Longest Day of the Year

I hope you guys enjoy the photos. It was quite a climb making it to the top. I posted a video at about the hike. You can view it at the bottom. It should explain everything. I hope you guys enjoy.

First Smart Phone Background

This is the first background I'm making for the Droid and the I-Phone. I hope you guys enjoy. Just click the image below. It's sized correct for phone format.

The Green of Oregon

Multiple shades of the color that represents life is what this blog is about. "GREEN" Some people believe green has a certain reputation and that reputation is as follows:
* Soothing
* Relaxing mentally as well as physically
* Helps alleviate depression, nervousness and anxiety* Offers a sense of renewal, self-control and harmony
I personally think green has a different meaning for every person, but if we could put them all on a natural distribution curve I think life would be at the center tying all the different meanings together. I believe green triggers a different feeling for each and every one of us. I went to a place just outside of Camas Valley and decided to try and capture this "life" and I wanted my pictures all to have a different "green" feeling. My favorite of this adventure is the clover picture. I have to say, it makes a great background!
It's really cool to see these plants bursting with life and the multiple shades of green. The entire area was all one giant shade of green.I think it's actually pretty cool because this picture has two things that are symbols of life. The water that is flowing over the rocks is the life giver to the green that surrounds. Sometimes we get so caught up in our daily routines that we forget the simplicity and beauty of the world that surrounds us.
This place is literally 3 or 4 miles from my home. You don't have to go far here in Oregon to see the abundant green that grows everywhere. For me, the color green represented enjoyment and appreciation, because my awesome girlfriend came along and my awesome dog. Not only did I get to see the greatness that surrounds, but I was able to share it with two very important parts of my life.

I've attached a song about the color green. I hope you guys enjoy and I will see you next time!


Sincerely,

JDaniel

Project for a Friend

This particular instance is the second time I have taken on a project for a friend. I always worry that my work will not live up to the standard I have set in my head. I never feel like it's good enough, but I always feel satisfied with the amount of work I have put into the project. This week I went back to Camas Creek for my friend Wendy. She wanted a picture to remind her of her first date with her husband down that same patch of road. Camas Creek is a unique area and picking just one thing to take a picture of in order to capture that same feeling Wendy had is not that easy of a task. All that was in my mind when she asked me to do this for her were 1000 questions. What area is best? What should the color be? Should it be black and white? Should it be a bridge? Should it be the river? and many many more questions.

On the 21st I walked out my door with one goal in mind and that was to capture Camas Creek in one photo. I ended up with a multitude of photographs, but one in particular captured that feeling for Wendy. The other photos are great, but it's the photo with the road in it that worked for her. It's a nice feeling to know that you brought someone a product that helps bring out a past feeling in them. I'm very happy I've done this project and the next blog will be about putting the art piece together for her.

Thanks everyone,

I've also attached a video of part of the shoot; so be sure and check it out~!


Sincerely,

Jdaniel

The Face of Texas

A lot of times when people think of Texas, they seem to think about cowboys, accents, animals, weather and the southern culture. I tried a different approach on my recent journey through Texas. This trip I have really focused on the people that make up the great state of Texas. I've met some wonderful new people since I have been here and I've also visited with old friends. I have some up close captures that captivate me.

It's amazing what you can see when someone smiles at you. You can see things that are usually spoken. I can see joy, pain, love, hate, frustration and so many more. These photos have a lot to say and I will leave the interpretations to you.

Everyone is beautiful in their own way. This collection of people is a great representation of the diversity and beauty that fills the Texas landscape. I had a wonderful time with everyone you see and I tried to capture the moment through the expressions on each of their faces.

This approach to photography is a little different than my typical landscape shots, but I really wanted to showcase the diversity of my skills.
I hope you guys enjoy and I will have some more photos up before too long, but it will be completely different that what you see here.

Thanks so much to everyone for being themselves and for spending time with me.

