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Posts Tagged ‘nature photography’
Friday, April 15th, 2011
Steve Cole, a photographer based in Washington, recently attended two of my digital image developing classes in Bend, Oregon. Steve is serious about photography and has spent a lot of time researching techniques and developing his skills. He drove to Bend from Seattle hoping that he could add some new techniques and skills to his repertoire.
Steve, it turns out, is also a very good writer. After the class he was motivated to pen a detailed review of the classes. His description of what goes on during the class and what content was covered is better than I could do myself. For a well written, unsolicited overview of what we were up to in Bend I encourage you to give Steve’s article a read.
Here is a short excerpt. “So were the two classes worth it? Without hesitation, I can say YES. From the minute you first meet him, Sean is friendly and engaging without any elitism or arrogance. He is just a guy who is passionate about nature and photography and who doesn’t love that? Before becoming a “pro” photographer 8 years ago, Sean was a middle school teacher and that really shows in his ability to teach and explain concepts.”
As Steve says in the article, I haven’t yet scheduled these classes again in the near future. If you have a venue and a group of 10 to 15 people who are interested give me a call.
Steve’s Blog: scolephoto.blogspot.com
Steve’s Website: www.scolephoto.com
Tags: digital photography, digital workflow, Exposure Blending, nature photography, photography workshop
Posted in Photography Workshops | 1 Comment »
Friday, February 25th, 2011
Last summer I had a private exhibit of my latest photography show entitled Earth Palette in the gallery at Rogue Valley Manor. I am excited to invite you to attend the opening of the first public showing of this body of work. The show will be featured at Illahe Gallery in Ashland, Oregon opening on Friday, March 4, 2011 from 5 to 8 PM.
Illahe Studios and Gallery is located on the corner of 4th and B Street in Ashland. The show will be on exhibit for the entire month of March so if you miss the opening stop by any time.
The show consists of a series of my landscape and nature images from locations in the western US that all share a focus on color, light, texture and form. The title of the show, Earth Palette, comes from my experiences photographing in the Painted Hills of central Oregon. The images are vibrant, surreal, dramatic and perhaps in many ways represent my romantic impressions more than a literal representation of the world.
In keeping with my ongoing interest in moving beyond the traditional in landscape photography, I have created this entire show on a medium that is somewhat new to the art form, namely canvas. All of the images in this show have been printed in large format, some as large as 60 x 40, on gallery wrapped canvas. This gives them a painterly quality very different from what we usually expect from photographs. It is also a more raw and simple presentation, allowing one to view the images without competition from frames or separated by a layer of glass.
I hope to see you there!
Tags: fine art photography, landscape photography, nature photography, photography exhibit, sean bagshaw photography
Posted in Events | 3 Comments »
Wednesday, February 23rd, 2011
Admittedly, winter is not my most prolific photography season. Cold, darkness and unpredictable weather often get the better of my psyche and I find myself making excuses or prioritizing office work. However, once or twice a winter I do manage to gear up and head someplace windswept and snowy with my camera. This winter Chuck Porter, one of my oldest and best friends, and I spent a couple days exploring the lonesome high desert in the Hart Mountain Antelope Refuge. Back when we were more energetic Chuck and I spent a lot of time climbing cliffs and mountains all over the western US and spurring each other on to complete questionable feats of endurance. Once we hiked the entire length of the Wild and Scenic Rogue River Trail, all 40 plus miles, in a day. Another time we climbed Mt. Shasta, Mt. McLoughlin and Mt. Thielsen in a 21 hour push. These days we are happy just to get out and camp for a weekend and do a little ski touring.
Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge is a national wildlife refuge on Hart Mountain in southeastern Oregon, which protects more than 422 square miles and more than 300 species of wildlife, including pronghorn antelope, bighorn sheep, mule deer, sage grouse, and redband trout. The refuge, created in 1936 as a range for remnant herds of pronghorn antelope, spans habitats ranging from high desert to shallow playa lakes, and is among the largest wildlife habitats containing no domestic livestock. Located in a remote region of southeastern Oregon at an elevation over 6,000 feet, Hart Mountain is a wild and desolate place any time of year. In winter, blanketed by snow, it becomes a quite and seemingly endless surreal landscape.
During our visit, Chuck and I skied through a couple of different areas, both very small in the total scale of the refuge. We talked about coming back one winter and skiing all the way across, but we’ll see if I ever get the winter motivation to take that on. The two areas we explored on this visit were the hot springs basin below Warner Peak and Petroglyph Lake. Petroglyph Lake is sheltered on one side by a low cliff band that houses several panels of Native American rock art.
Instead of going on at length about the skiing, sleeping in the car, eating bad food and all the other standard tales from a trip like this I’ll just let the photos speak for themselves. You can click on each image to see it larger and then hit the back button to return to the article.
