Cheyenne L Rouse's Southwestern Photography | Discover The Magic and Mystery of the West & Southwest

The Land of the Ancients – The Photo Journey of my Dreams!

Posted on November 19, 2011 by Cheyenne L. Rouse

Lomaki Sunshine

Being born and raised in sunny Miami and spending the first 30 years of my life there, it is hard to say where my fascination and “connectedness” to the Ancient Cultures of the Southwest came from. I have been out west for 21 years now and with each passing year my yearning to get deeper into the Land of the Ancients in the Four Corners region of the Southwest gets stronger and stronger. In 1991 I went back to school to get my certificate in American Indian Studies with my focus being the Ancient Southwest, I was so thirsty for knowledge about this amazing culture and couldn’t wait to get to class each Tuesday and Thursday. I was totally the teachers pet and sat in the very front row, I didn’t want to miss a thing. The other students hated me and my over enthusiastic attitude, I would have hated me back in school too, what a goober! If only something had held my interest like this in grade school my parents would have been much happier with my performance.

Ancient Canyon Pictographs

I just returned from another amazing photo journey deep into The Land of the Ancients. I was in the Four Corners region of the Southwest which includes SE Utah, NE Arizona, SW Colorado and NW New Mexico, hence the tag “Four Corners” has been given to it. I went to one place that I have been dreaming about shooting photos for many years. Upon my return home with hours on the drive home to think about and process the experience in my head, I have decided to be a bit mysterious about this particular location. Namely due to the fact this one is not on the map nor is it well known and I don’t want to add to any traffic that could harm these archaeological wonders. Of course there are many, mainly photographers, who know where this magical place is and just like I did anyone can do their research and find it. So what I am saying is I am going to make you work to get your own photographs from some of these places, it’s more rewarding when you have to work for it, right?

Hisatsinom Dreams

Armed with a full pack – it felt reminiscent of my mountain climbing days – I carried 2 Tamron lenses, a 10-24mm and 18-270mm, a lightweight tripod, food, water, a down bag, camp chair, sleeping bag as well as lots of warm clothes. We made our way down into the canyon into what was to be an amazing 12 hour shoot that left us both in awe. This location was one that I could not wait to lay my eyes on, to see what the Ancient Ones had seen hundreds of years ago and feel the ancient spirits that were still present. We were prepared to stay the night if need be, it was a treacherous trail in the day light so we figured once we got up into the ruin we were there until the sun rose. I knew temps were going to drop into the high 20′s and me being more of a warm weather desert girl was hoping that having every fleece and down product on that I owned (ok not EVERY one) would keep me warm.

Timeless Vision at Night

We arrived at the ruin in the late afternoon and my travel partner let me walk in a few minutes ahead of him – I think he knew that I needed to view it for the 1st time in silence and by myself. It took my breath away – it was everything and MORE than I had envisioned in my mind and I thought about this place numerous times. All I could think was “WOW” – it was amazing and I knew that I was here to get the photos that I had seen in my dreams. I silently found a spot to unload my pack and quickly but reverently I set up my tripod and got my camera with the Tamron 10-24mm ready. This ancient alcove screamed for a wide angle lens so this lens was perfect. We set up and watched the magic happen for almost 12 hours – the clouds swirled and moved off to the east, the sun set and then the in the clear cold night the stars came out for a show, it was one of the darkest nights I had ever seen. We worked fast to get some great star shots before the moon came up which we knew would happen around 9:30PM. Then the glow of the moon was slowly making it’s way into the canyon – it was amazing to watch it all happen just like it had been doing for thousands of years. It is amazing for me to think that all of this beauty is always here – year after year – whether anyone sees it or not – it is here – words like strength, power, consistency and resilience came to mind as I looked out over this ancient land and listened to the silence that at times was deafening. I loved it!

Big Horn Family

At about 2AM I decided that all of my down products were not going to insulate me until the sun came up and I was COLD and all I could think about was the warm bed waiting for me. With the bright moon light we decided to give the hike out a try. It was a bit dicey in places and luckily my travel partner was a master at trail finding in the dark. It took us about an hour to get out with the moon guiding us – it was a beautiful hike back to the car. We knew that we had just witnessed something so amazing and we would not only need to process the experience but we couldn’t wait to process our photos. At 4AM my head hit the pillow in my very warm bed and I drifted off into a magical slumber dreaming about ancient times and what it must have been like.

