Because I often field questions about what Kind of camera I use, my camera is a good place to start when discussing my camera gear. Most people want to know how I can create such large vibrant prints and what kind of digital camera I use. They are always surprised to learn that I use a large format 4×5 film camera to capture all of my fine art images. There are lots of reasons I explored and have subsequently stuck with a 4×5 camera despite its dated technology and painstaking workflow. Below is a picture of the 4×5 camera that I affectionately refer to as “The Big Rig” which I use to capture all of my fine art prints.
My 4x5 camera , "The Big Rig" which I use to capture all of the images in my fine art landscape portfolio.
THE CAMERA. WHY I STILL USE A LARGE FORMAT 4X5 CAMERA FOR ALL OF MY FINE ART PRINTS.
1. I like it! I like working with a semi-historic camera, I like the feel of it’s cherry wood body, I like the feel of the brass fittings and I like the fact that I feel like I am creating art with art when I am composing a scene with this beautiful camera. It is a very Artisan way of capturing and creating fine art images. In a time of ever advancing digital technology, Film simply film simply feels more real to me. I consider myself a documentary artist. My intention is to capture natural scenes at their very best with minimal post processing. My 4×5 camera helps keep me in touch with that intention.
2. The deliberate process of using this camera makes me fine tune my images before exposure. This camera is largely the opposite of modern digital cameras with which you can fire away without discretion. The film is expensive as is the processing. I estimate that it costs me about $10 per exposure with this camera. The inherent deliberation required with using this type of camera, combined with the cost forces me to pay attention to composition, exposure and focus. This extra attention to details actually saves me time in post processing and that I like.
3. Perspective Control. Large Format cameras like mine are made with bellows so that the film plane and the lens plane can move separate of one another. This separate movement allows me to change the plane of focus in a given shot so that I can get a larger percentage of a given scene in sharp focus than is possible with digital and 35 mm cameras.
4. Big Image format. Part of the reason that I refer to my camera as “The Big Rig” is that it is physically large. The other reason is that it has a very large film format(4 inches x 5 inches, thus the term 4×5 camera). The magic of this kind of camera lies in this large film format. I have to enlarge my transparencies very little compared to digital and other types of film cameras when I want to make a large print. Because of this large film format, I can also make an exceptionally detailed fine art print at very large print sizes. I’ve read that a slow speed 4×5 transparency can be drum scanned and is the equivalent of a 150 megabyte digital camera. That’s huge and that is a big part of why I love this camera.
THE TRIPOD( see the above image)
I use a Gitzo 1228 Carbon fiber tripod and I love it.(Come on Gitzo, how about a little sponsorship money!) It is light for a tripod that is so sturdy because of the carbon fiber material that it is made of. It has plenty of stability, adjustability and it does a good job of dampening vibration which allows me to create images that are crisp and wiggle-free. I also use a Gitzo ball head, for a full range of camera focusing options.
THE LENSES
I carry a small stable of lenses when ever I go out shooting. Because telephoto lenses tend to have lower image quality than fixed lenses, I have opted to use only fixed lenses in my lens collection. My lens collection is pictured below.
My Lens Collection. These lenses include 75mm,90mm,135mm,210mm, and 300mm and at the bottom of this image is my Pentax 1 degree Spotmeter
4×5 camera lenses tend to have a field of view that is 3x wider than the equivalent 35mm lenses. That is to say that the 75mm lens for my 4×5 camera is roughly equivalent to a 25mm lens on a 35 mm camera. My lenses include a 75mm,90mm,135mm,210mm, and 300mm. In terms of a 35mm camera, this collection does not allow for a very long/telephoto option. This is fine with me. In general, the further away a photographer is from his or her subject, the lower the image quality is. Not having a longer lens option, forces me to get closer closer to my subjects and therefore I have more sharpness in my images and greater image quality. It is simultaneously a self control and a quality control mechanism! These lenses are all very specialized and therefore very expensive but without a great lens you cannot have a sharp image, so I’m willing to pay the price.
The pentax spot meter at the bottom of the above picture is the tool I use to take light readings which I then use to calculate exposure times. The fact that it is a 1 degree spot meter means that it samples light from a circle only 1 degree in diameter. This gives me greater control over exposure which is especially valuable is some unusual lighting situations.
Me and "The Big Rig" at my preferred office, high in the Oregon Cascades. Photo Credit: "Old Mike" Croxford
These are the high points from my gear collection. I have a hand full of other goodies that accompany me on my photography outings, but they aren’t as critical as my camera, lenses, and tripod. If you are an aspiring photographer and would like some further information or advice about photography gear, please feel free to contact me through the “contact” tab at the upper right hand corner of the home page of this website.