 Hart Mountain rising out of the clouds above Hart Lake.  Old building at park headquaters.  Winter Landscape  Rok Chuk  Hotsprings basin black and white  Meandering hotsprings stream  Skiing toward Petroglyph Lake  Desolate and windswept  Warner Peak above the high desert plain  Skiing around Petroglyph Lake  Petroglyphs  Petroglyphs  Petroglyphs  Wind sculpted snow  Skiing in a snow shower
Tags: landscape, landscape photography, nature photography, oregon photographer, Oregon Photography, outdoor photography, sean bagshaw, travel photography
Posted in Adventure Journal, Photography Journal, Photography Travel Journal | 1 Comment »
Monday, January 3rd, 2011
Despite their ubiquity this time of year, I always look forward to year end reviews in which we, as a society, look back at the previous year and what came of it. There is something intrinsically valuable about the practice of remembering the year gone, both personally and as a community. I appreciate the sense of closure it gives; a sort of taking stock and clearing of the air, a brief pause before barreling toward the future again. We do this for all aspects of life. The media loves to inundate us with lists and images recalling the year in politics, movies, economics, environmental crises and sport. Many of us take stock of what our personal lives brought in the past year as well.
Like many of my photographer colleagues, much of my year is wrapped up in the places I traveled and the photographs I made. Much effort and time is spent in pursuit of those few defining images that rise above the rest. They alone tell the story of my success or failure to communicate the vision I strive to capture and share. Despite success or failure, it is really about going for the ride. Whatever the outcome I take heart in adding another year to my photography story.
With those thoughts in mind I share some of my favorite images taken in 2010. Enjoy.
 Camino de Oro, Guanajuato, Mexico  Lost In A Winter Forest, Crater Lake, Oregon
 Copper Coast, Puerto Escondido, Mexico  Shasta Lavender, California  Sparks Lake Columbine, Oregon  Twilight Grove, Redwood National Park, California  Unforgettable Fire, Cascade Pass, Washington  Mineral de Pozos Doorways, Mexico
 Teardrop Of Sky, Bandon, Oregon  Starvation Creek, Columbia Gorge, Oregon Thanks for looking. I’d love to read any comments questions you might like to share, so please post those below. If you’re feeling it, please share this blog on your social media site of choice. Here’s to 2011!
Tags: fine art photography, landscape photography, nature photography, southern oregon photographer
Posted in Featured Photos, Newest Fine Art Prints, Photography Journal | 22 Comments »
Wednesday, April 28th, 2010
 Puerto Escondido Lighthouse On Tuesday, May 11 at 7:00 pm I will be giving a slide presentation to the Southern Oregon Photographic Association. In images and words, I will share a retrospective of my year in photography. Since last spring I have had some wonderful adventures with my camera including photographing locations in the Columbia Gorge, the Oregon Cascades, Lassen Volcanic National Park, the Utah desert, the Oregon coast, Mexican mining towns and beaches and many great spots right here in the Rogue Valley. In addition to sharing some of my photographic vision of the natural world, I will also tell some tall travel tales and discuss some of the techniques I use to create my images. Call Terry Tuttle at 541-779-3396 or go to www.sopacameraclub.org for information.
Tags: landscape photography, nature photography, outdoor photography, photography
Posted in Events | No Comments »
Thursday, December 31st, 2009
I will be leading or co-instructing several indoor and outdoor photography workshops during 2010. The first two that I am able to announce will be in partnership with the Best of the Northwest Photo Workshops run by David Cobb. I will be co-instructing these workshops with David and they include field work at some of Oregon’s best locations as well as indoor instruction on photography techniques and digital workflow. You get two professional instructors in one workshop! You can find more information on the Best of the Northwest Photo Workshops and register at the Best of the Northwest website. The Best of the Northwest Photo Workshops are popular and fill quickly, so register soon to reserve your spot.
On the Best of the Northwest Workshop calendar I will be co-instructing the following two workshops.
South-central Oregon Coast
February 26 – March 1, 2010
Based in Coos Bay/North Bend we’ll be photographing dramatic cliffs, waterfalls, sand dunes, crashing waves, and also tidepools.
Redwood National Park & Northern California Coast
June 11-14, 2010
We’ll be photographing the spectacular giant Redwoods during the wild rhododendron bloom. We’ll also be visiting the beautiful northern California coastline.
Best of the Northwest Workshop leader David M. Cobb is a nature and wildlife photographer who has hiked and photographed throughout the world. A member of NANPA & the GWA, he is a regular contributor to a variety of gardening, lifestyle, nature, and travel publications as well as calendars, cards, books, brochures, and other printed materials. David is a genuine human encyclopedia of the best photography locations and how to photograph them. In addition to the two workshops David will be doing with me, he will also be leading a variety of other workshops in 2010 with co-instructor Jonathan Ley to locations such as Victoria, the Palouse, Crater Lake, Yellowstone and the Tetons.
Workshop space is limited and they fill quickly, so contact Best of the Northwest Photo Workshops to reserve your spot.
