St Mary's Lake on a nice calm and peaceful morning just after sunrise.

Portraits and Weddings

We just want to get a quick blog post out about portrait and wedding work. Molly and I truly enjoy portraits and weddings. We have many great clients from the years we have been doing it, some even have become good friends of ours. However, for a number of reasons we started referring new portrait sessions and wedding inquiries to our peers. Our business for the time being is moving to focus on the aspect of Adrian's fine art nature work which ranges from workshops to fine art prints to stock work.

If you do need a referral though for portraits or a wedding just let us know and we have many great peers in the business that will take excellent care of you. There may be a time in the coming future that we will take weddings and or portraits on again so don't hesitate to keep us in mind down the road.

Thanks for your understanding during this time of change for us!

Adrian & Molly

Showing at Blue Kangaroo

In my rather hectic schedule as of late I forgot to mention that I do have a display with about half dozen large prints. It's actually at Blue Kangaroo Coffee Roasters in Sellwood and only has another week, they have been up since May so I know this is rather late but wanted to mention it regardless. Images include a canvas of The Painted Hills Oregon and the rest are seascapes from Hawaiian Island of Kauai.

I would like to thank the generous and kind staff there for hosting my work the last couple months and helping to promote my workshops and photo tours.
http://www.bluekangaroocoffee.com/

PPO Summer Seminar 2009 - Sunrise Workshop

I want to thank PPO for asking me to lead and speak to another great group of photographers for the Professional Photographers of Oregon summer seminar in Bend at Mount Bachelor Village Resort. My portion of the 3 day event was a sunrise workshop at the majestically beautiful Sparks Lake just off the scenic Cascade Lakes Highway outside of Bend.

The program read that we would start at 5 am, boy was everyone in for a surprise when I said that was too late! We left Mt Bachelor Village Resort by 4 am to make the 30 min journey with some pre-sunrise time to spare. I was pleasantly surprised to see about 15 folks get up this early and attend. I truly have to say I could tell almost all of them enjoyed their time and realized what they miss when they sleep in and pass the golden light in the morning.

I had photographed Sparks Lake the prior couple days and I had no real amazing sunsets or sunrises, then on the morning we had the workshop it was great which I know makes everyone happy. Although I was there helping everyone that wanted it I did manage to get some shots off myself. It's a delicate balancing when teaching a workshop to help out others and shoot yourself but more than one person commented this time that it's important that I photograph as well since seeing me work is just as important in the learning process which I have to agree when I think back to when I was first starting. Here is one of the images I processed from this serene sunrise on Sparks Lake.

Keep California Parks Open

I must say when I heard the Governators recommendation to close over 200 parks in California it really concerned me. I know we are in some unprecedented financial times, everyone of us has been directly affected or knows someone that has during this down economy. However, closing one of the most cost effective vacation and trip destinations available to folks these days seems to be the wrong approach. Americans and people in general need to be connected to nature, more then ever today in our fast pace iPhone, Facebook, Fast food world. Taking that away is moving us in the wrong direction. It's a grave underestimation if politicians think closing the parks temporarily will be only temporary. Closing this many parks will take many years if not a full decade to bring them back up to full running order and the communities around them. Do think someone that has a small business near a park that relies on those visitor dollars to help float the business will stay around? I am sure if they can make it they will, but they may not and then they will leave. It's a change that impacts more than just he many acres in the parks themselves.

There are many unanswered questions that I don't see online anywhere, so like most stories there only seems to be part of it available to the public. I would like to see the full proposal. Will the parks be maintained at all or left to blend back into nature? Can people walk into the parks but not drive in (there will need to be security costs here if so)? Is there not an option of privatizing some of the parks, selling to the highest bidder (not sure on this but I am open to hear all options)? I truly believe there is other pork in the political budget to cut before closing almost 80% of the parks in one of the most populous states.

If you agree on not closing the parks feel free to check out more on this at the California State Parks Foundation site: http://ga3.org/campaign/budget_may09

More Columbia River Gorge

Since I am lacking on time this immediate moment and have traveled to the Gorge a lot this spring I figured I would post some more work from this year. And of course I will be traveling there again in the coming days to pick up my Subaru, that should be fixed and hopefully ready for many tens of thousands of miles more without any issues!

Images are as follows: Fairy Falls - the full scene, Fairy Falls - the intimate scene, Rowena Crest on two different yet wonderful sunrises.

Columbia River Gorge - Spring Workshop

Sorry for slacking on the blog lately. Things have been been busy around here. One recent event was a 4 day workshop Kevin McNeal and I lead in the Columbia River Gorge last week and into the weekend. It was great and we had a group that was so eager and hungry to learn, and just get out photographing the sights that there was little downtime. Everyone was around the same level out of the gate which helped moved things along as well.

On a side note we all know Murphy's Law "Anything that can go wrong..." well I had this happen just before I was to meet Kevin and our group of participants. Driving in the Gorge just outside of Mosier my Subaru overheated out of nowhere which left me stranded on the side of I-84. Ended up warping a couple head gaskets is what I would find out a day later. This happened only 45 minutes before we were supposed to start and I was 30 miles in the wrong direction! I have had this car for 3 years and over 50k miles and this is the ONLY time it has failed me. Go figure! Everyone was really understanding. What could I do anyway. Kevin picked me up at the tow shop and we got things underway 1.5 hours late. We made up for it though with a great time!

