What Flies Beyond Imagination?

Standing on top of the Mesa, at Island in the Sky, sheer sandstone cliffs descend a thousand feet and more. Views are fantastic in every direction. You could be on another planet. A wilderness of red rock formations this is a high country desert unlike anywhere else on earth.

Canyonlands, in southern Utah, is at the heart of the Colorado Plateau. It spreads over 527 square miles of diverse desert highlands and is Utah’s largest park.
Canyonlands National Park (435-719-2313) www.nps.gov/cany .

Weather of water and wind plus the pull of gravity have carved this terrain, cutting into its red layers of sedimentary rock gouging out dozens of colorful canyons, magnificent mesas, bowing arches and sprawling spires.

This land is other worldly, bleak, powerful and beautiful. Canyonlands is as rugged as anywhere in the world. Its’ wild red desert atmosphere is contrasted by the rich blue endless sky. More than 150 million years of geologic forces continue their daily shape shift to the cliffs and canyons engraved by the Colorado and Green Rivers.

Canyonlands is visually fantastic, a dream of ancient earth.

Island in the Sky, Canyonlands, Utah 16x24 Giclee Print

Its’ colorful landscape was once inhabited by Ancestral Puebloan Indians.  Some of their stone and mud dwellings are well-preserved and can be seen along with some remarkable petroglyphs. We stood in awe of those in an area called Newspaper Rock. They looked like aliens from space with large heads, big eyes and wistful bodies.

We explored all day working on landscape photos and taking in the drama that appeared at every turn on the hiking trails. Our trip was in late May so the weather was warm but not the blistering heat that permeates the summer months. Still twelve hours plus in the sun was enough for this day.

There are few roads but many trails for foot and bike traffic in the three main sections of the park. Island in the Sky, The Needles and The Maze are each unique in their geology. They are remote and require a lot of time for personal discovery.

Relaxing at camp after our fourth day hike with a crackling fire was welcomed and following dinner we settled in closer to the flames as the night covered us with a shadowy blanket. Brilliant starlight spilled out from the blackness of the universe.

Laid back we were identifying constellations, watching for satellites and shooting stars. Even the Milky Way stretched brightly from horizon to horizon.

Sap imbedded in the logs we burned snapped and kept shooting sparks into the night like a mini volcano. One red hot ember ejected straight into my eye. My reflexes made me shut my eyes a fraction of a second before it hit me singeing just my eyelid and lashes. Not too serious but it was great camp excitement to end the day. So we thought.

Coyotes howled in the distance, probably miles apart. Their songs seemed to echo up from the river and along the steep canyon walls. We were lost in the moment.

Suddenly, a brilliant light shot through the night sky from the north. It was much faster than any of the satellites that we had seen before. Abruptly, it stopped dead in the heavens, zigzagged like someone scribbling on a note card and then took off in an instant 90 degrees to the west. We were speechless for several seconds trying to comprehend what we had just witnessed.

All of a sudden, a loud excited gasp rose from the campground breaking the silence. Many other people had seen what we had just observed. What the hell was that? What did we all just see? Chariots of the Gods?

Were these alien signs, petroglyphs and flying objects just all imagined with a blistered eye?

Back home in Montana we have relived this episode a dozen times. Was it real? What flies beyond our imagination?

Canyonlands National Park
2282 Southwest Resource Boulevard
Moab, UT 84532-8000
United States

Map Canyonlands National Park

Phone 1 (435) 719-2100
Fax 1 (435) 719-2300

http://www.nps.gov/cany

Canyonlands Natural History Association
http://wwwcnha.org

Canyonlands Information:

http://www.americansouthwest.net/utah/canyonlands/national_park.html

Hiking and Biking Trails:

http://www.utah.com/moab

Photographs used in this post are copyrighted by Wayne Scherr, Range of Vision Photography, 2009, All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in any manner is prohibited without the written permission of Wayne Scherr, Range of Vision Photography. My image catalog can be viewed at http://www.rangeofvisionphotos.com. You can contact me through this blog or through email at: wayne@rangeofvisionphotos.com

 

 

What is the Value of a Photograph that Feeds Enchantment to Your Soul?

When a photograph touches your heart and brings you closer to the hum of life is it worth investing your savings in this piece of artwork? How do you place monetary value on something that is subjective at best?

Over the years of my travels I have collected several very meaningful pieces of artwork that remain very precious to me. I have a watercolor painting from a young Massai man that I met in Tanzania that will always remind me of the red suka caped warriors herding their cattle on the savannahs of the Serengeti.

It is a simple but graphic depiction and it places me back on safari instantly with all its sights and scents.  I recall Massai with perfect English and cell phones standing next to their mud packed bomas surrounded by acacia thorn fences and on the lookout for lions.

Savannah Lion 11x17 Digital Print

 The print is placed next to two larger companion photographs I composed of lions, one up in an acacia tree, another, sitting in the savannah grasses, like the Lion King. They complete the picture, so to speak, for me. They bring the emotion of the location and experience to my senses.

How do you place value on this feeling that these images give to me?

My walls at home are covered with photographs, paintings, carvings and other pieces of artwork, mostly my own but each of them transports me to different worldly locations that make up the journey of my life.

Outrigger Canoe 11x17 Digital Print

A petroglyph plied from volcanic ash to a shaft of coconut fiber husk is displayed next to a series of photographic Giclee watercolor prints that depict an ancient Polynesian village. The thatched hut, waterfall and outrigger canoe complete the desired effect of my dreamtime where I may be a sailor from Captain Cooke’s sailing adventures  or a Gauguin character lost somewhere in the tropical South Pacific.

The artistic expressions that are created cannot be repeated. We may record something similar but no two days are ever the same. Sunrises are different. Everything changes. Capturing moments in time are singular to that event.

Tached Hut 11x17 Digital Print

If what attracts you brings you joy, buy it. Its value lies in what it brings to your soul.

When you have that source of inspiration in hand and are ready to purchase your photographic print it is important to be sure that what you are getting is as archival as possible, not only how it is reproduced but also in how it is displayed.

You want to use acid free mounting boards, linen tape and glass that does not touch your print all exhibited in good light but not placed in direct sunlight.

Those emotions that pulled you into the photograph will fade fast if the print breaks down and loses it resilience, disappearing before your eyes in a few short years. You want to relive those moments over the course of your lifetime.

In general fine art photographs are more archival than ever before. I prefer Giclee prints reproduced on a watercolor substrate or canvas. Both have a unique individual look about them with vibrant, saturated color and archival finishes. Standard digital prints will also last longer with today’s technologies. This becomes the choice of the artist’s creative expression and how the completed image is produced.

Displaying fine art photographs or other pieces of artwork in your living or work space is a momentary escape when viewed. Like a brief meditation you can take a series of deep breaths and recharge with positive memories and emotions. You will find that devoting a little savings into such personal pleasures will fill your life with just a little more happiness.

Related Posts:

http://myphotovisions.wordpress.com/2009/10/24/hoe-to-keep-viewers-looking-longer/

http://myphotovisions.wordpress.com/2009/09/11/can-color-photgraphs-enhance-positive-feelings-of-well-being/

http://myphotovisions.wordpress.com/2009/09/28/photography-and-feng-shui-for-interior-design/

Photographs used in this post are copyrighted by Wayne Scherr, Range of Vision Photography, 2009, All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in any manner is prohibited without the written permission of Wayne Scherr, Range of Vision Photography. My image catalog can be viewed at http://www.rangeofvisionphotos.com. You can contact me through this blog or through email at: wayne@rangeofvisionphotos.com

How To Keep Viewers Looking Longer

For dynamic eye catching wall décor think about using a theme series or picture set that will pull your viewers attention and hold them for a period of time.

Photographic prints especially those reproduced as Giclee images on watercolor paper or canvas substrate are generally done in high resolution with deeply saturated colors.  They really do demand attention directing the viewer to explore the image content further.

Mountain Goat - 11x17 Giclee Print

A themed series can be of any subject matter but nature works best for healthcare facilities, offices and public open spaces. Even here images can be mixed.

A central landscape Giclee print utilized as the centerpiece like St Mary Lake in Glacier National Park, illustrated here, can be balanced with two or more wildlife prints like the mountain goat and bighorn sheep. They are all compatible because both animals are found in the high country of Glacier.

They complement each other expanding the viewers’ perception of the outdoors and present a certain visual intimacy to the rugged mountains, even if the observer has never been there themselves. Themes should have a sense of similarity in topic.

St Mary Lake - 16x24 Giclee Watercolor Print

If you are not into wildlife and prefer floral prints, flowers with bright colors present another good combination. As long as the subject relates to the central image the set will add positive energy to the environment they are displayed in.

Bighorn Ram 11x17 Giclee Print

Custom Giclee prints do not all have to be the same size either. Vary them for added visual impact. One large photographic print can carry the rest with other sizes in support of the main one.

Most of the time odd numbers work the best in design and layout so once the dominant print is chosen they can be offset or balanced with several smaller prints arranged in a pleasing manner.

Prints matted and framed can be grouped together or spread along your entire display space. However spreading images too thin will actually detract and confuse the viewer. Sometimes you may have to invest in more prints and have several groupings to cover the environment you have to work with.

Muted Dahlias - 16x24 Giclee Watercolor Print

You can also choose a more generic; more accessible landscape to appeal to the armchair traveler and off set it with florals or wildlife reproductions. It depends upon your ideas and personal tastes. Choice matters here at this stage of the decision making.

To some people that may all seem to formal a theme to live with and would prefer large photographic prints of just garden flowers. Here again choice is what matters. Flowers can be close up reproductions almost abstract in content but very bright with vivid, saturated colors and graphic in design.

