Fine Art Landscape Photography Show tonight at Pandora’s Backpack
One half of the Pacific Crest Stock Photography team, Mike Putnam, will be displaying his work at Pandora’s Backpack in Downtown Bend, Oregon tonight, Friday September 4th. The First Friday Art walks in Central Oregon tend to start at 5PM and quiet down by 9PM. Pandora’s Backpack is located at 920 NW Bond St, in the St. Clair Building. Mike has had a running display of his work for several years now at Pandora’s Backpack, which is a Patagonia concept store. They offer almost a complete line of Patagonia clothing in a beautiful surrounding.
Mike will have lots of his work displayed there and collectors will also get a chance to examine Mike’s hand made cherry wood frames which are utilized on all of the fine art prints that will be displayed At Patagonia tonight. Below is a picture of one of my framed images ready for sale that will be present at Pandora’s Backpack tonight.
Framed fine art print of Broken Top Mountain with a beautiful wildflower foreground
the above fine art Photograph of Central Oregon’s Broken Top Mountain can be yours(I’m not selling the photos of my daughter or the wooden elephant!) if you just stop by Pandora’s Backpack tonight between 5pm and 9pm at 920 NW Bond St in wonderful downtown Bend, Oregon.
I’d like to note that Ultrarunner extraordinaire, and Pandora’s Backpack owner, Rod Bien(and his talented staff-Love Ya Mo) has been very accommodating to me during these First Friday Art Walks and it might also be helpful if you stopped in and bought a fleece jacket or a pair of socks. Stimulate the economy!
For those of you who are photo enthusiasts with a sense of history and an appreciation of craftsmanship, I’ll also have my 4×5 large format camera on display. It is the exact camera that I used to capture every image that will be on display at the show tonight. Below is a photo of my camera affectionately know as the “Big Rig”. It is a Wista 4×5 cherry wood camera with all brass fittings. It really is art in and of itself!
Photo of Mike's Large Format 4x5 camera that he used to capture the images that will be on display at Pandora's Backpack.
There are very few Oregon Landscape Photographers who still use these large format cameras any more. Please come visit and I’ll tell you why I still use mine.
In addition to fine art photography, there should be some top notch wines available tonight. Rod Bien, family man, gifted endurance runner, retail guru, and all around great guy is also quite the wine aficionado of fine wines. I’d expect some world class chardonnays from the Bien cellars to be available tonight. Yet another reason to visit Pandora’s Backpack tonight for the First Friday Art Walk.
I hope to see you there!
Mike Putnam
New Central Oregon Winter Image Gallery
We just opened a new image gallery on our main Pacific Crest Stock Photography site titled Oregon Winter Landscape Images. Because we’ve had some requests for scenic Oregon winter landscape images from photo editors, graphic designers and photography lovers we decided we’d better oblige. Some of the winter images are recent and some are from previous years but few have them have been licensed with any restrictions so if your interested in usage please contact us. Below are a few teaser images with some background information regarding what sacrifices in sleep, limbs, marital bliss, etc went into making the images. Below is one of the scenic stock images found in our new online gallery at Pacific Crest Stock. I captured this image at Tumalo State Park after a heavy winter snowfall. I chronicled this image in a previous post but the salient fact is that there were lots of big snow covered boulders and they frightened me. Frankly I don’t think I’d do it again especially since I already covered the scene pretty well during that expedition and dying alone is not my thing. If I do go back I would probably take Troy and have him go first.
Stock image of Central Oregon's Deschutes River in Tumalo State Park after a heavy winter snowfall
The snow coverage on the trees and riparian bushes is great, the curvature of the Deschutes River adds an artistic touch and the ponderosa trunks in the background add some color and texture to the scene.
The following image requires a sad story, one of obsession and a forbidden lust for a familiar location. This image is Troy McMullin’s, my partner in Pacific Crest Stock. It’s a very attractive image of ”The Monument” at Smith Rock State Park. That’s not the sad part. The sadness lies in the fact that Troy has captured over 1,000 images from this exact same location over the last 9 months. It’s not healthy. He’s living in a self imposed photographic version of the movie Groundhog’s day and he doesn’t want the movie to end. I’m considering an intervention of some sort. If anyone has any suggestions as to how I might help my good friend Troy, please leave a comment at the end of this entry. Here is the image of beauty and sadness.
Stock image of Troy's mistress, "The Monument" in winter at Smith Rock State Park
Enough of sadness and unhealthy obsessions. The following image is one of mine from near Sisters, Oregon. It is my favorite grove of ponderosa trees. They’ve got great color to their bark and have grown in a nice arrangement and the snow around them gives a great wintry feel to this scenic winter photo.