Speaking of great time I will post a testimonial we received from one of our participants, Miles. I could not have come up with a more humbling and grand testimonial if I hired someone to write one. It means a lot to me when we can really make a difference like this. Here his experience in his own words followed by a couple images of his taken during the workshop and one I took of the group photographing in the Columbia Hills, Washington.

"Several days have now passed since our Columbia River Gorge Workshop has ended, and I've barely taken time out from editing the images to sleep. There are events in life that become epic memories based on their ability to be educational, inspirational, and completely fulfilling. When my family and friends ask how the workshop went, I tell them that it was one of the greatest experiences of my life.

When we all first met, you asked us what our goals were for our photography. Several of my fellow students indicated an interest in becoming professionals. My goals were perhaps less ambitious, but certainly no less lofty, considering my meager talent. All I wanted was to improve enough to be published on an extremely high quality fine art website. This may sound trivial and basic, but to me, it is what I have chosen to use as the benchmark to let me know that I've become a "good" photographer. My previous 20 submissions had all failed miserably, almost all rejected out of hand, without making it through first screening. It is with an incredible amount of pride that I can announce to you that one of the images you helped me learn to capture got published this morning.
http://1x.com/v2/#photos/latest-additions/24630/

It is only now, that I've gotten that obsession out of the way, that I can truly appreciate how valuable your Workshop is. You have taken me to some of the most amazing scenes in the world, right here in my own back yard, that I would NEVER have known existed. But arriving at these beautiful vistas doesn't mean much if I can't capture it with my camera to bring back and share with other people. To be immersed in photography with two Masters of the craft for 4 days is an experience worth FAR more than the extremely reasonable fee I paid to go on the Workshop. I had limitless questions, and each one was answered... carefully, thoughtfully, and enthusiastically. The willingness that you both showed me to share your ample tricks of the trade left me speechless - and a MUCH better photographer. I always felt safe, I always felt happy, and I could actually sense how much I was learning. Probably the best compliment I could pay you is that I came home and immediately signed up for the Oregon Coast Workshop you are running in a few months.

Thank you doesn't really begin to cover the things I want to express to you about our experience together. You are both world-class photographers; that is evident from your portfolios. But what people can't see from looking at your pictures, and what they wouldn't know if they didn't go out on a workshop with you, is that you are world-class teachers as well. I could not be more pleased with the results from the workshop, and for the first time in my life, I'm truly proud of the photos that I've taken. Thank you for giving me that experience.
All the best,
Miles"

Boys Adrift

Sometimes I want to veer off the topic of photography in this blog and this is one such time. Although in a way nature photography and the outdoors does play a part even in this post. I read on a regular basis and I hope you do too. There is no substitute for books. Magazines are nice as well as newspapers but they are not the full meal like reading a good book. Almost all books I read are non-fiction from business to self-help, photography related or real life adventures stories. Recently I wanted something to read about in relation to teenage boys covering mainly concerns about too much time playing video games and or Internet surfing, basically what is the concern for too much time in front of a computer and not enough time outdoors. I take my son out with me as much as I can and as often as he wants to come, which has reduced a bit now his teen years. I had a friend recommend the book Boys Adrift.

This is a must read I feel for anyone that has a male 0-30, or if you are a male in that age group! Dr Sax covers many topics on why some male youth today lack the motivation that many elders have. There are five main topics including the type of schooling, plastics we use, over medicating for ADD, poor role models and of course video games. I will let you read it and decide for yourself. However, one thing is true and I believe cannot be disputed in my opinion, and that is we rely too heavily today on teaching and educating our kids via computer screens or virtual simulation. In other words too much time in virtual world and too little in the real world. I don't mean Real World MTV style! That type of teaching and free time does have a role to a certain point but they can never replace the real thing. It was good to read this as I know what it feels likely personally when I spend too much time in front of a PC and not enough outside running, hiking, etc. I have to get out into nature as much for my photography as for my peace of mind and recharging my batteries. And with that, happy reading and I am heading out for a run!

The Columbia River Gorge

The Columbia River Gorge is starting to see the signs of spring from the lush green filling in around the streams and falls to the wonderful wildflowers on the East end of the Gorge in the Mosier and Rowena area. I never tire of this area and have already been here several times in the last few weeks. One day I went out for sunrise, returned back to Portland and rototilled the garden and then back out for sunset. Some of the recent outings have been by myself and others with some great local photographers I know. One part of a weekend was spent with Sean Bagshaw and David Cobb. We had a blast scouting out some locations and getting wet in the ice cold Gorge water. I hope to see you on the trail in the Gorge this spring!

Photographing Oregon

A guide to the natural landmarks of Oregon. This is a must have if you are looking for great places to go photograph in Oregon. Greg Vaughn did an excellent job of putting this book together. Why am I listing it here on my blog? One I am glad to promote a fine resource for photographers living or planning to come to the area. The other reason is my photo was picked to represent the Alvord Desert area in SE Oregon. I am glad to have my image picked for this region since it's such an amazing place to photograph that I can't wait to return to. Other great local photographers I know contributing to this book include Darren White, Sean Bagshaw, Zack Schnepf and Jesse Estes.

You can visit this link at Greg's site to order the book. Another option is to email me. I have half a dozen copies and will send one out for $24 including shipping and will sign my image for a personal touch. Here is the image that was selected, dawn on the Alvord Playa in spring.