Delicacy Dahlia - 12x12 Giclee Watercolor Print

At this point you can go for color that is compatible with your walls or other accents you are using regarding your use of space and décor. Do you require soothing, calming hues of blue and green or motivational active colors like red and yellow as the dominant attraction?

Some people feel that small prints have more intimacy toward the viewer. However large, mural style images are actually the best draw for large spaces like offices and healthcare facilities. You want to attract people and involve them from the moment they enter the room and if you have open space smaller prints can be ignored.

When displaying multiple images you want to create a visual pace to the presentation.  In choosing images for a set consider exhibiting a long shot, medium and close up, perhaps even an extreme close up and then another medium or a couple of close ups and then a macro shot.

Pastel Dahlia - 16x24 Giclee Watercolor Print

Giving a visual pace will keep your viewers interest at its peak. Seeing the same size image in prints actually becomes distracting or a bit boring. Repetitive image size of the subject is a good way to have an uninspiring display.

I have seen many art shows that had excellent landscape images but after four or five of the same horizon line or the subject dead in the middle of the print I lost interest. Showing twenty or thirty prints of the same visual interest is a good way to have your best images ignored.

The same holds true for displaying prints in public spaces, offices or your home. You can have all 16×24 prints that are matted and framed the same but vary the image content mass and you will get stronger reviews and comments. The viewer wont know exactly why but the element of intrigue will sustain them.

Related Posts:

http://myphotovisions.wordpress.com/2009/09/11/can-color-photgraphs-enhance-positive-feelings-of-well-being/

http://myphotovisions.wordpress.com/2009/09/28/photography-and-feng-shui-for-interior-design/

Photographs used in this post are copyrighted by Wayne Scherr, Range of Vision Photography, 2009, All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in any manner is prohibited without the written permission of Wayne Scherr, Range of Vision Photography. My image catalog can be viewed at http://www.rangeofvisionphotos.com. You can contact me through this blog or through email at: wayne@rangeofvisionphotos.com

Purple – An Element of Fire

Purple – The combination of blue and red creates a very intriguing color of an almost sacred nature. For many people the color purple has always been a symbol of royalty. Since it was a rare color to duplicate emperors, kings, and religious officials used it as a sign that promoted nobility and spirituality.

Delphinium digital print

Purple has the characteristics of being stable and presents a calming demeanor to the viewer when photographs with this mystical color, such as the floral images used to illustrate this post, are used as wall décor in health care facilities, home or office space.

Since purple is such a high vibration chakra color it should be used rather sparingly. This would mean that purple painted walls would be a bit strong, giving a rather moody feeling, to look at while a photo like a Giclee fine art watercolor or canvas print with elements of the color purple in it would be more mysterious and exemplify a sense of excitement to the viewer.

The delicate hues of this digital delphinium print demonstrate how this color can be used in moderation. Used as a combination print set or picture pair with the dendrobium orchid they can present a bit of reassurance and comfort to the observer.

Dendrobium Orchids Giclee print

This color scheme can be used to promote creativity and imagination. There are many hues and characteristics of purple from lavender, lilac and amethyst to a deep wine shade. In the realm of Feng Shui they are best used with some restraint but they can become an eye catcher when used as spot color in the process.

In future posts I will discuss several other colors, photographic prints and their function regarding Feng Shui and interior design. If you have some suggestions for the use of the color purple please add your comments to this post.

Related Posts:

http://myphotovisions.wordpress.com/2009/09/11/can-color-photgraphs-enhance-positive-feelings-of-well-being/

http://myphotovisions.wordpress.com/2009/09/28/photography-and-feng-shui-for-interior-design/

Photographs used in this post are copyrighted by Wayne Scherr, Range of Vision Photography, 2009, All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in any manner is prohibited without the written permission of Wayne Scherr, Range of Vision Photography. My image catalog can be viewed at http://www.rangeofvisionphotos.com. You can contact me through this blog or through email at: wayne@rangeofvisionphotos.com

Gold Rush Ghost Towns – Part 2

 Working on a book project illustrating ghost towns for a Canadian publisher I had a chance to explore some of the backroads of southwest Montana. After spending a few days in the Pintler range photographing Southern Cross above Georgetown Lake and Granite just outside Philipsburg I ventured south toward Ennis and Dillon.

Here I delved into the more preserved ghost towns of Bannack State Park, Bannack State Park, www.bannack.org, Virginia and Nevada Cities, Virginia City Chamber of Commerce, www.virginiacity.com rich in the history of gold in unparalleled settings.

Interior Bannack Bar

Walking the boardwalks of Bannack or Virginia and Nevada Cities your first visions are that of the American west. Worn planks creaked beneath my feet just as they did a hundred and fifty years ago for the pioneers that came this way.

The pungent scent of sagebrush and weathered wood fills the air as you keep looking for the horsemen that should be riding into town for the proverbial gunfight or dance hall brawl.

You get the sensations of Hollywood’s cowboy movies, the one’s many of us grew up on. But beyond the thoughts of John Wayne or Jimmy Stuart facing off the bad guys in the street there is real tactile history here.  

For thousands of years along the Ruby, Snowcrest and Gravelly ranges there were hunters and gatherers by the tribal names of Cree, Blackfeet, Shoshoni, Crow and Bannock. Then once the trappers, miners and ranchers came they displaced the native populations that had come before them.

Nevada City Street Scene

Montana’s biggest and richest gold strikes were located at Grasshopper Creek, near Bannack, and Alder Gulch just outside of Virginia City. It brought thousands of prospectors and those who serviced them to southwest Montana.

There were shootists, thieves and others that followed this path of land exploitation.  In Bannack vigilante justice, Henry Plummer and the hangman left their mark just as gold mining did. As I photographed this historic location I could not help but wonder if ghosts still roam the backrooms of the bars and livery stables.

Frayed rope swings in the wind from the gallows just on the edge of town as you follow the path uphill toward a collapsed mine entrance. What stories could these ropes tell the modern day traveler?

Livery Stable

Now a State Park there is much to photograph at Bannack. During the summer months life comes to Bannack with all kinds of activities and a Pioneer Festival that is well worth attending. 

The main thing for me was just getting lost in the history. I was intrigued by the interiors, especially the Bannack bar with sheer curtains blowing in the hot summer wind. What tall tales could these buildings reveal about the personalities that came this way? Beaverhead Chamber of Commerce – Dillon
www.beaverheadchamber.org

Virginia City is very much alive today. Most of it has been restored and seems frozen in time. Nearby Nevada City is an open air museum where everyone can explore even the interiors of the Victorian buildings.

Hot Baths 25 cents

From 1863 through 1868 the region was overrun with miners as gold was discovered in nearby Alder Gulch. Placer miners used pans, sluice boxes, hydraulic nozzles and gold dredges. Even hard rock mining left no stone unturned.

More than 90 million dollars worth of gold was extracted from Alder Gulch. The activity was supported by nearly 10,000 people as Virginia City replaced Bannack as Montana’s Territorial capital.

Nevada City looks like a movie set. In fact there have been films made here because of its authenticity. It is actually an assembled community with buildings brought in from various locations.

Meals lamp post sign

I investigated several buildings along the boardwalks photographing exteriors and peering into the windows checking out what furnishings they still had. I was drawn to the painted signs on a few of the structures. They seemed to say as much about the history as the log, plank and river rock shops themselves.

There are not very many places where man made history is so pervasive in the west as these three communities. They are impressive because they were real places that were inhabited with real people who lead rough lives and changed this part of the world.

 For more information about these and other ghost towns in Montana please refer to these websites:

Montana Travel Department of Commerce
www.visitmt.com
Philipsburg Chamber of Commerce
www.philipsburgmt.com
Montana Ghost Town Preservation Society
www.ghosttown.montana.com
Montana’s Goldwest Country Travel Region
www.goldwest.visitmt.com
National Forest Service
(Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest)
www.fs.fed.us/r1/b-d/
Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks
www.fwp.mt.gov

Related Post: http://www.myphotovisions.wordpress.com/2009/10/05/ghost-towns-of-western-montana-part-1
Photographs used in this post are copyrighted by Wayne Scherr, Range of Vision Photography, 2009, All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in any manner is prohibited without the written permission of Wayne Scherr, Range of Vision Photography. My image catalog can be viewed at http://www.rangeofvisionphotos.com. You can contact me through this blog or through email at: wayne@rangeofvisionphotos.com

Ghost Towns of Western Montana – Part 1

Sun, wind and the ravages of both time and man have taken their toll on these weathered and worn buildings. Exploring their remains you cannot help but wonder what stories they have to tell. It is easy to sense the memories and imagine the personal stories of miners, cattlemen, outlaws, lawmen and dance hall women.

Everyone was an immigrant here, a traveler from some far off place in the world drawn to these wilds by the promise of gold, silver or some other form of currency. It was a rough way of life in these remote mountains and for a brief time it flourished in the rush for fortune.

Elkhorn ghost town south of Helena

My work progressed while photographing on an assignment to illustrate a travel guide article about ghost towns in western Montana. www.visitmt.com The historic mining communities of Elkhorn and Granite were my first two stops.

The false fronts of Elkhorn, www.ghosttown.montana.com, just south of what is now Montana’s capital, Helena, once promoted fourteen saloons among its seventy-five or so buildings. Elkhorn’s treasures yielded over $14 million in gold, silver and lead to its hard living people.

You can’t help but wonder how noisy these streets may have been on Saturday nights during Elkhorn’s heyday. Did the sounds of fiddles and accordions carry their dance tunes far down the dusty rutted road toward the Boulder River? Somehow I don’t think it was always the quiet and serene place that it was this day.

