Bend , Oregon First Friday Art Hop at U.S. Bank Downtown Branch.
I’d like to thank the good people from U.S. bank, in Bend, Oregon, who recently purchased some of my fine art landscape photography for their newly remodeled downtown branch.
Sunrise on Central Oregon's Broken Top Mountain with a wildflower filled foreground.
The above photograph is one of those now on permanent display at the downtown Bend, Oregon branch of the U. S. Bank. This beautiful image captures Central Oregon’s Broken Top Mountain at sunrise with a beautiful flower filled foreground which includes Monkeyflowers, Queen Anne’s Lace, Indian Paintbrush, Senecio, and alpine asters. This and all the other images at U.S. Bank are double matted with a museum white acid free matte which looks great at the bank.
Photo/Picture of Central Oregon's favorite waterfall, Tumalo Falls
The above Tumalo Falls also looks great at U. S. Bank. For those of you who have seen this image before, you’ll notice that this specific has a slightly different crop, giving it a more expansive feel. It is a crop I’ve wanted to try and one that the folks at U. S. Bank wanted for their downtown Bend, OR branch.
Photo/picture of an alpine sunrise as seen from the summit of Central Oregon's South Sister
This semi-famous “summit sunrise” image is still one of my favorites and is now one of the favorites of U. S. Bank. It looks great there as it does at most locations. It gives a rugged, alpine balance to the balance of fine art images in the new collection at U. S. Bank.
Picture/ photograph of the Painted Hills of John Day in Eastern Oregon
The above Painted Hills print captured in the John Day unit of the Painted Hills area is another great representation of the tremendous geographic diversity that can be found in the Bend, Oregon area. This image is also a permanent member of the U.S. Bank’s art collection.
Photo/picture of Mt. Jefferson in the Central Oregon Cascade Range
This picture of Jefferson Park was captured in late summer from one of my favorite camping and hiking areas and is one of the first locations that made me excited about fine art landscape photography. this is simply one of my favorite types of landscapes to capture. Beautiful snow-covered mountains, scenic alpine meadows filled with wildflowers and great warm evening light.
Fine Art photo/picture of Oregon's Smith Rock State Park with the Crooked River in the foreground
Smith Rock State Park offers endless fine art photography opportunities and this is one of my favorite prints from that wonderful Oregon location. The glowing towers bathing in soft warm light with a fore ground of the gently curving Crooked River offer another example of the phenomenal diversity of the Central Oregon region. I think all of the above images make a beautiful permanent addition to the downtown Bend , Oregon branch of U.S. Bank, but judge for yourself! Please stop in at the bank and tell me what you think.
I’d like to sincerely thank the kind people of U.S. Bank who chose to purchase my art work and who graciously hosted me during the May 2009 first Friday Art walk in Downtown Bend. The event was well attended and it was very rewarding to meet some new people who are willing to support the arts in Central Oregon. A special thanks should also go out to Stacey, Loretta, Andy, and the rest of the staff at the U.S. Bank Downtown branch. They were all very efficient, helpful, organized and pleasant people to work with during the completion of this art project.
Thank You!
Mike Putnam
Cascade Mountains Greeting Cards
One of my favorite Central Oregon Landscape photos is pictured below on the last of my new line of art cards to be introduced. This mountain image was captured from the summit of Central Oregon’s South Sister Mountain at sunrise. The Pink alpenglow experienced during that clear morning sunrise is one of the special things about living in mountainous areas. As you may know, alpenglow is given it’s pink color because low level morning or evening light that first reaches the summits of high mountains has to travel through a greater amount of the earth’s atmosphere before contacting the earth surface. Because of this increased contact with the earth’s atmosphere, many of the light’s wavelengths are filtered out, leaving pink as one of the most prominent colors in the light’s visible spectrum, thereby giving Alpenglow it’s pink color.
Cascade Mountain sunrise as seen from the summit of Central Oregon's South Sister.