Thanks For Visiting,
Mike Putnam
Jan 31, 2010 | Central Oregon Fine Art Landscape Photography, My Photography Gear, Oregon photo blog entries | Leave A Comment »
Last summer, My wife ,Debbie, My Daughter, Emma and I made what has become an annual overnight pilgrimage to one of my favorite camping locations, Canyon Creek Meadows, at the base of Central Oregon’s Three Fingered Jack Mountain. I visit this location at least once per summer because it is beautiful, relatively easy to access, and I always find some interesting photographic scenery. Three Fingered Jack is itself a gorgeous mountain which has colorful volcanic striations decorating its rocky towers. Canyon Creek Meadows, located on the eastern flank of Three Fingered Jack always has a strong wildflower display and in some years it is stunning. This year(2009) was definitely a stunning year. The Lupine meadows were the best I’ve seen in the 10 years I’ve been hiking to this phenomenal location.
Picture of Canyon Creek Meadow and Three Fingered Jack in the Oregon Cascades
As a Bend Oregon photographer, this location is a must see. I certainly can’t promise that the flowers will be as stunning as they are in the picture seen above, but even if the oregon wildflowers aren’t blooming, the scenery is breath taking. I will introduce a fine art print of the landscape photograph seen above on the first Friday in January at the Volcano Vineyards Tasting room located on 126 Minnesota St in Downtown Bend, Oregon. I hope to see some of you there! Scott and Liz, the owners, and operators of Volcano Vineyards, are funny,smart, and talented people who have the courage to operate a winery out of the high desert town of Bend. They wouldn’t know it until now but they are my heros! I’d love to have a winery business, but I’ve never had their bravery, or wine crafting talent for that matter. If you are a wine connoisseur and find yourself in Bend, you should definitely stop in and have a glass. I recommend their Syrah, it is firm but elegant, and my favorite! OK, enough about the good folks at Volcano Vineyards.
My new photography logo!
The following image of Three Fingered Jack was also taken with my large format camera on this trip with Debbie and Emma, which is now pictured in my logo and hopefully as a favicon to the left of the URL in your browser right now.
This fine art print can currently be viewed at Pandora’s Backpack in Downtown Bend. I hope Rod, Mo and company won’t be mad that I’m changing venues for a month! It is a rare occasion in which I can capture more than one image in the same trip that is worthy of making a fine art print. Well, I guess that these two fine art prints are a testament to how beautiful Canyon Creek Meadows was this year!
Picture/photo of Sunrise on Oregon's Three Fingered Jack
I’ve got a couple more fine art prints to introduce over the next week, so please stay tuned for some beautiful new Oregon Landscape Photography!
As Always,
Thanks For Visiting,
Mike Putnam
Dec 13, 2009 | Central Oregon Fine Art Landscape Photography, First Friday Fine Art Shows | Leave A Comment »
Despite what you might think, I often find more difficulty with macro photography than I do with the big sweeping western landscapes for which I’m more well known. Frankly, finding and capturing very small yet attractive scenes is very challenging for me. What small scene is interesting enough to merit the expense and time commitment of shooting the scene, having expensive prints made, and then having the image framed, and then having the courage to show the print in public and have it be scrutinized by your peers and potential collectors?
Central Oregon Autumn Ground Cover
In actuality,I find most macro photography somewhat cliched. How many close-ups of out of focus roses do I need to see? It is rare for me to find a macro image that is unique and doesn’t have any distracting and unsightly debris in the field of view.
Another difficulty I have with macro images is that they rarely convey a sense of place. I like to draw a parallel between Fine Art Landscape photography and the high end wine world. Both fine wines and fine art landscape photographs are a product of a special place on earth(think terroir in the wine world) and unique timing. No other wine will taste exactly like a 2007 Penner Ash Dussin Vineyard Pinot Noir (one of my personal favorites) and no other photograph will look exactly like a given fine art landscape photograph from Sparks Lake at sunrise after fresh snowfall in the mountains. Both the Penner Ash Pinot Noir and the Sparks Lake Print are unique because of the landscape and timing that make both of these wonderful things possible.
