Bend, Oregon Winter Snow Photographs.
My hometown of Bend, Oregon is truly a four season outdoor wonderland. Unfortunately, the winter of 2012 had been especially mild until yesterday. Bend and the Central Oregon region are heavily dependent on winter snow fall for their supply of exceptional drink water, as well as irrigation water for agricultural purposes. Winter snow melt from high on the flanks of Broken Top Mountain flows toward Bend via multiple alpine streams and eventually end up in the City of Bend’s water supply. Without enough winter snow fall, there are grave concerns regarding water supply. Additionally, the economies of Bend and the city of Sisters,or are heavily dependent upon winter snow fall to fuel winter sports. The Bend area offers world class Cross Country skiing, downhill skiing at Mt. Bachelor, and snowshoeing, throughout the Deschutes National Forest. Without adequate winter snow fall in Central Oregon, these winter driven snow sports suffer and tourism dollars plummet. One of my favorite winter locations for winter snow sports in the Bend area is Tumalo Mountain and its stunning view of the Central Oregon Cascades.
Fresh Snow on the Central Oregon Cascades, near Bend, Oregon
Tumalo Mountain is located 20 miles from the city of Bend, near the Mt. Bachelor ski resort. Tumalo Mountain is not lift served so snow sports enthusiasts have to earn their turns at this iconic backcountry location. The East facing slope of Tumalo is a steep bowl while the remainder of the mountain offers a more gradual grade for relaxed tree skiing. The photograph seen above of the Central Oregon Cascades after a heavy winter snowfall was taken from near the summit of Tumalo Mountain.
The next two photos in this winter collection are both of my favorite Oregon River, the Deschutes River. The image seen below features the distinct and beautiful Red Osier Dogwood which is common in riparian areas throughout Central Oregon. This particular Bend Oregon photo was captured in Tumalo State Park. Because Tumalo State Park is lower in elevation than the City of Bend, it is often accessible during the winter season. Red Osier Dogwoods along the Deschutes River near Bend, Oregon.
Red Osier Dogwood and the Deschutes River
The recreational area along the Deschutes River trail south of the city of Bend is higher in elevation than the city of Bend and therefore is sporadically accessible during times of heavy snowfall in Central Oregon. One of my favorite hiking destinations along the Deschutes River trail is Benham Falls, seen below. While winter can be harsh at Benham Falls, summer is always spectacular at this beautiful waterfall.
Bend Oregon's Benham Falls in winter
The detail in the fine art print of this scene at Benham Falls in the Deschutes River is beautiful. The snow and ice details make this one of my favorite Bend Oregon winter scenes. Leaving the Bend area and traveling west to the city of Sisters, you can visit this wonderful grove of Ponderosa pine trees.
Oregon Ponderosa Pine Tree Grove in Winter
This particular Ponderosa Pine Tree Grove has stunning color in both the summer and winter. These trees all lean slightly towards where I was shooting this photo from and their bark is slightly shielded from the elements. This gives their bark the wonderful cinnamon color that is a favorite of hikers and naturalists in the Sisters, Oregon area.
One last image that I think embodies the snow/winter season in the Bend, Oregon area is the following Photo of Mt. Bachelor after a heavy winter snowfall.
Photo/pic/image of Bachelor in winter, Bend, Oregon
This winter snow photo of Mt. Bachelor was hard earned, requiring a 60 minute snowshoe climb in 29 inches of overnight powder snow. Fine art prints of this and all of the images in this collection of winter photographs are available for sale. Please visit the galleries page of my website by visiting my photo gallery page. Oregon Photos for sale.
Thanks for visiting and have a wonderful snowy winter!
Mike Putnam
Bend Oregon Fall photography review.
Central Oregon is a place that is special for many reasons. My wife may disagree but one of the things that make living in the Bend, Oregon area special is that we have four distinct seasons. While other areas of the country are frequently touted as excellent autumn destinations, I would place Central Orgon on my list of best areas of the U.S. for fall road trips. The weather is frequently excellent. Cool nights and bright sunny days contribute to beautiful riparian colors along local waterways, bursts of fall color in alpine areas with huckleberries, and blueberries, as well as vine maples and aspen groves igniting riots of color in and around the Bend area. Below is my photographic resume touting Bend and the Central Oregon area as a stunning fall vacation destination.
Shevlin Park in Bend, Oregon
The first image seen above was taken in Bend Oregon’s own Shevlin Park. Shevlin is a 650 acre city park located a few miles west of the city of Bend. Shevlin is graced with old growth ponderosa trees along with engleman spruce, larch trees, and junipers. The chilly trout filled waters of Tumalo Creek which courses through the park offer a colorful riparian buffer during the beautiful fall season in the Bend area.
