Photo/picture of Oregon's Mt. Washington in Autumn

There are several different crops available for the above Mt. Washington Image including ones with plenty of text space if necessary.

Macro Photo of Autumn Ground cover in the Oregon Cascade

The above macro image of swirling autumn ground cover  taken at high elevation in the Central Oregon Cascades offers a more intimate view of autumn in Oregon.

Sparks Lake Sunrise

A more thorough description of how I captured the above Sparks Lake Sunrise Photograph is available at the following link.  Sparks Lake, an Oregon Landscape Photographer’s Dream

Photo Picture of Oregon's Three Fingered Jack Mountain from Canyon Creek Meadow

The above picture of Central Oregon’s Three Fingered Jack was taken at one of my favorite back country location at the peak of summer wildflower season.

Photo/image/picture of Bend Oregon's Shevlin Park in its autumn glory

The above photo of Bend Oregon’s Shevlin Park can currently be seen in a fine art version at the Sage Cafe in Bend Oregon’s Northwest Crossing neighborhood. Finally one last image of Central Oregon’s beloved Three SIsters Mountains during a beautiful winter sunrise.

Winter Sunrise on Central Oregon's Three Sisters Mountains

The above photo of the Three Sisters Mountains near Bend Oregon, can be seen at the Mountain Gallery of our Main Pacific Crest Stock Photography site by visiting the following link.  Oregon Mountains.  Please do visit our site to see more of our new images.  Pacific Crest Stock Photography

As Always, Thanks for visiting,

Mike Putnam

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Although it’s nearly impossible to pick out our true favorites, the following photos have a certain level of sentimental value as they often represented significant milestones from our early photography careers.  We hope you enjoy them.

1. Summit Sunrise

Summit Sunrise: Taken from the summit of South Sister with his large format camera, this photo of Mike’s is the Pacific Crest Stock signature shot. It has also been used in numerous advertising campaigns for the Bank of the Cascades.

2.  Strawberry Mountains

Cumulus Clouds over the Strawberry Mountains: This photo from Eastern Oregon was the first cover shot that Troy sold through Pacific Crest Stock.

3.  Sparks Lake Sunset

Sparks Lake Sunset: This was one of Mike’s first shots with his large format camera, and continues to be one of his best selling prints.

4.  Skier on Three Fingered Jack

Skier on Three Fingered Jack: This photo is currently the cover shot for the 2009 Discover Central Oregon tourism guide, and was one of Troy’s first stock sales featuring a person (him) in the photograph.

5.  Mount Jefferson Wildflowers

Mount Jefferson Wilderness: This photo is currently the cover shot for the 2009 Visit Bend tourism guide, and is one of Mike’s most popular large format prints.

6.  The Monument at Smith Rock

The Monument at Smith Rock: This is one of Troy’s favorite photo locations, and it absolutely drives Mike nuts. This photo is currently licensed by the SELCO Community Credit Union and can be found as a 10-foot mural inside their Redmond branch.

7. Aspen Leaves

Aspen Leaves: This macro composition is one of Mike’s best selling prints. It can also be found hanging in numerous businesses throughout Bend (and in the homes of nearly all of his friends).

8.  Mount Hood from Lost Lake

Mount Hood from Lost Lake: This photo was used as the cover shot for Troy’s very first photography calendar. It marked the beginning of his photography career.

9.  Basalt Columns

Basalt Columns at Smith Rock State Park. This photo of Mike’s was used as the cover shot for last year’s Discover Central Oregon tourism guide.

10.  Oceanside Sunset

Sunset at Oceanside: This was one of Troy’s first coastal photographs, and is one of the first large format prints that he had framed. It was also featured in one of our first blog entries.

Thanks for all of your support through the year, and we’re looking forward to another exciting year in 2010. Cheers!

Posted by Troy McMullin

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Picture of hiker in Fog at Cape Kiwanda in Pacific City, Oregon.

Sunrise on the Tatoosh Range from Mount Rainier National Park

Mountain biking at Smith Rock State Park in Terrebonne, Oregon

Trees along Whitewater Creek in the Mount Jefferson Wilderness Area.

Sunrise at Trillium Lake with Mount Hood reflecting in the background.