While the above photograph may never be one of my best sellers, I do feel that it conveys a sense of terroir and for me it holds enough interest to make it a worthy fine art photograph. I love the variation of color, the small water droplets and swirling motion of the uniquely shaped autumn foliage. This is an image that I nearly missed because I was focusing on the big picture. I was at Sparks Lake where I shot this New Sparks lake Photo. I was trying to find one more unique composition of South Sister and Broken Top framed over the glassy waters of Sparks Lake when I briefly looked down to find the splash of color and texture which eventually became the image you see above. I searched about on my hands and knees for quite some time, examining different little bits of ground cover until I found the tiny little scene that you see above. I shot this image with my large format 4×5 camera and I can’t wait to see this as a large framed print because of the way it uniquely represents a small but unique photographic terroir that is dear to me.
Thanks for visiting,
Mike Putnam
Nov 27, 2009 | Oregon photo blog entries | 2 Comments »
The next of my soon to be released fine art prints is one that I’ve been trying to capture for two years now. It is a location that I have to thank Troy McMullin for. He scouted this image quite some time ago and I’ve searched for the appropriate conditions to make this shot work ever since then. My goal with all of my fine art large format photographs is to capture Oregon’s beautiful locations at the best time of year and under the optimal conditions. Optimizing variable photographic conditions of light, flower and plant colors and weather patterns obviously makes for a better fine art photograph but it also serves to better represent the beautiful and wild Oregon locations that recharge my soul. Photographing these locations in anything less than optimal conditions doesn’t do them justice. A good parallel to sub-optimal photographic conditions would be making your wife who you love more than anything go out to dinner for a fine meal without letting her shower and brush her teeth. (My loving wife would kill me!) She deserves better as do the wonderful Central Oregon Locations which I love so much!
Photograph of Oregon's Mount Washington at sunrise with fresh autumn snow
Fresh snow on Oregon’s Mt. Washington was paramount for making this Photograph work as a fine art print. Without a heavy load of fresh snow, Mt. Washington looks small and meek. With snow, it has the Matterhorn like appearance which makes it one of my favorite Oregon Mountains. This Particular lake happens to have great trees on the opposite shores which are covered with lichen. At this particular time of year, the blueberries and huckleberry bushes on the opposite shore glow with the colors of fall. The clouds moving in on the right side of this image also help but from a compositional standpoint. As the focus with my 4×5 camera was very sharp in this image, I think this will make an exceptional Large format fine art print. The print is not yet complete but combining fresh snow, fall color, and great light at a beautiful Central Oregon location makes me think this fine art print will proudly represent Oregon’s natural beauty.
Thanks for visiting,
Mike Putnam
Nov 25, 2009 | Oregon photo blog entries | 2 Comments »
I have recently order several new fine art prints, my biggest order in quite some time. The following image of the Crooked River Canyon with some awesome fall color is part of that order. The timing of this image was great. Nice delicate overcast light, combined with well timed fall color along the riparian areas of Central Oregon’s Crooked River.
Crooked River Canyon in Autumn from the Crooked River Bridge.
I think the textures and colors in this image will look great in a fine art print! As is the case with all of my fine art prints, I shot this image with my 4×5 large camera. While standing on the Crooked River Bridge composing this image, I slowly was swarmed with curious onlookers who enjoyed the Cherrywood, brass detailing and leather bellows on my camera. It was outside of my skill set to multi-task well but I did my best to answer everyone’s questions while composing and shooting this Crooked River Canyon picture.
Please visit my blog often to get some more updates regarding the new fine art prints that I will be producing in the next month.
Thanks for visiting,
Mike Putnam
Nov 21, 2009 | Oregon photo blog entries | Leave A Comment »
I recently went out on a morning Landscape photography shoot with good friend, Old Mike Croxford and we had some stunning scenery. I’m still waiting for the large format images from that morning to get back from processing but I’m very excited about the potential of those big beautiful transparencies. Below is a digital shot that I captured that morning. Imagine this image blown up to 50 inches across and you’ll understand why I’m excited to get my 4×5 large format transparencies back from my developers!
Oregon's Mount Washington in Autumn with fresh fallen snow.
To read my account of that morning’s shoot, please follow this link about Oregon photos to our stock photography site. Oregon Landscape photography.
Don’t worry, I’ll let you know when the transparencies get processed!
Thanks for visiting,
Mike Putnam
Oct 11, 2009 | Oregon photo blog entries | Leave A Comment »
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
May 03, 2009 | Central Oregon Cascade Mountains Greeting Cards, Oregon photo blog entries | Leave A Comment »
This is installment number 7 out of 8 images in my soon to be released line of Central Oregon Cascades greeting cards. The cards have allegedly been printed and are in route to Bend but the shipping will take several more days. I’m in the process of setting up e-commerce options on my website and finding appropriate shipping boxes for my cards. It will take until nearly the end of the month but things are progressing rapidly. The following image is one of my favorites of all the fine art images I’ve ever taken. It includes my favorite mountain, Mt. Jefferson, an incredible alpine flower meadow and a stunning lenticular cloud cap filling out this spectacular cascade mountain scene.
