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, photography, travel

vermejo 2011

ah, vermejo park ranch, new mexico…

this place never seems to get old…and this year could have been the best yet.

this fantastic opportunity arose for me more than three years ago, and since then, i decided to start a new side of my business…

ranch HAND | photographic is a photography company that caters to high-end guest ranches, much like vermejo.

we provide stunning and unique imagery to fit the marketing needs of ranches whose income is generated by hunting, fishing, and tourism.

please check out the new website, and enjoy the 2011 vermejo images!

all images © andrew r. slaton | photographer 2011

art, photography, travel

vermejo stars

my obsession with star trails continues….

this year in vermejo, new mexico i really got after it. and i’m pretty happy with quite a few of them.

all images © andrew r. slaton | photographer 2011

art, photography, travel

preview: vermejo

i’m sorry for all of these “previews”, but i’m just very anxious to share some of my newest work before i have full posts ready.

as you may know from previous posts (see vermejo, nm, bear encounter: proof, vermejo again, and 4 weeks in vermejo), i have been blessed enough the last three years to have great friends and clients that hire me to go out to vermejo park ranch in new mexico for a few weeks every summer to shoot. and last year, vermejo hired me to come out for another two weeks to shoot for them.

well this year is no different, and i’m back for two weeks in august.

i must admit, it is one of my favorite jobs of all time. i hope it never ends.

so this year, with my new star picture obsession, i decided to try to capture the beauty of this place at night.

here are a few i shot last night…

i’ll share a lot more images when i get back. the internet here is very slow.