Contact info:
| Email: |
dmcobbphoto@aol.com |
| Phone: |
(503) 224-1856 |
| Mailing
Address: |
P.O. Box 286
Mosier, OR 97040 |
Tags: nature photography, Photography Instruction, Photography Workshops
Posted in Photography Workshops | 1 Comment »
Monday, December 7th, 2009
Talented outdoor photographer, Adrian Klein, is now producing a great podcast called Pacific Northwest Photography. Adrian recently interviewed me for his podcast, which you can listen to on the player above. During our conversation we chatted about favorite locations, adventures and photography equipment. I also give the behind the scenes tales of the two images below. You can also get the complete story behind my intolerance of goat flavored food products.
I highly recommend checking out Adrian’s photography at www.adrianklein.com
and his photography blog at http://adriankleinphoto.blogspot.com/
On Adrian’s home page you can subscribe to his PNWP Podcast by clicking the red musical note.
 Lunar Eclipse Over Mt. Shasta  Double Falls, Glacier National Park
Tags: digital photography, landscape photography, nature photography, northwest photography, oregon photographer, outdoor photography, photography interview, photography podcast, photography techniques, professional photographer, sean bagshaw, southern oregon photographer
Posted in Photography Journal | No Comments »
Thursday, November 20th, 2008
Much of my photography is of the greater landscape and I’m often trying to present sweeping vistas with sharp detail. However, I also like to photograph more intimate scenes and abstracts. One of my favorite abstract techniques is motion blur. This can be achieved a few different ways and is a particularly good technique for emphasizing leading lines in a photo while smoothing out distracting elements. The final result can often look more like a painting than a photograph.
I really like to use motion blur with trees that have staight trunks. The technique is more an art than a science, so a lot of experimentation and throw away images are required to get something that I like. I start by setting a relatively slow shutter speed and making a vertical pan (movement) with my camera. I have found that shutter speeds between 1/4 of a second and 1/20 of a second work best. I move the camera up or down, in as straight a line as possible and depress the shutter release as the camera is moving. At slower shutter speeds I pan slower and at faster shutter speeds I pan faster. It is hard to know exactly what will be in the frame so I repeat the process over and over so that I will have many images to select from. Panning the camera while it is on a tripod can help keep the motion steady and smooth, but also limits flexibility.
Physically panning the camera is often all I need to do to achieve the abstract look I’m going for. Other times I selectively add more blur by using the Motion Blur filter in Photoshop (Filter>Blur>Motion Blur). To do this I’ll create a duplicate layer of the background image and blur the duplicate. Then I’ll add a layer mask to the blurred layer and paint with a black brush on the mask to bring through any detail from the original image that I want to keep. This digital blurring technique can also be applied to images that were taken in focus without panning the camera. Digital blurring often takes just as much trial and error as panning the camera.
Several of my favorite photographers have used these techniques to create some wonderful abstract images, including Jesse Spear, Eddie Soloway and William Niel.
Tags: camera panning, Digital Image Editing Tips, digital photography, Digital Photography Tips, Eddie Soloway, fine art photography, Jesse Spear, motion blur, nature photography, photography of trees, photography tip, Photoshop motion blur, shutter speed, William Niel
Posted in Digital Image Editing Tips, Featured Photo, Featured Photographer, Featured Photos | 2 Comments »
Friday, September 19th, 2008
Two of my prints were juried in to the International Conservation Photography Awards exhibit this year. Red Willow Sea was the winning image in the Flora category and Lunar Eclipse Over Mt. Shasta was also accepted in the highly competitive Landscape category.
The International Conservation Photography Awards (ICP Awards), is a premier worldwide photography event. The biennial juried photo competition includes an online exhibit, a six week museum gallery show at the Museum of History and Industry in Seattle, Washington, and publication in a prestigious photography magazine. The selected prints celebrate the world’s diversity along with the creativity and originality of photographers.
Known for his passionate advocacy of the environment, world renowned nature photographer Art Wolfe created a conservation-themed photo contest in 1997 as “an event for the advancement of photogaphy as a unique medium, capable of bringing awareness and preservation to our environment through art.” The 2008 International Conservation Photography Awards is the latest incarnation of Art Wolfe’s vision. The ICP Awards is a biennial (every two years) community event involving foundations, sponsors, politicians, and photographers to promote environmental and cultural conservation.
Tags: Art Wolfe, International Conservation Photography Awards, landscape photography, lunar eclipse photography, Museum of History and Industry, nature photography, Seattle Photography Exhibit, southern oregon photographer
Posted in Photography Journal | No Comments »
Tuesday, June 10th, 2008
When I go out in search of colorful sunrises I am normally met by either complete cloud cover or complete blue sky (anyone else have that experience?). This photo falls into the latter category. However, the crystal clear spring air made for some great stretched out sunrise shadows and direct sun did a nice job of back lighting the new grass and blooming vetch. I like the drama that extreme lighting like this provides. There are a few strangely dark areas in the oak trees that are part of the original RAW files. There isn’t much data there, so I’m not sure how to deal with that.
Canon EOS 5D, Canon 16-35mm f/2.8L lens, ISO 100, f/18, two different exposures blended manually in Photoshop to contain the wide dynamic range between the sun and the foreground.
Tags: Featured Photo, landscape photography, nature photography, Photography Journal, southern oregon photographer, southern oregon photography
Posted in Featured Photo | 1 Comment »
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