Picture of Mt. Jefferson Greeting Card as seen from the Central Oregon Cascades
As an avid gardener, this scene is especially special for me. I always hope to find flower filled foregrounds but I rarely find them despite hundreds of hours of blind but hopeful backcountry wandering. I had visited this exact location with my friend , photographer, and fellow beer sommelier, Troy McMullin a few days prior to the day I shot this image. I realized that the flowers would be optimal in a few days so I decided to return. In between, I took a short backpacking trip to Oregon’s Mt. Hood. I knew that the light would be best for my Mt. Jefferson scene in the evening and I knew that it was a long way and a lot of vertical gain to reach this scene so I decided to go light and fast, trimming my pack weight to about 30 pounds. I knew I would be hiking out in the dark of night so I double checked the batteries for my headlamps and grabbed some extra food for my hike out.
I was extremely eager to get back to this scene so I hiked in very rapidly. It is about a 9 mile one way hike to this location which also requires extensive off trail scrambling and a good GPS reading to find. When I arrived I was thrilled and immediately set up my tripod and began composing the scene. As I worked the scene, something fantastic began to happen. A small lenticular cloud began to form over the summit of Mt. jefferson. I couldn’t believe my good fortune. Lenticular clouds often hold dense, artistic patterns but it is very difficult to predict their formation. They virtually always improve a landscape photograph. Clear blue skies are happy, but are somewhat boring and common in the world of Oregon Landscape Photography. The formation of this lenticular cloud was too good to be true! I nervously but frantically shot the scene and eventually captured what I think is one of the best Oregon landscape photos I’ve ever seen. To be able to enjoy this phenomenal scene was a wonderful experience. To be able to capture this scene on film was truly a gift!
After exposing all of the 4×5 film with my large format camera, I quietly enjoyed the scene and then quickly hiked out as darkness fell. I floated down the trail remembering the scene I’d just captured. In addition to this being one of my favorite landscape Photos, it has been well received by others. This same image will soon grace the cover of Visit Bend’s annual tourism guide for the Central Oregon area. To take a sneak peak at the cover please visit this link Visit Bend Cover. The link will take you to a previous blog entry I wrote about the cover shot on our Pacific Crest Stock Photography blog. To see this fine art photograph in a framed version, please visit the Visit Bend visitor center in downtown Bend. Their address is: 917 Harriman Street Bend, Oregon 97701 They currently have this image on display and they will soon carry my line of Central Oregon Cascade Greeting Cards.
Please check back to this blog in a couple of days as I have one more greeting card to announce and a final announcement when the greeting cards are officially for sale, hopefully by the end of April.
Thanks For Visiting,
Mike Putnam
Apr 26, 2009 | Central Oregon Cascade Mountains Greeting Cards, Oregon photo blog entries | Leave A Comment »
Every February for the past several years, I submit one of my fine art prints to the annual photography fundraiser for the Family Resource Center of Bend, Oregon. It is an outstanding event which raises lots of operating capital for this noble charity. The event was previously held at the Riverhouse until last year when it was moved to the convention center at the Riverhouse. For more specific information about the Family Resource center and their annual photography auction please visit their website at Family Resource Center.
The FRC’s annual fine art photography auction is rumored to be the largest auction focused entirely on photography on the entire West Coast. The event has traditionally held both a silent auction and a live auction. It is traditionally quite an honor to be juried into the prestigious live auction. This is my 4th year to submit a fine art photography print. In the three previous years, my fine art prints have been juried into the live auction. I haven’t heard back yet about this year but I like my chances as I submitted an image that is local, recognizable and very attractive. This years fine art print submission is pictured below.
Fine Art Print of Broken Top Mountain and a flower filled meadow.
This picture of Central Oregon’s Broken Top Mountain is my favorite to date. The scene is simply over flowing with wildflowers in the foreground meadow and the warm morning light accenting Broken Top’s summit is intensified by the wispy clouds floating around the summit pinnacles. To find this many flowers in a Central Oregon Mountain scene is rare but it is also becoming a photographic speciality of mine. As I mentioned, this year’s fine art print has not yet been juried so I’m not yet certain that this image will be present in the live auction but that doesn’t stop me from being optimistic.
