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Our natural world is an endless source of scenic beauty. Seeking out that beauty and then being able to creatively capture it with a camera has always been a very deeply rooted, intensely personal, and passionate journey for me. It is very hard to describe in words the zeal that I have and the pleasure, satisfaction, and personal fulfillment that I attain, from the exploration of our natural areas. I personally feel that the journey of discovery through our wild lands is one of the healthiest endeavors that an individual can undertake. It refreshes the mind; offers incredible physical exercise, challenge and reward; and allows us to create memories which would not be attainable by any other means. It can also be a very spiritual experience which promotes deep thought and self discovery.

 

Ever since our first family vacation (at the age of 7) to the Sierra Nevada Mountains in 1960, I have always been drawn to the spectacular scenic wonders that lie within our National Parks, National Forests, and Wilderness Areas. We are so blessed to live in a country that has such exceptional and diverse natural beauty. From the glacier draped mountains of the Cascades to the wind sculpted sand dunes of Death Valley, and from the mystic canyons of Zion and Bryce to the tropical wonders of Hawaii; we have every imaginable type of natural beauty right here in our own back yards.

 

I am a very visual person, and color, composition, light, and subject matter are the key elements that I combine in capturing scenic images. Color plays a key role in all of my images. I've always been attracted to the seemingly infinite spectrum of color… from vibrant and dramatic to soft and muted. Personally, I feel color is the initial element that catches your eye when you see an image for the first time. It arouses your curiosity… draws you toward the image… it makes you want to take a second look. Color gets your attention and entices you to study, analyze or appreciate the image more fully. It is then the job of the composition and subject matter to retain your interest.

 

Composition is of vital importance in all of my images and I make a very concerted effort to create images that have a naturally attractive visual appeal. One of the first steps in this process is to eliminate visual distractions from the image. A distraction could be something as minor as an odd shaped tree or bush, a shadow, or a bare patch of ground… anything negative that would cause the eye to fixate. It is not always possible to eliminate visual distractions, but I do everything in my power from changing to a different lens, or altering my angle of view, to avoid objects which could take away from the image's composition.

 

Next, I seek to create images that have a peaceful, inviting flow that draws the eye into the image. If you look at my "Mazama Ridge" image, the purple lupine at the bottom of the image invites your eye toward the red Indian paintbrush, then on to the river like snowfield, followed by the sub-alpine fir trees, and then finally to the beautifully backlit view of magnificent Mount Rainier, the subject of the print. In many of my images I like to use the naturally occurring, horizontal layering of the foreground, middle ground and background to create depth in the picture. Shadow detail is also critical in creating depth in an image because it gives the image a three dimensional appearance. Without shadows and compositional layering, the image would be very flat. Another good example of a picture employing this layering composition is my "Lone Pine Peak/ Mount Whitney" image. When composing a picture this way, and then adding some nice backlight or sidelight (depth), your end result can be very striking.

 

Balance is another important aspect of composition which I feel is critical. An image which is poorly centered, or gives the viewer a sense of being lopsided (left to right, or top to bottom), can be very distracting and can take away from subject matter which is otherwise exceptional. In my Mount Rainier image, "Morning Mist," the Indian paintbrush in the right front foreground is offset by the stand of fir trees in the left rear middle ground which is essential in keeping this image balanced. If that tall stand of fir trees wasn't there, the image would change dramatically, and you would get the feeling that you were falling out of the left side of the picture.

 

Lighting is the final critical element that is so important in attaining a dramatic scenic image. In general, I prefer to use sidelight and backlight to create the shadows that are so important in adding depth to my images. With sidelight, the most visually stunning and dramatic pictures are usually captured during the "golden hour" (early morning and late evening when the sun is very low on the horizon). A good example of this type of lighting would be my "Mirror Lake" image. This image was captured about five minutes prior to the sun setting. If you examine the shadow detail on Mount Hood, you'll notice the long and dramatic shadows across the southern face of the mountain. When you combine this sidelight with the gorgeous subject matter (very dramatic clouds), horizontal composition, and a well balanced image, your end result is very special.

 

As far as backlight is concerned, this type of light can also be employed to create very dramatic images with great shadow detail, thus adding depth to the image. Good examples would be my "Echo Canyon," "Thor's Hammer," "Mesa Arch," "Mount Shuksan," and "Mazama Ridge" images. But there are other situations where a softer, more filtered, direct light is perfect for your subject. In my "Punch Bowl Falls" image, the high, cloud filtered light of midday cast a very soft, even and balanced light on the scene. This soft light creates less contrast between the shaded areas and the sunlit areas. It also softened the reflection off of the bright white falls which allowed for a more even exposure across the entire picture. Had it been a bright sunny day, this picture would have been more challenging to capture in a pleasing way.

 

Another very effective and dramatic type of lighting is silhouetting one subject which is very dark, or even black, against one which is very bright. A good example of this technique is my "Balanced Rock" image. This was a sunset shot where the sky was very bright and colorful and the foreground was dark and shaded. By exposing for the bright sky to capture the rich colors of the sunset, the rest of the image, which was already in dark shadows, becomes under exposed, causing the imposing rocks to literally turn black. The end result is a very dramatic image.

 

Lastly we come to subject matter. This element of scenic photography, like any type of photography, is very subjective… we all have our favorites! As you can probably tell from my images, mountain scenery is my "first love" in scenic photography. All other scenic subjects come in a very close tie for second place! Mountains have always had an addicting grip on my creative soul. They have limitless, awe inspiring photographic potential with their massive size, rugged shapes, and individual personalities. When you add the magical touch of weather (snow, wind, clouds, or a crisp, clear blue sky) to the seasonal variations of vegetation, water and sunlight, you are presented with subject matter that is ever changing and always interesting.

 

I hope this brief personal view of color, composition, light and subject matter will help you to appreciate and understand my images more fully.