Hiking below one of the waterfalls along Fall Creek and the Green Lakes Trail

Purple lupine at Paradise in Mount Rainier National Park

Sunset in the Mount Hood Wilderness Area

If you want to see more photos from my recent adventures, check out the New Images gallery on our main Pacific Crest Stock photography site. This gallery contains several hundred new images that Mike and I have taken over the last few months.

Posted by Troy McMullin

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Photo/Picsture of South Falls at Oregon's Silver Falls State Park

Silver Falls is located near Silverton, Oregon and was about a 2.5 hour drive from Bend in good weather.  A great way to explore Silver Falls is to hike the “Trail of Ten Falls”  which has a trailhead at the South Falls parking lot.   At about 8 miles in length, the hike might not be for everybody but it is certainly not a technical hike.  The image above is of South Falls from near the parking lot and visitor center.  South Falls drops 177ft into a beautiful dark pool.

Autumn leaves and South Falls at Silver Falls State Park in Oregon

South Falls is one of the three waterfalls in the park that you can actually walk behind which is a fun experience for young and old.  Continuing behind the falls will lead you accross an attractive foot bridge across Silver Creek which will connect you with the Trail Of Ten Falls.  If you follow the Trail of ten falls, like I did, you will next stumble upon Lower South Falls which is pictured below.

Photograph of Lower South Falls at Silver Falls State Park

There is beauty in every direction on this section of the trail of ten falls.  The outflow from Lower South Falls is particularly beautiful and I was lucky enough to catch some late fall color with the gracefully flowing Silver Creek in the following Image.

Silver Creek and fall color in Oregon's Silver Falls State Park

While continuing along the trail of ten falls, you’ll fight sensory overload for over a mile before hearing the roar of the small but attractive Lower North Falls pictures below.

Lower North Falls framed by autumn foliage

The trail throughout this state park is an exceptional tribute to Oregon’s natural beauty that cannot be overstated.  The lush textures of this temperate rain forest combined with the rich earthy aromas of early autumn decay are unforgettable and two of the few things that my home town of Bend, Oregon lacks.  Luckily, this green eden is only 2.5 hours away for a slow driver like myself.  The trail passes a few smaller but still enchanting falls during its next stretch.  Double falls, Drake Falls, and Middle North Falls are all enjoyed in this stretch of the Trail of ten falls.  A side trail off of the trail of ten falls visits the very worth winter falls.  This waterfall relies on heavier waterflows for its elegant form.  If you visit Silver Falls State Park in the heat of summer, you might skip this detour as the falls may be absent.  Below is Winter falls in its autumn glory.

Photo of Oregon's Winter Falls

this stunning waterfall does deserve inspection if there is enough water flow.  Below is a closer image of Winter falls.

Winter Falls and fall color at Silver Falls State Park

The trail is laden with life throughout this hike but particularly so between Twin falls and the Jaw Dropping North Falls.  Below is a small bonus I found during this autumn hike.

Mushrooms at Silver Falls State Park

In this startlingly beautiful hike, North Falls is truly one of the highlights.  There are many good vantage points from which to view this 136 foot watery beauty.

Picture/photo of North Falls at Silver Falls State Park

North falls is easily accessible from  the aptly named North Falls Parking lot.  It is not to be missed!  It is one of the waterfalls that you can walk behind if you can negotiate relatively easy sections of mossy lush wooded trail like the one pictured below.

Wooded Trail in Silver Falls State Park, Oregon

One last view of North Falls as seen from near the underpass seems worthy to me.  I was a little late for optimal fall color, but the scenery is stunning at any time of year in this wonderful State Park.

View from behind North Falls at Silver Falls State Park

This park is just plain amazing and a worthy visit for explorers of any age.  If you are traveling from Central Oregon I would highly recommend leaving early and planning on spending an entire day in this watery wonderland.  One final recommendation.  Stop at Rosie’s Mountain Coffe House in Mill City, Oregon along the way.  The service is great and the food and drinks are even better.  Excellent scones, flavorful coffee and the best cold cut sandwiches outside of Camp Sherman all served in a quaint roadside setting.  It should be part of your Silver Falls State adventure if you are visiting from the Central Oregon area.

