Pilot Peak

Okay, so I have another mountain portrait obsession*. Pilot Peak. Well, technically, it started four years ago on my usual Fall trip to Wyoming and Montana. But it really hit me this year.

*Note: See Squaretop & Long’s Peak

I didn’t spend more than a few mid-afternoon hours exploring a few different vantage points this year, but be watching in the future, because I will no doubt return.

Pilot is a very Matterhorn-esque peak with a really dramatic and jagged summit.

For the most part, this visit was a scouting trip. I know, I know… I’ve been to this area 10,000 times. But I’ve had a lot of new vision swirling around my brain lately, so I’m beginning to see things a little differently.

I’m excited to see growth this year. And new mountain obsessions…

— andrew

Take your photography to the next level… check out my NEW workshop dates:

Grand Teton Photographic Tour/ Workshops 2015

More Destination Photo Tours/ Workshops 2015

If you are interested in licensing any of the images/ video from this post, please visit my stock agency:

Tandem Stills + Motion // andrew r. slaton

If you are interested in purchasing prints from this post, please check my prints for sale, or email me directly for a custom request:

andrew r. slaton // photographer // prints

For assignment work requests, please email me: andrew@andrewslatonphoto.com

Thanks for visiting AndrewSlatonBlog.com!

all images and content © ARS Media, LLC 2014

photography, random thought, travel

Telluride // What I learned…

The biggest take-away for me from this year’s Telluride Photo Festival was… drumroll please….

….Shoot for yourself. Not what you think editors/ agencies/ clients want… just keep shooting the way you see the world.

Sounds pretty basic, right? Well if you’re a full time professional photographer, trying to support your family, this basic concept can get lost. Super lost.

It’s easy to go out and copy the style of the day… what’s running in the magazines and advertisements. That takes technical expertise, but not talent or creativity. And we as artists can get lost in the game of chasing trends and dollars.

That’s not to say that you aren’t going to need to adjust and grow and learn. Don’t get me wrong. And it also doesn’t mean that aren’t going to be assignments that require us to set aside our agendas and opinions to get the job done the way the client needs it.

I think the point here is that we as artists are unique. In fact, often the only thing that sets us apart from the bajilliun other “photographers” out there is our eye’s particular way of seeing and interpreting our world. So what I’m saying is, don’t lose that.

It’s not a narcissistic rejection of everyone/ everything else. Selfish pursuit of personal fulfillment. No, quite the contrary.

You get hired for your distinct and unique perspective. What really becomes difficult now is incorporating your style, your eye into what your client/ editor needs.

And this is what I tried to shift my focus to over the last five weeks on the road.

As I mentioned in The Active Landscape post, it’s good for us to push ourselves, grow, and even adapt to the market. But what good does it do if we lose our personal vision and style in the process. Spoiler alert… it doesn’t.

Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others. ~ Jonathan Swift

So keep growing, learning, and challenging the way you see, but don’t lose that which makes you unique! No one else sees the world the way you do.

~ andrew

Take your photography to the next level… check out my new workshop dates:

Grand Teton Photographic Tour/ Workshops 2014

More Destination Photo Tours/ Workshops 2014

If you are interested in licensing any of the images/ video from this post, please visit my stock agency:

Tandem Stills + Motion // andrew r. slaton

If you are interested in purchasing prints from this post, please check my prints for sale, or email me directly for a custom request:

andrew r. slaton // photographer // prints

For assignment work requests, please email me: andrew@andrewslatonphoto.com

Thanks for visiting AndrewSlatonBlog.com!

all images and content © ARS Media, LLC 2014

landscape, travel

A Few Faces of Long’s Peak // 48 Hrs in RMNP

If you’ve been following this blog at all, you’ll know that I love photographing mountains. And if you’ve been following for a long time, you might know that I can get obsessed with particularly handsome mountain faces. *Note: See Squaretop

Well, I have a new one. And it’s a very well-known one: Long’s Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park, Co.

I know i’m probably a little late to the party with Long’s, but I only first saw this imposing peak last summer. So, it was an opportunity to explore the mountains a bit more when I decided to tack on a quick visit to RMNP this October, after an overnighter in Denver.

And Long’s Peak did not disappoint.

When you only have 2 days in a location, I believe it can be more beneficial to focus on a dominant aspect of that place and explore it from many angles. It’s tough. I would even consider it a discipline. The temptation for me is always to try to pack it all in and see everything. But there is benefit to slowing down and studying… and the next time you have the opportunity to spend a little more time in that locale, you will have abetter understanding of the light, and the many faces of the mountains.