Because I love mountains in general and I especially love our Central Oregon Mountains, this is one of my favorite Central Oregon Landscape photos. It would be very difficult to capture a more alpine feeling landscape image in the Central Oregon area. I’ve climbed to the summit of South Sister many times in the past. It’s a long and difficult but non-technical climb to the summit via the Devil’s Lake or Green Lakes routes. As it requires nearly 5,000 vertical feet of elevation gain to reach South Sister’s 10,358 foot summit, the climb is not for everyone. Several years ago I developed what my wife would refer to as an obsession with capturing this landscape photograph. I’ve climbed South Sister three times purely with the intention of capturing this mountain image. On the first attempt, I started late at night and climbed for five hours only to have the summit cloud in unexpectedly, totally obscuring any photos I had hoped for. The next time I climbed with good friend, Jake “Squishy” Bell. We started climbing the previous evening and summited and set up camp at about 11 AM. The next morning was frighteningly windy. It was impossible to stand still without being blown about by the wind. The sunrise was beautiful but the photographic conditions were impossible with my large format camera. Unfortunately, the bellows on my camera tend to act as a small sail in windy conditions. It was terrifying to be near the summit edge, much less to perch my expensive camera near it. I climbed down the mountain without taking a single shot. Very disappointing! On my next attempt, I climbed with two other people, my sisters ex-boyfriend and his sister. There was lots of snow on the route requiring endless post holing into deep snow on steep slopes, making for a long and tedious climb. The next morning was glorious! No winds and the beautiful alpenglow you see in the above greeting made all of my previous efforts worth while. The fine art version of this beautiful Oregon scene is also stunning. In the large 50 inch print, you can see volcanoes all the way to Washington State. Middle Sister, North Sister, Three Fingered Jack, Mt. Jefferson, Black Butte, Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams, Mt. St. Helen’s, and Mt. Rainier are all visible making this arguably the most alpine of any Oregon Landscapes. If you are interested in seeing this Fine Art Print in person, please feel free to contact me. If you are interested in purchasing this or any of my other Cascade Mountain Greeting Cards, please check back in a couple of days because they are almost ready for sale!
As Always,
Thanks for Visiting,
Mike Putnam
Central Oregon Cascade Mountain Greeting Cards!
For those of you who are regular readers of my updates, hold on to your hats as I’m branching into something entirely different. I’m about to launch a small but super high quality line of art cards, greeting cards, note cards, or whatever you want to call them. they will open to a blank inside for personal notes to friends, family, clients, or associates. Regardless, they should be very nice and as you might expect, Central Oregon landscapes will be the theme. My first series of 8 cards is just about to be ordered and should be available in a couple of weeks. I hope to market them everywhere that sells attractive cards. I’ve received countless requests for less expensive products from people who genuinely seem to love my photography but don’t have $1,650 available for a framed 30×50 inch print. I get it! Especially in these difficult economic times. Thus my new business idea. I’ve always focused on the best quality that I could possibly achieve from the beginning of my process to the end. It all starts with great slow speed 4×5 transparency film in a balanced, accurately focusing large format camera with excellent quality multi-coated lenses on top of an exceptional carbon fiber tripod. This is just the film capture part of the process. Next comes the processing part of the image capture process. I can have a beautifully exposed capture of a once in a lifetime scene but if the processing is botched then everything but the memory is lost. That’s why I utilize the best processing outfit anywhere. Next comes the printing. Many people have asked if I do my own printing. I don’t for several reasons. The first of which is that it takes a long time to become a great printer and I’m simply too busy to perfect the art. The second is that I don’t have quite enough through put to justify having the requisite chemicals around in my already cramped basement. Also, maintaining a top quality color processing set-up is also time consuming and frankly, professional outfits can do it better than me and therefore I choose to have them do it. I consider my printers to be the best in the world. This opinion is shared by many of the best professional photographers in the world. Because all of this adds, y fine art quality photographs are not cheap. Because I’ve had lots of requests for my images at a lower price, I came to the conclusion that high end but fairly priced Greeting Cards featuring Central Oregon Cascade Mountains would be a good place to start. As always, quality was my first objective. The printing options are endless. Decisions regarding paper, print,and font had to be made. Then of course, I had to select only 8 of my thousands of images for usage. This was brutal! There are so many photographs that I’d like to make into art cards but I had to start somewhere. With endless help from my sweet wife, Debbie, and our great friends, Jason and Christine, we have finally reached the printing stage. I’ll offer a photographer’s insight into how each of my new greeting card images were captured over the next couple of weeks, until the Greeting Cards are actually available. I’ll also leak out more information about specifics of the cards, price, etc. To start off the grand introduction of my soon to be released art cards, I give you the following image of Sparks Lake, with the distant South Sister as seen from near the Cascade Lakes Highway.
South Sister and Sparks Lake Greeting Card
I felt this was an appropriate card image to start with because it is such a recognizable location for many Central Oregon outdoor enthusiasts and because it was one of the first images that I captured that I was truly excited about. I had been to Sparks Lake for many previous sunsets but none have been the equal of this Sparks Lake photo. The scene was stunning that I got goose bumps. To capture that much color, with a perfect reflection of South Sister from such a scenic Oregon location was a gift. I always have a desire to do justice to a given location. Many of you have probably been to a scenic location and took some photos and when you returned home you were disappointed with your results because the photos didn’t do justice to the beauty of a given scene. Well, my goal is to never let this happen. Don’t get me wrong, it happens, but if the scene is beautiful, I keep going back until I get it right and I eventually do justice to the scene. this photo is very rewarding because I did justice to a famous and beautiful scene. The setting could not have been better. I was with My wife and our daughter, Emma, who was catching toads along Sparks Lake’s shore while I photographed the scene. The clouds were amazing, and the water could not have been more still. Knowing that this scenic location was a favorite of Oregon’s photographer laureate, Ray Atkeson is also immensely rewarding. Of all the time I’ve spent photographing Sparks Lake, that evening is still my favorite. I hope you all enjoy the greeting card version of this shot and please contact me if you would like to make a purchase. I’ll soon have a special Art Card/Greeting Card page on my website where it will be possible to register with PayPal and buy my cards directly from the web and I’ll send them directly to you. If anyone has any suggestions regarding locations that you’d like to see as part of my next series of cards, please leave a comment at the end of this blog entry. Until my next Greeting card entry, Take Care.