Winter Stock Picture of snow covered ponderosa grove near Sisters, Oregon
This shot was actually more difficult to capture than one might think. It was snowing very hard at the time I was taking pictures of this ponderosa grove and I was constantly fighting snowflakes and fog on my lens. because my exposures were relatively long the snow falling snow isn’t visible. This image and all of my images included in this entry are available as fine art prints on my print site at Mike Putnam Photography.
The next shot is another one of Troy’s which he captured high on the flanks of Mt. Washington. You might recognize it as it was previously included as a banner shot on the front page of this website. It is a very unique stock image in that very few people have ever been to this area of the Mt. Washington in winter. In fact, Troy’s image is the only one I’ve ever seen from this location. The reason that few if any other shots have been taken from here in winter is that it is really hard to get to and there are no good trails accessing the area. Troy gave a good accounting of what went into capturing this image on a previous blog entry, Troy’s Mt. Washington Story.
Troy's stock Image of Oregon's snow covered Mt. Washington
It really is a pleasure to discuss one of Troy’s images that don’t make me worry about his psychiatric health. The image above was simply an instance of Troy exploring a dangerous alpine area off trail in winter without telling anyone where he was going after taking my canon 5D camera without telling me. No need to worry about him , his lovely wife, or his adorable kids, right?
The following Oregon stock image is a hard earned photo of Central Oregon’s Three Sisters mountains and Broken Top as seen at sunrise from Tumalo Mountain, near Mt. Bachelor. I recounted what went into capturing this stock image in a recent blog entry Three Sisters Sunrise.
Stock image of alpenglow on the Three Sisters and broken Top as seen from Oregon's Tumalo Mountain
Last up is one of my not at all crazy image of a Red Osier Dogwood along the Deschutes River. I actually scouted this shot several times(not an unhealthy number of times) before I captured it in the middle of a winter snow storm with my large format 4×5 camera.
Image/picture of snow covered red osier dogwood along the Deschutes River in Central Oregon
All of the images in this gallery are available for licensing as are many other great winter photos in out new Winter Stock Photos Gallery at Pacific Crest Stock. Please visit to see how beautiful our little corner of the world is in winter!
By: Mike Putnam
Early Success in the Central Oregon Photo Market!
I have genuinely loved Bend and the Central Oregon area ever since moving here more than 10 years ago. I enjoy our Central Oregon mountains, the Deschutes River, the high desert, old growth ponderosas, Drake Park, the local trail systems, Downtown Bend, the restaurants, and the breweries (not necessarily in that order). The natural beauty of Central Oregon is what inspired me to take up photography on a professional level. To have so much geographical diversity in the same region is truly wondrous. My partner in Pacific Crest Stock, Troy, is also a big fan of Bend. Many friends have suggested that we should be on the payroll for the Bend Chamber of Commerce or one of the tourism boards because we are both such big boosters of Bend and the whole Central Oregon area.
When we first conceived of Pacific Crest Stock, we both thought it would be a tremendous honor to have one of our stock photos appear in one of the Central Oregon tourism publications because it would be an honor to represent the area in print. Well, with that thought in mind, we have a big announcement to make. It has recently been formalized and one of our landscape images will grace the cover of the Visit Bend’s tourism publication, which is due to be released this spring. The exposure of having the cover shot will be great, the link on Visit Bend’s very attractive website which has been promised will certainly be helpful, but most of all, it is an honor to represent Bend and Central Oregon in a more formal way. Having met with Lynnette and Laurel at Visit Bend several times, I can confidently say that it is a well run, personable and efficient organization. Lynnette is clearly a skilled Web master, and graphic designer. She was courteous enough to provide me with the following image file, which will be the cover of their glossy magazine style publication.
Our Mt Jefferson Photo on the cover of the soon to be released Visit Bend Publication.
Yeah that’s my Mt. Jefferson Photo and yeah I’m pretty excited!
Mt Jefferson is one of the most photogenic mountains anywhere and because it is visible from much of the city of Bend, it has long been one of my favorite photography destinations. This image, like most great images, required lots of work. I’ve been to Jefferson Park and the Mt Jefferson Wilderness many times before and have always been moved by its beauty, but. I had often been frustrated in that I always thought there was a shot I was missing in this beautiful area. The year I shot this photo, Troy and I went backpacking in the Jefferson Park area and we captured lots of good Stock photos including the following shot of Troy’s ,which is a fan favorite on Panoramio and Google Earth.
Troy's photo of Mt Jefferson from Jefferson Park with red Indian Paintbrush in the foreground.
It is clearly a great shot. Mt Jefferson towering high above the mid-ground clouds with a stunning foreground of Troy’s favorite flower and the only one he knows the name of, the Red Indian Paintbrush. During our trip, we scouted and shot on and off trail from many different locations including the one that will serve as Visit Bend’s Cover shot. When we arrived at the “cover location” the light was harsh and the alpine wildflowers hadn’t quite peaked for the year but the location was clearly special and I knew I had to return in a few days so I did. To see more great Mount Jefferson images, please visit our stock site’s Mountain Gallery.
