It was just another evening in the desert.

My Dad and I, along with another friend, were visiting the Vermillion Cliffs Wilderness along the Arizona Strip for a couple of days of photography and hiking.  Although it was August, the heat wasn’t too bad, if you stayed in the shade during the hot part of the day.  With evening coming on, we emerged like lizards from our burrows to enjoy the final vestiges of our vacation.

The plan was to hike back to an interesting rock formation we had found earlier in the day for some night photography.  After shooting sunset, and moving into position, we waited for darkness to fall.  In August, that happens slowly, so after our cameras were set up, we went for a short hike.

As stars began dotting the sky, returning to “our spot” seemed like a good idea.  Cresting the final ridge, and looking down, we saw a very unusual sight.  The rocks near our equipment were glowing red, and we could see small red lights moving around them very quickly!  Watching in amazement, the lights moved faster and faster, and although we could see no figures, it seemed almost as though the lights were dancing in the evening light.

Almost as soon as they began, the lights disappeared.  For three grown men, it took us a while to get the guts to return to our gear.  Without any discussion at all, it seemed like a good idea to pack up and go.  Although we’d marked GPS waypoints to help us over the two miles back to the car, we didn’t seem to need them, and we sure didn’t look back!!

When I got home, I began looking at the files on my memory card and saw the most curious thing–whatever it was making those lights, also made a few images.  A supernatural photographer?  Perhaps.  I did some homework, and found reference to a group of spirits in the area–los espectros de las animas–the specters of lost souls, who sometimes haunt visitors in the area, although they’re seen rarely.

The next time you venture into the wilderness and think you’re alone, you might think again.  You never know what may be lurking under the cover of evening skies….

Supernatural, August 2011

Happy Halloween from Alpenglow Images!

For several months now, I’ve been contemplating a change in the format of my website, one which speaks more to my evolving style and vision as an artist.  Over the course of the last few weeks, those changes have taken form, and I’m proud to announce the release of my new website.  Please take a look, either at this link, or by using the tabs you see to your right.

Rather than showcase all of my images, I’ve attempted to choose a few select images that truly are “mine.”  In that sense, Alpenglow Images is now a portfolio site, rather than the “stock” site it used to be.  Call me sentimental, but I haven’t been able to completely abandon my old format; you can still view it at this link.

There are still bugs to be worked out, and I’d appreciate hearing about any you find.  Many of them are simply due to my novice skills in coding a website, but I will try to get everything resolved in the next few weeks.  In the meantime, please take the time to look around and enjoy the images; they all foster in me a deep sense of connection with the land.  I hope they do in you, too.

I have to admit, too, that going through my image catalog, choosing these photos for my portfolio has allowed me to see clear themes emerge in terms of my style.  I think its an instructive exercise that every photographer should do from time to time.

Here’s to reflection and self-examination.

Self-portrait, August 2011

I’m very happy to announce that my 2012 calendar is now available.  The center-folding, wall-hanging 17″ × 22″ (8.5″ × 11″ folded)  calendar features 12 of my images on heavy-duty stock paper.

The holiday season is already underway, and these calendars will make a great gift, either for yourself, or for someone else who loves wild places.

Cover

January

June

September

The calendar is available for $27 (includes shipping); if you are interested in purchasing one, send me an email at:

alpenglowimages (at) gmail.com

or visit my purchasing page for information on purchasing.

In addition to my calendar, I’m very happy to offer a 10% discount on all of my photographic prints through December 25!  I’m appreciative of all of the visitors to my site, and would be honored to have my art hanging on your wall.

Over the last few weeks, family trips, a busy work schedule, and various home improvements have kept me extremely busy.  Of course this would drive any photographer/blogger crazy because I really enjoy writing, and I do have some new images to share.  I’ll be posting more in the latter half of July, but in the meantime I do want to put up some links to new images.

A few weeks ago, I shared an image from a small drainage near the northern border of Kolob Canyon, in Zion National Park.  Kanarra Creek, near the small community of Kanarraville, is such a great place, and despite its small size, it rivals the more popular Virgin Narrows in beauty.  In addition, south of Zion Canyon is a virtually untracked wilderness–the Smithsonian Butte National Scenic Backway.  Both of these locations, although “known” seem to be virtually “unknown.”  However, to celebrate the entire area, and perhaps to emphasize that there is indeed more to photograph that just Zion itself.  You can see my images of the Greater Zion Region here.

Smithsonian Butte, June 2011

Over the Fourth of July, we made a trip out to the Four Corners Region to visit my parents in northwestern New Mexico.  While there, I got to re-visit the Bisti Badlands Wilderness, south of Farmington, New Mexico.  Although I grew up less than an hour’s drive from this amazing moonscape, I have to admit that I never fully appreciated it as a 17 year old (in fact, if I remember correctly, it was downright torture every time I was “forced” on a hike by my dad!).  What a difference several years makes!  I was sad to get only one morning in the Bisti, but you can view the images here.  Finally, in addition to visiting the Bisti, I was able to visit several other archaeological sites in the San Juan Basin; most of these sites were occupied by early Navajo inhabitants in the early-mid 1700s.  While this gallery will grow with time, you can see a couple of images here.

Warrior Pose, July 2011

I hope you enjoy the images, and don’t give up on me…I’m not dead yet!  More to come soon!

New Mexico Images (Bisti Badlands & the San Juan Basin)

Greater Zion Region Images

I’m very happy to announce that my first calendar is now available.  The center-folding, wall-hanging 17″ × 22″ (8.5″ × 11″ folded)  calendar features 12 of my images on heavy-duty stock paper.

Although we’ve had continued record heat in southern California, the Christmas season is already underway, and these calendars will make a great gift, either for yourself, or for someone else who loves wild places.