— andrew

Take your photography to the next level… check out my NEW workshop dates:

Grand Teton Photographic Tour/ Workshops 2015

More Destination Photo Tours/ Workshops 2015

If you are interested in licensing any of the images/ video from this post, please visit my stock agency:

Tandem Stills + Motion // andrew r. slaton

If you are interested in purchasing prints from this post, please check my prints for sale, or email me directly for a custom request:

andrew r. slaton // photographer // prints

For assignment work requests, please email me: andrew@andrewslatonphoto.com

Thanks for visiting AndrewSlatonBlog.com!

all images and content © ARS Media, LLC 2014

landscape, nature, photography, travel, wildlife

PINS selects

Elle and I traveled to Padre Island National Seashore this weekend to enjoy the ocean.

Beach camping proved a bit more difficult than our usual locations… but it was great prep for the Everglades.

Too much sun, sand, and wind were the low points, for sure. However, the good certainly outweighed the bad.

And as I prepare to leave today for my trip, I am very glad we had the time together.

Here are a few of my favorites from the long weekend….

–andrew

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If you are interested in learning more about photography, taking your art to a new level, and/ or Big Bend photography tours and workshops, please check out my new workshop dates:

B ig Bend Photographic Tour/ Workshops 2013-2014

More Destination Photo Tours/ Workshops 2013-2014

If you are interested in licensing any of the images/ video from this post, please visit my stock agency:

Tandem Stills + Motion // andrew r. slaton

If you are interested in purchasing prints from this post, please check my prints for sale, or email me directly for a custom request:

andrew r. slaton // photographer // prints

For assignment work requests, please email me: andrew@andrewslatonphoto.com

Thanks for visiting AndrewSlatonBlog.com!

equipment review, instructional, photography, travel, writing

planning an epic road trip // equipped

“The single most important component of a camera is the twelve inches behind it.”

Ansel Adams

Equipment

It cannot be said enough… the equipment is only as good as the photographer using it. With that said, I am a lover of gadgetry and get really excited when I have the opportunity to learn a new tool that will help me achieve better, more consistent results with my imagery.

So for this trip, Canon is sending me the 5D MK III, TS-E 17mm, and the new Speedlite 600EX-RT to evaluate and review here on the blog…

I know the MK III is not very new anymore, but I’m excited to put it to the test in one of North America’s most extreme environments. And I am really looking forward to spending some quality time with Canon’s widest and highest rated tilt-shift lens, and the newest Speedlite technology.

But regarding other equipment, and being prepared for a trip such as this, I have had to plan accordingly, with weather as the biggest “x” factor.

From dry bags and applying scotch guard to as much as possible, to purchasing mosquito netting for my head, I have tried my best to think it all through. I will be bringing multiple rain covers no doubt.

Check out this video that explains a bit more, and see some of the gear that will (hopefully) get me through the extreme conditions…

“Never forget that all the great photographs in history were made with more primitive camera equipment than you currently own.”

Brooks Jensen

To know what equipment to bring and what to leave behind, I think carefully through my shot list. What tools will I need to give myself the best chance to achieve each image? Only experience helps me determine that with any accuracy. And the more you shoot, the more confident you’ll be when practicing this.

It’s a very obvious, yet important part of the planning process. There’s nothing worse than arriving on location after days of driving, only to realize you so wish you had brought that second tripod, or the 2x extender.

Don’t rush through this step, or chances are, you’ll be frustrated later…

— andrew

“There is nothing worse than a sharp image of a fuzzy concept.”
Ansel Adams

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

If you are interested in learning more about photography, taking your art to a new level, and/ or Big Bend photography tours and workshops, please check out my new workshop dates:

B ig Bend Photographic Tour/ Workshops 2013-2014

More Destination Photo Tours/ Workshops 2013-2014

If you are interested in licensing any of the images/ video from this post, please visit my stock agency:

Tandem Stills + Motion // andrew r. slaton

If you are interested in purchasing prints from this post, please check my prints for sale, or email me directly for a custom request:

andrew r. slaton // photographer // prints

For assignment work requests, please email me: andrew@andrewslatonphoto.com

Thanks for visiting AndrewSlatonBlog.com!

andrew slaton | blog

travelogue and visual catharsis of a nomadic photographer

Tag Archives: tandem

MT Obsession // Pilot Peak

Telluride // What I learned…

A Few Faces of Long’s Peak // 48 Hrs in RMNP

PINS selects

planning an epic road trip // equipped

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