Standing outside the ornate false front of the lonely Fraternity Hall ones imagination can still hear the laughter and song emanating from its wooden planked walls, glassless windows and squeaky door frames.  This day had storm clouds brewing, lowering themselves onto the surrounding mountaintops. A brisk wind made me turn my collar up thinking of the ghosts that once pasted this way.

Granite mining relics

Earthen scars along the hillsides of the Flint Creek Range near Philipsburg, Montana, www.philipsburgmt.com, reveal the remains of Granite where more than $250,000.00 a month worth of silver was gouged out of the earth.

The backsides of many of the buildings were dug into the mountainsides themselves. Today their fronts are slowly dissolving into the past.  Heavy snows, the freezing temperatures of long winters and then the scorching sunny summer days twist and dehydrate the huge framework beams that were hone from the forest below.

Granite was once populated by more than 3,000 miners

Who were the people that roamed these hillsides? How many languages were spoken here? Was this a cultural melting pot?

Just a little more than one hundred years ago Granite was a bustling community with dozens of buildings including a three story Miners Union Hall and a district hospital.

Today the ambiance surrounding these gnarled, windswept, buildings gives one a sensory impression of our western American Heritage. A second notion feeds a tingling sensation, that of ghostly encounters that seem to peer out from behind the abandoned grey doorways and head frames.

Walking around, I kicked up a few home-made nails and spikes, pounded square, rusted, bent, and probably forged locally. I photographed several more buildings before resting on the milled beams of the Miners Union Hall for some lunch taking in the fine landscape views of Flint Creek Valley below.

My imagination strained to listen for the sound of horse drawn wagons pulling their heavy supply loads up into this steep terrain. But the roadways continued their silence, only the creaking of sagging ceiling beams and a few Clark’s nutcracker birds spoke for the hundreds of people that once came this way.

Part two of my ghost town discoveries will cover Nevada City, Virginia City, www.virginiacity.com, and Bannack, www.bannack.org, where the biggest and richest gold strikes in Montana took place.

For more information about these and other ghost towns in Montana view these websites:
www.visitmt.com
www.philipsburgmt.com
www.virginiacity.com
www.bannack.org
www.ghosttown.montana.com

Photographs used in this post are copyrighted by Wayne Scherr, Range of Vision Photography, 2009, All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in any manner is prohibited without the written permission of Wayne Scherr, Range of Vision Photography. An image catalog can be viewed at http://www.rangeofvisionphotos.com . You can contact me through this blog or through email at: wayne@rangeofvisionphotos.com

Backcountry Adventures – Lee Metcalf Wilderness

Snow was coming down hard with huge flakes the size of quarters piling up on the brim of my hat. Leading a pack string of horses out of the wilderness was a challenge in itself but with knee deep snow and in the dead of night, it was awesome.

My head lamp emphasized the size of the snowflakes within its bright beam and just beyond I saw dozens of glowing eyes reflected its light.  I was pumped.

I helped an outfitter friend set up a hunting camp deep into the Lee Metcalf Wilderness. Though I am not a hunter Tom from Medicine Lake Outfitters, http://www.medicinelakeoutfitters.com, and I had become long time friends through my photography with many adventurous moments over the years in the mountainous backcountry of Montana.

Outfitter camp at twilight

Just a half mile or so out of camp we were heading back to the trailhead very late in the evening after three days of cutting firewood, pitching a tipi and cook tent,  generally preparing camp for what was to come during hunting season. Tom forgot his permit papers and after handing me the lead reigns of the pack string road back disappearing into the blackness.

I nervously wrapped the rope around the horn of my saddle and headed down along the meadow with no trail in sight, only a deep white carpet and more snow falling all around. I was alone in seconds as Tom faded in the night behind me. I had never lead a string of five horses before. Just riding at night was irie enough. The excitement was palatable.

I could hear the snow falling, hitting my hat, chaps and parka. It was almost a hissing sound. The rest of the night was smothered in a deafening silence. I tucked my fingers under the saddle blanket to keep them warm against the flesh of my horse when I noticed those glowing eyes. They were just a hundred yards or so in the distance off to my right. It startled me.  What the hell was that? I could feel a sense of terror building.

Then, suddenly, from the blackness of night a bull elk let out a piercing bugle putting his harem on notice that I was there and they were to stay put. His glowing eyes fixed on my movement as he trotted toward me. Two more screaming calls and he stopped not wanting to expend too much energy. Perhaps he figured out we were just horses and not more female elk for him to pursue.

By that time Tom was back and took the lead breaking trail with me still with the pack string. Within another half mile he stopped waiting for me to catch up pointing out the fresh big cat tracks that crossed our path, circling the elk herd.

Life happens out there in this pristine wilderness.

 It only added to the wildness of the night with more memorable moments to talk about over some future campfire.

For more information on the Lee Metcalf Wilderness contact the Gallatin National Forest at 406-587-2520 or http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/gallatin/

Related Posts:
http://myphotovisions.wordpress.com/2009/09/05/track-of-the-grizzly-bear
http://myphotovisions.wordpress.com/2009/02/28/lee-metcalf-wilderness
http://myphotovisions.wordpress.com/2009/03/14/absaroka-beartooth-wilderness

Photographs used in this post are copyrighted by Wayne Scherr, Range of Vision Photography, 2009, All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in any manner is prohibited without the written permission of Wayne Scherr, Range of Vision Photography. An image catalog can be viewed at http://www.rangeofvisionphotos.com . You can contact me through this blog or through email at: wayne@rangeofvisionphotos.com

Photography and Feng Shui for Interior Design

Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese practice and system of aesthetics that utilizes chi or Qi, energy, from both heaven and earth to improve life by receiving and directing this energy into your lifestyle including your home and office environment.

This aesthetics system is made up of five elements: earth, fire, metal, wood and water. These elements dominate your environment and since we live in a colorful world different colors are an expression of each component.

Japanese Garden

Color and item placement gives us a sense of harmony and balance. We can open our lives to positive energy by displaying Feng Shui colors related to the elements in our living and work space.

Combined with photographic images, Feng Shui broadens this spectrum of harmony and balance with a greater sensory appeal. Inspirational nature photography specifically brings outdoor grandeur indoors with splashes of positive energy.

According to Fen Shui practice there are two types of energy, yin and yang. Yin energy is passive and promotes a calm relaxing environment. Yang is a more agitated source of non-passive energy.

Waterfall Energy Flow - Giclee Print

Yin colors are black, blue, white, pink, purple and green.

Yang colors are orange, maroon, red brown, yellow, tan, beige, mauve and gold.

What do color elements mean?

Fire color elements: Colors associated with the element of fire are of course red, then orange, yellow, purple, pink and violet.

Pink is the color of healing. It is associated with deep feelings of self-respect and a personal sense of self-awareness.

Sunburst Dahlia Panorama Giclee Print

 Red promotes wealth and prosperity. A most active color it is associated with fame, happiness, love and relationships. Red generates strength within an individual. Too much of this stimulating color encourages aggression, fear and anger. Think of this balance when using red in wall décor presentation.

Another yang color is orange and can be used to strengthen creativity and concentration. It is a positive color that promotes enthusiasm and ambition. Too much leads to restlessness and nervousness.

Purple Irises - Giclee Print

 

Purple supports mental and physical healing. It is a calming color and is associated with spiritual awareness, dignity and wisdom.

A more soothing color of a spiritual nature is violet. It has a soothing nature and can help calm symptoms of mental illness and hunger. Too much of this color advances prejudice and a sense of snobbery.

 A color associated with insight, creativity, joy and wisdom is yellow. This bright color can help lift you mood and enhance a feeling of well being.

Earth Element Colors

Pale earth tones are unifying and can be used anywhere.

Metal Element Colors

Colors that are associated with metal are white, silver, gold and grey. Gold is associated with wealth, wisdom and prosperity. It encourages good health and success. Grey stabilizes and has a calming effect because it is neutral. 

White Cup and Saucer - Giclee Print

White promotes creativity, love and relationships. It is associated with travel, purity and confidence. Used with gold and silver it generates calmness. Since white blends with all colors it promotes harmony and purity. Too much white gives an unfriendly feeling.

Water Element Colors

Black and blue are associated with the element of water. Black is associated with knowledge, life paths and skills. Used with metals it promotes money. It is the color of power and emotional protection. 

The yin color of energy is blue. Blue is calm and soothing. It reflects love and aids in bringing about healing and relaxation. Blue promotes feelings of trust and peace. Blue is linked with adventure and travel exploration.

Aspen Grove - Giclee Print

Wood Element Colors

Allied with the element of wood are the colors of green and brown. Brown is linked with security and safety.

 Green is a restful color that supports balance, relief of pain and healing. Too much green can lead to depression, selfishness and jealousy.

So in theory the stronger the color the less you need to achieve what your intent is. Colors are used to attain specific energy levels, to enhance and to maintain. Large areas should be pale with smaller surfaces reserved for accent colors. If you do not like a certain color do not use it with your décor. Personal preferences are just as important in realizing your desired decorating purposes.

Buddha Statue - Giclee Print

I have used photographic images of nature to illustrate color meanings involved with Feng Shui. Incorporating nature indoors helps create a comfortable ambience in your home, the work place, health care facilities, conference rooms and public spaces in general.

All photographs used in this entry are copyrighted by Wayne Scherr, Range of Vision Photography, All Rights Reserved 2009. Reproduction or use of any kind is prohibited without the written permission of Wayne Scherr, Range of Vision Photography. Gallery  images can be viewed at www.rangeofvisionphotos.com.  Contact: wayne@rangeofvisionphotos.com.

Staying for the light

I was packing up my gear getting ready to travel home.

All morning we photographed garden flowers in my brother’s yard. Forget-me-nots were lush. This year they overflowed from each of his five raised sections of plant life. Blue, bluer and faint purple, like a carpet, they filled even the pathways glowing and saturated in recognition of the warm spring day.