Box Canyon Ruin

On my way to and from The Land of the Ancients I made a few stops to shoot some petroglyphs (pecked into the rock) and pictographs (painted on the rock) that I knew about. I used my Tamron 18-270mm to shoot the rock art – I love the up close detail of these ancient messages and this lens made it easy to zoom right in. I also stopped at Wupatki National Monument just north of Flagstaff – I wanted a well rounded and full “Ancient Experience” as far as my photos went and I am happy to say that I felt like I achieved my goal.

One Happy Photographer

In closing, I feel so fortunate to have realized a dream of mine – there are times when I am totally in awe and so amazed at the life that I have created for myself. It’s not an easy life at times, as anyone who makes a living as an artist can tell you. I have had some of the richest experiences of anyone that I know and feel SO lucky that I am able to live in an area of the country that speaks to my soul and do what I love for a living. With the world going seemingly mad these days it is nice to know that I can quickly escape to my magical world and feel transported back to a time when ancient people walked on this quiet Earth and lived simply. What also makes it so special for me is that I get to share my photos and my world with so many people thanks to Facebook, I have legions of loyal “friends” who are there every step of the way with me from around the globe, it is mind boggling at times. I get emails and Facebook messages from people telling me how my work and passion have inspired them to start shooting photos again. It is so humbling and satisfying to hear that, I feel like I have done my job if I can inspire just ONE person to follow their passion and create the life that they have only dreamed of. If I can do it then anyone can do it….now go live the life of your dreams and be sure to take your camera with you! Thank you for letting me share with you!

And I’d be remiss if I didn’t do just a little business here - Join my “Land of the Ancients” Exclusive Photo Workshop in May 2012!

—Sponsored Content

Posted in Landscapes, Old West, Photo Workshops, Photography | Tagged anasazi, ancient culture, arizona, four corners, hiking, kiva, moonlight, petroglyphs, pictographs, ruins, southwest, stars, utah | 4 Comments

Hot Air Balloons; Fun Without Ever Leaving The Ground!

Posted on October 31, 2011 by Cheyenne L. Rouse

Hot Air Balloons at night

Who knew that you could have so much fun with Hot Air Balloons without ever leaving the ground? Well I guess I already knew that but it made for a good title for this blog post didn’t it? Of course the “Gold Standard” for any Hot Air Balloon gathering is in Albuquerque, New Mexico every October, which I was fortunate to go to over 15 years ago. “Back in the day” I shot gobs and gobs of slide film and photographed the spectacle from every angle that you can imagine, the only angle I didn’t get was from the air! I would shoot “gobs and gobs” of film as insurance that I might have gotten a few good shots. This time I would be shooting with pixels and thanks to the digital age, able to instantly see the shots that I was getting. Also I know (after shooting gobs and gobs for years and years) that sometimes less is more and now I don’t need to go hog wild shooting tons of images – I had a vision in my mind and that is what I was going to focus on.

Zia Balloon

This past weekend a friend invited me to go with he and his two young boys to a local “Fall Balloon Festival” here in Scottsdale. Having seen “The Best of The Best” in Albuquerque years ago I thought to myself; “How good could this be?” Well I am happy to report that I was pleasantly surprised when we arrived and I saw an entire football field filled with deflated Hot Air Balloons just waiting to come to life. When fall arrives here in the desert the outdoor events are too numerous to count and are very popular since people are more than ready to be outside after such a long hot summer of being stuck in their air conditioned houses.

The festival was very crowded which concerned me a bit since I would have my tripod in tow and that would make me a 5-legged creature and 5-legged creatures generally don’t fare well in large crowds. I opted for my lightweight tripod with carbon fiber legs and quick-release ball head that doubled as my backpacking tripod for years. I quickly realized that if I worked “smart” here at the festival it would not be a problem, I would make this work.

"Fill'er up!

In addition to my tripod I was “armed” with my small “day” camera bag to carry my Tamron 10-24mm as well as my Tamron 18-270mm, so I had all of my bases covered for an event that called for both wide and detail shots. As the sun sank below the horizon the magic was about to happen – the glowing balloons were capturing everyone’s attention. The night was shaping up to be gorgeous, the stars starting to shine with a beautiful crescent moon elegantly hanging in the sky. The light fall breeze felt so good after such a hot summer and now it was “Show Time” for me and the balloons! I moved easily through the crowds, in and out of bumble bee balloons, a spider pig balloon and a butterfly balloon – I felt like Alice in Wonderland walking through this colorful “forest” of magical balloons. I staked out my first shooting spot and started with some wide angle shots with the Tamron 10-24mm then switched to the Tamron 18-270mm to move in for some detail – both of these lenses were perfect for this occasion; lightweight and they gave me all of the variety in focal lengths that I needed.