More of our great Oregon Waterfall images can be found at our stock photography site which can be visited by clicking the following link: Oregon waterfall photos

Thanks for reading,

Mike Putnam

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Although Central Oregon is probably best known for all of its winter and summer fun, we think it might actually be at its best during autumn. Between the months of September and October, the Central Oregon towns of Bend, Sisters, Camp Sherman, and Sunriver are blessed with reliably sunny days, cool clear nights, and absolutely spectacular fall color. If you haven’t experienced autumn in Central Oregon, you’re really missing out on a special time. To help get you get started on planning next year’s vacation, the Pacific Crest Stock Photography team has pasted some suggestions below with photos from some of our favorite fall-time trails and activities.

Ten Things to Do During Central Oregon’s Autumn Months

1. Go hiking in the lava flows around the Three Sister Wilderness Area. There are many different lava flows to choose from within a short drive of Bend, Sunriver, or Sisters. Most of the lava flows are interspersed with vine maples and other vegetation, which turn beautiful shades of red, orange, and yellow during the autumn months.

Backpacker standing on a lava flow near the Three Sisters Wilderness Area.

2. Go biking through a grove of aspen trees. Some of the best groves of aspen trees are found along the Deschutes River or Tumalo Creek Basin near Bend, the Ochoco National Forest outside of Prineville, the High Desert Museum between Bend and Sunriver, or near Black Butte Ranch along the outskirts of Sisters.

Biking through aspen trees outside of Sisters, Oregon.

3. Go hiking or biking on the Deschutes River Trail. The Deschutes River Trail is a real gem of a trail that runs through the Deschutes National Forest and connects the towns of Bend and Sunriver. It contains several beautiful waterfalls and large groves of Ponderosa pine, larch trees, and aspen trees. This is a perfect place to hike or bike with small children.

Fall color along the Deschutes River Trail near Bend, Oregon.

4. Go explore the forest service roads bordering the Mount Washington Wilderness Area. There is a wonderful network of roads that runs between highways 126 and 242 just outside of Sisters, Oregon. The roads provide access to the Mount Washington Wilderness Area and also provide great wide-open views of Black Butte, Three Fingered Jack, and Three Sisters Mountains. In September and October, the roads explode with fall color. For more information and photos from the Mount Washington Wilderness Area, see our previous entry.

Fall color around one of the many lakes near the Mount Washington Wilderness Area.

5. Go biking or rock climbing at Smith Rock State Park. Smith Rock State Park is always a magical place to visit, but it is especially nice in autumn when the banks of the Crooked River are alive with color. Because of its desert location, Smith Rock also tends to stay a few degrees warmer than the surrounding mountain towns of Bend, Sunriver and Sisters. This makes it an especially nice road trip on cooler October days. For more information and photos from Smith Rock State Park, see our previous entry.

Mountain biking at Smith Rock State Park in Terrebonne, Oregon.

6. Go visit the Camp Sherman Store and the Wizard Falls trout hatchery on the Metolius River. The world-famous Metolius River and the locally-loved Camp Sherman Store are two of the most special places in Central Oregon. The Metolius River puts on one of the most colorful autumn displays in the region, and between the fly fishing and hiking opportunities along the banks of the river, the trout-viewing at the Wizard Falls hatchery, and the awesomely huge sandwiches and well-stocked selection of local microbrews at the Camp Sherman Store, this stop belongs on your list of “must-do” activities. This is also a perfect place to hike with small children, and if your little ones need a little extra motivation, it might be nice to know that the Camp Sherman Store offers a large selection of penny candy (yes, a penny!). For more information and photos from the Metolius River, see our previous entry.

Wizard Falls on the Metolius River near Camp Sherman, Oregon.

7. Go for a drive over McKenzie Pass. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the drive up and over McKenzie Pass is one of the most scenic drives in North America. It offers a fascinating tour through the middle of a huge lava flow that is surrounded on both sides by touring Cascade Mountain peaks. There are tons of short hikes and explorations that can be accessed from the road over McKenzie Pass. After the highway closes in late autumn, the McKenzie Pass area also becomes one of region’s premier biking destinations. For more information and photos, see our previous entries about McKenzie Pass or the McKenzie River.

Autumn color around Tamolitch Pool (also known as the Blue Pool) on the McKenzie River Trail.