Forget-me-nots - Giclee watercolor print

We could not have ordered up a better day.

Excited by the flower growth and choice light we scrambled with our gear not wanting to lose the chance to record something great. We recognized the rush simultaneously. “I think we’re supposed to breathe.” I said.

“I am breathing,” was the faint response. We laughed taking a moment to become centered and aware of the situation.

It is easy to always shoot the same type of image. It is like imitating yourself as you try to make an artful composition where all the elements come together before your lens. But what we really want is not to have a preconceived idea of what to look for. It seems the trick is just to be aware of the circumstances and respond with heightened senses to what presents itself before your camera.

Red Poppy - Giclee watercolor print

I don’t know of another way to avoid the standard clichés of flower photography.

We waded through the garden watching the light run over the thick undergrowth giving shadowy edges to each leaf and blossom. Every shade of blue was present in the gleaming forget-me-nots. You did not know where to place your focus our subject was almost too busy with thousands of tiny blossoms each calling to our attention.

It was the iris’ leafy blades that set the direction. Sharp, flat and a constant green brought dimension to these mini landscapes. They offset the texture and color of the floral bouquet with flat triangles, ribbons and wedges.

It was funny we each had different lenses but interacted with the moment and the light in the same manner. We worked the situation, refined the composition, sharpened the focus and sometimes moved on without tripping the shutter. Close up, medium and close up again shutters opened and closed. We could sense our smiles without looking at each other.

Patience ruled the shoot.

Fire Tulips - Giclee watercolor 8x24 panorama

Brilliant red orange fire tulips were explosive with color like hot iron, radiant, in a blacksmith’s hearth. Yellow red tulips the size of baseballs edged with backlight were inspirational against a weathered grey fence. One lone yellow Westpoint Tulip constantly trembled in the slight breeze always wobbling on its fifteen inch stem.

All of this color and variety gave way to the luminous white and soft peddled plum blossoms just above our heads. We had kept our view down and actually backed into a low lying branch before recognizing another viable composition.

Two hours later, time had absorbed our senses and claimed about a hundred new images. The warm sunlight became harsh and midday winds picked up. We felt exhausted from our concentrated efforts.

Bleeding Hearts - Giclee watercolor print

The rest of the day moved on in a less creative mode and as things began to wind down before I had to leave for home we took another turn in the garden talking about the late afternoon light. Shadows had shifted and those colors and edges popped again.

I had to unpack my gear. It was like a whole new encounter. Same subject different views and a more refined approach to composition raised that level of joy and satisfaction all over again.Being open, staying for the light, resulted in a new 8×24 inch Giclee panorama of those glowing Fire Tulips, backlit, dramatic and a peaceful end to the day.

All in all I figured it was well worth the three hour drive back home in the crisp night mountain air with my moon roof open counting the stars dreaming without thought.

All images are copyrighted by Wayne Scherr, 2009, All Rights Reserved. No image may be linked to or downloaded without the written authorization of Wayne Scherr, Range of Vision Photography. Prints and or scans are available for purchase or lease. An image catalog can be viewed on my web site at http://www.rangeofvisionphotos.com
Please contact me through email: wayne@rangeofvisionphotos.com

Morning Meditation

 

I have been doing walking meditations each day, mostly out a dirt road where a spring pond attracts geese, ducks, song birds with an occasional heron or fox. Almost always I’ll see a hawk soaring above watching for gofers that scurry from hole to hole.

But today I was in town doing laundry, not a real fun thing to do on beautiful Saturdays. Morning light was soft and the Rocky Mountain air very fresh and incredibly clear. I followed a walkway up into a grove of aspen and cottonwood trees all paved and park-like.

Several flower gardens were waking, catching those early morning rays of sunlight. 

With walking meditations the idea is to plant your steps so that your feet massage the earth and your breath is timed, breathing in at the count of two, exhaling on the count of two, very rhythmic and mindful. It is most important to be mindful of your breathing. It forces you to be centered in the here and now moment.

3 Bunny Tails - 11x17 Giclee Print

Two Downey woodpeckers danced through the air chasing each other expressing their song of lust. They stayed a good twenty yards ahead of me flitting from tree to tree calling out. I smiled.

The narrow sidewalk wound through the trees and crossed a small rustling stream with a wooden footbridge. The aspens and cottonwood surrounded several acres of townhouses that almost blended in. It was so quiet. In the middle of town it was an oasis for song birds, quaking aspens and the creek gurgling over smooth rocks and an occasional broken limb filling the air with peace.

I did my concentrated paces from one end of the complex to the other breathing from the belly, smiling from the heart.

Pink Gladiolus - 11x17 Giclee Print

A pair of scarlet Taningers waited for me at the exit path, as I crossed the footbridge, with their bright yellow bodies, red heads and a compelling morning song. They too chased each other from bridge to tree limb down to the creek.

I left the grove of trees and townhouses refreshed, picked up my laundry and headed home to photograph in my garden, mindful of the opportunity of a morning smile.

All images are copyrighted by Wayne Scherr, 2009, All Rights Reserved. No image may be linked to or downloaded without the written authorization of Wayne Scherr, Range of Vision Photography. Prints and or scans are available for purchase or lease. Please contact me through email: wayne@rangeofvisionphotos.com or through my image catalog web site at http://www.rangeofvisionphotos.com

Can Color Photographs Enhance Positive Feelings of Well Being?

Do you ever think about color and how it affects your life?

Do you ever see red or feel blue? Some people are said to turn green with envy. These are real changes that happen to our body’s aura or electro-magnetic field.  Studies show that color and its use can alter our emotions.

So what is color?

An easy definition is just the quality of light.

But with sunny days or cloudy days the quality of light changes and has many variations.  Light waves or vibrations are constantly moving. Even though we do not notice most of the time light rays are always dancing in and around everything.

Flower Flair - Giclee Print

Many people believe that color is life and that color is an expression of the divine.

Ancient civilizations studied the power and influence of color. They used color in their healing and religious practices. Think of the saturated hues used in temples and palaces.

High priests and priestesses from China, India and Egypt developed the science of color based upon the nature of man and the sun’s bright spectrum of light. So these fundamental laws of cosmic energy we know as color have always been around.

Healers and shamans used principles of cosmic energy and color to heal many ailments.

We understand that disease means a lack of harmony within the body. Chromo therapy and its use, is a means of bringing balance back to the body through the use of colored light.

In the 1930’s, a scientist named Ghadiali, developed several theories about the therapeutic effects of colored light and the role it plays upon our bodies.He wrote about how color represents different chemical reactions in the high vibrations of light. Each color he stated can stimulate or inhibit how one’s system works. If you understand how different colors work on ones organs, then in theory, you can apply the right color light to balance that system or organ and then condition it. Palm Leaf - Giclee Print If you live in a healthy state, you are conditioned or balanced with light energy. When the balance is off you are known to be in a state of dis-ease. Restoring the balance is what color therapy is all about. All living things get energy from the sun and its light wave vibrations. All known elements are found in the energy of the sun. These elements and chemicals are all contained in white light. The sun emits white light energies into the atmosphere and life is then sustained or charged by it. We have all heard about auras that surround and penetrate our bodies. They absorb white light and divide it into different color energies. With humans there are two activities working all the time. They are called catabolism and anabolism. Anabolism builds and repairs. Catabolism eliminates waste products from the body. Good health is a balance between these two processes and is called metabolism. The scientist Ghadiali found that the color red is a construction color. It stimulates the liver and red blood cells. Violet works on the spleen and is the color of catabolism or destruction. So red stimulates the liver and is at one end of the color spectrum. Violet is at the other end of the visible spectrum. He found that green is the balancing or central color. This is great for the pituitary gland, which controls all the other glands, which affect the entire body. Red, green and violet are the primary color waves used in Chromo therapy. Purple Iris 8x24 Giclee Panorama Why use color therapy at all when we have so many drugs and medicines? Well are the drugs natural? Is putting unnatural things into your body a good thing? Do drugs really balance out the body? Do they just work on the symptoms? With things unbalanced and we use drugs, are there then drug-induced illnesses? People react differently to the same drugs. Many people are allergic to different ones. At least with Chromo therapy there are no harmful effects. Drugs treat symptoms while color therapy treats the imbalance itself. It is thought that applying color treatments instead of drugs can be a constructive activity without any destructive effect. Pushing - Salisphy Giclee Print Today the medical profession uses light from the spectrum just below and above visible light energies. Doctors use ultra-violet and infrared rays. Used for too long a period of time either one can cause damage to body tissue. The worst that can happen with light from the visible spectrum might be a slight accentuation of the problem in the first place. So since there can really be no problems using Chromo therapy, don’t be afraid of it. Do a little fun research. Add a little green light into your life. In expanding thoughts related to photography and light are there relationships with color and recorded image that can have a similar effect on the body’s imbalances? Many health care facilities use large Giclee and photographic display prints of nature and abstract images of bold colors to help induce a sense of calm and a healing environment for their patients. Some interior designers using Feng Shui use color photography in print and transparency formats to shape and enhance the flow of chi or positive energy in the home or office space with wall décor. All images are copyrighted by Wayne Scherr, 2009, All Rights Reserved. No image may be linked to or downloaded without the written authorization of Wayne Scherr, Range of Vision Photography. Prints and or scans are available for purchase or lease. Please contact me through email: wayne@rangeofvisionphotos.com or through my image catalog web site at http://www.rangeofvisionphotos.com

Track of the Grizzly Bear

As quick as the snapping of a pine branch just a few yards behind us, Tom yelled bear and his horse bolted after the grizzly that stepped out onto the trail. With a shot of adrenalin my horse came alive and like a rocket blasted off following Tom into the forest racing toward the dark brown blur sprinting away.