Oregon Aspen Grove
Because of Central Oregon’s relatively high eleveation( about 3,600 ft) and it’s dry climate, Bend is blessed with an aspen friendly environment. Aspen trees are beautiful all year round but in they put on amazing displays in autumn. Excellent Aspen groves can be found throughout the city of Bend as well as along the Deschutes River Trail south of Bend and in the Tumalo Falls/Skyliners area west of Bend.
The beauty of the Santiam Pass and McKenzie Pass areas west of Bend are no secret to locals but their fall beauty goes largely unrecognized outside of Oregon. The following fall color image featuring gorgeous vine maples and towering evergreen trees was captured in the McKenzie Pass area.
Vine Maples on McKenzie Pass
A beautiful loop drive or ride can be made from the city of Sisters by driving west on highway 242 to McKenzie Pass and then taking highway 126 along the Mckezie River to Highway 20 and going west over Santiam Pass back to the city of Sisters. The drive is breath taking at any time of year and it is at its best in the fall. Vine maples illuminate the road with brilliant reds, yellows and oranges. The following image of the upper North Santiam River was taken in the Santiam Pass area.
Santiam River
The above image of vine maples draped over the North Santiam River, is one of my favorite fall images and looks great printed at up to 40×50 inches!
One of my most iconic autumn images from the Bend, Oregon area is of Tumalo falls, seen below. My daughter Emma was with me when I shot this image in a pouring rain at the apex of fall color along Tumalo Creek, 10 miles west of the city of Bend.
Tumalo Falls
As this image is one of my more popular prints, I have printed it at every size possible and I also have it available as a greeting card.
The following scene has been witnessed by countless hikers and bikers. This image was taken along the the Deschutes River Trail, just south of Bend. It includes the phenomenal Deschutes River and is in one of the recreational areas that make Bend a world class outdoor destination.
Deschutes River Trail
Finally, I include this last image as a tribute of the natural beauty that can be found within the city limits of the city of Bend. This image is a rough draft but hopefully it will be added to my collection of fine art prints in the near future. I captured this scene on a walk home after dropping my daughter off at school this fall. I think this image does an excellent job of capturing the shoulder season between fall and winter in the Bend area.
Maple Leaves
This simple little scene has a certain elegance that I am lucky to witness, much less capture on film. for more fall color images from the Bend area, please visit the portfolio page of my website Bend Oregon Photos.
Thanks For Visiting,
Mike
First Friday Art Hop in Bend, Oregon!
Hello Photography friends! After a two month sabbatical, from First Friday festivities, I will be back with with new Fine art prints at my familiar haunt, of Patagonia of Bend. Patagonia of Bend is located at 920 NW Bond Street, in Downtown Bend, Oregon.Fall Art Hop and my show will take place this Friday, 10/7/2011. I’ll be in the store from 5:00 PM until about 9:00PM. Rumor has it that the affable owner of Patagonia of Bend, Rod Bien, will be providing his signature frosted animal cookies and some only slightly toxic white wines, for free! I’ll be showing some new prints including the image of Tumalo Falls with summer wildflowers seen below. This Tumalo falls photograph is printed, framed and ready to show. It is definitely my favorite summer image of Tumalo Falls, and I think my collerctors will love it!
Bend Oregon's Tumalo Falls with summer wildflowers
The diversity of color and texture make this a visually stunning print. Because of the heavy snow fall in the Central Oregon Cascades last winter, Tumalo Falls’ flow was the highest I’ve seen it last summer, so it will be all but impossible to duplicate this wildflower and waterfall Photograph.
The following image of Paulina Peak, Paulina Lake and the Central Oregon Cascades as seen from the Newberry Crater National Volcanic Monument will also be premiered during Bend’s First Friday Art Hop.
Newberry Crater and Paulina Lake
This Newberry Crater/Paulina Lake is one I’ve been trying to capture for two years. Until now I’d been foiled by snow,clouds, wind, you name it, I’ve been beaten by it, until now! A wonderfully colorful sunrise against the pinnacles of Paulina Peak, heavy snow cover on Mt. Bachelor and the distant Three Sisters, and the misty shores of Paulina Lake far below make this landscape photograph worthy of all my efforts. I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I do!
One of my favorite Prints and one that I have shown very lightly is from Canyon Creek Meadow, at the base of Central Oregon’s Three Fingered Jack. The Canyon Creek Meadow hike is one of my favorites in the Bend area and this is one of the most flower filled landscape photographs I’ve seen. There are always lots of lupines in Canyon Creek Meadow but the year of this photo was exceptional. It was simply the best and most dense stand of Lupines I’ve ever seen.
