In mid-1999 I purchased an SLR camera with the intention of learning the art and craft of landscape photography. Until that time I’d been content using my trusty Olympus Stylus point and shoot loaded with ASA 400 print film to record scenes from my outdoor adventures. I read several instructional books and shot a few rolls of film, all of which resulted in really, really bad photography. In 2000 I switched to slide film (Velvia!) and photography consumed my life. I quit adventure racing and dove headlong into this amazing new world I’d discovered.
I’ve made thousands of images during the 10 years that have passed since I ran the first roll of Velvia through my Canon Rebel. Some were good, most were bad. A select few I’ll remember for the rest of my life. Not because they are the world’s greatest photographs. Rather, each one has a story behind it, a meaning much deeper than just a pretty picture of a pretty landscape I was fortunate enough to visit.
Starting today, and ending on Friday, Jan. 14, each day I’ll post one of my favorite photos from the last decade. I’ll also share with you what it is that makes each photo so special to me. I am not presenting them in any order or assigning any sort of rank to them, and by no means do they represent my absolute best work. They are photos with a history and I believe these are the photos that have contributed most to my growth as an artist. I hope you enjoy the collection.
Mount Rainier Reflecting in Tarn, Washington
In 2001 some friends and I decided to climb Mt. Rainier. We chose a date, paid our guide fees and made hotel reservations – then we waited for summer to arrive. It did, and less than two weeks before we were to depart for Washington I slipped while walking down some stairs and broke my hand. I couldn’t hold an ice pick, much less an ice axe. My summit attempt would have to be aborted.
My friends and I still made the trip and while they successfully climbed the towering mountain, I hiked and photographed alone for the first time. On one hike I discovered a small tarn high on a ridge with a commanding view of Mt. Rainier’s glaciated flanks and rounded summit. Serendipitously, the crystal clear waters of the little alpine lake offered a perfect reflection of “The Mountain”.
That night I slept in my rental car at the trailhead. I awoke long before sunrise and made the arduous hike to the ridge, arriving about half an hour before sunrise. I set up my tripod, mounted my camera and composed a scene in the quiet of twilight. As the sun rose I blasted off exposures, bracketing like mad with the hope that out of 36 exposures at least one might turn out.
Back home in Phoenix I left several rolls of film in the night drop at The Lab. The next day I sped over to pick up my slides during a lunch break. I assumed I’d done something right when the lab tech said, “You’ve got some great stuff here.” He’d processed hundreds of rolls of film for me and not once had he ever made such a comment. I hurriedly laid out slide after slide on their light table without much reaction and then - WHAM! For the first time ever, on the light table before me, was one of my own photographs that didn’t suck. To the contrary, it was pretty damn good!
Looking at the image now and with a critical eye, I see many flaws. I missed the proper hyperfocal distance and the depth of field suffers as a result. I don’t like that the foreground rock is cut off at the bottom. The top is cropped a bit too tight and some of the snow is blown out. Even so, I am immensely proud of this photograph. I feel it marked the beginning of my journey as an artist. That one image instilled in me the confidence and motivation to continue pursuing the art of photography. It still brings a smile to my face and transports me to that glorious morning in Washington and that pivotal day at the light table.
For these reasons I am including it here as one of my top ten favorite photos of the decade.