My heart pounded in my throat. Blue the appaloosa I was riding was all fearless energy. In unison we jumped a log running at full throttle. I ducked hugging Blue’s mane when a thick aspen branch took a shot at my head and remained fluid in the saddle. I was thrilled beyond belief.

Grizzly Bear

It lasted a mere thirty seconds. The grizzly bear disappeared in the thick pine growth. We pulled up to a halt, still whooping and hollering at the bear, having chased him away from our camp area.

We were five days into a spectacular pack trip in the Monument section of the Lee Metcalf Wilderness. Tom Heintz, who owns Medicine Lake Outfitters, www.medicinelakeoutfitters.com, and a long time friend, invited me to do some exploring before the summer season began so we could get some new photos he could use for publicity.

Just the night before during a full moon I saw the silhouette of that bear appear across my tent. I sat up suddenly shaking in my sleeping bag. When he reached the door of my tent the whole side folded in and quickly popped back out. Then silence.

I don’t know how long I sat there waiting for his entry but there was nothing. The next morning after telling Tom about the almost invasion he noticed the claw marks down the rain fly of my dome tent. It was like a telling scar. Proof I was not dreaming.

It marked the importance of keeping a clean camp and respecting wilderness rules.

Monument Unit Lee Metcalf Wilderness

We continued a more calm exploration of a rocky ridge and found ourselves with an excellent view out on a precipice with three sides that plummeted several hundred feet to a valley below and figured it was a great place for lunch.

Dismounted we walked the horses to the edge reliving the excitement of the chase. Looking back toward the trail we had just came from we both realized where we were and how vulnerable the situation was if that pissed off bear returned to chase us.

We were out of there in seconds with nervous laughter in the air and another adventurous memory.

For more information on the Lee Metcalf Wilderness contact the Gallatin National Forest at 406-587-2520 or http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/gallatin/

Related Posts:
http://myphotovisions.wordpress.com/2009/02/28/lee-metcalf-wilderness
http://myphotovisions.wordpress.com/2009/03/14/absaroka-beartooth-wilderness

Photographs used in this post are copyrighted by Wayne Scherr, Range of Vision Photography, 2009, All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in any manner is prohibited without the written permission of Wayne Scherr, Range of Vision Photography. An image catalog can be viewed at http://www.rangeofvisionphotos.com . You can contact me through this blog or through email at: wayne@rangeofvisionphotos.com

Seeing with a Beginner’s Mind

In photography as with all forms of art we seek oneness with our subject. This is called beginners mind. It is this part of the creative process that gratifies our souls, not necessarily the finished print. Although an excellent Giclee or digital print does make for good wall décor and can complete the visual venture.

We have all the equipment, books and videos one needs to learn from but does all the knowledge we accumulate get in the way of seeing and capturing good images?

How many times have you been in the field with a spectacular landscape scene before you? The light is excellent. But the rush of technology fills you head with thoughts of lenses, f/stops, depth of field, film choices, scene brightness ranges, composition and exposure limits. Equipment confusion really can get in the way of seeing and making art.

Water Spirits 16x24 Giclee Print

Some photographers get caught in this barrage of information and tools. Their images are accurate but lack life’s vibrancy. The spirit of the moment just isn’t there.

Every instant that passes before us is new and free from past baggage. Seeing with a beginners mind is the ability to step aside from personal issues and let the image find you.

For me, many of my images can come quickly. They tap me on the shoulder and seem to trip the shutter all by themselves. I become a catalyst to the event and I love that energy surge.

It takes practice to become comfortable with your equipment but it is essential.  With an ease of using your equipment you can trigger the core of your beginner’s mind.

This was something I learned as a beginning photojournalist. Don’t think about your equipment just know what it can do. Be there, be aware and the image will find you. You know, “the f/8 and be there” National Geographic thing.

Life’s moments happen fast and disappear. Practice with your equipment so when they appear before you, you can capture those flashes in time and see each moment with a beginners mind.

Photographs used in this post are copyrighted by Wayne Scherr, Range of Vision Photography, 2009, All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in any manner is prohibited without the written permission of Wayne Scherr, Range of Vision Photography. An image catalog can be viewed at http://www.rangeofvisionphotos.com . You can contact me through this blog or through email at: wayne@rangeofvisionphotos.com

Water Speaking Water

 

I had been reading about Zen and the Art of Photography and came across a statement regarding “Water Speaking Water”, by John Daido Loori a Zen Master and fellow photographer. I found these three words fascinating and thought about them on and off for three days.

In the realm of Zen everything in the universe is one. Everything is interconnected and relies on each other to complete its fulfillment. It is only our personal awareness that experiences life from our own unique point of view, defined only by the moment.

Liquid Voices

Water flows, as energy flows, around us and through us and at times if we have reached our still point we are able to capture a slice of this energy, in our hearts, on film or render it digitally.

My brother and I hiked to a small gorge near Big Sky, Montana, in the Gallatin National Forest, to a waterfall, on a photographic outing. It was just the day before when we had dropped down from the high country in the Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness where I came face to face with a River Shaman that emerged from another water movement moment. (See http://myphotovisions.wordpress.com/2009/02/02/river-shaman)

We hiked into the gorge probably two hundred feet down from the trailhead and as we approached the falls through the pine forest we could hear the rush of the water as it filled the silence found among the trees.

The Throne

We were absorbed in the moment. The water’s voice captured us and pulled us down to the base where mist splashed and swirled, filling our senses and singing the universe’s praises. It was a sirens song.

Conditions were right for photography but we sat on the edge of a cliff before the falls in silence just breathing and trying to feel the energies that rushed through our bodies. It was just a couple of minutes and somehow, we knew when it was time to spring into action. The next two hours were effortless. Many angles, different lenses and lots of film, all procedures as smooth as could be. Composition was easy.

That afternoon Ouzel Falls spoke to us and allowed us a cosmic experience. We were not separate entities. There was no self in the equation. All was one with the hum of the universe.

For further information on Zen and photographic insight: The Zen of Creativity: Cultivating Your Artistic Life by John Daido Loori.

All images are copyrighted by Wayne Scherr, 2009, All Rights Reserved. No image may be linked to or downloaded without the written authorization of Wayne Scherr, Range of Vision Photography. Fine Art Prints are available for purchase . Please contact me through email: wayne@rangeofvisionphotos.com or through my web site at http://www.rangeofvisionphotos.com

Fine Art or Crap?

Today I need your help.

I did a little experimenting with some Glycerin while photographing some orange day lilies. The floral compositions I was working with all seemed boring.

I tried different angles, direct light, diffused light, garden backgrounds and solid backdrops but to no avail. Nothing was working that day.

While downloading and checking things out on the computer I remembered a photo I had seen months ago.  It had glycerin droplets on a flower stem that magnified and brought into view the out of focus flower behind it.

Image 3448

So I tried a new set up. Using boxes I made a platform about 18 inches above the plant and placed a sheet on clean glass on it. Spreading the glycerin drops in no particular pattern or size variation I realized quickly that I needed to level out the platform to keep the rest of the droplets from running.

I used a ladder to get about four feet above the glass and leaned over the center. The day lily was magnified and sharp in each of the droplets, bright orange. Using a 200mm macro focus lens and a shallow depth of field to keep the background out of focus I first got the glass sheet sharp then realized that just an eighth of an inch difference made each droplet pop with contrast and color.

Image 3452

I recorded a series of several images that swirled with color and each fine tuned droplet repeating the lily behind it. Each image was very different from the previous. After cleaning up a few blemishes on the glass in Photoshop I printed out several variations. Three of which I have included here on this post.

I am now asking my readers to give me some input and help me edit and name one or more of them to aid me in deciding which if any should be reproduced as a fine art Giclee print. I have had interesting viewer response to the proof prints and now want to see what my readers think.

Image 3467

Please respond with comments below. Each image has a number ID right now for your reference. I am having trouble naming them. Should they be offered as single images or a picture pair or perhaps a set? What do you think? Are these images worth pursuing?

Images used in this post are copyrighted by Wayne Scherr, Range of Vision Photography, 2009, All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in any manner is prohibited without the written permission of Wayne Scherr, Range of Vision Photography.  Print décor catalog and galleries can be viewed at www.rangeofvisionphotos.com Contact: wayne@rangeofvisionphotos.com

Twin Lakes a Place for Contemplation

The descent was rather steep. It called for a little side stepping and traversing the slope down about 1,200 feet into Hellroaring Canyon and Rock Creek drainage from the west summit of Beartooth Pass at an elevation of 10,974 feet, (3,337 m.).

I had been to these pristine alpine Twin Lakes before. The Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness has always held a special place in my thoughts. Being only 170 miles from Bozeman, my home, we have spent many nights in this area and hiked numerous trails. So I was very familiar with what to expect, high alpine tundra, boulder fields, no trail and plenty of wind with not another soul in sight.

Twin Lakes 11x17 Giclee Print

This was just what I needed, a solo hike and a day of contemplation and meditation, my birthday treat. The scenery is dramatic on this the eastern edge of the Yellowstone ecosystem. I was on the longest running alpine plateau above 10,000 feet in North America.

My first target was Goat Meadow a sculpted peninsula of barren tundra that pokes its way into Rock Creek drainage. Sharp cliffs are carved into three of its sides with Twin Lakes, Mirror Lake and Rock Creek below. Several small unnamed lakes are just as inviting to the hiker.

It was slow going over the boulder field. Each step was carefully placed. A twisted ankle or worst a broken leg can be quite the detriment even to the adventurous in a wilderness area. Granite boulders were stable but uneven so I took my time. The two hundred yard crossing still took almost half an hour.