On my return trip, I made a day trip of the outing carrying my heavy pack nearly 10 miles and several thousand feet of vertical gain to the same location as a few days before. I quickly set up my tripod and my 4×5 camera and composed a beautiful scene at a stunning location when something unexpected happened. A small wisp of clouds appeared over Mount Jefferson’s summit and it gradually evolved into the awesome lenticular cloud cap that you see in my cover shot from that second day. The scene went from a great one to one of the best fine art landscape shots I’ve ever taken. It is one of my favorite images because Mount Jefferson’s amazing presence, the outstanding wildflower combinations (the equal of which I’ve yet to find in Oregon) and the mystical cloud cap which really brings the whole image together. I hiked out the last six miles with my headlamp beaming and my mind reeling with excitement about the great shots I’d just captured. Without the cloud cap it’s a great stock photo, but with the cloud cap, it becomes a great fine art print. So I worked hard and I got Lucky. I’ll take that combination any time!
My thanks go out to Lynette at Visit Bend for the image file and to my loving wife for letting me go out and take photos in places I love.
To view my fine art prints, including the soon to be cover shot, please visit my fine art site at Mike Putnam Photography where you’ll see this lucky Mt. Jefferson Photograph and many others.
Mike Putnam
Metolius River and Wizard Falls Photos
This past weekend I took the family to one of my favorite day hiking and family-friendly areas, Camp Sherman and the Metolius River. We arrived in Camp Sherman hungry so we conveniently stopped at the Camp Sherman store which is a slice of rustic americana heaven. (They have some of the best lunch sandwiches you can find anywhere, piled high with ingredients of your choice). The setting is beautifully sylvan with large cinnamon barked ponderosa trees everywhere and quaint rustic cabins along the shores of the famed Metolius River which is one of the most attractive Rivers anywhere. It’s crystal blue-tinted waters emerge abruptly out of the ground at the appropriately named “Head of the Metolius River.” I’ve seen hundred of photos from the head of the Metolius, most of which are bad because the contrast is difficult to control there. The combination of a heavily wooded scene and exposed skies tend to play hell with a landscape photo. I didn’t even attempt a visit to the head of the Metolius due to time constraints.
We did manage a hike along the banks of Lake Creek in the Metolius Preserve, which is well managed by the Deschutes Land Trust. For more info about the Metolius preserve, it’s hiking trails and accessibility, please visit the Deschutes Land Trust’s website. Photography was poor on this day as the light was very flat, there was no real color to be found, and not enough snow to be interesting. Despite all of this the Metolius River basin still casts a magical spell. The towering ponderosa , fir and larch trees along pristine waters of the Metolius and its tributaries give the area a special feel. One of my favorite times of year to visit the Metolius is in the fall when the larch trees and vine maples are putting on their annual color display. The following photo of the Metolius River was taken several years ago with my 4×5 camera. That seemed to be an especially vibrant year for fall color along the Metolius.
Picture of rushing water of the Metolius River in fall
A fine art print of this image of the Metolius River can be seen at the Bend Brewing Company in downtown Bend, Oregon. If you are in the area, stop by the brewery, check out my photography, and have a beer. The head brewmaster there, Tonya Cornett is exceptionally talented. She currently has a seasonal black IPA on tap which is very good and if you are lucky they will also have Hophead, an imperial IPA which has won multiple awards at the Great American Brewing Festival and the World Beer Cup, where she was named small brew pub brewmaster of the year. Hophead is a hop lovers dream.
After Debbie, Emma and I finished our hike at the Metolius Preserve, we drove down river to the Wizard Falls fish hatchery, where we fed the huge trout in their holding pond. Just before arriving at the fish hatchery, the road crosses the Metolius and immediately to your left is the famous Wizard Falls which is more of an attractive water feature than an intimidating waterfall. It’s composition is quite lovely and is has lured photographers and flyfishing enthusiasts from around the world to its beautuful blue waters. There is also a non-technical trail that crosses the road near the fish hatchery which offers pleasant hikes , especially in autumn. Below is a photograph of Wizard Falls in autumn as seen from the bridge to the Wizard Falls fish hatchery.
Picture of Wizard Falls on the Metolius River in Autumn near Camp Sherman, Oregon.
The above Wizard Falls image was taken the same year as the previous Metolius River photograph. As I mentioned, the Falls themselves aren’t necessarily spectacular but they are artistic, especially on a colorful fall day when the reds of vine maples are counter balanced by the turquoise blue of the Metolius. Further down stream are some other very photogenic locations that are a little more seasonal and difficult to find. Campgrounds that mostly cater to fly fishermen are spread for several miles along the river in the area of Camp Sherman. The following photograph of the Metolius River was taken downstream of Wizard Falls in the evening with my large format 4×5 camera.