8. Go hiking or biking on the North Fork Trail above Tumalo Falls. Although many visitors know about Tumalo Falls, few people venture beyond the top of the first waterfall. The real secret about this area is that there are at least another half-dozen impressive waterfalls hiding just a short ways up the trail. Hikers usually make the trip as an out-and-back adventure. Bikers are allowed only on the uphill section of the trail, so if you’re on a bike, continue past the last waterfall at the 3.5 mile mark, ride through the wide open Happy Valley and then cross over the stream to your right. After crossing the stream, the path continues along a section of the Metolius-Windigo Trail before dropping back down to the parking lot on the opposite side of Tumalo Falls via the Farewell Bend Trail. The entire loop is about 11 miles. For more information and photos from the Tumalo Falls area, see our previous entry.

Autumn color at Tumalo Falls near Bend, Oregon.

9. Go fly fishing at one of Central Oregon’s many high alpine lakes or spring-fed streams. Central Oregon is blessed with a huge collection of high alpine lakes and spring-fed trout streams, which makes it a fisherman’s paradise. You could spend years visiting all of the lakes and streams hidden in the woods along the Cascade Lakes Highway, Santiam Pass, or McKenzie Pass, and never have to fish the same place twice. Grab your fly rod and go exploring. You know there’s a lunker waiting for you in the ripple.

Fly fishing near the Three Sisters Wilderness Area.

10. Go for a drive over Santiam Pass. In autumn, the drive over Santiam Pass looks like something from a fairy tale. The windy, two-lane highway hugs the shoulder of the Santiam Rivers’ North Fork for many miles, and there is a splendid display of bright red vine maples nearly the entire way between summit of the pass (4,800 feet) and Detroit Lake (1,400 feet). This is definitely the route of choice if you’re coming to Central Oregon from Salem or Portland.

Autumn moss and maple leaves on the Santiam River.

NOTE: Many of the activities above involve hiking or biking through our region’s National Forest areas. In autumn, it is important to remember that hikers and bikers are often sharing these areas with big-game hunters. As always, appropriate precautions and good common sense are highly recommended when venturing into the forest during hunting season.

To license these or any of our other stunning Central Oregon images, please visit our Oregon stock photos site, Pacific Crest Stock

Posted by Troy McMullin

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Fall color in the riparian area along Central Oregon's Crooked River.

According to my keen recollection of American History(and the big sign in the parking lot) Peter Skene Ogden was working for the Hudson’s Bay  Company in 1825  when  he led the first recorded journey into the Crooked River Basin not far from the current Crooked River Bridge.  I presume that is why this viewpoint is  named after Ogden rather than something catchy like “Pacific crest Stock Scenic Viewpoint”!  The yellow fall colors were more vibrant than I’ve ever seen in this location and the reds weren’t bad either!  The rock pattern also helps with this otherwise simple image.  Facing in the opposite direction and downstream, the Crooked River Canyon  carves a deep serpentine path through 300 foot tall basalt cliffs.  Some great clouds, the distant Black Butte, and the previously mentoned fall color make this a worthy photograph.

The Crooked River carves its way through basalt cliffs with a distant Black Butte in this photo

Looking back upstream from the same Crooked River Bridge which is closed to cars but open to people( this made me nervous at first!) One sees the obvious yet attractive Rex T. Barber Memorial Bridge.  Rex was something of a Hero during world War II.  He was born in nearby Culver, Oregon and was drafted into World War II.  Rex T. Barber was an ace fighter pilot who is widely credited with shooting down and killing Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto who was the planner of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor thereby initiating WWII.  In other words, Rex really was a hero.  Rex served in the military for 20 years and after a very successful stint flying P-38 lightnings, he was eventually shot down over China.  He survived the crash and five weeks later he was escorted back to allied forces by Chinese civilians.  Rex returned to Central Oregon after the war where he was an insurance agent, judge, mayor of Culver and a huge civic booster.  I don’t usually get moved by these Memorial plaque tales by this one really was somewhat touching to me.  I also am hesistant to include man made objects in my landscape photographs, but for Rex T. Barber I’ll make an exception.  Below is the handsome Rex T. Barber Memorial Bridge high above the Crooked River canyon and it’s luminous fall color.

Picture of the Rex T. Barber Veteran's Memorial Bridge high above the Crooked River Canyon, in Central Oregon

Another High desert Photography favorite , Smith Rock State Park also had some great fall color this year.  Below is an attractive sunrise casting a delicate pink glow on one of the main rock formations at Smith Rock.  It may not be as stunning as Troy’s sunset image from this same location found in this blog entry  Smith Rock Photos but the delicate predawn light works well with the fall color in the riparian areas at the base of Smith Rock’s massive rock formations.

