I recently got the chance to photograph a couple of very close friends. Mandy, Lucas, the pups, and I all went for a excursion to find a Christmas tree.

A new way of seeing

I was recently given a chance to learn a new and unknown craft to me, it's a certain genre of photography that I had shunned for years. A dear friend of mine has been working within the field of portraiture and wedding photography for a number of years. I have always been envious of the photos she is able to capture. Time and time again, I attempted to manipulate the effect, that she casts across her portfolio. And time and time again, I failed to recreate the awe encapsulated in her photography. It wasn't until I got a one on one lesson with her that I was finally able to understand her vision.

Marianne allowed me to photograph her and and her boyfriend, Mark, as she directed the both of them. Throughout this session I slowly began to understand her trade secrets. Which, for the sake of professionalism, I will respectfully decline to release.

I feel as though I have been passed a torch of understanding, a new way of seeing. "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery." And it is from this, that I hope to take my mentors lessons and progress them into my own. I am forever thankful to Marianne for allowing me a glance at the secrets that so closely define her and her work. Please check out Marianne's work at MarianneBrownPhotography.net

Another Day on the Job

Over the past 4 years I have taken around 150,000 rafting photos. I love my job! But I gotta be honest. Taking the same photograph 1,000 times a day will suck the creativity right out of it. It's the same shot, taken from the same location day after day. It's a mindless formula, and I often get in creative slumps because of it. This summer I have been attempting to step it up a notch. I'm constantly looking for new locations, new angles, and new shots.

On Clear Creek we have a rapid called Hells Canyon. Boats enter Hell with a rapid aptly named Guide Ejector, and end with Deep Hole. It's over a 3/4's of a mile with rocky class IV technical nastiness. When boats enter Hell, I am always anxiously awaiting their safe emergence on the opposite side.

Hells Canyon is also a popular spot for rock climbing. And to access some of the walls, climbers need to cross the river. They have strung ropes across the river in Upper Hell to do so. I have had my eyes on these ropes for 4 years. And it wasn't until yesterday, that I took some initiative to get on them.

I borrowed a harness, some caribeaners, grabbed my camera, and put myself out on a wire. And there I dangled awaiting my 9 boat trip. A few minutes later I saw an upside down boat coming around the corner upstream. At the time I was cursing myself because I had missed the carnage above. As the second boat rounded the corner, I could see it was overloaded with 9 frantic people. And just as they passed below me, they dumped 6 into the water. It was mayhem! I was in the middle of the action all the while dangling safely from above. I was so close I had to lift my feet up so I didn't kick anyone.

This summer I am attempting to take my adventure photography to a new level. I'm putting myself in the action to get the shots that I envision. I'm doing things that people don't and won't do. Who knows what's next. I may be dangling over a 400 foot cliff to get a shot of a kayaker running a 1,000 foot slide. Plans are in the works, so be on the look out for some new and exciting angles.

To brand or not to brand

I was recently invited by a friend from high school, to take photos of the yearly calf branding just outside of Boulder. The cattle inhabit the Boulder Open Space, where the traditions of the rancher are still practiced by a select few families.The Shanahan ridge marks the south side of town where the Shanahan family and their cattle reside. Krystyna Shanahan, asked me to come out and give a hand for this years branding.

I gotta be honest, I didn't get dirty. Actually, I did. But I didn't wrestle any calves. Unfortunately, I had to go to work afterwards. But I really wanted to. My boss wasn't too pleased when I showed up to work covered in shit. The framing shop was tracked by the end of the day. Delicate artwork and poo don't mix. Well, it is what it is, and it was worth it. I got the shots that I wanted.

The idea of the branding is a controversial one for many people. And that's why I jumped on the chance to document it. Since posting some of the images on Facebook, I have received comments calling the whole process sickening and comparing it to Hitlers regime. I agree, it does appear to be cruel at first sight. The cattle are released into a pen 10 at a time, teams of two wrestle down one cattle. Then another team comes through to give the calf shots, de-horn, castrate, and brand it. Sounds brutal, but I think the calves get the better of the humans by the end of it. People get kicked, rammed, and tossed. It was somewhat reminiscent of watching Wrestlemania as a kid.

Do you like hamburgers? How about a steak? For you to enjoy that sultry steak, there are things that need to be done to get it on your plate. One thing that bothers me as an American, is that the people are willing eat meat to their hearts desire, but they aren't willing to accept the unsightliness associated with the process. This can be applied to many royalties that we as American's enjoy. How about your clothing for instance? Don't even get me started on that one.

If you were a cow where would you rather reside? In the feed lots of Greeley with 500,000 of your closest buddies. Or in lush pastures where the daisies tickle your hooves and the definitive Flatirons loom above. "I'll take Boulder for $2000, Alex." Actually, that doesn't seem half bad to me. All I have to do is get wrestled and branded and I get to live in Boulder hassle and monetarily free? Sign me up!

Sometimes I wish I were a painter, and not a photographer

I recently went on an excursion to Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP). This was the first time I had been to the park since I had picked up a camera 8 years ago. And so, I felt I was walking into the park with an unbiased eye.

I have these memories from my times in boy scouts, of giant bull elk proudly protecting their herd in Moraine Park. Craggy glacial valleys lay basked in the glowing afternoon sunlight in the distance. It was these memories that eventually led me to photography. I was led to record these moments in time, to savor and share. I wanted to relive the brief moments of beauty that I had been presented with.

On a recent trip to the Denver Art Museum, I rediscovered a love for a particular artist, Albert Bierstadt. Bierstadt was a painter that helped to romanticize the west in the 19th century. His images depicted grand landscapes that were extravagantly lit, with flora and fauna in abundance. These were the images that glorified the west, and encouraged the westward expansion in the 1800's. Interestingly enough, these are the same memories from when I was a young scout.

