art, landscape, nature, photography, random thought, travel, wildlife, writing

pictures

Well, after 3 weeks and 4300 miles, I’m finally back home.

It was an epic road trip and I am so pleased with the work I had the chance to produce in 5 National Parks!

The first of which being, of course, Rocky Mountain National Park.

I spent 9 days exploring and photographing this phenomenally beautiful place. Most noted subjects of this park are the fast flowing creeks, abundant wildlife, and majestic peaks.

It was certainly a challenging experience; waking up before the sun to shoot all morning, hiking 10+ miles during the middle of the day (with 30 lbs of gear) to scout locations, and then shooting until after dark, going to bed and doing it all over again. Needless to say, I wasn’t getting a ton of sleep, and I lost a few pounds of excess belly :)

It was a ton of hard work, but it’s the kind of labor that I really live to do.

So, here are a handful of my favorite images from the first leg of my three week trip!

In the next week or two, I will post more images, videos, time-lapses, and as promised, equipment reviews…

Please feel free to ask any questions you may have, technical or aesthetic, leave comments/ feedback, but most of all, I hope you enjoy the beauty of Rocky Mountain National Park!

All images are available for commercial and editorial licensing through Tandem Stills + Motion. Prints of select images will be available soon!

all images and content © andrew r. slaton | photographer 2013

art, equipment review, landscape, nature, photography, random thought, travel, wildlife, writing

rocky mountain high | road-trip 2013

I have never been to Rock Mountain National Park. Yeah… seriously.

With all of the locations I drive to regularly in New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, for some reason, I have never been.

It’s especially odd, now that I think of it, because of how (relatively) close and how stunningly beautiful I hear it is.

So, I’ve been planning to spend a week there at the end of June.

I will piggyback off a job I have in Telluride over the fourth, and a stock assignment in Big Bend National Park.

Adding in a few extra stops like Canyon de Chelley in Arizona, this thing has really turned into quite the road-trip…

To top it all off, Canon is sending me a few lenses to evaluate, which I will review here on the blog… check back to see me put some exciting lenses to the test!

I am really looking forward to spending some quality time in phenomenally beautiful Rocky Mountain NP with Canon’s long awaited 500mm f/4L II and 24mm f/1.4L II.

The closest I’ve been to RMNP was a backpacking trip a few friends and I took in 2008 to Indian Peaks Wilderness.

IPW is within Arapahoe National Forest and borders the southern edge of Rocky Mountain National Park.

I’ve been to a lot of beautiful places, but Indian Peaks Wilderness was certainly one of the most stunning.

And then of course… like an old friend waiting for a long overdue visit… Big Bend. Except for 2012, I have been at least once every year for the last 10+ years.

It’s a magical place. With a character and an energy like no other place I’ve been, it has the ability to soothe ones soul. It’s a perfect mixture of southwest desert and rugged mountains.

Along with the lenses, I will be testing out some new filters, new techniques, and I hope it will be a rejuvenating experience. And I want to share it with all of you…

So please, feel free to ask questions, give tips, make comments, and check back over the next several weeks for updates. I will be sharing some of the secrets and tricks of the trade!

Cheers!

— andrew

all images and content © andrew r. slaton | photographer 2013

art, film making, landscape, nature, photography, travel, wildlife, workshop, writing

brazos bend | where the wild things are

If you’ve visited this blog more than once, you probably know that I love Brazos Bend State Park. And I LOVE alligators. Strange, I know.

But an interesting new development from this last trip to the park uncovered a love for birds that I never knew I had.

Thanks to my amazing wife, this interest has been unlocked and given new life to the park I’ve been visiting for a decade.

I actually spent more time on this trip looking for different species of birds than with my alligator friends. Go figure!

Don’t get me wrong though, I still love my gators. But my appreciation and knowledge for the feathered fauna is growing.

I can’t wait to share this park with students and teach them the amazing nuances of nature/ wildlife photography at such a phenomenally bountiful and biologically diverse place.

We will also spend some time on time lapse and video… If you’re interested in learning more, visit my Brazos Bend workshops page.

Also, all images and video will be available for purchase as stock via Tandem Stills + Motion.

american alligator

white ibis

tree lined trail with spanish moss

american alligator

male cardinal

yellow-crowned night heron

black-bellied whistling-duck

american alligator

great egret

juvenile yellow-crowned night heron

live oak landscape

butterfly in showy primrose

eastern bluebird

yellow-crowned night heron

wild blackberries

herbertia

texas dandelion

anhinga

white ibis

cattle egret

ellie and hunter bird watching

white-marked tussock moth (orgyia leucostigma) caterpillar

red tailed hawk flying

red-tailed hawk

male cardinal

yellow-crowned night heron

american alligator

alligator time-lapse… watch in HD!

american alligator

elm lake time-lapse… watch in HD!

elm lake

elm lake time-lapse… watch in HD!

elm lake

elm lake time-lapse… watch in HD!

elm lake

40 acre lake

yellow-crowned night heron

white ibis during it’s first spring

american alligator

swampy landscape

white ibis during it’s first spring

northern rough-winged swallows

snowy egret

white ibis flying

pilant lake, swamp

swampy forest

black-bellied whistling-duck

40 acre lake

american alligator

white tailed deer fawn

red shouldered hawk

live oak and spanish moss time lapse… watch in HD!

live oak and spanish moss

live oak and spanish moss time lapse… watch in HD!

american alligator

barred owl footage… watch in HD!

barred owl

yellow-crowned night heron

pilant slough

ellie stoking fire at dusk

full moon

full moon time lapse… watch in HD!

full moon

horseshoe lake time lapse… watch in HD!

horseshoe lake

large black wild pig

live oak with spanish moss time lapse… watch in HD!

male cardinal

tri color heron flying

juvenile yellow-crowned night heron

black-bellied whistling-ducks

american alligator

black-crowned night heron stalking it’s prey

yellow-crowned night heron

common moorhen

yellow-crowned night heron

water hyacinth

male alligator during breeding season

anhinga swimming

yellow-crowned night heron

red-bellied woodpecker

anhinga sunning

red tailed hawk

snowy egret

red slider turtle crossing the road

violet wood sorrel

red-bellied woodpecker

great blue heron

american alligators

american alligator

snowy egret

red slider turtle on a log

snowy egret

texas rat snake

art, film making, landscape, nature, photography, travel

lake hudson | time lapse

A few weeks ago we went to my cousin’s cabin on Lake Hudson in Oklahoma.

It was a wonderful time to relive warm childhood memories, and help create new impressions with our little nephews.

It also happens to be a beautiful place. So I took the opportunity to shoot a few time lapse videos to share.

I’m excited to be offering time lapse classes soon… Be on the lookout at Slaton // Workshops. Enjoy!

art, landscape, nature, photography, travel

a cool toned campout

my brother in law invited a few of his friends and me to his uncle’s farm to camp this past weekend.

other than me, it was a bunch of dad’s with their young kiddos. a little terrifying for me at first, but it turned out to be an incredibly fun weekend.