Simply Nature

wild mare and colt south steens herd (click on image for larger size) location: steens mountain       season: spring       backstory: this is from one of my first adventures into the steens mountain area. friends had mentioned herds of wild horses in the area and i was curious to see them in their natural range. it had been a very cold and snowy winter.  this was the first truly warm spring day and the desert enthusiastically responded. snow melt provided moist earth for plants to absorb.  a warm sage filled breeze gently blew. the sky cleared it's winter dull gray, sunlight was brighter and noticeably warmer. and the mares with new colts were taking it all in. exploring this area throughout the seasons has given me a great appreciation for creatures, plants and trees that live here. summer is brutally hot; winter bone chilling cold, windy and deep snow. fall can be lovely, although often short as winter comes early. spring is a time to pause a moment, kick back and enjoy before th

homestead in winter cant ranch (click on image for larger size) location: kimberly, oregon                                      season: winter                                backstory: as i wander around this region, i often wonder how this place looked when the first european settlers arrived. outside of the towns and highways, not much has changed. this scene is the original homestead at the cant family ranch near kimberly. before settlers arrived, native tribes, umatilla, wasco, warm springs and northern pauite, seemed to have a nomadic lifestyle, moving from river valleys to mountains with the seasons, animals and food sources. the arid desert climate is naturally conducive to preserving some of this history.  wagon ruts can still be seen in stretches of open desert.  kam wah chung is a chinese building in john day built in the 1860's that is much like when it was built, including the interior. the cant ranch was settled in 1890 on the mainstem of the john day river.  it is no

when i first moved to this area i learned about wild horse herds scattered around the region. the idea of wild horses stimulated images of the wild west and this land before settlers. first experiences were in the murderer's creek area of aldrich mountain. forested rugged terrain made tracking and finding these horses challenging and very rewarding with the first photos. they seemed quite wild to me. murderer's creek herd stud and family as treks expanded south into the steens mountains and alvord desert, seeing these horses became more frequent. i got to know them better. after posting some of the first photos online, i received a comment explaining how true wild horses went extinct thousands of years ago and that they were actually feral - domestic horses set loose in the backcountry. after a little research, my romantic image of wild horses began to dissolve. this, combined with seeing them on almost every photo trek, led me to understand they aren't truly wild.  they ar

taking treks out into backcountry oregon is a great pleasure. there are many benefits: getting out into nature, finding great scenes to photograph, chance encounters with wildlife, seeing star-filled skies without any light pollution, feeling the desert wind scour my spirit, the smell of sage and juniper, the freedom to wander...the list keeps on going. these photos are one way of trying to express these experiences. these journeys aren't a vacation, they are more similar to pilgrimage, native vision quest, or aboriginal walkabout. they have a spiritual quality, are sacred, fill a need for nourishment i don't find in other ways. it didn't start out that way. it just kind of evolved naturally. i've always enjoyed wandering, sometimes aimlessly, sometimes with purpose.  the wide open high desert is very conducive to this. usually i'll leave home with a planned route and series of destinations. it's rare for that plan to be followed very closely. it tends to start

 add copy ink runs in my blood, possibly from working in the graphics trades after college, doing calligraphy and chinese brush painting where i learned to grind ink on stone. diving into this photography creative process has allowed me to indulge this fascination with ink on paper in another way. about 10 years ago, digital cameras began to match the quality of film cameras.  similar tech advances happened with digital inkjet printers. that's when my lifelong interest in photography resurfaced. after buying a high quality camera and learning how to use it, it became clear a high quality printer was needed next. i jumped in with both feet by purchasing a canon pro 4000. it's a lot of printer for just one photographer.  to me, it is worth it for several reasons: it produces fine art/gallery quality, large, gorgeous prints i can print as orders are made, reducing overhead and storage to maintain an inventory it allows me to simplify (somewhat) the complex tech communications betw

 add copy

add text

al  piste skyline ridge (click on image for larger size) location: strawberry mountain wilderness   season: winter             backstory: this photo may resonate most with cross-country (nordic, backcountry) skiers. al piste is french for off trail. a lot of cross-country skiing is done at ski resorts or recreation areas. often the terrain is flat and the trails are well groomed and maintained. this scene is off trail.  no grooming. plenty of steep hills and no easy access. that's what makes it so enjoyable. at 7500' elevation, 60" base with 18" of fresh powder, these are the conditions backcountry skiers dream about. often, it takes some effort to get here.  (see tree spirit for details of getting to this spot.)  it is about 5 miles of skiing and 1500' elevation climb along forest service roads to the wilderness border.  then, it's plenty of open spaces and deep powder, allowing treks to unfold to... wherever. what calls most loudly to me is the freedom pro