Picture of early morning light at Central Oregon's Smith Rock State Park

Slightly to the North of this scene lies the famed Morning Glory wall and “the Dihedrals”,  favorites of rock climbers around the world.  I’ve been to the morning glory wall area many times but I’ve struggled with lighting there.  The following image of the Morning Glory Wall and the dihedrals with fall color and cumulous clouds makes for a good stock photo.

Photo/Picture of Morning glory wall and the dihedrals at Smith Rock State Park

On the same pleasantly cloudy day I shifted over a touch and took an obligatory photograph from the main viewpoint at Smith Rock State Park.  Normally I avoid this spot as it is a bit cliched but I couldn’t resist because of the great clouds that were floating above the scene.

Picture/Photo from the main viewpoint at Smith Rock State Park

Finally We’ll leave Smith Rock behind after one more image.  This rock formation is referred to as “the Monument”  Stunningly vertical, is calls to some like no other rock formation in Central Oregon.  I merely think of it as the scene that launched a thousand psychiatric evaluations for my Pacific Crest partner, Troy.  To learn more about Troy’s struggles, visit this previous blog entry.  Smith Rock Photo phychosis.  It’s a good shot but mostly I included this image in this particular blog entry in an effort to torture Troy.  He’ll be back at the monument later today nervously composing scenes and incoherently mumbling to himself like Milton in the classic movie, “Office Space”.

Troy's Folly, sunrise light on the monument at Smith Rock State Park

I’ve included this next and final photo of aspen trees with some great color not so much because I love the image but because I felt obligated to mention it.  I’ve been there so many times that it feels like a distant cousin who I feel obligated to invite to Thanksgiving dinner because they live two blocks away.  Anyway, here are my distant cousin aspen trees!

Central Oregon aspen trees in full fall color

If any of our blog readers have fall color suggestions for next year please let us know.  For some of our other fall color images, please visit our main Pacific Crest website by following the following link Pacific Crest Images .   Thanks for visiting our photo blog!

All the Best,

Mike Putnam

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For those who aren’t familiar with McKenzie Pass, it’s one of the most beautiful drives in the lower 48 states. The narrow winding two-lane road follows an old wagon route through an ancient 65-square-mile lava flow with up close views of the Three Sisters Mountains, Mount Washington, and Belknap Crater before finally plummeting 1,200 vertical feet through a series of paved switchbacks and past a number of stunning waterfalls. My morning drive over McKenzie Pass was a bit too sunny to allow for good waterfall photography, so I decided to take a pit-stop at one of the high alpine lakes to do some fly fishing.

Fly fishing near the Three Sisters Wilderness Area, just outside of Sisters Oregon. Photo available from Pacific Crest Stock Photography

After an hour or so of fishing my way around the shoreline, I noticed that a good collection of clouds had started rolling in, so I got back in the Jeep and continued down the highway with the hopes of hiking into the waterfalls above Linton Lake. The hike into Linton Lake was bursting with color, but unfortunately the creeks feeding the lake were swollen from our recent snowmelt, which made the unmarked hike to the falls much more difficult than I had anticipated. I could have crossed the knee-deep creeks and made it to the waterfalls, but in the end, I thought it might be best if I saved that adventure for a different day.

As I was hiking out from Linton Lake, I remembered that the Proxy Falls Loop was just a few miles down the road. The Proxy Falls Loop is an easy 1-mile loop that crosses a fiery-red, vine-maple-laden lava flow and then passes through a great old-growth rainforest featuring two spectacular waterfalls that plunge over towering moss-covered cliffs. Upper Proxy Falls drops about 100-feet into a shallow pool that oddly enough has no outlet stream. The water cascades into the pool and then percolates its way down through the underlying lava beds. It’s a very odd sight.

Photo from one of the upper sections of Oregon’s Upper Proxy Falls near McKenzie Pass. Photo available from Pacific Crest Stock Photography.

As if Upper Proxy Falls wasn’t enough of a destination by itself, the other waterfall on the loop (Lower Proxy Falls) is even better. Lower Proxy Falls streams its way down a 200-foot glacier-carved cliff, spreading out into a collection of silky bands along the way. This is the type of waterfall that landscape photographers dream about.

Photo of Oregon’s Lower Proxy Falls in Autumn. Photo available from Pacific Crest Stock Photography.

