Art With Altitude
Recently my work has been featured in Art With Altitude Magazine. The artwork showcased encompasses a variety of imagery genres. Here are some additional behind-the-scenes details on how the images were captured.
1. ECLIPSE OUTLAW CHASE
April 8th 2024. Llano County, Texas (4M Morris Ranch)
Female Outlaws escape a chase group riding full gallop with pistols and rifles underneath the Total Solar Eclipse in Hill Country Texas on April 8th 2024.
This project took over 250-hours to conceptualize, research, scout, and included three nights of test shooting, two additional nights of test shooting with the horses to get them acclimated to the darkness during Totality and the powerful wireless flashes, and one final moment during Totality where this photograph was captured in the span of 4 minutes and 23 seconds.
The project began in January 2024 when the final concept came to mind. I envisioned a surreal western outlaw chase scene, a powerful visual and an ode to a foregone era filled with cowboys, outlaws, and the settling of the west. A juxtaposition of culture during that period, I cast the female riders as the outlaws, painting a unique picture and allowing exploration within the viewers imagination. Within this photograph, Lance and Stephanie Morris chase their twin daughters, also a planned metaphor of rebellious youth, and parents giving their children freedom to take the reins and ride off into the sunset.
Having never been to Texas, or familiar with local land-owners or equestrians, it took investigative reporting and a small miracle for all the puzzle pieces to align. From roughly 30 conversations and dozens of hours of research, to connecting with two private groups in March on a separate scouting trip, this project took everything I had in me.
I was able to shoot a single frame exposure during Totality with 6 wireless flashes, along with a multi-image sequence without flashes to silhouette the riders naturally in one single exposure, and finally an in-camera double exposure (*pictured here) which required a very technical and risky move swapping out two lenses to increase the size of the Eclipse within a single in-camera photograph. The sunset-appearing light on the horizon, is daylight and the end of Totality racing towards our location.
2. ECLIPSE GODDESS
October 14th 2023. Annular Solar Eclipse. Capitol Reef, Utah
A mythical female silhouette of a lone cowboy stands atop a pinnacle beneath the eclipsing Sun in Capitol Reef, Utah.
When I began pursuing the Annular Solar Eclipse of 2023, I poured over maps and the path of the eclipse, deciding the Capitol Reef area within the Utah desert was the best location. Originally, I wanted to shoot a mountain biking image, zooming in on a ridgeline and rider to compress the Sun/Moon and increase the size within the frame. Unfortunately, the Sun would already be too high in the sky, thus requiring the subject to be positioned on the edge of a cliff, too exposed for a mountain bike.
I started to brainstorm. A lone hiker would be much easier to position on a ridgeline, however it would be a basic concept. Finally, my imagination brought me to my love of western culture, and the beauty of female form. Female energy is often associated with the Sun and Moon, and pairing those elements would tell a beautiful story. This project took nearly 100 hours to complete, involving dozens of hours planning, days of scouting, rehearsing body positions, and marking X’s in the sand (indicating where I needed to be as the sun moved throughout the eclipse). The model also had to precariously pose on the edge of a 200ft cliff for over an hour, while I shot directly into the sun from below, a backlit scene graced with a sheet of thin passing clouds.
3. BLACKTAIL NIGHT DRAGON
Grand Canyon (Blacktail Slot Canyon), Arizona.
Staring up at the night sky through a tight gap in the walls of Blacktail Canyon, a slot canyon deep within the Grand Canyon on the Colorado River, Arizona.
Halfway through a 21-day rafting trip down the Grand Canyon, I ventured into Blacktail Canyon in the night with a friend Kent Vertrees. Having previously explored the small canyon at sunset, I was hoping night would lend itself to some unique compositions.
Hiking within the tunnel vision of our bright headlamps, we stopped randomly to check where we were. We turned off our headlamps and glanced upward. We were both immediately struck by the aesthetic formation looking above where two canyon walls seemed to merge into one and create a surreal and balanced opening to the sky. We continued to explore the canyon, looking upward to find something similar, but that one spot happened to be the best by far.
After shooting a few images of Kent, I stayed within the canyon for a couple additional hours, shooting a panoramic image, and finally setting up this 90-minute exposure. The goal was simple, to capture a very surreal opening to the night sky. Blacktail Canyon also features a unique geologic layer named as the Great Unconformity. To the everyday geological community, the Great Unconformity presents a major mystery. Some geologists see the Great Unconformity as a massive missing period in the earth’s geological record. In Blacktail Canyon, they would say the Great Unconformity represents about 1.2 billion years in Earth’s past, for which they have no record.
4. HARVEST STORM
Sleeping Giant. Steamboat Springs, CO
Lightning strikes the Sleeping Giant as a powerful storm rolls through the Yampa Valley at night during harvest season.
