Once a year we go for sunrise to Sparks Lake. This September while going up there with a bunch of other photo enthusiasts we met at the Cascade Center of Photography at 5:45 AM. I soft rain was falling but we saw some breaks in the clouds in the East.

Up at the lake the sky stayed grey and we started taking photos of misty forest scenes and shrubs. Then after more than two hours of rather dull light the clouds parted and South Sister and Broken Top appeared in all their glory. The mix of mist, clouds and sun were awesome and the clatter of shooting cameras started up like the beginning of a Civil War reenactment.

Oregon's beautiful Landscapes often make for this kind of WOW moments. This after all is why we go out and take pictures and this is why we live here.

Photo & Text by Christian Heeb

If there is ever the perfect time to go out and play in Central Oregon it is now. September is simply gorgeous here. For my upcoming book on motor Bike Travel in the Western US I envisioned a photo of a girl riding in the back of a guy riding a Harley. She should look content with her eyes closed and the hair flying in the wind.

My friends Kyle Zander and Alondra Schuster were game for this shoot. Doug Bennett my trusted assistant drove the car while I was shooting out the window standing up to get a higher angle. We did several rounds on a empty stretch of a dead end road while the sun was setting. Shooting into the light creates stunning and beautiful images, if you get the exposure right. I used a fill flash to counter the back light. To get the speed effect I kept my shutter speed in the 1/60 range. Hardest thing was the focusing due to the wind that would tear up my eyes. I tried to keep the focusing point on the Alondra's face and ended up with some nice images and a lot of funky ones with her hair all over the place. Connect with Christian Heeb on FB.

We went into the Badlands the other day with some photo enthusiast to learn how to shoot at night. Since we have the moon up right now and the milky way is not visible we concentrated on using the moon as a source of light. After photographing a Juniper Tree  with the moon in our back I decided to shoot right into the light.

This image was taken with my Nikon D800 and I used my 14-24 lens. My aperture was set at 18 and I exposed for  30 seconds. The cameras ISO was set at 1250.

And of course we painted the tree with our headlamp. If you look closely you see the stars in the sky as well. See more about Night Sky Photography.

We had the pleasure to photograph senior photos of Marina Anglin at the Wilson Ranches Retreat near Fossil, Oregon.

 Before doing a formal session near the house we wanted to get some photos of her in action. Of course we hit the trail having some fun riding into the nearby hills. Tecumseh, my horse named after the famous Shawnee chief was such a pleasant well responding "person' that I could get photos without worrying much. I would stand in the saddle or sit sideways while getting the right shots. Of course a horse is a horse and I was always ready to jump in case he would suddenly spot the 'perfect' grass.

Shooting Indian Country during our Photo Workshop in South Dakota was a dream come true. After all those early mornings with spectacular sunrises in the Black Hills, together with fellow Photographer David M.Cobb  and several participants we did a portrait session with Melissa our Lakota Model.
We used a tipi as a backdrop while keeping the model in the shade. The setting sun created a nice rim light on her body and to offset this we used a reflector. I kept the aperture at f 4 to blur the backdrop a bit. Melissa got that stoic look on her face while we fumbled with our cameras. I loved the Eagle feather fan who gave the image some added drama.

It is a funny feeling when you see your first Elephant in the wild after a long Journey from Bend to Namibia.

Waiting at the famous waterhole of  Okaukuejo in Namibia's stunning Etosha National Park  we had our cameras ready for any upcoming highlights. Right at sunset a lone Elephant came for a sip of water running off a single Jackal  who was hanging out there.

I used a split density filter to darken the sky so I could show the dramatic colors  there and still show the texture of the Elephants skin. Shooting in camera raw I was able to fine tune the different contrast areas in Photoshop. Our Photo Tour in Southern Africa with 9 participants was recently concluded at Victoria Falls. More images will follow soon and you can check us out on Facebook.

Photographer Brad Goldpaint is a night owl for good reasons. He creates stunning images of the night sky. "Beyond the Rim" was taken in Crater Lake National Park during the Lyrids meteor shower on April 20/21. It is made up of 9 images and includes the Milky Way rising behind Crater Lake, reflecting off the water, and a lone Lyrid meteor passing overhead.”
Read more about his amazing photography: Brad Goldpaint

Brad Goldpaint has a Free Presentation at the Cascade Center of Photography on July 28. 7pm.

His latest image (below) “Beyond the Rim” was chosen as NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) and is displayed today, April 25, 2012 on its website.

Its pretty cool what you can do with two flash units these days. While shooting the restaurant for the upcoming  Dining Guide I saw Josh doing his thing with fire at the bar.
I placed a remote flash unit to his left back and put a blue gel on it. The flash was aimed at the wall and his back. A second concentrated flash unit was shot off camera. I exposed for the background so the colors would show. Pretty simple really. If you don't have two flash units you can do similar things with flashlights and a sturdy tripod.

What does a travel photographer do when he is not on the road? Well... we decided to build  a portrait series and book "99 People of Central Oregon". That book was published last year.

Our new project, 999 People of Central Oregon, started this month. So we are looking for willing models to be included. We will feature a diverse spectrum of people and are looking for a wide mix of characters. Please send suggestions through our Facebook page, link below.
Participation in this project is absolutely free. Be part of "999 People of Central Oregon."

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Living in Central Oregon I am always reminded of my old stomping grounds in Switzerland. What Sparks Lake is to me here in Oregon, Seealpsee  was in my old country.

You have to walk up to this Lake which takes about 30 minutes. To catch the first light and the red glow on the rocks you the trail in the dark. This image was captured with a film camera and Fuji Velvia Film. That film had only 50 ISO and really had to be shot at 40 ISO so it got exposed right. Naturally a tripod was and still is essential for most landscape shots. The morning I took this image we had  one of those perfect late summer days in Switzerland when the air is fresh and calm and the sky has that deep stunning blue. Days we take for granted in Central Oregon  but in Switzerland and west of the Cascades are are hard to find.

I will be teaching a weekend workshop this spring on the top of the mountain you see in this photo. Mount Saentis has a Restaurant and a hotel on Top. The View taken from there is truly spectacular. I took the second photo one winter evening right after Mountains and it felt truly like the top of the world.

More of my photography: facebook