Monday, December 13, 2010

Out Of This World!

As promised, here are some more images from my recent trip to the southwestern US, this time without the silly cowboy accent (you can exhale now).

These images are from a place called White Pocket. A very ordinary name for a very extraordinary place. My first thought upon arriving was, "What in the HELL?!" Primitive, I know, but honestly, in all my travels I'd never seen anything like it. Not even under my couch.

At first, it was hard not to believe that these formations were the calling card of aliens and UFO's. Turns out these "brain rocks" as they're called are nothing more than petrified sand dunes, which almost came as a let down.

Nevertheless, as photography subjects, they were without equal. I spent hours exploring the area. Then, way in a far flung corner, I found this spot where these little round pebbles had been driven into the cracks in the brain rock by the wind. I sat for hours alone in this spot waiting for the sun to drop. It was the most peaceful time I had on the entire trip.

That's all for now. I'll have more images from the trip soon. Until then, take care!

Alien World (Large version HERE.)

Dragon Scales

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Yippee ki-yay, motherfuc*er!

Howdy, partner! Rustle up a chair and perk up your ears, for I got me a tale that needs a-tellin' and I reckon you're gonna like it.

I'm recently returned from my expedition to the southwestern US, and holy cow what an adventure it was! I moseyed through numerous slot canyons and deserts, ran over many a poor tumbleweed, drank some coffee that would wake the dead, slogged miles up a swift-movin' river, slept in sub-freezin' temps, and imbibed copious amounts of beer.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot: I shot me some photography, too.

Okay, okay, ya' got me: I'm bein' a tad disingenuous. Truth is, I came away with more "keeper" shots than possibly any other week of shootin' I've ever had. Yes indeedy, ya' might just say it was an incredibly productive outin'. And you'd be right.

Since I've so many images from this trip, I'mma gonna break with my tradition of postin' 'em all at once and and instead display 'em over several different upcomin' photoblog posts. That way, I'll be able to explain a bit more in-depth about each one and YOU'LL have more photoblog posts to look forward to than usual. Ya' lucky son-of-a-gun!

First up is an image I call "Hall Of Faces". It was created in a scarcely-known slot canyon in northern Arizona. Anyhow, what makes this here image special is the floor. There are a good many slot canyons in Arizona and Utah, but the vast majority of 'em are very well known and thus overrun with tourists and photographers and other sorts of unsavory characters. To find one with an undisturbed floor, especially one with ripples in the sand like this one, is quite rare. That's why most shots of slot canyons ya' see don't show the dag-nabbin' floor. But, without the floor, it's damn near impossible to show a sense of place and scale like I was able to do here. My reasoning for the image's title should be readily apparent. Can ya' see the faces? (If not, suck down a couple barley-pops and then take another gander.)

Hall Of Faces (Large version HERE.)
Next is an image entitled "Distorted Hallway". Like the previous image, it's from that same secret slot canyon and it has the sand and mud ripples in the floor. It is quite a surreal and nearly confusing spot, hence the title.
Distorted Hallway (Large version HERE.)

Before I go, I'd like to holler a big "THANK YOU KINDLY" to my good pal and master photographer Marc Adamus. Once again, he made the trip all it could be. Without him, I'd a-never found many of the places we explored. Lastly, I'd also like to give a nod to Marc's friend Colin, a fellow photographer and nice fella who accompanied us on our ramblin's.

Well, that about does it. Until next time, stay safe and keep your cards to your chest. ^_^

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Good things come...

...to those who wait. Or so the old saying goes. And since I've kept you waiting for two months, I figured I'd give you something good: a bunch of new images.

These are all miscellaneous images from the past year. I needed to get them done, displayed and cleared out of my workload before I leave in less than two weeks. (And I did... on time! *gasp* Wonders never cease.)

Once again, I will be rendezvousing with friend and renowned landscape photographer Marc Adamus, this time in the southwestern US. When I return in late November, I will have a whole mess of new images to show you, many from places few have ever seen.

Until then, take care. And Happy Halloween! ^_^

Passing Alpine Thunderstorm


Mating Monarchs


Sunset at Hamm's Bluff


Dense Forest at Sunset


Rutting Bull Elk


Elk Silhouette


Little Tree On the Prairie


Sprague Lake Sunrise


Wild Comma Flutterby


Picture Perfect Picnic Spot


Sunbathing Marmot


Summer at Independence Pass


Tumultuous Tidepools

Friday, August 27, 2010

An International Adventure.

Last month, some friends joined my girlfriend and I on a trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Every time I've gone there, some sort of adventure has followed. This time outdid them all.

Without going into too much detail, one of our group injured himself fairly seriously, and we had to administer first aid in the field. All that Boy Scout training finally paid off. What makes it far more interesting is that the injury occurred while we were a bit... lost. Turns out our map was incorrect. (That sure is heartening -- a map, which pretty much only exists to PREVENT you from getting lost -- was wrong, and got us, um, lost.)

Once we found our bearings, we realized that we had been on Canadian soil when my friend got injured. So, in addition to being injured and lost, we had also illegally crossed an international border. Yep, we were injured lost illegal aliens. Sounds like a reality show.

Below is a photo from near our campsite on Rose Lake. The rocks in the foreground are Minnesota. And the land on the horizon is -- you guessed it -- Canada. You can view the large version HERE.