The scenery is magnificent with landscape photos in all directions. Small puffy cumulous clouds raced ferociously over the plateau so low I could almost touch them. I continued my trek above the headwall and cirque of the glacially carved bowl that forms the head of the canyon.

It was mid August and most wildflowers were already gone for the season. A few tiny sago lilies and sagebrush buttercups were still in bloom along the borders of three small receding snow fields. Instead of hiking across them I glissaded down slope effortlessly, saving my strength.

I crossed the grassy plateau searching the cliff faces for mountain goats on the Hellroaring Canyon side. Wind gusts kept me from standing still while I glassed the glacially carved cliffs. I had to sit with my arms propped on my knees. But there was no movement out there.

I continued down crossing another slushy snow field and several small running creeks ending up with the sky blue Twin Lakes at my feet. The wind picked up I sought shelter scrunching down by some large boulders that were sunk into the slope.

Of course I opted not to carry my tripod in order to secure sharp images. However I am not sure it would have helped this time because of the thirty mile per hour steady wind with surges well above that speed. I propped up my camera as best I could but couldn’t stop the sway.

So it was lunch, rest and personal thoughts regarding another year of life. I have experienced many life changes recently and there was much to contemplate. The only constant has been my continued pursuit of photography and the art of seeing.

I promised myself to further my efforts in pursuit of fine art photography and establish a writing style that communicates with and touches readers of my articles and blog posts. The rest of life will fall into place. I have faith.

After a couple of hours and a numb butt I packed up and began the long tough climb up and out of the canyon. Some days are just not for making new images. But the efforts in trying are forever worth the challenges. I am always ready for more.

For further information on the Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness please read: http://myphotovisions.wordpress.com/2009/03/14/absaroka-beartooth-wilderness/

Images used in this post are copyrighted by Wayne Scherr, Range of Vision Photography, 2009, All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in any manner is prohibited without the written permission of Wayne Scherr, Range of Vision Photography.  Print décor catalog and galleries can be viewed at www.rangeofvisionphotos.com Contact: wayne@rangeofvisionphotos.com

Proper Care and Handling of Giclee Fine Art Prints

Many of my clients have been asking me how best to mount and display their Giclee prints. Of course going archival is the best.  For this kind of maximum permanence this means that everything that touches the print itself should be acid free.

Bearded Iris 11x17 Giclee Print

To begin with inkjet prints have a tendency to scratch easily. Consequently, it is advisable to use cotton gloves when handling prints to protect them from scratches and fingerprints. For fine art papers and canvas, you can also use a spray to protect your print. It is best to let your print set for at least 24 hours before using them.

Lumijet Protective Spray from Hahnemuhle and Premier Art Shield from Premier Imaging Products are both very good options. They will seal and protect your print from moisture, scratches, and fingerprints and they will not yellow as your print ages.

Heat can also damage a print so it is advisable not to heat mount your print to any kind of backing board, especially foam core. The mount board should really be acid free as well. I use a minimum amount of museum quality acid free linen, hinged mount tape to secure the print.

Pulse, Snapdragons, 12x12 Giclee Print

 For the fine art nature reproductions that I do, for both Giclee and digital prints, I prefer non-glare matte finish papers.  I feel they look better under glass than a gloss finish paper. This is just a personal opinion. It makes me feel that my prints do not communicate as well when viewers struggle to read a print because of reflections.

 I do use a gloss finish paper for some of my photojournalism prints, depending on how they will be displayed or for client requirements.

Non-reflective glass has a tendency to dull the print colors. It is also much more expensive. Giclee prints have a great range of subtle colors and sometimes non-glare glass does not do the image justice. While at times with regular glass the viewer still has to move around some to read a print the distraction is kept to a minimum. Non-glare UV glass will however add a few more years to the prints lifespan.

Additional print protection should continue with storage and display methods. For storage, it is best to keep your prints flat. It avoids unwanted curling, bending or warping and it makes handling much easier. Use a protective acid-free tissue sheets between each print. This tissue is available at most art stores or you can get it online at Light Impressions, is an inexpensive way to keep your prints from rubbing against each other.

So in review, for the best longevity, use archival acid free mounting and matting materials. Frame your print and place it under glass, not touching it. Keep it away from heat, moisture and direct sunlight. Your Giclee or digital print should last 90 plus years.

Images used in this post are copyrighted by Wayne Scherr, Range of Vision Photography, 2009, All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in any manner is prohibited without the written permission of Wayne Scherr, Range of Vision Photography.  Print décor catalog and galleries can be viewed at www.rangeofvisionphotos.com Contact: wayne@rangeofvisionphotos.com

Altered Images

There are times when a little experimenting with Photoshop can be good training in learning how to expand your sense of seeing. Most of the time, I prefer not to use the filters, to me most of them look contrived. From what I have seen many photographers use them to cover up problems with sharpness and exposure.

As a long time photojournalist I prefer sharpness and more of a documentary style approach. But there are occasions when something creative and interpretive can be had and it can enhance the vision of the photographer or at least satisfy the needs of a client who may want something different.

Saba Serengeti Lion - 16x24 Giclee

Upon my return from a photo trip to Tanzania, Africa I shot a series of wildlife images that turned out pretty well.  I showed them to a client, a safari guide, who wanted a set of large animal prints and photos of Massai in cultural dress to be used in his office lobby, in Arusha. He already had prints that had been displayed for a few years and required something more unique, most notably for the wildlife images.

What I had wasn’t much different from what he had. A little more action and animal behavior and some good images with dramatic landscapes included. They were in the same category as what I had seen in several other safari offices throughout Arusha. They are atmospheric images used to entice walk in visitors to book safari trips.

I knew the display prints were going to be 16 x 24 in size then matted and framed. They would be viewed from a distance of fifteen to twenty-five feet. We looked through perhaps a hundred photographs and he kept coming back to tightly cropped face shots.

Cheetah 16x16 Giclee Print

He edited a series of seven wildlife prints but I could tell there was hesitation in his selection. He said he was hoping for something more graphic.

After agreeing to meet again the next afternoon over coffee, at a local shop, I spent that evening playing with Photoshop trying to interpret a different angle on the presentation. The only thing that seemed to work was to use the watercolor filters.

I was not satisfied with brushes, sponges or pallets; they seemed to be more of a distraction. The watercolor filters however gave me something to work with. I tightly cropped the facial features of lion, cheetah, elephant, zebra, water buffalo, giraffe and baboon.

Zebra Bite - 16x24 Giclee

They did not work for hippo, hyena, nor for gazelle. Those just did look right so I scraped them. Showing those images would have degraded the overall presentation even though my client showed interested in those animals.

I was on time for our meeting and gave a short presentation on my computer. It was a success. My client was very happy getting something none of the other outfitters had.

Ngorongoro Baboon 16x24 Giclee

An order was placed for seven wildlife and five Massai cultural images, all 16 x 24 Giclee reproductions printed on a nice matte watercolor paper that enhanced the character of the image and established a professional style of décor for his office space.

Though I will still hesitate in turning to Photoshop filters to alter my images it is comforting knowing that I have the tools to make changes necessary to please my clients if the need arises.

For further views on African wildlife photo safaris please refer to these suggested posts: http://myphotovisions.wordpress.com/2009/02/02/horizon-of-stars/

http://myphotovisions.wordpress.com/200903/06/tree-climbing-lions/

http://myphotovisions.wordpress.com/2009/02/02/elephant-brothers/

http://myphotovisions.wordpress.com/2009/02/24/flamingoes-baboons-and-a-bull-elephant/

http://myphotovisions.wordpress.com/2009/02/02/tracking-lions/

http://myphotovisions.wordpress.com/2009/02/02/safari-road/

All images are copyrighted by Wayne Scherr, 2009, All Rights Reserved. No image may be linked to or downloaded without the written authorization of Wayne Scherr, Range of Vision Photography.  Prints and or scans are available for purchase or lease. Please contact me through email: wayne@rangeofvisionphotos.com or through my web site at http://www.rangeofvisionphotos.com

Winter Windows

A soft amber hued winter sun had just come up, spilling warm light over my neighbor’s house and into my yard. The temperature read minus 32, as I checked on things. Water pipes were OK. No snow last night, just thick hoarfrost blanketing the world outside.

I turned up the heat. This 100 year old log house I live in was just plain cold that morning. 

The idea was to get up early and photograph outdoors. But then I guess I reconsidered when one of my cats wanted to go out and I opened the door. He just backed right up without skipping a step as the frozen air grabbed at his whiskers. He headed back to the furnace and his pillow.

I roamed the rest of the house and headed toward the bathroom last. A flash of light through the icy window caught my eye. A closer look through the frosted glass for a few seconds and I went for my camera.

There next to the window pane were particles of the expanding universe!

Particles - 16x24 - Giclee print

My white car reflected the sun sending a ball of light shinning into the window refracting prisms of color on the edges of the frost. My imagination got the best of me but a new series of images were born.

I worked the situation and shot twelve photographs before the sun hit the window directly. In seconds the frost began to melt changing everything. All those particles expanding from a core of light dissolved in an instant and then it was just my car sitting out in the cold.

It pays to be observant and open to ever the changing light patterns coupled with all the design elements that are wedged into your head. You never know when your creative imagination can grab your thoughts and lead you to the illusive image that’s sometimes right in front of you.

I made it to my computer instead of going out into the freezing winter air.  No guilt. I was just happy to have some new photographs to add to my interpretations of the natural world.