Lower Proxy Falls is a real jaw-dropper when you’re standing below it, but honestly, I have yet to see a photograph that really does justice to its mammoth size. It’s hard to fight the temptation to photograph the waterfall from its base (as I did above), but that vantage point has a way of fore-shortening the actual drop. After taking the photo above, I decided to try to a new angle and photograph the falls from the side. In the photograph below, you can see that Lower Proxy Falls absolutely dwarfs me standing there in the lower right corner. I feel like this perspective finally begins to capture the size of the waterfall. This is definitely one of my new favorite photographs from the year, and I’m really, really hoping that our good friends who publish the local tourism guides will eventually feel the same way J

The author, Troy McMullin, dwarfed by the size of Lower Proxy Falls. Photo available from Pacific Crest Stock Photography.

After leaving the Proxy Falls Loop, I drove a few more miles and then parked my Jeep and jumped on my mountain bike for a quick ride along the McKenzie River Trail. There aren’t enough adjectives in the English language to describe the way I feel about the McKenzie River Trail, but suffice it to say that I think this is probably one of the best mountain biking trails in the entire world. OK, I might be stretching it a bit there, but honestly, if you live in the area, you have to go ride the McKenzie River Trail at least once in your life. It is just about the most scenic ride you could ever hope for, especially in mid-to-late October when the riverbed and forest are overflowing with red, orange, and yellow leaves. Just be careful though because it’s also a very technical ride, especially when the lava rocks and roots are wet and slippery.

I stopped by the McKenzie River Trail because I was hoping to capture some mountain bike photos along the way. Unfortunately, the sun was beginning to set low on the horizon by the time I arrived and there was very little light making its way onto the heavily forested trail. Since the lighting conditions weren’t cooperating with my plans, I just sat back and enjoyed an epic ride and another epic end to a wonderful day in Central Oregon. Mountains, lakes, lava flows, rivers, rainforests and waterfalls all surrounded in awesome fall color and all just a short drive from home. Are you kidding me? How lucky are we?

Posted by Troy McMullin.

NOTE: These photos and hundreds more are available for licensing from Pacific Crest Stock Photography.

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Sparks Lake and its high elevation and its good southern exposure helps alpine ground cover to ripen to the height of its fall glory a bit earlier than the lower elevation hotspots such as the Metolius Basin, the McKenzie River area and the riparian areas along the Deschutes River.  For a small collection of photos from the Metolius River basin, visit this link. Metolius River Photos

Photo of a beautiful sunrise from Sparks Lake

Any pre-sunrise visit to Cascade Lakes area should start with a visit to the Ray Atkeson memorial viewpoint along Sparks Lake’s shore.  A visit to this location is something of a pilgrimage to a magical landascape photography location.  The lake’s surface isn’t always a glassy and reflective as it was in the picture seen above, but you never know if you are going to see the light show of a lifetime and there is no better place to seen it from than Sparks Lake.  While the photo seen above doesn’t have any fall color in it, it is somewhat typical of autumn in that there is fresh snow on our Central Oregon mountains.

After the pastel colors of this brief light show had faded, I packed up and went to a different area of Sparks Lake for an entirely different perspective and hopefully some fall color.

Frosted autumn colored ground cover along the shores of Sparks Lake in Oregon

While scouting for a sunrise shot I peered down to capture the above image of frost covered alpine foliage.  I like how the frosty leaves add detail and texture to the interesting and colorful autumn foliage.   Eventually after some extensive frosty scouting and a frightening realization, I set up the shot below.  The realization is that hunting is allowed along the shores of Sparks Lake.  It strikes me as odd.  Sparks is essentially a playground for the city of Bend and hunting is allowed.  I recognize that hunting is a popular activity and it should be allowable on public lands, but Sparks Lake?  Regardless hunters were blasting ducks out of the air no more than 100 yards from me and a parking lot along the busy Cascade Lakes Highway.

Mt. Bachelor at sunrise with a foreground of frosty alpine ground-cover near the shores of Sparks Lake

They are subtle but hopefully you can notice the hints of frost covered fall color in the foreground of this image.  The stream channels help to break up the foreground and the sunburst  adds an extra element for the attractive background of Mt. Bachelor.

Fall color won’t last long in the Cascade Lakes area near Sparks Lake so hurry and take a hike before the snows cover this beautiful alpine area for the rest of the season.  for some attractive summer photos of Sparks Lake please visit the following link  Sparks Lake Photos.

