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
Newberry Crater National Volcanic Monument from Paulina Peak
I’ve been to the summit of Paulina Peak in the Newberry Crater National Volcanic Monument countless times over the last ten years and I have finally captured what I think will make a beautiful fine art photograph. Newberry was created in 1990 and comprised over 50,000 acres of land. The high point of the Newberry National Monument is Paulina Peak at 7,985 feet. In my opinion, the view from the summit of Paulina Peak is one of the most dramatic in Oregon and that is why I wanted to take my time and capture a spectacular image from this amazing location. I will offer this image in two forms, the horizontal version seen below and a vertical image which is further down in this blog post. The horizontal image from Newberry crater does an excellent job of capturing the scale and textures of this amazing location. The Pinnacles of Paulina Peak, Mt. Bachelor and the Three Sisters in the distance, and Paulina Lake far below all captured together during a beautiful summer sunrise promise to make this photograph a welcomed member to my fine art landscape photographs collection.
Newberry Crater, near Bend, Oregon
While I love the above image from Paulina Peak, I also felt it was worthwhile to offer a version of this image which emphasizes the cascade mountain range in the background and the rugged pinnacles of Paulina Peak. While these two images were captured during the same sunrise, they have a very different feel.
Paulina Peak and the Oregon Cascades
I’m even considering adding one of these images to my collection of Central Oregon Greeting Cards.Selections are welcome as to which of these two images would make the best greeting card. Hopefully this image will be available at the next First Friday in Downtown Bend, so please check back regarding specific for the photography show.
Thanks,
Mike
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
Patriarch Juniper Tree!
Those that know me as a photographer are well aware that I struggle with trees. The challenge of capturing the essence of such wonderful living things, has vexed me in the past. In my job job as a landscape photographer i spend lots of time exploring the Central Oregon area. Last summer, while I was looking for Mariposa Lilies in bloom, I stumble across this absolute giant of a Juniper Tree. It is approximately seven feet in diameter at its base and it is very healthy. By far the biggest and most character laden juniper tree I’ve ever found. One of the things that defines Juniper trees is there ability to survive in hostile climates. This huge, weathered(yet healthy) Juniper most embodies what I think a Juniper Tree should look like. I made several separate visits to this old growth Juniper tree in an attempt to capture the best composition possible.
Patriarch Juniper Tree
My initial efforts were less than stellar, yet I kept returning. this big Juniper had a certain personality that repeatedly drew me back. After some introspection, I realized that this Juniper reminded me of my father. I’m sure that there are some awful Freudian connotations there, but it’s true! It is big, embracing, and has a certain warmth about it. All traits which distinctly remind me of my Father. Thus the title, Patriarch Juniper Tree. You can see this image and three other new images during the First Friday art walk at the Bend Brewing Company, Friday May 6th, 2011. I hope to see you there!
Best,
Mike Putnam
Mariposa Lilies!
One of my favorite aspects of landscape photography is the ability to isolate pieces of the landscape. Oregon’s high desert is largely dry and vegetation is relatively sparse during the summer months. Periodically, spring rains and weather patterns combine to stimulate blooms on one of my favorite wildflowers, the Mariposa Lily. Mariposa Lilies bloom for about 24 hours and they are usually found as isolated specimens. This was a rare grouping of Mariposa Lilies, growing wild on a friends property in Central Oregon.
Mariposa Lilies near Bend, Oregon
To capture two Mariposa Lilies in full bloom is exceedingly rare. To capture three more blooms about to open is even more unique. Finding this luminous grouping of Central Oregon wildflowers is lucky but being able to share them via my photography is a joy. This Landscape photo and three other new images will be on display tomorrow, May 6th, 2011 at the Bend Brewing Company in downtown Bend, Oregon. Please stop by during Bend’s First Friday Art walk celebration and let me know what you think about this Photograph.
Thanks,
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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All content © 2012 by Mike Putnam Landscape Photography