For many years I’ve wanted to capture a unique photograph featuring the Sleeping Giant and lightning strikes. In late July of 2023, this field showcased hay bales ready for harvest, and perfectly placed for an aesthetic composition. Over the course of the following two weeks, I ventured out to the location 10 times pursuing the perfect shot, aware the hay bales might be harvested and disappear any day.
On this particular evening, I noticed a dramatic storm rolling into the valley, and rushed out to the location. Quickly setting up my equipment, I braced myself for the storm. When it hit, the wind was so powerful it was hard to keep the camera weighted down to capture a still image. With lighting strikes surrounding me, I hovered beside my camera attempting to shield it from sheets of rain and wind. Completely drenched, during the mayhem I managed to capture this 30 second exposure, barely avoiding water damage to my equipment.
5. DIMENSIONS OF AUTUMN
North Routt County Colorado
Camera settings play such an important role in capturing incredible imagery. The human eye is so much more powerful than a camera, however within certain scenarios, you can utilize a camera to create incredible scenes not visible to the naked eye.
Here, soft light strikes the west facing Aspen trunks within late twilight near Hahns Peak. With a camera on a tripod, I can utilize a slow exposure and a tilt motion to blur the trunks of the Aspens while moving the camera. Within this technique, I can showcase an entirely different dimension, creating a surreal mood within the imagery. You can feel the darkness approaching, you can smell the foliage and winter approaching, you can feel the crisp autumn air.
As a photographer and artist, it’s not necessarily about capturing the moment for how it appears, but more so how it feels.
6. NIGHT AT MATKATAMIBA
Grand Canyon, Arizona
Star trails grace the dark skies above the Colorado River and towering canyon walls deep within the Grand Canyon, Arizona. This image was captured near the Matkat Hotel campsite within the inner gorge of the Grand Canyon via a composite image, the first image being a 90-minute exposure to capture the star trails, and the second exposure coming during the first hues of dawn light, allowing the camera to expose the canyon walls cloaked in darkness from a new moon.
7. DESOLATE TWILIGHT
South Caineville Mesa, Southern Utah.
The western facing ridgelines near Capitol Reef National Park in Southern Utah absorb the last hues of twilight in near darkness during a 30 second exposure.
From my vantage point I could barely see these ridgelines nearly a mile away. Twilight, aka “the blue hour”, is known for a blue hue in the sky and the blue hue it casts on its subjects. Working with soft light like this can produce unique tones, textures, and moods, one especially showcased well by the simple color palette of Southern Utah.
I’m proud of this composition because it’s a location I found…that I put in the work to scout. The foreground hillside has a different colored soil, tinted auburn with perfectly spaced bushes, such as wonderful aesthetic. I was so stoked when I found this composition, and I will return.
8. QUIET MIND
Rabbit Ears Summit, Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
A lone hiker (Mary Wiemken) stands atop the summit of Rabbit Ears underneath the night sky on the Continental Divide near Steamboat Springs Colorado.
In June of 2020, I was shooting landscape imagery of Rabbit Ears Peak and wondered what the climbing route looked like to summit. I’ve heard rumors of bolted routes, but have never personally known anyone to summit. After wandering up to the base of the ears, the route was obvious, and after a few climbing/scrambling moves I found myself on top thinking, "nobody actually knows I'm up here, I probably should get down now." Immediately, the idea came to me of silhouetting a lone hiker atop Rabbit Ears Peak in the night.
Most concepts take a few years before they can be pursued. Finally in July of 2023 I set out with my friend Mary Wiemken. With Mary being an avid climber, I figured she would be a great option and be comfortable with the exposure. For a couple hours Mary stood on the edge of the ears, staring off into the abyss, remaining still between takes for the exposure.
Within adventure or action sports photography, there’s always an extreme level of communication between the athlete and the photographer. The result typically depends on both individuals. I love this concept, a simple composition of a well-known landscape, but adding the human element within the frame for scale and mood, a small detail that tells a much deeper story.
9. DESERT MIDNIGHT OASIS
Glen Canyon National Monument, Southern Utah.
Illuminating a desert alcove deep within Glen Canyon during peak autumn foliage in Southern Utah. It’s always exciting to visualize a different dimension, essentially studio lighting these massive outdoor scenes to showcase different colors and textures that aren’t typically visible.
This image was captured via four separate lights during a 2 minute and 20 second exposure. Behind these captures, perfect lighting is always demanded. Sometimes I’m able to dial in the off-camera lighting or flashes perfectly on the first attempt, and in other scenarios it takes me hours. On this evening, I was able to position a powerful light backlighting the back right tree, another illuminating the canyon alcove wall, I also used my headlamp to light-paint the falls (top down to mimic soft studio lighting) for just a few seconds during the exposure, and finally my brother Ben Wetzel utilized a headlamp to light-paint the left trees.
Thank you for your support!
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