Wide Angle Fun

I found that the crowds of people that I was so concerned about ended up working out well for my photos, except of course when one gentlemen so mesmerized by the glow of the balloons ran right into me….oppss…no harm done, we both laughed it off. The people helped add scale and interest to my photos in addition to some fun shadows and movement. It was a great evening and I was really happy with the photos that I came away with. Best of all I kept my gear to a lightweight minimum and that enabled me to get in and out of crowds more quickly and get to the places that I needed to be. There’s definitely something to be said for keeping it simple when it comes to camera gear and those of you that know me know that I am ALL ABOUT keeping it simple! Oh and I am happy to report that I didn’t go hog wild with the pixels either, I shot about 260 frames over the course of a couple of hours and came away with many keepers!

Enjoy the great fall weather wherever you are even though some of you have already gotten that “pesky white stuff” aka SNOW over the weekend……at least I don’t have to shovel sunshine and I will take that any day! And speaking of snow, that means “you know what”, yup “The Holidays” are right around the corner. For a limited time I am offering FREE SHIPPING on all of my Matted & Signed 5×7 Fine Art Photographs in my Gift Shop – there are over 30 to choose from and ordering is so easy….just click a few buttons and “viola” you can cross a few names off of your holiday shopping list!

—-Sponsored Content

Posted in High Dynamic Range, Landscapes, Photo Workshops, Photography, Photography classes, Tamron lens review | Tagged hot air balloons, night photography, night shots, photos, tamron lenses, Tamron review | Leave a comment

Breakfast In The Desert And Dinner In The Mountains

Posted on October 20, 2011 by Cheyenne L. Rouse

Aspen Stand

I love living in Arizona – I can have breakfast in the desert and dinner in the mountains,which is exactly what I did a few days ago. I live in Scottsdale which is 2 hours south of Flagstaff, Arizona, I had heard from my sources in “Flag” that the colors were peaking or “going off” as we say in the biz, so I knew I had to get up there fast. One windy storm and the leaves would be “gone with the wind” for sure.

I got up to “Flag” in the early afternoon, a little later than I had intended to, so I made a beeline right to the location that I was told the colors were supposed to be “going off”. I have to admit on my drive north I saw nothing that would lead me to believe that there was any good color at all and I was a bit anxious to see what I would find. I was glad when I started seeing some good color along the forest dirt road I was directed to. The light was perfect with warm gold and yellow tones and I wanted to get right to work. I quickly pulled into a what looked like a nice camping spot, grabbed my camera bag and tripod and off I went….out into a world of autumn gold!

Yellow Rising

For the most part I always have a wide angle lens on my camera, I call it my “normal” lens. I love the unique perspective that it gives me. And I am all about seeing the world in a different way. I had my Tamron 10-24mm on my camera and I was standing in the middle of a stand of golden aspens breathing the crisp mountain air and taking in the beauty and light, I looked up at the gorgeous color and “BAM” there was the shot. I walked over to the aspen tree with the thickest trunk and basically put my chin to the tree turned my camera vertical and that was the shot. I love how it turned out and it’s funny, people ask me, “How do you see those things?”…..you just have to LOOK…..a wide angle lens is so much fun – just slap that lens on and the world is your “wide angle” oyster!

Aspen Meadow

Of course a wide angle is great for a “wide perspective” on landscapes as well – I like my lens at it’s widest setting – 10mm but it’s nice having the option of zooming in a bit too and with the Tamron 10-24mm I can do that. Life is all about having options isn’t it? When I get to a location that I want to shoot a unique perspective with my wide angle I actually put the camera to my eye and walk around looking through the viewfinder for “the shot”. It’s like putting on a new pair of reading glasses and walking in them for the 1st time and I wouldn’t recommend this in a busy city or at the edge of the Grand Canyon since it’s easy to trip if you aren’t careful but for me a trip over a small branch is all I had to worry about here – so don’t try this at home kids!