Check out this post for another illusion illustration.

http://myphotovisions.wordpress.com/2009/02/02/river-shaman/

All photographs used in this entry are copyrighted by Wayne Scherr, 2009, All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in any manner is prohibited without the written permission of Wayne Scherr, Range of Vision Photos. Giclee and digital prints are available for home and office décor. Contact: wayne@rangeofvisionphotos.com

Island Imprint

I stepped out onto the lanai with the glow of dawn just hitting the mountains of Molokai across the Pailolo channel. Warm Pacific waters were calm with refreshing trade winds raising the hairs on my legs in the early morning chill.

With a hot cup of kona coffee in hand, I leaned out over the rail, breathing deep, I stared in awe. It has become a ritual.

Morning meditation island style

Several turtles raised their heads in the bay sending ripples across the smooth glassy waters of the cove. A soft rain sound fell from shimmering palm fronds just to the left of my condo. The resonance was as gentle as the early tide washing ashore on the beach rocks.

Birds were already singing this day’s praises. One of my favorites is the White Eye or Majiro, with little lime green colored bodies and bright white circles around their eyes. They jump from tree to tree feasting mainly on those with fruit. Their “white eyes” are stunning. Just for fun we named two that hung out at the cove, Kimo and Mitsu. We watched them each morning while enjoying a peaceful breakfast on the lanai.

Bird action increased as pink light splashed against the cumulus clouds that gathered over the sea cliffs above Molokai. Red billed Luteas and Akepas, small honeycreepers, assembled in the palm trees and chirped their way along the rock retaining sea wall that lined the cove.

Calm seas added to the serenity as sunlight creped across the channel and the island of Maui awoke for the day.

This sound, the tropical scents, these memories are embedded deep into my psyche.  Having been to the islands more than thirty times it is easy to escape into these good times when I need a break from the real world. It is that meditative state of aloha.

Other related posts regarding Hawaii:
http://myphotovisions.wordpress.com/2009/05/31/lost-valleys-and-the-wettest-spot-on-earth
http://myphotovisions.wordpress.com/2009/02/14/napali-coast
http://myphotovisions.wordpress.com/2009/02/21/house-of-the-sun

 Images used in this post are copyrighted by Wayne Scherr, Range of Vision Photography, 2009, All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in any manner is prohibited without the written permission of Wayne Scherr, Range of Vision Photography. Contact: wayne@rangeofvisionphotos.com

The Pristine Thorofare… a Yellowstone Experience

 

Vivid cumulus clouds gathered above Two Ocean Plateau and the Yellowstone River headwaters region in the Thorofare country of Southeastern Yellowstone National Park.  All I felt was a Cecil B. DeMille movie being portrayed before me.

I stood knee deep, with a wide angle lens, in the icy waters crouched low trying to render on film, the drama of river, clouds and the profile of a fine horse and rider galloping through the river just a few feet in front of me.

Racing the Headwaters

Waters splashing, my butt wet and adrenalin surging I was impressed by the striking rhythm and smoothness both Tom and his horse, Blue, plied as they raced through the river toward me. They worked in unison, a team. I couldn’t tell which liked it more the horse or rider.

With my 20mm lens and motor drive whirring I could feel the horse’s thundering hoofs vibrate on the river bottom as they blew past me like an energy wave. I got soaked. How excellent to feel so alive.

With a location like the Thorofare this backcountry adventure was even more extraordinary. We were the farthest from a paved road you can get in the lower forty-eight states.

Medicine Lake Outfitters and the Yellowstone

My two week horseback trip with Medicine Lake Outfitters covered more than 150 miles deep into Yellowstone. We trailed through Heart Lake basin, climbed along the Continental Divide and crossed the famed Snake River several times. We bathed in its thermal regions and camped near the headwaters of the longest wild and free flowing river in North America. www.medicinelakeoutfitters.com

At camp that afternoon we built a sweat lodge with canvas tarps. We placed heated rocks into the enclosure and crawled in. After a cleansing of body pours and brain cells we ran laughing and hollering, jumping into a small tributary pool chest deep in waters that took our breath away.

The air was sweet and fresh that night. The campfire warm with rising sparks blending into the night stars above. We were isolated. The world was quiet. All was good.

For similar entries please read:
http://myphotovisions.wordpress.com/2009/03/28/yellowstone-national-park/
http://myphotovisions.wordpress.com/crown-of-the-continent-glacier-national-park/
http://myphotovisions.wordpress.com/2009/05/08/salty-legs-and-mountain-goats/
http://myphotovisions.wordpress.com/2009/03/14/absaroka-beartooth-wilderness
http://myphotovisions.wordpress.com/2009/02/28/lee-metcalf-wilderness/

All images used in this entry are copyrighted by Wayne Scherr, Range of Vision Photography. 2009, All Rights Reserved. They may not be copied or reproduced in any manner without the written permission of Wayne Scherr., Range of Vision Photos. For lease or reproduction rights contact: wayne@rangeofvisionphotos.com

Waipo’o Falls, One of Kauai’s Best Hikes

It is ten miles long, one mile wide and a little more than 3,500 feet deep. Kauai’s Waimea Canyon is spectacular. Waimea is exotic as hell with every shade of tropical greens and lava reds you can imagine, against the Pacific’s blue sky. I wanted to explore it all.

Noted as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, Waimea, which means “red waters”, was carved and eroded by thousands of years of flooding rains rushing down from Wai’ale’ale’s summit, the wettest spot on earth.

View from Pu'u Ka Pele lookout

It was hard not to spot Waipo’o Falls when standing at the Pu’u Ka Pele lookout along highway 550 near Koke’e State Park in Northwest Kauai.  The eye catching falls is actually a set of two tiers that descend about 800 feet into the Canyon below.

We were interested in a hike to some fresh water pools for sunning and wading. Waipo’o had the look and we were off into the Grand Canyon of the Pacific. Even though there had been no rainfall during the past few days the falls were running with a steady flow. I figured it would be a good photographic opportunity and a chance to grasp a bit of paradise.

Waipo'o Falls

I had a fantasy of peering over the edge of an 800 foot precipice with camera in hand.

We hit the Canyon trail which takes hikers to the top of Waipo’o Falls. It is one of the best hikes on Kauai with unbelievable vistas in every direction. We traversed switchbacks through the Pu’u Ka Pele Forest winding through volcanic boulders to a balding knob with outstanding views. I remember the Ohia trees clinging to the steep sides of the canyon walls.

Ohia lehua trees are my Hawaiian favorite. It ranges throughout the islands and grows from small shrubs to 30 foot tall icons attracting native birds like the Apapane and I’iwi that feed on the nectar from the powder puff, usually scarlet blossoms. I had spent a few years trying to cultivate Ohia’s as bonsai back in Montana so I had a special connection to these magnificent hardwood trees.

Kokee Stream above the falls

The eight mile round trip trail was coated with colorful multi-hued lantana, blackberry and passion flower vines. The ascent and descent elevation ranged about 1,720 feet, even though the hike wasn’t that strenuous. A wet trail would have made it much more difficult.

Reaching the upper cascades and pools was exciting. Clear cold water and hot tropical sun was quite the reward for the effort. The disappointing part was that you cannot make it to the drop off of the falls. So much for my fantasy. It didn’t really matter though the views were outstanding and the pools gave us that South Pacific feel we craved.

Other related posts regarding Hawaii:
http://myphotovisions.wordpress.com/2009/05/31/lost-valleys-and-the-wettest-spot-on-earth
http://myphotovisions.wordpress.com/2009/02/14/napali-coast
http://myphotovisions.wordpress.com/2009/02/21/house-of-the-sun

 Images used in this post are copyrighted by Wayne Scherr, Range of Vision Photography, 2009, All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in any manner is prohibited without the written permission of Wayne Scherr, Range of Vision Photography. Contact: wayne@rangeofvisionphotos.com

Lost Valleys and the Wettest Spot on Earth

The decisive moment, it comes faster than you think. It is that split second when all the photographic elements come together. It is your sense of creativity and a flow of energy for recognizing the creation that presented itself to your lens.

When you are in a helicopter, flying at a little over one hundred miles per hour, moments in time whiz by. You have to think ahead of where you are and what you may respond to as the shadows and light patterns are on display.

While on assignment, above Kauai in the Hawaiian Islands, I had the opportunity to photograph the Napali coast and Waialeale the wettest spot on earth.

Valley of the Lost Tribe

What do you prepare for when the unknown is coming? Film, batteries, lenses, all those things are easy to anticipate. You can view other images that you have researched but there is no guarantee that the light and weather will cooperate. It is kind of a take it as it comes situation.

Taking off from Lihue’s airport we flew north over cane fields and along the coastline. Once the Pali’s came into view we darted in and out of the high sea cliffs and valleys oozing with bright green vegetation and sharp jagged peaks.

Headwall - Wettest Spot on Earth

At first I wanted to just respond with my motor drive and simply burn off as much film as possible thinking something good will surely come of it.  But I couldn’t. I concentrated on form and let the light trigger the shutter for me. I slowed down my vision even though my heart raced with the shutter and thump of the helicopter’s engine.

The images came as quickly as the speed of the aircraft. One pristine valley after another, Hanakapi’ ai, Hanakoa, Kalalau all in verdant green and parting clouds that opened always at the right moment. We turned up country, “makua”, toward the mountains soaring up one of the most enchanting settings on the coast, Honopu, the Valley of the Lost Tribe.

Entering the Crater

Knife-like edges of eroded lava carved the valley walls. Shadows raced faster than we could fly. I couldn’t even hear my camera speak as the drama lured me in.

A brief minute later we were headed toward Waialeale enveloped in the grey of rain clouds. Our approach was low. I thought for a time we were too low but my pilot pulled up and we just skimmed the edge of the crater. We shook hard as the turbulence grabbed at the helicopter jolting us from side to side. Rain pelted the windscreen.