I’ll not step back in time and give a bit of person history about the FRC auction. My first year with the local pros such as Bruce Jackson, and Loren Irving who does a great deal of work on behalf of the FRC I nervously submitted the following sunset photo of South Sister as seen reflected in the glassy waters of Sparks Lake.
Fine Art photo of South Sister reflected in the calm waters of Sparks Lake during a beautiful sunset.
Despite the fact that this image has some stunning color, and captures a beautiful scene, I was very nervous about submitting it to the FRC for jurying. It was at that time my most stunning large Format fine art print. What if it wasn’t good enough? Well, it was and it sold very well but unfortunately I don’t know who ended up buying that particular print. this is unfortunate because I wanted to thank my new collector and I’ve never been able to do that. If anyone happens to know who ended up buying that fine art print please contact me! The following year I submitted the following fine art print of Central Oregon’s Tumalo Falls in Autumn.
Fine Art photo of Tumalo Falls in autumn near Bend, Oregon
I captured this fall image of Tumalo Falls with my daughter Emma by my side. We’d just finished a day hike together under rainy skies and I realized that the combination of heavy rain and fall color along Tumalo Falls and Tumalo Creek might make for an interesting photograph so we drove to the most iconic waterfall in the Central Oregon area. It was raining and blowing hard but the scene was beautiful. I fought with rain spots on my lenses for quite some time as my large format camera isn’t the speediest photography tool available. I captured many different compositions as I realized that the combination of setting, light and color was special. My little Emma was actually instrumental in keeping my equipment dry during what developed into a rare Central Oregon downpour. This ended up being my favorite of many good images from that day. For another cropped version of this image, please visit our stock photography blog at Pacific Crest Stock and browse the collection of waterfalls, lakes and streams images. Unfortunately, Debbie and I weren’t able to attend the auction that year because we took Emma to Disney Land which Emma probably enjoyed more than the fine art auction or getting drenched with me at Tumalo Falls! When I returned I got a congratulatory call from a fellow photographer who was Impressed with how much that photo sold for and how exciting it must have been for me! I believe that years total netted the Family Resource Center $3,500 which is exciting indeed. I think the excitement from my Tumalo Falls photo helped garner some extra attention for my work around Bend. The next year I was asked to be the featured artist of the event and the following fine art print was the featured print for the Auction.
Fine Art Photo of Mount Jefferson from the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness area of Central Oregon
Being the featured artist for an event that I once was nervous about being juried into was of course a tremendous honor. The same Mt. Jefferson photo seen above is also to be featured on the cover of the soon to be released Visit Bend Central Oregon guide. I recently recounted that honor on our stock photography blog at Pacific Crest Photo Blog.
If any of you have an interest in top quality fine art photography, please visit the Family Resource Center’s website listed at the top of this entry. I’d also like to give a special recognition to Debbie Spicer of Eastlake Framing. She does all of the framing and much of the organizing for this event which is a huge time and monetary commitment. I suspect this event would not be possible without her time and effort. If you happen to go to the FRC photography auction, think Broken Top, bid early, bid often and bid high!
If you have any interest in licensing any of these images for editorial or advertising purposes please visit our stock photography site, Pacific Crest Stock . If you are interested in purchasing any of my fine art prints of these images, please contact me via the contact info at the top of this website’s home page.
Mar 01, 2009 | Central Oregon Fine Art Landscape Photography, Oregon photo blog entries | 6 Comments »
OK, I recognize that this blog entry is a vast deviation from my normal protocol of documenting backcountry adventures highlighted with pleasant images and sprinkled with family details. Well, a lot of friends and family have been clamoring for pictures from our recent trip to Italy so here they are. Debbie(my 1/2 Italian, travel hungry wife) and I have been planning this trip since we were first married. I briefly visited Italy with friend, Scott Witscher, while in college as part of a pilgrimage to see the US soccer team play in the world cup. The U.S. team was fortunately playing in Florence, Italy which subsequently has become one of my favorite cities in the world. The USA got shellacked but Florence was stunning. My dear wife has been pummeled with stories of Italian grandeur for more than a decade until we finally saved enough money to take the trip we really wanted. Our traveling partners, Max and Chris Reitz were also up for the adventure which was something of a departure from our usual backpacking expeditions with them.
Me, Debbie, Chris Reitz, and Max Reitz atop the Duomo, Florence, Italy
We flew into Rome, where we spent three days in the heart of the city. Our accommadations were modest but our location was excellent as most of the major attractions were within easy walking distance of our B&B.