For more beautiful Central Oregon Photos, please visit our main site at Pacific Crest Stock Photography

Thanks for visiting,

Mike Putnam

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Oregon's Mt. Washington in autumn with fresh fallen snow

Recent weather patterns turned for the better and I saw a window of opportunity to capture an elusive oregon landscape photo that I have pursued for years.   That night I began my planning process for the next morning.  Winter gear for warmth, loading too much photography gear, GPS, headlamps, rain gear, hiking boots, gas up my truck, set the coffee machine timer to 4:30 AM.  The list of preparatory activities was less than exciting.  While going through my night before check list, I was listening to an IPod mix with the following song on it, Country Music Promoter-OX(the play button is in the upper right hand corner of the page)  It is a great song about the hard-scrabble life of a country music promoter.  Coffee, trucks, bad hours, lots of travel.  The song distinctly reminded me of the less than glamorous but rewarding job of being an Oregon Landscape photographer.  While I don’t pinch waitresses like the promoter in the song does, the feeling of the song is what is familiar.  Hard dirty work doing a job that you love.  Not a bad combination but it is arguably less than glamorous, and it truly is work.  Don’t get me wrong, life as a landscape photographer takes me to some beautiful places, like the one seen in this blog entry but sadly it is more than that.    The above image of Mt. Washington is one I am truly excited about.  Fresh snow, great fall color, interesting clouds, nice warm sunrise light and an awesome mountain make me very optimistic about this landscape photo.

This particular lake is very hard to get to, requiring a long bushwack through thick and in this case wet undergrowth to get it.  Actually getting the shot makes it all worth while, perhaps like when a show really goes well for a Country Music Promoter.  I have to thank Old Mike for accompanying me on this outing.  His company and sherpa like load carrying capacity were both a big help on this backcountry adventure.  Below is a slight rewind in that it was actually the first shot of the morning but I did want to get credit for reaching this spot in time for sunrise!

Photo of Alpenglow on Mt Washington in the Central Oregon Cascades

The light on Mount Washington was beautiful and the lake had a appealing mist rising off of its surface but unfortunately, it was too windy for any real reflection.  Frustrating.  With time and help from the warming sun, the scene enlivened and the wind even died down allowing me a few images like the following one with a nice alpine reflection of Oregon’s Mt. Washington.

Oregon's Mt. Washington reflected in an alpine lake in the Oregon Cascades

I was in my own world during the height of that morning’s light shown not noticing what Old Mike what up to.  Evidently he was busy taking photos of me while I was taking photos of Mount Washington.  Below is a cool image that he took with me and my large format camera silhouetted against the lake’s shore.  I really like the use of contrast and the swirling mist in the background.  Thanks Old Mike!

Mike Putnam and his large format camera during a sunrise shoot. Photo Credit: "Old" Mike Croxford

I’m no model but I do like the shot and the memory of a great morning, Kind of like when the show really goes well for the Country Music Promoter!

Eventually the light show harshened making the scene less attractive and the glorious part of my day was over.  I gathered my gear after my photographic flurry and Old Mike and I made a long wet inglorious bushwack through dense Cascade undergrowth.  Not he most glamorous part of the day but it was hard work worth doing.

A special thanks goes to Pacific Crest’s very own Troy McMullin for allowing me to pirate this scene and hopefully capture the next great  Oregon fine art photograph.  To see some more work done with my Large Format Camera, visit the following link Oregon Fine Art Photos.  Troy, I’ll buy you a beer!

The images from this blog entry and all of our Oregon stock photos can be viewed and licensed through our stock photo website, Pacific Crest Stock

Thanks for Visiting,

Mike Putnam

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For example, I remember waking up that morning and having Julie (my wife) encourage me to go take some photographs. Now bless her heart, my wife has always been very supportive of my photography hobby/habit, but on this particular day, she actually seemed to be pushing me out of the door. That should have been my first clue that something strange was happening, but to be honest, it never even dawned on me. Instead, I hurriedly packed up my camera gear and headed out of the house before she could change her mind. I didn’t even know where I was going when I left the house. I just knew that Julie was giving me a hall pass, and that I wasn’t about to pass that up. Within a few minutes of pulling out of the driveway, I decided that I would drive south to see if there was any fall color around Salt Creek Falls, which at almost 300-feet tall, is the second tallest waterfall in Oregon.