JDaniel

Road to Nature

What can I say about this adventure? Well, let's just get it out of the way........it was stunning. I recently went to the Middle Fork Coquille River and watched as the winter waters rushed along the rocks, while the stealhead salmon made their yearly journey. The river actually starts in the valley where I live. I can remember going down to the river with my Dad to find arrowheads, catch trout, to swim, and to go duck hunting. The area I went to was down the canyon from the valley. The rural fire dept. here is called out quite a lot for accidents down the canyon pass. The highway is steep and very curvy. It follows the middle fork through the mountains. I hiked down to one of the steep areas and found exactly what I was looking for.

These fish intrigue me. They are the most dedicated fish in all the genus. They have the most diverse life and they have the most heart. They start their lives in little tiny streams that get their water flow from the surrounding mountains. Some live in little pools of water that are only about 3ft wide and 2 feet deep. Then they start to migrate like birds. They migrate to the ocean to start their adult lives. Then they migrate back to where they were born. It's amazing the radar they have built inside of them.

The hike down to the river from the road was very steep and quite treacherous. I actually fell and broke my phone. I hurt myself a bit, but it was worth it to get these amazing pictures of the migrating Stealhead. They were jumping in what seemed like 6 minute intervals. I saw so many different fish try to make it up and over the falls. The jump ranges from about 6 feet to about 15 feet depending on the side of the river they try to traverse.

I probably sat there for about 3 hours total to catch these images. The fish are only out of the water for a few seconds. It's really hard to get the focus and framing right in such a short time span. This has been the hardest photography that I have done yet. These guys are really hard to photograph!!! I hope you guys appreciate the few photo's I have to show you. I'm quite proud of these pictures.

The road I walked down was pretty cool too.

This trip was amazing. It was amazing to see wildlife in it's raw form like that and to experience the power of the river. It was also great to find something so rare/hard to photograph.

Thanks so much,

Jdaniel

Lost Creek Falls

Have you ever been somewhere majestic? It's hard to believe, but some people hardly ever leave there homes. I was lucky enough to leave my home and find one of those majestic places. LOST CREEK. Not very many people know about it and I'm sure its visitors are few.

I started the morning by packing all my gear. I weighed everything and I was carrying just under 45 pounds of extra weight: tripod, camera, lenses, clothing, gun, survival gear, food, and water. I never go into the mountains unless I am prepared for the worst. I also had Rogue with me, my Dad's chocolate Lab, and he is such a cool dog. Having a dog in the woods when you are hiking is actually a really comforting feeling. I was glad to have him come along.

After getting everything prepared, I left on a 35 mile mountain road trip. It was pretty cold, but not too bad. Rogue and I didn't seem to mind too much. When we arrived, we immediately set off. My legs were burning like crazy because of the steep incline at the beginning of the hike. The road was really ruff and washing away in a lot of areas. It was also filled with large boulders and tree debris. I didn't see very many animals on the way up, but I did see one female deer. Actually, the coolest thing I saw on my hike up was a flock of about 200 birds that was flying around chirping like crazy. I wish I could have been able to get them on video.

I had to hike a little over 3 miles up a steep incline to make it to the top entrance of lost creek falls. I had forgotten that the hike down was dangerous and steep. You have to repel 3 times over a total distance close to 50ft. It was very wet because of all the rain and the mud was making the hike down a little nerve racking. I really lit up once I got close to the bottom. Lost Creek is one of the most impressive waterfall areas I have ever been to in Oregon. This was my second visit and I had forgotten what a visual spectacle this waterfall really is. I didn't hesitate to jump right in the water and get the photo shoot started.

This video should really give you and idea of what my trip was like. I hope you guys enjoy it. I took a flip camera with me and shot a few simple clips to let people know what one of my hikes is like.



My trip was amazing and if you have any questions or want one of these photos, then please feel free to contact me.

jdaniel@pictations.com
or 541-556-4509

I hope you enjoyed this and please send me some feedback. I had no idea how much work this really is!!

Have a great day,

Jdaniel "Dan"