I enjoy the gentle “S” curve of the river, the late evening sun in the background and the red bark of the ponderosa trees on the left side of the river. As the Metolius basin is truly a beautiful area, I always feel like there are more good stock and fine art photographs to be taken there. Even if the light is disappointing like my last visit, there is always enough beauty to stimulate my wife daughter and I.
If you are interested in seeing more stock photos of the Metolius River, please visit our website at Pacific Crest Stock.
If you interested in my fine art prints of the Metolius River, please visit Mike Putnam Photography
Posted by Mike Putnam
Mt. Hood, Hood River and seasonal photo vacations
As winter starts to drag in the High Desert area of Central Oregon around Bend, I tend to day dream about photo trips elsewhere in Oregon where the winter season doesn’t seem to extend quite so long. Don’t get me wrong, I love living in Bend but our relatively high elevation make for consistently cold nights which seems to extend our winters longer than my perpetually cold wife would prefer. One of our favorite getaways involves visiting our friends, the Reitzs in Hood River, Oregon. Hood River tends to be more gray than Bend in the winter but spring comes considerably earlier there and the wildflowers in the Hood River are often stunning. The Hood River area simply has a better climate for spring flowers. One of my favorite Hood River Photography locations is the East Hills area of the Hood river Valley. The wildflowers in the east hills vary from year to year, they don’t last very long but they are absolutely phenomenal in some years. The first year My good friend, Max insisted that I consider taking some photos from the east hills area, I reluctantly obliged. I initially felt that I would have already been familiar with the location if the wildflowers were as attractive as Max suggested. I couldn’t have been more wrong. They were simply amazing. I drove into the ill defined parking area for sunrise and I was so impressed that when I returned to our home away from home at the Reitz home I insisted that we all go back for a hike in the East Hills where I’d just returned from. For another adventure that we shared with Max and Chris Reitz, check out our Italian Adventure photos. The following image is one of my favorites from that morning photographing in the East Hills of the Hood River Valley. Mt. Hood is seen in the background the flowers in the foreground include balsamroot, Indian paintbrush, and lupines. Doesn’t it seem like this wouldd be a perfect cover photo for a Columbia River Gorge tourism brochure?
Photo/picture of Mt. Hood and spring wildflowers high above the Hood River Valley in the Columbia River Gorge
I like the contrast between the agricultural Hood River valley and the wild and beautiful east hills wildflower display which were pretty amazing during that year. Mt. Hood is always a photo worthy mountain, especially when snow covered as in this image. Part of what makes the Hood River valley so scenic is the fact that it is near sea level and that Mt. Hood is visible high above at 11,240 offering some very impressive vertical relief. The following photo is one I’ll include simply because it makes me happy. It is of my daughter, Emma and JoJo Reitz . I love their laughing and smiling faces and all the happy wildflowers surrounding them. I took many family photos this morning but this one seemed especially playful and captured the feeling of spring the best.
JoJo and Emma giggling in the wildflowers high above the Hood River Valley
Another one of my favorite photo locations lies slightly east of Hood River in an undisclosed location. It has a slightly different photo appeal to me because it is distinctly less developed than the Hood River area. I tend to avoid man made structures in my landscape images but that can be very difficult in Hood River because of its famed agricultural production. The following photo is also of Mt. Hood. I find the vast flower meadow with little indication of farming or agriculture makes for an attractive picture.
Photo/picture ofMt. Hood and wildflower meadow in the Columbia River Gorge
This Image and the previous photo were both taken with my large format 4×5 camera which necessitated fairly long exposures that can be frustrating because of the famed Columbia River Winds which can wreak havoc on a large format landscape photograph. I was fortunate to avoid the winds on both of these photo outings. The next image is one of the first I ever took as a professional photographer. I also captured this image with my 4×5 camera on a rare windless day. At the time I was still struggling with focus, perspective control and exposure balance associated with using my old Wista 4×5. Most of the images from this morning ended up in my circular file but this one photo came out nicely and is still a part of our Pacific Crest Stock Wildflower Gallery
photo/picture of Lupines and Balsamroot in the Columbia River Gorge
This last image takes me back to the Hood River Valley. The wildflowers are a little ragged in this image but I still love it because of the sweet expression on the face of my favorite model, Emma.
Emma on a sunny spring day in the Hood River Valley
If you would like to see more images from our many visits to the Hood River area of Oregon, please visit our stock photography site, Pacific Crest Stock . To get licensing information about any of our images, please contact us through email mike@pacificcreststock.com or call (541) 610-4815
Posted by Mike Putnam
All images are copyrighted and exclusively the property of Mike Putnam/Pacific Crest Stock
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