Debbie Putnam in Rome Italy
I was stunned by the sheer volume of historically significant architecture. It would take several lifetimes to explore all the city has to offer. Around every corner was another 2,000 year old roman temple, many which didn’t have informational plaques. We were overwhelmed with antiquities! Some of the highlights were the Forum, the Coliseum, the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, the Vatican and I’ll end right there as there were simply too many amazing sites to list.
Obligatory Coliseum Photo
Debbie Putnam and Chris Reitz insuring a future return to Rome at the Trevi Fountain
After Rome, we took a train to Florence, the city that first made me love Italy.
My beautiful Wife waiting to leave Rome
Florence was much more approachable than Rome, in that it was smaller(approximately 500,000 people as opposed to 4,500,000 for Rome) and not so overwhelming in terms of the options. It was everything I’d remembered and hoped it would be. Gorgeous, saturated with history and art, and with a refined yet friendly finish. Granted, some things about Florence seemed a like a fairy tale land, but it was wonderful for three days. We stayed in the Torre Guelfa, built in the 1200’s, this original tower is the highest privately owned tower in Florence. It’s roof top bar/seating area, predictably has a stunning view of the city, and is conveniently located near the city’s center.
sunrise from our hotel with the distant Duomo and campanile, Florence, Italy
Night time from our hotel, Florence, Italy
Arno River sunset two block from the Torre Guelfa, Florence, Italy.
One of the highlights of Florence was it’s seemingly ever present Duomo. It’s exquisite marble exterior and Dome designed by Brunelleschi, were stunning to say the least. If you are ever in Florence wondering if you should pay the 5 Euros to walk to the top of the Duomo, do it. It is sublime. From the close up views of the ceiling of the dome, to the journey through it’s double walled structure to the endless views from the top of the dome, it is well worth the entry fee. Below are several images from Florence’s famous duomo.
The Duomo's intricate marble exterior displays Moorish influence, Florence, Italy
The Duomo's front fascade, Florence, Italy
The Duomo's dome interior, Florence, Italy
Florence's campanile as seen from the top of the Duomo
From Florence, we took a train to Monterosso, one of the five villages which comprise the Cinque Terra area on the northeast coast of Italy. The area was beautiful, defined by steep agriculture laden seaside hills, and attractive, vertically oriented villages built on impossibly angled cliffs. We spent several days there, perhaps one too many. My favorite day was spent hiking the 9 mile trail that extends between the 5 villages. Below are a few images from three of my favorites of the five villages.
Vernazza Italy with its terraced vineyards, orchards, and scenic port
Manarola, Italy
Riomaggiore, Italy, the southernmost of the five villages
The hike between the five villages was beautiful, but crowded. We ate well and stayed at a wonderful hotel, but as I am more of a mountain person than a beach person, this was perhaps my least favorite stop on a stellar vacation. Much of the time in the Cinque Terra area was spent lounging and eating, both pleasant activities, but the region certainly couldn’t compete with the culture and history of Rome and Florence, of course few places in the world can. Below are a couple more shots of my traveling companions, the best anyone could ask for.
Debbie Putnam and Chris Reitz
My long time and great friend, Max reitz, and me.
From Monterosso, we sadly had to part ways from the Reitzs. From there, Debbie and I headed south and east to the premium wine country of southern Tuscany. We stayed in the hilltop town of Montepulciano, perhaps my favorite of the trip. There is something about Montepulciano that tugs at my soul. Perhaps it’s the combination of beautifully maintained medieval architecture, meaningful agriculture(vineyards have persisted here since the 1200’s) and a friendly community feel. I have never claimed to be an expert at Italian Wines, although I am fond of Oregon Pinot Noirs, and Walla Walla Cabs. While in Italy I did find what I like and that was the Vino Nobiles of Montepulciano and the Brunellos of Montalcino. They both had a medium body with pleasant layering and full finishes. Both of these styles are grown in the region of southern Tuscany. While in Montepulciano, we stayed at a beautiful hotel, the historic Villa Poggiano. Below is an olive orchard as seen from the window of our three hundred year old cottage.
View from the window of our 300 year old cottage
Next is a sunset view of the city of Montepulciano taken from near our hotel.
The medieval city of Montepulciano, Italy.