All the Best,
Mike Putnam
First Friday Fine Art Photography show at Pandora’s Backpack
I’d like to officially thank Rod Bien of Pandora’s backpack in downtown Bend for hosting my photography show last Friday(3/6/09) The store is great, Rod has always been generous in allowing my huge fine art prints and cumbersome easels to clutter up his store and the staff at Pandora’s backpack is also a great group of people. Mo, Jordan, Thad and everyone who chipped in at last Friday’s art walk. It is very appreciated.
Mt. Bachelor and Red Indian Paintbrush in the Central Oregon Cascades
We had a great turn out and it was especially nice to see some old friends and collectors who I had regrettably lost touch with in the past couple years. Above is one of the many images that are still hanging at Pandora’s backpack which I captured with my large format 4×5 film camera.
For those of you that don’t already know, Pandora’s backpack is according to my understanding a Patagonia concept store. Meaning they are privately owned but carry almost a full line of Patagonia clothing. Perhaps if Rod Bien happens to stumble upon this entry , he could give us some details. Regardless, it is full of high quality, well made outdoor gear from my favorite outdoor company, Patagonia. Old Patagonia catalogs were one of my early photography inspirations. When I lived in Kentucky with my parents, I had a small collection of photos cut out of old Patagonia catalogs taped up next to my spot at the dinner table. It was my happy spot! Back to Pandora’s Backpack. It is a beautiful store with very attractive brick walls and some nice rugged wood details, all of which combine nicely with my large format fine art prints and the hand made cherry wood frames that I create for them.
Lichen covered basalt columns in Central Oregon's High Desert
The above is another one of my fine art photos which is currently hanging at Pandora’s backpack. I captured this image near the alder springs area outside of Sisters, Oregon. I met lots of new Bend residents at the show virtually all of who are living in Bend for the outdoor experiences that are available here. Having the Deschutes River, the high desert, old growth ponderosas, and the Cascade Mountains all within minutes of each other and minutes of Downtown Bend make this an amazing place for me to live.
Middle Sister, North Sister, Mt Washington, Three Fingered Jack, and Mt. Jefferson as seen from Tam McArthur Rim
This is yet another fine art image hanging at Pandora’s backpack and yet another reason I feel lucky to live and work in Central Oregon. An endless supply of beautiful photography subjects and some amazing sunsets are nothing to complain about. The above photograph was taken from Tam McArthur Rim high on the flanks of Central Oregon’s Broken Top Mountain in the Oregon Cascades. The sunset was clearly stunning but the view is always grand from this location. From left to right are Middle Sister, North Sister, Mt. Washington, Three Fingered Jack, and Mt. Jefferson. It is truly an amazing volcanic viewpoint.
If any of you are interested in seeing more of my work in person, please stop by Pandora’s backpack where my work is semi-permanently displayed. It is located at the On Bond street in the St. Clair building in downtown Bend.
Central Oregon Adventures and Smith Rock Sunset Photos
Yesterday started a little slowly as I had more computer and billing work to do than I prefer on any free day although I hopefully closed a fine art transaction that I’ll list here on the blog when it becomes slightly more official. My initial photo mission was to find a dry canyon outside of Sisters, Oregon, which I’d identified on a map. My hope was that the canyon would have views of Central Oregon’s Three Sisters over the top of the canyon. My first attempt was swiftly blocked by fate at the access road was closed due to seasonal wildlife usage. Oh well, as I was close to Sisters, I stopped in to see Brad at Eurosports which is an outdoor store with an emphasis on bicycling and cross country skiing. Brad was helpful as always and shared some trail information. Next I stopped in to one of my favorite Central Oregon Bookstores, Paulina Springs Books where I got a couple of trail guides to replace my old tattered versions. My last city stop was at Three Creeks Brewing Company, where Dave Fleming continues to churn out excellent beers. He recently brewed a great dry hopped pale ale which has a wonderfully aromatic nose. If you are in Sisters and you enjoy a fine microbrew, you should stop in to visit the good folks at Three Creeks Brewing Company.