Once in the hollow of the crater the rain stopped but dozens of waterfalls plummeted hundreds of feet bouncing off cliffs in narrow ribbons. We approached the headwall coming within just a hundred feet or so when we stopped in mid air, hovering we turned a 360 degree circle in slow motion. I was in the wettest spot on earth, another first for this photographer.

Waialeala

With more than 450 inches of moisture per year nature’s greenery blanketed everything, even the steepest parts of the crater wall were covered in plant life. It was awesome to witness and humbling to photograph.

The camera freezes moments in time but it is up to you to choose those moments and trip the shutter. Are we willing to wait for the right fraction of a second?

A series of Giclee prints were produced that became my visual diary of a brief 90 minutes flying time over millions of years of geologic history and indescribable beauty found only in Hawaii.

Other related posts regarding Hawaii:

http://myphotovisions.wordpress.com/2009/02/14/napali-coast
http://myphotovisions.wordpress.com/2009/02/21/house-of-the-sun

 Images used in this post are copyrighted by Wayne Scherr, Range of Vision Photography, 2009, All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in any manner is prohibited without the written permission of Wayne Scherr, Range of Vision Photography. Contact: wayne@rangeofvisionphotos.com

Zebras and Wild Horses

I have heard the sound of thundering hoofs before in rounding up horses, changing pastures on a ranch and in observing wild horses in the Pryor Mountains in Montana. But hear on the savannah of the Serengeti it was a different story.

Tens of thousands of Zebras, also members of the equine family, inhabit this region from treeless grasslands to open woodlands. They gather for the annual migration along with, sometimes, a million or more wildebeest moving with the seasonal growth of available grassland.

Zebra herd

At first we were miles away driving down from Ngorongoro Highlands. A dark long string of fluid movement crossed the horizon. As we drove closer it sounded like rolling thunder or the low rumbling of a small earthquake. Closer still the grunts of wildebeest and the high pitched two syllable “kwa-hi” sound of zebra filled the air.

Like a massive school of fish their movement was constant. I had a hard time trying to single out individuals to photograph. The confusion was incredible especially with the wildebeest.

 

A show of dominance

In contrast to the dark browns of wildebeest the zebra really stood out. The Burchell’s zebra of East Africa is built very much like a stocky pony. Its patterned coat of stripes can vary a lot both in number and size of stripes. The stripes are known to form a disruptive coloration pattern which breaks up the outline of the body. In the early morning light or in the evening, when predators are the most active, zebras’ stripes make their bodies indistinguishable and it is thought that they confuse predators by distorting distance.

When you first see a herd of zebra they all seem to look alike but like many other animals they have their distinction. Striped patterns are their “fingerprints” and by comparing the width of the stripes along with coloration and scars individuals can be identified.

He just kicked the fender of the Rover

My attention centered on the zebra rather than the wildebeest. They were so distinctive I could not resist. Besides the wildebeest seemed to keep their distance from the Land Rover while zebra totally ignored us. Young foals pranced and danced just like the wild horses in Montana. Their behavior was easy to predict and movement to follow with a lens just like the horses I had photographed before.

Zebras, horses and the wild ass are all from the same family. They are long-lived animals and can move very quickly for their size. Their teeth are made for grinding and chomping on grass both long and short. A zebras’ mane is different from horses in that their hair is erect and short and the tips of their tails are tufted at the end compared to horses. Of course their coats are shinny and striped as well.

Herd of horses

Their social structures are very much the same as wild horses with a harem of females run by a stallion. Their herds are usually small family groupings. Males are known to fight viciously over the females. Those without a harem to maintain move off alone or in small bachelor bands.

The whole scene was totally wild. Grunts, whinnies, flowing movement, dust and a great sense of restlessness filled the atmosphere. One particular young zebra actually kicked the fender of the Rover, running in circles and rearing up on its hind legs.

We witnessed one band heading toward a watering hole sheltered in a stand of small trees. They were being very timid and would back off fifty yards or so every time they approached the water. They did this several times.

Individual striped patterns identify each zebra

Finally we saw a pride of lions, three females and five cubs lying in the tall spring grass. The females on their backs with legs sticking up in the air while cubs climbed over their bodies biting at swaying tails, playing in the warmth of the day.

The lions ignored the zebras no matter how close they got. For those few moments all was calm on the plains of Tanzania. But those nervous zebra did decide they were not all that thirsty.

Related Posts:
http://myphotovisions.wordpress.com/2009/03/06/tree-climbing-lions

http://myphotovisions.wordpress.com/2009/02/02/tracking-lions

http://myphotovisions.wordpress.com/2009/02/02/elephant-brothers

Images used in this enrty are copyrighted by Wayne Scherr, Range of Vision Photography, 2009, All Rights reserved. Reproduction in any manner is prohibited without the written permission of Wayne Scherr, Range of Vision Photography. Contact: wayne@rangeofvisionphotos.com

Salty Legs and Mountain Goats

The water was freezing on my bare feet. It took my breath away as I slipped into the creek coming out of Gunsight Lake in Glacier National Park. After a hot and sweaty hike from Going to the Sun Highway trailhead the water felt extra icy after taking my boots off.

The knee deep water and slick unstable rock kept me off balance and seized my private parts.  I struggled to keep my camera from getting soaked. I couldn’t believe the pain. The faster I tried to move the more I flailed making a fool of myself. I should have left my boots on.

This moderate to strenuous hike began just east of Logan Pass at the Jackson Glacier Overlook trailhead. I dropped down to the valley floor about two hundred feet and met up with the St. Mary River. This part of the forest was marshy and the heavy scented Cow Parsnips were as tall as any of the fellow hikers along the trail.

Gunsight Lake and Pass, Glacier

Hot sunny skies and humid air brought out the mountain mosquitoes that enjoyed getting behind my glasses and buzzing up my nose and whining in my ears.  On this part of the trail you feel vary hemmed in by all the vegetative overgrowth.

Still being new at the time to backpacking in Glacier all I could think about was that I was in Grizzly country. It kept my heart pumping and senses alert with anticipation.

Continuing along the trail I crossed Reynolds Creek and the juncture of Florence Creek just passed the 4 mile marker. It was at this point where the views started to open up and the air got lighter and much less humid. Both Mount Logan and Jackson pulled my spirit up into the higher country. I continued to climb along the east slope of Fusillade Mountain with wildflowers, especially the three to four foot tall Beargrass, in full bloom.

At a little under 6.5 miles I found myself at Gunsight Lake with its crystal clear waters reflecting blue skies with the glacial carved headwall and pass at the other end. After a brief rest I set up camp and glassed the trail heading up the next 1,600 foot elevation gain to the pass above.

The trail crosses the outlet of Gunsight Lake with a suspension bridge but it was washed out from the winter snow runoff. This was where I waded in shoeless nearly dumping my camera and myself in the drink. Thus I began the three mile trek up to the Pass.

Hiker mending backpack

The vistas were excellent with a steep drop off to the Lake on the right and ribboned waterfalls, cascading all along the Gunsight headwall. I glaciated down several snowfields that covered the trail and scrambled across a few patches of scree but progress was steady.

Three quarters of the way up the 6,947 foot pass several mountain goats were dinning on glacier lilies and a mineral lick. They were not bothered by me and barely moved aside as I continued on up the steep switchbacks finialy making it to the saddle of the Pass.

I dropped my pack and then myself, exhausted from the climb. Several other hikers were sunning themselves. Mountain goats were everywhere.

Salt licking goat

Looking over the pass to Lake Ellen Wilson was stunning. It was an exceptional panorama with a deep blue lake at the bottom and views stretching a hundred miles.  I scaled along large boulders and dwarfed pine trees exploring the area photographing more goats before returning to my pack in the alpine grass.

A guy from Utah was trying to mend his backpack. Marmots had chewed the leather shoulder straps off his pack while he was off exploring. His sweat left minerals dried into the pads and his fifty pound pack was left utterly useless. I gave him some rope and he tried to make due before his descent to Lake Ellen Wilson and Sperry Glacier Cabin for the night.

Mountain Goat

With lunch came more goats. Closer and closer until one started licking my legs to get at the sweaty salt. His big black tongue was like neoprene blotting at my knees and calves. The experience only added to the memorable landscape. I had forgotten the hot nine mile uphill trail with mosquitoes and the thoughts of bears that were not there.

Yes, an adventurous excursion well worth the effort.

For readers who might be interested in further travel journals on Glacier National Park and Montana Wilderness Areas check out these posts:
http://myphotovisions.wordpress.com/2009/05/02/crown-of-the-continent
http://myphotovisions.wordpress.com/2009/02/28/lee-metcalf-wilderness
http://myphotovisions.wordpress.com/2009/03/28/yellowstone-national-park
http://myphotovisions.wordpress.com/2009/03/14/absaroka-beartooth-wilderness

For travel information about Glacier National Park try these websites:
Web cams: http://www.nps.gov/glac/whatsnew.htm

Maps: http://www.nps.gov/glac/maps.htm

Natural resources: http://www.nps.gov/glac/resources.htm

Trail status and maps: http://www.nps.gov/glac/planyourvisit/hikingthetrails.htm

Bear information: http://www.nps.gov/glac/resources/bears.htm

Park publications: http://data2.itc.nps.gov/glac/inforequest/inforequest3.cfm

Park news: http://www.nps.gov/glac/pphtml/news.html

Park photos: http://www.nps.gov/glac/photos.htm
Frequently ask questions: http://www.nps.gov/glac/faq.htm

All images are copyrighted by Wayne Scherr, 2009, All Rights Reserved. No image may be linked to or downloaded without the written authorization of Wayne Scherr, Range of Vision Photography. Prints and or scans are available for purchase or lease. Please contact me through email: wayne@rangeofvisionphotos.com or through my web site at http://www.rangeofvisionphotos.com