My goal in attending RMNP was to recapture one of these moments I had encountered in my youth. Over the course of three days, I spent the majority of the time scouting locations, looking for wildlife, and attempting to escape the crowds. I settled on the very place where my memories lay, Moraine Park. I waited for the elk to present themselves in the soon to be setting sun.

After the realization that nothing would present itself, I darted to the next valley over, where I found a large herd of elk awaiting my arrival. There were several well endowed satellite bull that were placed quite conveniently in front of an impressive backdrop. Everything I envisioned was coming together, everything except for the light. It was flat, lacking in vibrancy, and had little atmospheric significance. I captured a few shots that were similar in composition to my vision, but nothing in relation to the grandiose landscape I envisioned.

There are three things that are needed to make a quality landscape photograph; skill, vision and light. To some extent, I have control over two of those necessities. But there is one, that I have no control over whatsoever. Light. It comes and goes. Sometimes I witness it, sometimes I don't. Painters on the other hand, need only skill and vision. And it was then that I realized, "I wish I were a painter, and not a photographer." If that were the case, I wouldn't have to wait around for the light to be right, I could just fake it.

I am by no means demeaning the validity of the painter as an artist. It takes a lot of skill and technique to master the canvas. But this is the one place where painters have the upper hand on photographers. They can paint a scene that is lit anyway they'd like. Photographers on the other hand have to wait for the convergence of many factors. Easier said than done.

In the past year, I can think of maybe a handful of instances where the light has presented itself to my satisfaction. It lasts for mere moments, but yet I still spend months on end in search of it. Why? Because, when it does happen, it's as if God's hand (term used loosely) has basked the land in some sort of alternative significance.

I don't know what your beliefs are, and sometimes I question my own. But it is these very moments in time that affirm my Pantheistic beliefs. This is not a recognition of a God. More so the acknowledgement and unification of; universe, nature and god (lower case g intentional). One is no greater than the other. And it is this belief that drives myself to capture the significance that nature has to offer.

I kinda feel like I am preaching now. The reason I wrote this essay was to regain the validity of the photographer as an artist. Its not all bells and whistles. Just because you own a fancy camera doesn't mean that you are an artist. There are many hours of labor invested in the click of a shutter. And it is that 1/100th of a second that will continue to inspire my growth as a photographer, as well as a human being.

Been A While

Since my last post I have been keeping busy with a number different photos and projects. Everything from backcountry ski trips to glass conventions in Las Vegas. I would go through and tell you more about each, but that might take a while. So, instead I'm only going to share a couple of photos from my recent adventures. Hopefully I will be able to jump on the bandwagon again, and post on here more regularly.

Gallery Show in Longmont

Alright people. Here's the deal, I have been really busy the past few weeks doing work. I landed a job at a framing shop in Boulder. I know it sounds lame. But for me, this is really exciting. The perks that come with the job are worth mentioning as well. I get major discounts on framing. Which is the shit!My employment in photography up to this point, has been rather scattered. Anything from newspapers, to rafting, weddings and product shoots. I have gained a wealth of invaluable knowledge along the way. But for me, I was never truly satisfied in the photographs I was taking. In fact, it took away from the work that I wanted to be doing. You know what, if you want to read more about this topic, continue down a few paragraphs, and read my artists statement. It pretty much says, what I was going to say.

Anyways, the other perk of my job is that they have a gallery, that I am able to display my work. I got this job about a month ago. A month is not very long to try and get something together. So, I have been digging through files, editing and printing, failing and editing again, matting, framing, writing, designing a new website, and staying up far past my bedtime. The gallery is in Longmont, Colorado, which has a growing art scene, but still isn't much. I will be participating in Second Friday's on January 8th at The Artist's Gallery . I welcome you to drop by and say hello. There will be snacks (killer meatballs), wine (pay bar, did someone say BYOB?), and did I mention there will be art by yours truly.

As many of you know, I enjoy exploring the many genre's of photography. But for this show I have only chosen landscapes to showcase. Landscapes sell, and I'm a starving artist. We'll see how this show goes. Hopefully it will lead to something more.

Above is the info card that I will be passing out. If you go to JoshSchutz.com in the next day, you will probably get my old website. Tonights project is to make the new site live. So hold your horses on that one. I also encourage you to read the artists statement. This statement refers to all of my work, but is more specific to the landscapes that will be shown. I'll save my other projects for future shows, it's gonna get nutty in here!

I hope to see some familiar faces at the opening. If you unable to attend, I won't be offended. Like I said, shared show, not that big of a deal. But I have to say, the pieces do like nice.

P.S. the photos shown below are not necessarily the ones in the show.

Artists Statement

For as long as I can remember, I have been seeking solitude in wild places. I’m not too sure what drove me to do so, but I knew it was powerful. On an infamous day in 2001, I bought my first camera. At first I was driven to take photographs of the wilds that surrounded me in my everyday life. But it wasn’t long before I realized that that was the very thing I was trying to separate myself from. My camera quickly became attached to my body while exploring the diverse landscapes and landmarks that surrounded me.

For me, the initial thought of mainstream life can motivate retraction to the solace I find in the backcountry. Occasionally, I am blessed with moments where light, setting, and time have aligned themselves to create a poetic setting. It is then my task to compose those elements in the scene, and capture the essence of what is before me. The photograph merely enables me to recollect and share the few moments of peace I have attained through the escape of civilization and everyday life.

The pursuit of the aesthetic in everything around me is never ending. I am constantly preparing myself for the next Golden Cathedral or Zen Landscape, and hoping that this one is as peaceful as the last. I truly feel amongst the Gods when I am able to align my being with the external forces that govern my world. For me, this is more than a walk in the woods. This is a quest for the divine inspiration that surrounds me.