As I was denied access to my intended photography location for the day I made alternate plans. I drove the back roads to Lake Billy Chinook. I’m not a power boater nor do I enjoy busy recreational lakes but I’m always pleased with how beautiful Lake Billy Chinook and the surrounding areas are. By this time of day the light had gotten pretty harsh but there were some pretty interesting lenticular type clouds forming overhead. I’ll include the following picture primarily because it shows the clouds starting to form over Mt. Jefferson, high above the basalt walls of Lake Billy Chinook.
photo/picture of Mt. Jefferson high above the basalt walls of Lakes Billy Chinook
The clouds forming at the top of this picture weren’t going to work for sunset shots of the Cascade mountains but I knew they might work out for sunset shots at Smith Rock State Park near Terrebonne so I loaded up and went to Smith Rock. For quite some time I’ve been trying to get a good sunset shot of the backside of Smith Rock including Monkey face at sunset with some good clouds as a backdrop and suddenly I thought today might be my day.
Once I’d arrived at Smith Rock I made a quick driving tour and took a couple of pictures of the Monument at the north end of Smith Rock. The monument is an alluring subject and one with which my friend, photographer, and neighbor, Troy McMullin has a growing obsession. To see one of Troy’s thousands of photos of the Monument at Smith Rock visit our stock photo site’s high desert gallery. Below is a picture I shot yesterday of Troy’s Beloved Monument.
Golden evening light bathes the monument and the Crooked River at Smith Rock State Park
The warm golden light was nice but it wasn’t the photo I had in mind. I quickly hiked down the overlook area and across the Crooked River Bridge and started heading along the river to the backside of Smith Rock where Monkey Face is located. As the light was starting to fade a bit I decided to make a gamble and try a short cut over asterisk pass which is the low point along the morning glory wall and dihedrals area where you can see a cool balanced rock. Well My short cut was a bad idea. There are signs that clearly indicate that asterisk pass is not a hiking trail and they are accurate. I managed, with a fair amount of struggle to get to the top of the pass but getting down the opposite side with my bulky photography pack was a risk I wasn’t willing to take for the sake of photos. Just a warning, don’t try to hike/scramble over this pass unless you are very comfortable with some exposed scrambling. I could have made it down the opposite side without a pack but that too would have been stressful. The good thing that did come out of climbing to the top of asterisk pass were that I could see that the clouds were thinning out over monkey face and would no longer make for a good backdrop. Additionally, I got to enjoy a new vantage point of a beautiful area of Smith Rock. below is a quick pic I snapped of the morning glory wall from near the top of asterisk pass.
Evening light on Smith Rock as seen from asterisk pass
The light would definitely be better in the morning which gives me another photo excuse to return to Smith Rock! Because of the changing cloud conditions, I reversed paths and quickly returned to the overlooks near the parking areas on the opposite side of the Crooked River because I thought that offered the best opportunity for colorful sunset. light. I was right! As I climbed along the trail to the parking area, the light really heated up and I captured the following sunset photo from near the view point overlooking the park.
Sunset photo of Smith Rock State Park and the Crooked River below
This photo alone made my day of cloud chasing worth while. I love the composition of the sunset cloud spreading out over the distant rock formations. Next I hustled to a slightly different location that I thought might hold color slightly longer. The low point with the small balanced rock is asterisk pass where I had been balanced only a few minutes before. Mt Jefferson is framed over asterisk pass in this particular photo.
Mt. Jefferson framed above Smith Rock's asterisk pass at sunset with the morning glory wall to the right.
This day typified many in my little world of Oregon Landscape Photography in the more adaptable I am to environmental conditions the more successful my photos for the day will be. I’ll soon upload the best photos from this day onto our stock photo site, Pacific Crest Stock, so please visit our High Desert Gallery if you would like to see these images or others from the beautiful desert areas around Central Oregon.
Posted by Mike Putnam
Smith Rock Snow Photos
Recently, Troy McMullin and I ventured to Smith Rock State Park to enjoy the low elevation snow to be found there. It was the first sunny day in quite some time and we both were happy to get out of the clouds that had been inhabiting Central Oregon. I am repeatedly amazed at how stunning the Smith Rock area is. I’m convince that if it was located east of the Mississippi River, it would have been made into a national park long ago. With its stunning colors, vertical towers the Crooked River flowing around its periphery, and with Gray Butte as a backdrop it is simply an amazing place to visit. Personally, I think it surpasses anything outside of Utah with its rugged, rocky appeal. Of course it is world famous for its Rock Climbing and less so for its hiking, mt. biking, and photo opportunities.
The Monument and snow at Smith Rock State Park
One of the less obvious but very photo worthy rock features at Smith Rock is the Monument. I’ve always been very fond of this photo location and Troy seemingly has developed something of an obsession with the scene. Please click the following link to visit Pacific Crest Stock . It is the stock photography company that Troy and I will be launching shortly after New Years. In the link included you’ll find some other very nice photos of Smith Rock and the high desert areas of Central and Eastern Oregon.