Silent Aspens

After all of the wide angle shots I thought I would “zoom in” for some detail photos since detail is really what makes up a sense of “place”. I put my Tamron 18-270mm lens on and as the sun sank low in the sky I noticed the shadows on the aspen tree trunks behind me so I turned my tripod around and zoomed in to isolate the patterns on the trees. The trunks on the aspen trees here were so unique, it was almost like they had animal stripes and that I would see some sort of perfectly camouflaged creature walk out of them at any moment. It was kind of creepy having those thoughts but I have a very overactive imagination and that is what happens. I wanted to give that “creepy” feeling in this detail shot of the trunks and I thought processing it to black and white would do it ….can you feel it? I shot more detail photos with the Tamron 18-270mm – it gave me so many options as far as how many focal lengths I could utilize from wide to close-up. For a quick afternoon shoot I certainly came away with a great variety of shots from super wide to dramatic close up detail. Now it was time to head into town for “dinner in the mountains” then drive back home to the desert and call it a very good day!

So get out there and see the world with a different view - whether it’s wide or close-up play with your photos and the perspectives that you want to shoot. If it’s not FUN then why do it…so let’s have some FUN! Oh, did I mention that I love living in Arizona!

– Sponsored Content

*Some of these photos (and so many more) are available as Matted 5×7 Fine Art Prints in my “Gift Shop” – only $29 and for a limited time FREE SHIPPING!

Posted in High Dynamic Range, Landscapes, Photo Workshops, Photography, Photography classes | Tagged arizona, aspens, fall, hdr, photography, tamron, workshops | Leave a comment

Magical Moments at Joshua Tree National Park

Posted on October 10, 2011 by Cheyenne L. Rouse

Joshua Trees and Clouds Forever

When I am driving from one amazing location to another around the West & Southwest I realize that my life is a series of magical moments all strung together – like an amazing strand of pearls that I am so honored to wear. Each “pearl” a life changing and awe inspiring experience that I have had along the way. Even though I have really designed my life to be on the “nontraditional” side I sometimes have to pinch myself in amazement at the places I end up and things that I am so fortunate to see on my photo journeys.

Where the Streets have No Names

Having just returned from another magical road trip to Joshua Tree National Park (aka JTNP) with awesome memories and even better photos I am once again reminded of why I love this park so much. When I lived in S CA from ’89 – ’98 I spent many days out at JTNP marveling at it’s mysterious beauty and trying to capture this “mysterious beauty” with my camera. I am happy to report that on this trip I think I did capture some of that mysterious beauty with both my DSLR as well as with my video camera. I completed another epsisode of my video series, “Cheyenne’s VERY Cool Life“. See for yourself as I take you with me and share what I see on this trip.

"Primal Fire"

I was fortunate to meet up with good friend and a master photographer while I was here and while I am normally a solo shooter I SO enjoyed his infectious enthusiasm and it helped kick start my creativity. I think we fed off each others love for what we do for a living. With an early winter storm just moving through S CA the nights were chilly and for this desert girl that is usually a sign for me to stay put and snuggle in my warm sleeping bag. But with the moon shining bright and stars twinkling the coyotes called us to come out and play in the night. And boy did we – we would sneak up to campsites with roaring fires without them even knowing we were there and capture primal looking scenes from ancient days with shadows dancing on the rocks. We captured eerie shadows thrown off by back lit Joshua Trees and huge round boulders shimmering in the starry night. We were like kids in a cosmic candy store, giggling and creeping around setting up shot after shot. I am pretty sure I have not had that much photo fun in years and years. Thank you Mr. Wizard for your inspiration and fun spirit!

Big Sky Big Clouds

I was mostly shooting for HDR while I was here but knew not all of my landscape shots would be processed in Photomatix. When I got back to my office and began to process it was amazing how different the Photomatix results were on my photos – some more surreal and some feeling dreamy and some feeling more real – all in all each photo depicts how I was feeling when I shot it which is why I love HDR – it lets me translate my feelings into my photos and that is why I use it. No other process has ever done that for me or my photos so I am a lifer when it comes to HDR. I helps me to achieve my vision and for me that is everything.

I now offer an HDR class online – in my informal 43 minute video I take you through the basics of how you can apply HDR to your photos too and unleash your own creativity. My work has evolved since I started using Photomatix about 2 years ago – I love where it’s going and you will be able to do that with your photos as well – whether you a seasoned pro or an aspiring ameatur. I might be running an Online Class special price soon so be sure to check out my HDR Online Class page often.