Our first day there was spent exploring, having heart attacks while trying to navigate Italian road signs while driving a tiny but sporty fiat rental and eventually exploring the wonderful city of Montepulciano. It’s ancient and excellently preserved medieval walls are lined with residences, countless wine shops, tasteful gift shops, and exceptional restaurants. Below is a photo that exemplifies part of what is special about this city. It is Debbie strolling through a small handmade ceramics shop’s basement, which incidentally includes an Etruscan tomb in its basement which dates to 300B.C. There are no exterior signs regarding the tombs, nor any national monuments as there would and should be if it was located in the US. It is simply considered a simple side note in an area deeply submerged in layer upon layer of history.
Debbie explores hand made ceramics and Etruscan tombs, montepulciano, Italy.
The tombs are through the door directly to Debbie’s right in this photo. Next is a view from Montepulciano over the surrounding country side.
View over the medieval walls of Montepulciano exposing the Tuscan countryside.
The followong day we explored the beautiful town of San Gimigano and its wonderful medieval towers and the sleepy residential village of Montichiello. San Gimigano, like Montepulciano is famous for its wine and is wonderfully maintained village. Below is a shot taken from the Torre Rosa, the tallest of the 13 medieval towers still standing in the city of San Gimigano.
The city of San Gimigano and Tuscan countryside as seen from the Torre Rosa.
Next is Debbie next to a typical residential staircase in the sleepy hillside town of Montichiello.
Debbie and geraniums, Montichiello, Italy
To be certain the trip was everything we’d hoped for and more. I’d like to thank several people for making this dream vacation possible. First off, Max and Chris Reitz for being great friends and great travel partners. Christine Kieffer, who arranged our itinerary and lodging, both of which were exceptional, Kenny and Flo Scholz(my dreaded inlaws!) who flew in all the way from New Hampshire to take care of our daughter Emma while were away, and finally my Mother, Sheila Putnam,(who I occasionally bicker with but love and trust more than anything) who drove all the way from Iowa to care for Emma. It wouldn’t have been possible without these people. Finally a photo that shows why we were so grateful to be home , even after a trip of a lifetime.
Our wonderful daughter, Emma who makes me smile every day.
Nov 06, 2008 | Oregon photo blog entries, Travel and Family Photos | 4 Comments »
The Cascade Lakes Highway near Bend,Oregon is arguably one of the prettiest drives in the United States and is filled with outdoor adventure options. Fishing, skiing at Mt. Bachelor, cross country skiing from Dutchman Flat, hiking, climbing, and of course photography. Every year I make several photographic journeys along the cascade lakes highway, so I decided to spotlight some images that emphasize this area’s impressive beauty. Sparks Lake is a favorite location of many photographers and I am no exception. I have to start my exploration of this ara with an image of one of one of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever witnessed. It was the sort of scene which makes me nervous with excitement. Part of what makes this one of the favorite images in my portfolio is that Debbie and Emma were there to share in this exquisite scene. Emma to this day refers to this image as “Froggy Lake” because of all the frogs she and Debbie studied that evening.
Sparks Lake Sunset
The following image is another taken with Emma, but it required more effort than the previous image. This was a scene I scouted while sea kayaking on Sparks Lake with my good friend, Mike Croxford, AKA “Old Mike”. Therefore, the next morning, I awoke long before sunrise, scooped Emma out of bed in her footy pajamas and we drove to Sparks Lake where I made trips awding back and forth in waist deep water carrying gear and Emma to a small island, where this shot was taken. I was consumed with the scene and Emma was consumed with sleep. She quickly fell asleep on my down jacket(see Columbia River Gorge entry) while I worked the scene. Soon the light became too harsh and hummingbirds frantically worked the scene as I had moments before.
Sparks Lake Garden
The next two images are both of Mt. Bachelor as seen earlier this summer along the shores of Sparks Lake. the first displays a channel of water gracefully coursing through a field of buttercups, one of the first flowers to announce the arrival of spring along the cascade lakes highway.
Mt. Bachelor and Buttercups
The following image is of Mt. Bachelor fronted by a foreground of Mountain Heather Blooming on small islands adjacent to the shores of Sparks Lake. This specific area of Sparks Lake is in my experience, essentially a holding basin designed by mosquitos in order to exsanguinate crazed landscape photographers, namely myself.
Mt. Bachelor and Mountain Heather Islands in Sparks Lake
From this image I move along to another of my favorite cascade lakes, Elk Lake. Elk Lake has more developed areas and is famed for a small but relatively stable population of sail boats residing there. My favorite area of the lake is the “south beach” area, cleverly named for the fact that it is on the south shore and has a beach and not because is sports art deco architecture, palm trees, or a prominent fashion district. The following image was captured near south beach with South Sister Mountain in the background. The most difficult part of capturing this image was waiting for the dozens of hummingbirds to clear the scene before exposing my film. Had I not waited the hummingbirds would have been represented by an unattractive blur due to the long exposure times I usually utilize with my large format camera.