Vine maples at Oregon’s Salt Creek Falls. Photo available at Pacific Crest Stock Photography.

When I first arrived at Salt Creek Falls, the sun was shining through the trees and directly into my eyes. Shooting waterfalls on sunny days is not exactly ideal photography conditions, and having the sun pointed directly into the lens of the camera is about as bad as it gets, so rather than setting up the camera, I decided to scout around the area for awhile in hopes that some clouds would eventually roll in. I fought my way through a thicket of dense trees and found a good location along the slope at the bottom of Salt Creek Falls, but every time that the sun would move behind a cloud, a small breeze would blow up from the base of the waterfall and shake all of the leaves in my foreground (which makes them appear blurry in timed-release waterfall photographs). I played this little game with the sun and wind for more than hour before finally deciding that this just wasn’t my day, and that it would probably be better for me to start heading back home so that I could help my wife with our kids. I hiked out of the woods and started driving over Willamette Pass when I realized that I had lost my sunglasses somewhere along the way. Then, as I was mentally re-tracing my steps, I remembered that I had actually lost my sunglasses the week before at the coast, which meant that today, I had actually managed to lose my WIFE’S sunglasses!

I called Julie and explained that I was going to be running later than expected because I needed to backtrack to find her sunglasses. Julie seemed almost relieved to hear the news, and she encouraged me to take as much time as I needed. That should have been my second clue that something strange was happening, but I didn’t get it because at the time, I was just feeling kind of bad for losing her sunglasses, and my mind was frantically trying to piece together all of the places that I had gone that day. I turned the Jeep around and started driving back toward the trailhead. I wasn’t exactly sure where Julie’s sunglasses might be, but I figured they were probably laying somewhere on that steep slippery slope near the base of the waterfall. I fought my way through the trees again, and as I popped out onto the slope, I noticed that the lighting conditions had improved considerably since I was there earlier in the day. A thick fog bank had moved into the valley, which created nice soft light on the foreground and waterfall. I quickly set up my tripod and composed a few shots. Then I looked down at my feet, and saw that I was standing about 4 feet away from a nice shiny black pair of Oakley’s. Sweet! I re-packed the camera and stuffed the sunglasses inside my backpack and then hiked back up to the parking lot at the top of Salt Creek Falls.

Autumn fog at Oregon’s Salt Creek Falls. Photo available at Pacific Crest Stock Photography.

When I got home, Julie told me that Jake Bell (one my best friends) had called to see if I wanted to go have a few beers at Deschutes Brewery and then go back to his house to watch a football game. Apparently, two other good friends (Mike Putnam, My partner in Pacific Crest Stock and Max Reitz) had already agreed to go and Julie had told them that it was OK for me to go along too. I told Julie that it was nice for her to let me go, but that I didn’t really feel the need to go, especially since she already let me have the whole day off for picture-taking. I told her that I would be more than happy to watch the kids for awhile if she wanted to take a break, but she insisted that it was alright with her—and since I’ve never been one to turn down a little beer and football, off I went . . . completely clueless again.

Autumn color covers the flanks of Central Oregon’s Three Fingered Jack mountain.

At the pub that night, I learned that Max (who lives in Hood River) and Mike had spent all day hiking around Three Fingered Jack. We had a couple of beers and shared some photography stories, and all the while, Jake kept looking at his watch. Jake seemed nervous as a cat, and he kept prodding us along so that we could get up to his house before the game started. At one point, Mike left the table and Max asked Jake what time we all needed to be up at his house. I had just lifted my pint glass to take another drink, but out of the corner of my eye, I could see Jake immediately making some sort of awkward hand gestures to Max. Again, that probably should have been a clue . . . . but it wasn’t, at least at the time.

When Mike got back, Jake and Max immediately herded us out of the door and up to Jake’s house. Jake pulled into his driveway, and then he got out of the truck and started acting like he was getting something out of the back, knowing full well that Mike and I wouldn’t wait or offer to help him, but that instead we would head directly for his front door (and his fridge) and make ourselves at home. When Mike and I opened Jake’s door, we were immediately greeted with a big “Surprise!” . . . and then whole day began to a make a little more sense.

Pacific Crest Stock Family: Debbie, Mike, Troy, and Julie posing in front of the "Beer Cake" at their 40th Birthday Bash.

Posted by Troy McMullin

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