Be sure to save 10 minutes and watch my latest episode of “Cheyenne’s VERY Cool Life”

Posted in High Dynamic Range, Landscapes, Old West, Online Photography Classes, Photo Workshops, Photography, videos | Leave a comment

It’s Photo Workshop Season in Arizona – Come on down, ya’ll!

Posted on September 21, 2011 by Cheyenne L. Rouse

Join me for my Goldfield Ghost Town Photo Workshop in Apache Junction, Arizona – if you love photographing the Wild West then this workshop is for YOU!

I am offering a special price for this late afternoon Photo Workshop - regular price is $199 – now only $125!!!

Space is limited so call 435.640.6880 TODAY to reserve your spot!

Posted in High Dynamic Range, Landscapes, Old West, Photo Workshops, Photography, Photography classes, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Travel Log – Road Trip to Tubac and Tumacacori in Southern Arizona

Posted on September 18, 2011 by Cheyenne L. Rouse

San José de Tumacácori

Last February I took a road trip down south and when you live in Scottsdale, Arizona “down south” can only mean one thing……the Mexican Border. Not to say that there isn’t a lot of beautiful places between here and the border because there is! But I was focused on one thing and that was shooting more photos for my upcoming book entitled, “Southwestern Spirituality“. I was on the hunt for more powerful spiritual and sacred sites to add to my collection. On this particular trip I wanted to go to a few places that I had not been to in a long time, Tubac for it’s artsy qualities and Tumacacori for it’s historic and architectural qualities.

Mission Door - Tumacacori NHP

This quest of mine to photograph sacred, religious and spiritual sites around the Southwest has been going on for several years now. I am drawn to hauntingly beautiful old cemeteries, mission churches, ancient spiritual sites and any other “powerful” site that I seem to happen upon in my travels through Arizona and New Mexico. I was not sure exactly where this fascination came from then I realized that after years of looking at one of my favorite Ansel Adams photos on my living room wall that was where my inspiration came from. Not only do I have a very strong connection to New Mexico but of course being a photographer I am in awe of Ansel Adams stunning and powerful black & white photographs and ”Moonrise over Hernandez, New Mexico” was the one that spoke to me. In the 1940′s when this dramatic photo was shot Hernandez was a hauntingly beautiful little village in Northern New Mexico with a rustic cemetery in the foreground and the moon rising up over the Sangre De Cristo Mountains. How could I not be inspired by such a powerful scene?

Tubac Cemetery

The feel and look of these religious and spiritual sites have such different feelings to me in each part of the Southwest. In New Mexico there is a very pronounced and heavy Spanish and Catholic feel very tightly woven with the Native American mysticism that is Northern New Mexico. In Arizona I find the same but with a heavy dose of Mexican influence with a dash of the Old West thrown in.

When I arrived in the artist community of Tubac, Arizona I looked at the colorful tourist map of the town and my eyes quickly fixed on the old cemetery that was at the end of town. It was late afternoon and the light was getting good so I jumped in my car and headed down the lonely road that lead to it. The cemetery had kind of a creepy feel to it as I entered the gates but a beautiful kind of creepy. I had never been to a cemetery where almost every inscription on the headstones was written in Spanish, but being only about 30 miles from the border of Mexico it wasn’t a surprise. I slowly wandered through this historical cemetery marveling at the craftsmanship that went not only into many of the iron fences that enclosed the burial sites but the metal crosses and crucifixes that were gently hung with love on the headstones. How so much time and attention had been paid to honoring the loved ones that had passed and making sure that they were cared for in the after life – where ever that might be. It was a humbling experience and I thanked the spirits as I left the cemetery for letting me wander among them.

Tumacacori NHP

Onto Nogales for the night and then my 1st stop in the morning would be at Tumacácori NHP. This National Historic Park protects three Spanish Colonial Mission ruins: Tumacácori, Guevavi, and Calabazas. These missions are among more than twenty established in the Pimería Alta by Father Kino and other Jesuits, and later expanded upon by Franciscan Missionaries.

It was a crisp and very sunny late winter morning when I arrived at Tumacacori and there was not a cloud in the sky. To most that would be perfect weather but to a photographer who was looking to add depth and mood to their photographs those aren’t the best conditions. But like I always say; “When Ma Nature gives you lemons you had better make the best lemonade that you can”. So that’s what I did. There is a nice visitor center with a great little gift shop where I purchased a beautiful little tin cutout of the mission, I was told by the Park Ranger that this artist had passed away not too long ago and that made the piece even more special to me. There are also some educational exhibits as well as old photographs of the site to give you informaiton about this historic place.