The snow cover made for some interesting textures and mid range details in our images. If you or anyone you know visits Smith Rock while it is still snow covered, please be careful. The snow adds a level of danger to the scene as well as beauty. The prominent basalt columns along the Crooked River Canyon are especially dangerous when snow covered. Obviously they are slippery, but many small crevices are now snow covered creating many hidden and potentially dangerous pitfalls. Be careful if venturing near any cliff edges for photo, climbing, or sight seeing purposes.
Smith Rock towers and snow covered basalt columns
Above is a photo of Smith Rock from high above the Crooked River Canyon featuring some slippery yet attractive snow covered basalt columns in the foreground with some rocky snow covered spires in the background. The light was not optimal for some areas of the park but the exploring was exceptional and beautiful from every angle, even if photo conditions were slightly less than perfect. It is rather rare to have this much snow at Smith Rock and blue skies because the snow tends to melt of quickly at that elevation when the sun appears on the scene. I captured the next photo from an entirely different area of Smith Rock. This rock formation is to the left after you cross the bridge over the Crooked River. It has some beautiful pastel hues in its rock formations but is quite dangerous for rock climbing purposes as I’m told that it is rather crumbly.
Smith Rock and the frozen Crooked River covered in snow.
One of the surprising things about this photo adventure was how thoroughly the Crooked River was frozen. The clouds behind this impressive rock formation are a bit disappointing in that they obscure South Sister peaking out to the left side of the rock formation. I like how the snowy juniper trees frame the bottom of this picture and the curvature of the Crooked River(perhaps this is why it’s called the Crooked River!) emphasizes the shape of the giant rock formation at the south end of Smith Rock. Finally I’ll include a detail shot of one of my favorite rock formations. Smith Rock is a wonderland for photos, hiking, biking, and virtually any outdoor activity and I love the big western scenes there. This being said, perhaps my favorite aspect of Smith Rock State Park is the small details I find upon intimate inspection of this stunning location. Like so many other spots at Smith Rock, the following photo reveals beauty in its finer details.
Smith Rock winter details
I love the varied color palette visible in this picture. The rust, aqua, and oranges all enlivened by the snowy details on these intricate rock formations. It is finding perspectives like this that has become my favorite aspect of photography explorations of Smith Rock.
If anybody is interested in a beautiful and snowy perspective of Smith Rock, now is the time for a hike as the snow often does not last long in this area of the high desert of Central Oregon and please be careful near cliff edges as the snowy beauty harbors some seasonal dangers that are best avoided. Happy Holidays!
Deschutes River Winter Photos
As Old Man Winter has thoroughly put his stamp on Central Oregon, my preferred backcountry photo locations become less accessible and even simple hikes can become a difficult task. With nearly a foot of snow in my backyard, conditions are excellent for some great winter photos, of locations that would otherwise be photographically unworthy. As there doesn’t appear to be a break in Central Oregon’s pattern of snow storms and heavily overcast skies in the near future, I’ve temporarily given up on any mountain alpenglow and fresh snow shots for the foreseeable future. Instead I’ve turned towards some less remote scenes for some interesting winter pictures.
On overcast, snow days like today, I usually find some worthy photo material at Tumalo State Park. As Highway 20 descends into the Deschutes River’s basin, on the left side of the road is an attractive overlook where you can get an arial view of the northern end of Tumalo State Park and a graceful curve in the Deschutes River. On rare snowy cold days like today, when the riparian area along the Deschutes’ shores are powdered with fresh snow, the scene is especially elegant because the juniper and ponderosa trees retain extra detail from the snow on their limbs and the snow covers some less attractive areas in the state park area. The following photo was taken from that unmarked but very pleasant location.
Deschutes River in winter
Upon entering the state park, I was rewarded with solitude and some of the best winter and snow scenery in the Bend, Oregon area. I made first tracks in the freshly fallen snow and thoroughly explored this beautiful Central Oregon location. I took pictures from all over the park but I’ll only present a few of my favorites in this blog entry. I think these photos will be great for stock photo purposes. As I stumbled up stream, I made an obligatory stop at my favorite ponderosa tree. It’s broad limbs were predictably snow covered making an interesting, graphic picture. This tree is absolutely immense and the density of the arrangement of its branches make it one of my favorite oregon photo subjects.
Snow covered ponderosa tree in Central Oregon's Tumalo State Park near Bend Oregon
Further up river more rewarding winter photos were to be found. The red osier dogwoods along the Deschutes River’s shores add a splash of red to the scene as do the trunks of numerous ponderosa trees along both banks of the river. Near the southern end of the park is a broad and rugged boulder field filled with volkswagen sized lava rocks. This boulder field is tedious to navigate in summer and it turns out that it is fairly treacherous when snow covered. The following photo was taken at the up stream end of the boulder field.
