A winter trip to the Owyhee River

I know, summer is here, time to begin planning trips that involve being outside in the warm sun. I, for one, am very anxious to begin my summer backpacking adventures. Before I fully commit to the change in seasons, however, I'd like to share a few more images from my 2-week trip down to the southeast corner of Oregon last winter.

The trip culminated with this sunrise view over the Owyhee River. I scouted the high rimrock above the canyon the day before, startling a golden eagle from this very perch. After studying the landscape I decided I would return to this spot the next morning. I awoke early and could smell the change in the weather from inside my tent. The previous 10 days had been clear and sunny; but overnight it snowed lightly, dusting the landscape in a powdery white veil. I put on my headlamp and hiked a mile or so through the darkness from my riverside camp to this incredible vista. I quickly set up my 8 x 10 view camera, shielding it from the intermittent snow showers passing over the canyon below. A low band of isolated clouds brushed past, dissipating as the sun rose and the coyotes began to sing. This was my favorite image of the trip; in fact, it may very well be my favorite 8 x 10 thus far. The extra effort involved in creating a meaningful landscape photograph with a large and cumbersome view camera makes the reward that much more sweet when the conditions come together.

Owyhee Winter, Owyee Canyonlands, Southeast Oregon. Gowland Lite 8 x 10, Schneider Super Symmar 150 lens, Center Filter, Lee .6 hard grad, 12 sec, f64, Tango Drum Scan

I had to pack up quickly as snow began to fall more heavily. The 30-mile drive out can turn into an undrivable mucky quagmire this time of year if temperatures rise above freezing and there is moisture like this on the ground. Well, I was also craving a cinnamon roll and coffee from the Rockhouse Cafe, in Jordan Valley, so I was extra motivated. By the time I rallied my subaru back to civilization, 3 or 4 inches of snow had fallen.

The road to the Owyhee River. Olympus E PM-1, Olympus 14-42 lens

Leslie Gulch

I spent 4 amazing days exploring and photographing Leslie Gulch during my southeast Oregon trip. This area was carved out after the eruptions of the Mahogany Mountain and the Three Fingers calderas over 15 million years ago. The rhyolite ash was deposited up to 1000 ft thick and is now seen as colorfully sculpted formations. 

My first night there I decided to do a quick overnight trip to a ridge a few thousand feet above the gulch. With this being my first time to the area I wanted to gain some perspective on the landscape. I almost always climb high when I'm new to a place.

While I typically put my camera away during the afternoon hours, I was particularly impressed with the way the midday light made the formations glow a vibrant orange.

A distant honeycombed tower of Leslie Gulch Tuff (consolidated volcanic ash) glows under late afternoon light. I liked the way this particular crag resembled a temple. Olympus E-PM, Olympus 14-42 lens 

In the image below, I was drawn to the different layers of contrasting color and geology. I liked the reflected blue light in the shaded folds of the distant hills and the way it complemented the orange hues in the honeycomb formations. 

The honeycomb formations of Leslie Gulch photographed from a prominence high above the valley floor. Olympus E-PM1, Olympus 14-42 lens

Lone Juniper - one of my favorite images from Leslie Gulch - photographed on my way back down to the bottom of the gulch. Olympus E-PM1, Olympus 14-42 lens

The next 3 days were spent exploring the various side canyons that lead into Leslie Gulch. 

An abstract rendition showing the northern face of probably the largest crag in the area as seen through a natural window in the tuff, Timber Gulch, Olympus E-PM1, Olympus 14-42 lens

I was able to climb through the natural window shown in the above image and gain this up close view of the cliff face.

Leslie Gulch Tuff abstract, Olympus E-PM1, Olympus 14-42 lens

In the coming months I will also be sharing two additional images made with my 8 x 10 film camera.

Mickey Basin Mud Abstracts

My first stop on my southeast Oregon trip was Mickey Basin, located on the east side of Steens Mountain. After photographing sunrise over Mickey Butte with my 8 x 10 camera, I began noticing some really intriguing ice/mud formations alongside a small stream. The sun had just come up and was brushing the frozen landscape with golden light. I spent about an hour experimenting with different compositions. Here are my 3 favorites.

Olympus E-PM 1, Olympus 14-42

Olympus E-PM 1, Olympus 14-42

Olympus E-PM 1, Olympus 14-42

The Holga Landscape

During my recent trip to Oregon's remote southeast corner I decided to add my Holga to my arsenal of camera gear. In today's world of complicated digital everything it sure is nice to take a break and shoot a simple film camera such as this. I've been using this camera off and on for the past 3 yrs or so. What I've found is that I'm photographing scenes that, for one reason or another, I usually dismiss or don't see at all. The feedback I've gotten thus far has been encouraging. I'm slowly putting together a gallery of my strongest work, which I will begin selling through my website as smaller sized prints.

So here are five of my favorite Holga images from the trip. Two of them may make the cut for my new Holga gallery. Thanks for having a look.

I used a flashlight to illuminate the foreground bushes during this 10hr exposure of Mickey Butte, located near Steens Mountain. This was my first Holga time exposure and I have to say I'm pretty impressed with the way it held up.

Dawn near Three Forks on the Owyhee River after a light dusting of snow.

I saw this scene while driving past the Badlands Wilderness area outside Bend. The light was golden and soft with some beautiful storm clouds to complete the scene

A time exposure from an area known as the 'Pillars of Rome'. I made quite a few images of the 100ft high columns resembling Roman ruins. I was going for something a little different in this rendition. I made one exposure while the moon was over the silhouetted cliff; after the moon set I made a 10 hour exposure for the stars and a bit of light painting on the foreground sagebrush. I'm not sure what the light is in the upper left; that's the fun part about shooting with a camera that isn't always light tight.

This shot may not be for everyone. It's just a simple self portrait of me standing behind my campfire. I liked the interesting light leaks as well as the word 'Kodak' in the upper right.

Ready for warmer weather

As it's still very much winter here in the Pacific Northwest, I thought this would be a good time to post some warm weather imagery from the amazing island of Kauai.

The rugged Napali Coastline, Olympus E-PM1, Olympus 14-42 lens

The Napali Coastline as seen from the Kalalau Trail, Olympus E-PM1, Olympus 14-42 lens

Waimea Canyon - the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, Olympus E-PM1, Olympus 14-42 lens

The Napali coastline as seen from the northern section of the Kalalau Trail, Olympus E-PM1, Olympus 14-42 lens