Canyon Creek Meadow hike
Another lightly shown image in my collection of Landscape photographs is from Bend’s beautiful Deschutes River Trail. The Deschutes River runs through the middle of my beautiful hometown of Bend, and the Deschutes River Trail parallels much of the Deschutes River. The section of the river trail seen in this stunning autumnal image is located south of the city of Bend. This photograph was captured last fall, perhaps the best year for fall color along the Deschutes River that I’ve ever witnessed.
Deschutes River near Bend, Oregon
The fact that such beautiful scenery can be found just minutes from the city of Bend makes me feel lucky to live here!
I haven’t yet decided which additional prints I will display during the First Friday Art Hop, but the following image of the Oregon cascades is a leading candidate as it captures what I think is the best composition of Oregon’s beautiful Cascade mountains.
Oregon Cascade Mountains
Please, if you are out this Friday(10/7/2011), stop by Patagonia@Bend and say hello! I look forward to seeing some of my photography friends and to meeting some new ones.
See you Friday Night,
Mike Putnam
The Art of Photography partners with the Art of Brewing! First Friday Art Walk at the Bend Brewing Company!
I’ve had lots of different Landscape photography exhibits at the Bend Brewing Company, but this one is a little different! First of all, this will be part of downtown Bend’s First Friday Art Walk. Art will will take place between 5-9PM Friady May 6th 2011. For those poor hopless(sorry!) souls, that have never been to the Bend Brewing Company, it is located at 1019 Northwest Brooks Street in Downtown Bend. Finally you can have some great beer with your art filled Friday night stroll. I’ll unveil following four brand new prints at the Bend Brewing Company Friday night.
Columbia River Gorge
Patriarch Juniper Tree
Deschutes River Trail
Mariposa Lilies
All these new fine art Landscape Photographs and that isn’t even the exciting part of the evening. One of my images, will grace the label of a new Bottled beer, Outback X made by the BBC. Pretty Awesome for a beer drinking photographer like myself! Both Me and Superstar brewmaster, Tonya Cornet will be on hand to sign beer bottles, and perhaps drink beer! Stop by and enjoy the fun!
Cheers,
Mike Putnam
New Deschutes River Trail Fine Art Prints!
As winter has taken its seasonal grasp over Central, Oregon, I begin an annual review of my Autumn images from 2010. Fall is perhaps my favorite season and it is often spectacular in the Bend, Oregon area. It always surprises me when visitors ask if there is any fall color in Central Oregon. Our incredible diversity of fall color surpasses most areas of the country. Between vine maples along Santiam Pass, Huckleberries and blueberries in alpine meadows, sugar maples and larch trees in Bend’s Drake Park, and flourishes of riparian color along streams and rivers in the Bend area, the opportunities for fall color peeping are countless. Both of the following Deschutes River Photos will compliment my Oregon Rivers, Lakes and Streams Gallery My best fall color photos from this recently passed season were from the riparian areas along our Deschutes River. The Deschutes River Trail south of the city of Bend is a recreational wonderland.
Deschutes River Trail Near Bend, Oregon.
The area from the Old Mill District to Benham Falls offers phenomenal Mountain Biking, hiking, and fishing options all close to our fair city. Every year, the Deschutes River Trail is on my list of autumn photography exploratory locations and this was perhaps the most colorful year along the Deschutes River Trail(DRT) since my arrival in Bend 12 years ago. I photographed in several locations along the DRT this fall and the image above is one of my favorites. I’m still awaiting the transparencies from my 4×5 camera, but I’m optimistic that there will be images worthy of a new large format fine art print. The small thumbnail seen above doesn’t really do justice to the color and the wonderful array of textures that were present in the scene. Regardless, I’m optimistic about the potential results from my large format camera.
The next Photograph is also of Central Oregon’s beloved Deschutes River but it was taken from closer to the city of Redmond, Oregon. The thing that drew me to this off-trail photography location was the lichen covered rocks more so than the autumn hued Deschutes River seen far below.
Deschutes River near Redmond, Oregon
These two images are another example of the amazing geographical diversity found in the Central Oregon area. The first Photograph from the Deschutes River Trail shows a river lined with fir, spruce and ponderosa pine trees while the second photo, taken about 20 miles away shares an arid desert river canyon with a narrow fringe of riparian color and a sparse smattering of juniper trees. The rugged desert rocks are really the star of this second Deschutes River photo and I hope that my large format camera is able to capture the stunning detail in this craggy scene. I’ll have more Central Oregon autumn images up soon at our Pacific Crest Stock Photography site in the new future. Oregon Stock Photos
Thanks for visiting!
Mike Putnam
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Bend, Oregon Cascade Mountain Gallery
Oregon High Desert Print Gallery
Oregon Trees and Wildflower Prints Gallery
Bend, Oregon Rivers, Lakes and Waterfalls Gallery
All content © 2012 by Mike Putnam Landscape Photography