South Sister, Elk Lake, and wildflowers
Next is an image taken this July showing a foreground of columbine, where I fought a similar duel against dive-bombing hummingbirds repeatedly invading my shot. I especially like the early morning fog breaking up the scene, adding to this landscape photograph.
South Sister, Elk Lake, and Columbine along the Cascade Lakes Highway.
Finally I’ll conclude with a Sparks Lake shot taken earlier this summer at sunrise. Another stunning light show at a truly beautiful location for landscape photography in Central Oregon.
Sparks Lake sunrise with South Sister and Broken Top
Oct 30, 2008 | Central Oregon Fine Art Landscape Photography, Oregon photo blog entries | Leave A Comment »
- Balsamroot in the Columbia River Gorge
On the weekend of May 10th, Emma and I decided to visit our good friends, the Max, Chrissy, Joe Joe and Jill Reitz in Hood River, Oregon. Unfortunately, Chrissy(Momma) Reitz and Joe Joe and Jill were out of town, leaving my long time friend Max as the only one left in the Reitz household. The Weekend was wonderful. Emma and I arose early and shot at Tom McCall nature preserve in the Columbia River Gorge, near Rowena, Oregon. The light was good for macros, but not great for more expansive landscape shots.
Balsamroot and Lupines bloom in the Columbia River Gorge
Several other photographers were at the preserve that morning, shooting and enjoying the scenery. One of the several other photographers I met there, Kim, was nice enough to take some shots of Emma and I and forward them. He has an attractive website, which you should visit if you like landscapes and flower photography. Emma, through her mother’s genetics prefers to sleep in and on this we had to awake at 4:30AM to arrive at the Tom McCall Nature Preserve before sunrise. I knew she would be cold, so I brought my orange down jacket, which she fondly refers to as “The Great Pumpkin”. She predictably got cold so I zipped her up in the great pumpkin and she was instantly comfortable. Comfortable enough to fall asleep in the middle of the meadow. Several fellow photographers visited to chat and see my large format view camera and they never knew she was there beside me because her head was tucked inside the pumpkin, making for a very cute photo.
Emma asleep inside "The Great Pumpkin"
Emma Awake at Tom McCall Nature Preserve
We enjoyed the remainder of the day watching while a BMW commercial was being shot near us on the winding roads below Tom McCall nature preserve. There were hundreds of people involved and it was very secretive in that no photographs were allowed because a new sporty car model was being filmed which had not been released to the public. The next day, Max, Emma and I visited Fairy Falls, also in the Columbia River Gorge area and took the following photo of Fairy Falls. We visited several other waterfalls in the gorge that day and as usual enjoyed them immensely.
Fairy Falls
Oct 25, 2008 | Oregon photo blog entries, Travel and Family Photos | Leave A Comment »
Painted Hills and cumulous clouds
The painted hills unit in the John Day area of Central Oregon has been a favorte of photographers since its discovery because of its stunning colors and other worldly scenery. I’ve been there many times. Some visits were more successful than others, but one particular shot that I’ve obsessed over has eluded me for quite some tome. In early May, in certain years, yellow flowers bloom in the folds of the painted hills, creating a stunning extra element to what would otherwise be an attractive scene. Well, this was one of those few select years.
A lone Painted Hill glows with morning's first light
I left Ben Oregon early on MAy 30th to scout the painted hills. To my excitement, the chenactis and golden bee plants were blooming just as I’d hoped. The ranger, Scott, a very nice fellow, said it had been five years since they had bloomed in the folds of the painted hills. He even promised an up close guided tour of the hills if I returned that evening, so I returned to Bend and returned later that evening, with my wife, Debbieand daughter, Emma. I was fortunate enough to capture this image of blooming bee plants in the grooves of the painted hills the next morning.
Chenactis flowers and Painted Hills, central Oregon
It was truly a privilege to get such wonderful access to such a special location. This short trip was any landscape photographer’s dream. Great sunrises, sunsets, phenomenal subject matter and my little family camping in the great outdoors.
Sunset on the Painted Hills of John Day
Below you’ll find a shot Of Emma and Debbie in our little tent at the end of a long day of hiking in the John Day unit of the painted hills of Oregon.
Emma and Debbie
Oct 24, 2008 | Oregon photo blog entries, Travel and Family Photos | 1 Comment »
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