Don't forget that I'm out at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival every Saturday and Sunday until October selling the posters I made of Twig the Fairy. Hope to see you out there!

Until next time, take care. ^_^


Rose Lake Sunset

Saturday, July 31, 2010

It's a tree! It's a branch! It's a... Twig?

Time for a trip down memory lane.

Remember my encounter three summers ago with Twig the Fairy? Well, ever since then I've always wanted to collaborate with her on a photography project. I always knew that together we could make some knockout images. I actually tried to contact her a few times that summer to see if she wanted to work together, but to no avail. (Getting ahold of fairies is no easy task. They don't exactly have cell phones, ya' know?.) After awhile, I gave up trying to contact her. I figured if it was meant to be, it would happen somehow.

And then, this past April, happen it did.

One day, out of the blue, there was Twig. She had somehow found me. I told her of my idea and she liked it. And a partnership was born.

Earlier this month, she and I went out into the local Minnesota wilderness and made some images. I gotta say, I'm quite proud of 'em -- they exceeded even my already-lofty expectations. I really poured my heart into making them. I hope you like them, too. (Be SURE to view the larger versions in my Twig the Fairy Gallery. They do the photos much, much more justice.)

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT: Beginning August 21st, we'll be selecting three of these images and making large, high-quality posters of them for sale at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival. I'll be out there everyday, as will be Twig, of course. Stop by and say hello, and if you're lucky, Twig will grace your poster with her autograph. (I'd offer my autograph, too, but all we'd hear is crickets chirping.)

Well, I gotta get going. I've gotta start preparing my stomach for an onslaught of turkey drumsticks and mead. Take care! ^_^

P.S. If you'd like to learn more about Twig, her Facebook page is the way to go.















Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Street Life

Recently, I had the opportunity to get on top of the overhang of the world famous First Avenue music venue in downtown Minneapolis. How and why did I get up there? Believe it or not, I wasn't trying to evade the police. (Although, if I were, the top of the overhang would be an excellent spot.) Actually, I'm just not going to tell you how or why I got up there, because it's not important.

What is important is the image I created while up there.

This image is both a reflection of the street corner below as well as a view through the window at the back of the bar's liquor rack. See how the liquor bottles read correctly, while the street components (Hard Rock logo, taxi cab, etc.) read backwards?

I feel it makes for a nice juxtaposition of life both inside and outside the club. Street life, baby. Street life.

The large version can be viewed HERE.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

They say "persistence pays". Turns out they're right.

Remember the St. Croix landscape images I've mentioned the last couple times? Well, I ended up spending all of my energy on creating just one. But she's a beauty, and she's ready to show.

I found this spot on the west end of St. Croix, US Virgin Islands, in early April while scouting locations. The island in the center is a seastack, which are rare in the Virgin Islands. This is the only seastack I've ever found on St. Croix in ten years.

I returned to this remote spot several different times over the course of three weeks and shot the sunset. I had to be on my guard to keep my camera dry while shooting near the crashing waves -- my feet were often in a foot of water. On the last sunset before I had to leave the island for the summer -- my very last chance to get what I wanted without having to wait until next winter -- I finally got it. So many times we landscape photographers bust our humps and the weather doesn't cooperate -- it's very rewarding when persistence pays off and we finally do get what we're looking for.

I honestly think this is one of the strongest images I've ever made in the Virgin Islands. I hope you dig it, too. Be sure and look at the large version of this -- it really does it much more justice.

Well, that about does it for this latest entry into the Greatest Photoblog In The Entire Known Universe. I hope after reading it, you will now march forth, with your newly-acquired divine knowledge of seastacks firmly in hand, and solve world hunger. Or, at least smile a little. ^_^



The Only Seastack
(Click HERE for large version.)

Friday, April 30, 2010

Dolphins!

There are some things in this world that just about everybody loves. Puppies. Rainbows. Sunsets. Politicians getting caught lying. Me making a fool of myself. You get the idea.

I think we can safely add another thing to that list: dolphins. Besides being the smartest animals on Earth, they are very playful and just plain CUTE! Getting to see and interact with one, especially in nature, is a rare treat that many have yearned for.

In my time in the Virgin Islands, I have been lucky enough to encounter dolphins in the wild not once, not twice, but three times! (They must be attracted to clumsiness.)

The most recent of those times was just eight days ago. While sailing the 40-mile stretch from St. Croix to St. John, a pair of dolphins swam up to my boat and proceeded to frolic all around for about 45 minutes. It was unforgettable!

The icing on the cake was the weather: it was dead calm. Now, for a sailboat, this is not ideal (we had to motor most of the way). But, for photographing underwater critters, it's perfect! The stillness of the water allowed me to see the dolphins easily even when they were deep underwater. That made it much easier to follow them and capture them at just the right moment when they breached the surface. In addition, the calmness combined with the unusually thick cloud cover created what were honestly the most surreal conditions I've ever seen in ten years in the islands.

Take a look and see for yourself. Please view the LARGE versions where applicable, as they do the photos much more justice.

Until next time, take care! I'll be back soon with those landscape images from St. Croix that I talked about last time. ^_^

Approaching Dolphins

Underwater Pals (Large version HERE.)

Follow Us! (Large version HERE.)

Close Encounter

Close Encounter II

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

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!!

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

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"

Friday, January 29, 2010

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.)


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