Snow covered boulders and ponderosa trees line the Deschutes River
Because these boulders were snow covered many cracks and concave areas were hidden, making the travel especially difficult. I spent a considerable amount of time on my belly grasping at small slippery hand hold in an attempt to not fall into any of the snow covered cracks that served as trap doors between the large rocks. Frankly, I wouldn’t recommend traveling through the rock field to others. Instead I would recommend climbing up hill above the rocks if you insisted on pressing up stream beyond this location. The next photo is from just beyond the boulder field. I really like the graceful curvature that the deschutes makes in this location and I love the color lent to this beautiful winter scene by the ponderosas and red osier dogwoods that flank the river.
The Deschutes River flanked by snow covered ponderosa trees fill this Central Oregon scene.
I stopped my hike at the point where the above picture was taken and began a cold and hasty retreat back to my truck. For those of you who enjoy winter hiking, Tumalo State Park is beautiful right now. The snow cover has made an already beautiful hike even more stunning but I would highly recommend avoiding the snow covered boulder field as it is challenging and quite dangerous when snow covered, like now!
Central Oregon snow, Winter’s Arrival!
It appears that old man winter has finally arrived in full force on the Central Oregon scene. I received a mixed reaction when I declared that Central Oregon residents were in need of a cold snow infusion two entries ago, in that perhaps there aren’t as many snow lovers in our midst as I had once imagined. Personally, I love distinct seasons. I wouldn’t mind spring being a little more distinct and prolonged here in the Bend area but I have no reservations in regards to winter’s arrival. In celebration of our recent snowfalls, I strategically made my first cross country ski outing of the season to Tumalo Falls. I knew it had been quite cold and enough snow had fallen to make a potentially interesting photo or two. I’ve been to Tumalo Falls many times in the winter but frankly I’ve never really dialed in the scene to the point where I’m truly proud of my photos. This outing was very good but far from perfect. It was a day that my friend and fellow photographer, Troy McMullin refer to as a good stock day. By this we mean that the conditions or the setting might not have been appropriate for capturing a fine art photograph that is worthy of selling as a print but it was probably an attractive enough scene that is has some commercial value.
In early season conditions like this, one often has travel options. The road from the parking lot along Tumalo Creek had enough snow for skiing but it had little enough that it was still hikeable. Probably the only way to go wrong was to snowshoe. I had enough kick and glide that the weight of my skis were easily justified. After the quick 2.5 mile ski into Tumalo falls, my first stop was at the viewpoint where I took the following wintry picture.
Bend, Oregon's Tumalo Falls after Central Oregon's first significant snow of 2008.
The attractive elements of this image led me to my next several shots. I like the snow cover on the trees and the rocks in the middle of Tumalo Creek but I am especially fond of the ice formations at the base of the waterfall. Their artistic shapes and blue hues made them a subject worth zooming in on a little closer. any good photographer will tell you that it is better to get closer to your subject that to employ a lens with a longer, so I got closer. I dropped my skis and skirted along the right hand side of the creek’s canyon for a more intimate vantage point. The travel was actually more hazardous than I’d anticipated as some of the steep snow laden slopes were a bit nerve racking. Looking down I realized that one slip and I slide 75 feet straight into the creek which would be uncomfortable but not devastating. What would be devastating was the fact that I was potentially the last person into the falls that evening and that I could possibly break my leg during a slide into a creek. It is moments of exposure like this that trigger my mind to draw out dark scenarios of my own dismemberment that at worst are melodramatic and at best are preventing my wife from cashing in on a life insurance policy!
Bend Oregon's Tumalo Falls in Winter.
As I was fussing with optimal tripod placement and being covered with fresh fallen powder, I became acutely aware that i was getting cold! I like the details of the falls and its associated ice formations that are captured in this picture. When I tried to hike/climb/scramble I ran into two issues. The hillside became intimidatingly steep for someone(me) who isn’t ready to cash in their own life insurance policy and the spray from the waterfall became problematic for my lenses. The next image emphasizes the Ice sculptures beneath a tad more aggressively.
Icy formations beneath Tumalo Falls near Bend, Oregon.
Hopefully this will be the first of many winter photo outings that I’ll make this winter season. It was great to be back out on skis and I’m glad winter has finally arrived despite the wishes of my loving wife and my favorite ultra-marathoner/retailer. By the way, my wife will have to wait awhile for summer and to cash my life insurance policy!
First Friday Art Show- 12/5/08
Broken Top Basin
Deschutes River in Autumn
The above image was taken near the Deschutes River Trail just south of Bend. The next photo, also never shown before is of Mt. Bachelor taken from the Three Sisters Wilderness Area. This is the most dense stand of Indian Paintbrush that I’ve found in the Bend area. I also like how the small cloud cap adds another element to the composition.