What’s the calendar look like?  I’m glad you asked.  Here are a few images:

Cover

May

November

The calendar is available for $27 (includes shipping); if you are interested in purchasing one, send me an email at:

alpenglowimages (at) gmail.com

or visit my purchasing page for information on purchasing.

In addition to my calendar, I’m very happy to offer a 25% discount on all of my photographic prints through December 25!  I’m very appreciative of all of the visitors to my site, and would be honored to have my art hanging on your wall.

After nearly a week of 100°-110°F temperatures at our house, we took advantage of a very autumnal day (mid 70s) and went to the San Diego Zoo yesterday.  With a heavy cloud layer that didn’t lift until mid-morning, it allowed for some great photography, without having to worry about high contrast situations.  By noon, however, the sun came out, and so did the crowds.  However, with a 2 1/2 year old, we were ready to leave, have a picnic lunch, and head home by then anyway…

Lesser spot-nosed guenon (Cercopithecus petaurista), August 2010

Su Lin the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), August 2010

Of course, I can’t go to the zoo and just visit the charismatic megafauna.  Some of the lesser-visited attractions are some of the most pleasant for me.  One in particular I like is the exhibit on local (to southern California) rattlesnake species.

Speckled rattlesnake (Crotalus mitchellii pyrrhus) August 2010

*As a technical note on the above photo, I handheld that with my 300/4 + 1.4x teleconverter and focused through glass.  The image was pretty sharp, but it did take some help in Photoshop to make it look presentable.

Finally, a visit to the hummingbird aviary was in order, before leaving the zoo for the day.

Hummingbird, August 2010

All in all, it was a pretty good day!  Even on a family-oriented trip to the zoo, there are many opportunities for photography available.  With so many opportunities, it is a good time to practice refining your skills with flash and exposure so when you’re in the field and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity arises, you can draw on the knowledge you gained.

Cool.  My blog is the featured blog of the month over at PJ Finn’s website, photomontana.net.  If you aren’t already reading PJ’s blog, you should be.  He’s not worried about HDR this, or marketing that; he simply enjoys taking photographs and writing about the simple joy of it all.   PJ’s photos are unique, creative, and inspiring.

I’m honored and flattered to be featured over there.  Thanks PJ!

Unbeknownst to you, I’ve been hard at work making some important behind-the-scenes changes to the website.  Those changes aren’t so behind-the-scenes any more though, because they’ve resulted in a few really cool upgrades.

First of all, I’ve made the entire site more interactive by removing the simple menu bar and replacing it with a Spry menu that had drop-down features.  Now, no matter where you’re at on the site, navigating somewhere else should be easier.  The menu bar is also now at the top of each page, so you don’t have to scroll all the way to the bottom to navigate.

The first change involved most of my time, but it isn’t the coolest.  I’ve separated images into two groups.  I still have all the images (and layout) you’re used to in the Image Library, but I’ve set a select few images aside in a series of Portfolios.  I have a landscape portfolio, one for flora and fauna, and one of my personal favorite images (with commentary!).   I’ve tried to keep the layout simple, while still leaving it functional and user-friendly.

Check out the new changes and tell me what you think!

There seems to be quite a bit of buzz in the photography blogosphere lately on what constitutes art and–perhaps more timely–what is original.

David Leland Hyde has a great post summarizing others’ blog posts here, and leaves us with a question: Why do you photograph landscapes?  There are some great comments in the thread.  Incidentally, if you’re not regularly reading his blog, you should be.

On reading this, I know I’ve thought about this many times, and am happy to see this dialogue between photographers.  I’m reminded of a few of my past blog posts as well:

The Icons

The Icons, reinterpreted

And finally, some thoughts on inspiring your creativity.

Ultimately, none of this may matter to you; art and originality are subjective.  You may well say, “I enjoy it, and I like my photos…I don’t care what anyone else thinks.”  There’s certainly nothing wrong with this stance, but for me, it does matter.  Why do I photograph nature, and landscapes in particular?  Regardless of your opinion, I think its good to take a step back and evaluate your art from time to time.  Many thanks to David et al. for forcing me to do that!

Having been pursuing the “photography business” for less than a year, I would consider myself a newbie.  I make no apologies for that, because I feel like I’ve always been able to follow the lead of my mentors well, and I am quick to learn from my mistakes.  However, its because I’m learning from my mentors that I’m having an issue.

One of the biggest complaints that I hear from people in the business is that with the availability of Photoshop and other image-editing software (both in-camera and in post-processing), “anyone can produce great photos.”  They note that creative vision is becoming less and less common, and its being replaced with the “I’ll fix it later” mentality.  I definitely see this (look around Flickr and you will too), and to some extent I’m guilty of snapping a photo, knowing that I’ll be cloning something out in post.  You probably do too.

My issue, then, isn’t with my mentors, but with myself.  How much can I justify altering a mediocre photo to make a good photo and still be okay with it?

Take for example this image I’ve recently reprocessed from the Fisher Towers:

The Fisher Towers, in color

My problem with this shot isn’t the harsh light, or the fact that its not at all representative of how pretty the Fisher Towers can be.  Its that I really want to like it.  But, its just mediocre.  Others on a Naturescapes.net forum recently agreed that its definitely not a wall-hanger.  But, when I convert the image to black and white, that harsh light is suddenly working its magic.

Fisher Towers in black and white

The image still won’t win any contests, but its drastically improved.  So, by digital manipulation, I converted a mediocre image into a better one.  The problem I have with this is that I didn’t set out to make black and white images that day.  Maybe I’ve just over-analyzed this.

I ask you, though: where does the creative process stop?  I have a feeling most will answer indicating that for them its a continuum, but where is the line drawn?  Knowing that I didn’t set out to make black and white images that day, are you okay with my displaying this as art?

I’d love to know your thoughts!