Mt. Bachelor and Indian Paintbrush
Central Oregon Snow Photos
Virtually everywhere I go around Bend I’ve been hearing people praying to the proverbial snow gods. As it’s nearly December and there is only the lightest dusting of snow on our local mountains it would be good for everyone except my wife( she never wants cold or snow except on Christmas) if we were to get several heavy dumps of snow. In terms of my photography, I would definitely like some snow to cover dormant plants and to give the cascades a more alpine look and feel. I’ve got several exciting winter photography outings planned but no winter with which to work. Instead of fretting over sub optimal landscape photography conditions I’ve been working on some stock photography chores on the computer. I’d always rather be outside exploring but at least I’ve been fairly productive while waiting for the snow to fall. In anticipation of a late but inevitable winter, I’ve put together some of my favorite winter photos from previous years. All of these images were captured with my large format camera which can be a bit tedious but when I get it right it allows me to make stunning fine art prints. The first photo is our beloved Mt. Bachelor in its full winter glory, clearly not shot this year. This photo was taken two years ago in January. I’d been tracking weather patterns for over a week and was fortunate enough to capture this image at sunrise the morning after a 28 inch snow fall.
Mt. Bachelor at sunrise after a heavy snow fall.
This photograph like most backcountry winter images required lots of work. An early rise, a brutal snow shoe up Tumalo Mountain through deep snows with a heavy camera pack while the thermometer reading hovered at zero degrees fahrenheit. Getting to a winter shot is only part of the battle. Finding a level spot to set up a tripod so that it doesn’t sink in the snow is always a difficult task. Snow blowing onto my lens and leaving fuzzy areas on my images can be disastrous. Accidently breathing on my lens is inconvenient at best as it takes a bit of time before the haze will clear and if its too cold, my breath freezes on the lens making my photos look like they were shot through an opaque shower door. Not Good. Finally there’s the frustration of the visual qualities of snow itself. If I can’t get to snow before its been exposed to the sun, it is virtually never visually attractive. Here in Central Oregon, it is often sunny right after a storm, melting the snow and making unsightly bare patches contrast unattractively against still snow covered areas. Essentially, if you want a really attractive winter landscape photo you need to be there right after a fresh snowfall and hope the wind hasn’t already blown the snows off of the trees in the area you want to shoot.
I love alpenglow photos like this one because I like color in my images and because they are a reminder how how special it is to spend time in the mountains. Where else can you get two free and beautiful light shows daily, courtesy of Mother Nature?
The following image was logistically simpler but still had its difficulties.
My favorite ponderosa grove, near Sisters, Oregon.
I was fortunate enough to get to this, my favorite grove of Ponderosa trees during an active snow storm. During my extensive scouting trips around Central Oregon, this is perhaps the most colorful group of ponderosa trees I’ve found and as a bonus they have a nice composition. If you live around ponderosa trees you’ve probably noticed that they are not all created equal. Some have considerably more reddish color to their wonderful jigsaw puzzle bark than others do. I have a theory about why this is. It seems that the more colorful side of any given ponderosa tree is virtually always the side of the trunk that is more slanted toward the ground and therefore more sheltered from prevailing weather patterns. It just so happens that all of these ponderosas had a slight tilt towards where I was shooting from and therefore they all have exceptionally colorful bark. Because the snow was actively falling while I was capturing this scene, the foreground was well covered giving this scene a very wintry feel.
The next photo is of Benham Falls, on the river trail, near Bend. It was taken immediately after a heavy early season snow storm. My daughter, Emma was with me on this adventure, like many of my other photography outings. There are several things about this photograph that are special in my opinion. First, the fresh snow allows for a wintry look, like all of the winter photos I am especially proud to have taken. I love the flow patterns of the Deschutes, the icicles draped off of the rocks along the river’s shores and the heavy snow laden evergreen branches sagging under their new found burden. I think this image
Central Oregon's Benham Falls in winter.
will make an excellent fine art print because of its various patterns and textures.
The next image in this small snow dance collection was taken in Tumalo State Park, and once again, it was taken immediately after a heavy snowfall giving the vibrant red osier dogwood in the foreground an attractive texture of winter. While this is a simple image, I still enjoy the composition and angles created by the silky waters of the Middle Deschutes River in the background and the ruby glow of the foreground dogwood.
Red Osier Dogwood along the Middle Deschutes River.
Granted, this is a small collection of winter images but hopefully it will give some hope to those of you who crave fresh powder on Mt. Bachelor until Mother Nature can finally answer your prayers for snow.
Central Oregon Virtual Autumn Road-Trip
As our daylight shortens, the colors fade and hard frosts glaze my lawn nightly, I submit that Fall, perhaps my favorite season has officially come to an end. I would argue that autumn os our most under rated season in the High Desert of Central Oregon. The core of Bend is awash in the yellows and reds of maples and the oranges of mountain ash. Riparian zones along the Deschutes River are ablaze with the reds of red osier dogwoods and the yellows of alders. The Santiam and Mckenzie Rivers are second to nowhere for the intensity of their vine maples. Anyone who has driven over Santiam Pass in October can attest to the splendor of lava fields aglow with vine maples in full seasonal regalia. I’ve put together a small collection of images celebrating the autumn color of the Central Oregon area. Some of these images were captured in previous years while some were just weeks ago. For emphasis, I’ll take you on a virtual road trip, leaving from my front door. We’ll wonder a couple blocks away to Bend’s pride and joy, Drake Park and Mirror Pond. I rarely take photos of scenes that have houses or obvious indications of human habitation but for Mirror Pond I make an exception. When My wife , Debbie and I were planning on leaving the East coast, I stumbled upon a Bend Chamber of Commerce website with Mirror Pond as it’s lead shot. I was smitten! Imagine glaciated volcanoes framed by huge Ponderosa pines edging the wild and scenic Deschutes River right in the heart of Bend’s downtown area. Wow! I knew where I wanted to live. Below is an autumn sunrise shot from the location that sold me on Bend.
Autumn sunrise over Bend, Oregon's Mirror Pond
From Bend we hop into our fuel efficient hybrid vehicle (this is Oregon after all) and head west on highway 20 towards the storied Metolius River and the quaintly rustic town of Camp Sherman. Below is an image I’ve never published before. I enjoy the Ponderosa trees that partially define the Metolius basin and the golden fringe enhancing the rivers elegantly curving shores. I’m going to paraphrase a section I read from a fishing guide about the Metolius River which I think also applies to photographing the Metolius basin. ”If you can’t enjoy time spent in exploring the Metolius, you have no soul.” Perhaps a bit extreme but people who are fortunate enough to have spent time along the Metolius’ shores will admit that it is a truly special place whether fishing, photographing or exploring.
Central Oregon's Metolius River fringed by golden shores and saluted by land locked ponderosa trees.
Next we continue west over the lava fields of Santiam Pass and down to the diminutive community of Marion Forks. The following image is from the shores of the North Santiam River slightly west of the cascade crest. I love the strong vertical pattern contrasting with the technicolor display.
Autumn colors and patterns along the North Santiam river
The following image is also along the Santiam River. I make an annual visit to this vine maple and its double layer effect. One layer of varied color and literal layers of branches gracefully extending beyond the river’s banks. There’s something about this expressive tree and its gorgeous annual display that always makes my return visits worth while.
Expressive vine maple overhanging the banks of the North Santiam River, in the Oregon Cascades.
Next I move along to the McKenzie River and one of my favorite autumn scenes. This image is also about texture and color. It was an amazing view and made a wonderful fine art print with its combination of delicacy, vibrancy and and compostion. I love the flowing feel offered by the moss streaming down upon the vine maples akin to the rain that gently fell upon me as I captured this image. I returned to this location four times before I found the desired synergy of color, texture and light.
Vine maples in autumn adornment merge with cascading moss in the Oregon Cascades.
Next we proceed to Scott Lake, near McKenzie Pass. Every year the Huckleberry bushes along the Lakes shore put on a display that is muted by the drama of the distant snow-covered cascade mountains .
Scott Lake in autumn color reflecting the three sisters(from left to right) North Sister, Middle Sister, and South Sister.
Now traveling east, we pass Belknap Crater the martian-like lava flows of McKenzie Pass and make a quick stop at yet another surreal alpine scene. the following image is a jumble of textures and color as Huckleberries, Blueberries and willows intertwine in front of a lodgepole pine tree audience.
blueberry, huckleberry and willow mix in an alpine meadow near McKenzie Pass.
Now we progress back toward the town of Bend stopping just shy at Tumalo State Park, one of my formerly secret autumn locations. On certain years, like the one from the image below, the color can be outstanding and the scenery is always pleasant , even in less than optimal years.
Autumn color along an oxbow bend in Central Oregon's Tumalo State Park.
Passing through my beloved city of Bend, we now turn west on Galveston street and turn west towards Tumalo Creek. The following image was taken with cutest and sweetest assistant possible, my daughter, Emma. It was raining hard and I fought with water spots on my lens for quite some time before capturing the silky flow of Tumalo Falls and the pastels hues of the surrounding riparian environment. We got drenched but I got the shot from an Iconic Central Oregon location.
Central Oregon's Tumalo Falls in Autumn
Finally, we meander down to the Deschutes River and its famed River Trail where I captured this image of the river in full autumn color. I recently licensed this image to Orvis, the fly-fishing company for use in one of their stores. I love the color, the flow patterns, and the lava background which in part helps to define this special area of the world that I call home.
Central Oregon's Deschutes River in full autumn color.
It should be understood that I did not capture all of these images in the same year, much less the same day. Having said that, this trip can easily be taken in one day and beautiful color can almost always be found somewhere along the way in the month of October and early November.
Oregon Cascade Mountain Gallery
High Desert Print Gallery
Trees and Wildflower Prints Gallery
Rivers, Lakes and Waterfalls Gallery
All content © 2010 by Mike Putnam Photography