Mission Crosses

Of course the star of the show at Tumacacori is the beautiful and historic mission; San José de Tumacácori, it was established in January 1691. In this harsh environment, especially in the summer, it is hard to imagine how anyone decided to not only start a mission here that long ago but to settle here. As I was driving down from Scottsdale all I could notice was how I was entering a land of dust, thorns and all sorts of prickly things but that’s the desert of Southern Arizona. Not that Scottsdale is any different as far as dust and thorns but I am pretty sure we don’t have as many prickly and thorny things in my neighborhood. The photo opportunities here are endless, it is best to get there right when they open BEFORE the tour buses and crowds arrive, we all know how much fun it is to have to wait for people to get out of your frame. I was in my own happy little world as I pretty much had the place to myself for most of the morning, with the silence it was easy to get absorbed in “the place” and be able to work with no feelings that I hurry along or rush my shot so someone could walk through….this is the way that I work best, with no distractions and being totally present. I was like a kid in a candy store and loving the old adobe ruins, the church, the cemetery, the shadows, the clean adobe lines against the blue sky – even though some clouds would have been a nice touch.

Photomatix HDR Software

When I got home I could hardly wait to start processing my photos. I process most of my photos using Photomatix HDR software and then importing them into Lightroom for some minor sharpening or color tweaks. I knew that the HDR process would help bring out the beautiful detail and texture that was ALL over Tumacacori. As some of you know I teach photographers how to apply Photomatix to thier own photographs in my private HDR classes. This past July I also launched my ONLINE HDR Class; in my “Turn your Photos into Fine Art” Online HDR Class . In this 43 minute online video class I show you the basics of how to get started applying these techniques to your photos too as well as some of the tips and tricks that I use to achieve the results that I get in my photos. As my “Thank You” to you for purchasing my class I will send you a coupon for a FREE 16×20 metal or canvas print from McKenna Pro Lab (a $65 value) – this “Thank You” gift expires on Sept 30th so don’t delay! Also when you purchase this class a personal access code to review the class for 14 days is emailed to you…so don’t delay, buy now and watch later.

My “Southwestern Spirituality” book should be available in November 2011 – watch for announcements here and on Facebook – happy shooting and happy HDR-ing!

Cheyenne

Posted in High Dynamic Range, Landscapes, Old West, Photography | Leave a comment

My 9-11 – Honoring those that lost their lives…..

Posted on September 10, 2011 by Cheyenne L. Rouse

4th of July Barn - Park City, Utah

Only one day away from the 10 year anniversary of 9-11 and I sit at my desk with my cup of coffee as I was doing that very day 10 years ago when the world changed forever. I can’t help but recount that day and how the whole tragic event unfolded for me and how I knew that my life would never be the same.

When I awoke that crisp fall morning in Park City I did my usual routine of answering emails while I drank my coffee and I saw on my Yahoo home page that a plane had hit one of the Twin Towers. My 1st thought was that a small plane had hit the tower and I really didn’t think much of it. I took my plate of french toast to the living room and turned the TV on to see if the news was talking about it and of course I was horrified by what I saw like all of us were. I was quickly reminded of years ago when I was in NYC and had dinner at Windows on the World, the restaurant that was at the top of one of the towers, I didn’t remember which one but I just remember being so struck at how amazing these structures were and how many people had to be in there. I had no idea what lay ahead and how with each passing hour the horror would continue to mount. My eyes filled with tears as I watched the building burn and then to my horror the other plane hit the 2nd building, I didn’t know what to do or what to think except that this was America and this can’t happen here – this is was the land of the free and the home of the brave. The tears continued to roll down my cheeks onto my french toast!

"Leap of Faith"

I had been shooting adventure sports stock photography since 1989 and had a few photo shoots and trips planned, one was to go heli-hiking in the Canadian Rockies and I was scheduled to fly into Calgary on September 12th. I thought to myself I am so glad that tomorrow I will leave this nightmare and be hiking on beautiful glaciers in Canada and the world will be alright again by the time I get home. It had to be, right? As I continued to watch the destruction and they grounded all of the planes and talked about how it could be weeks before planes would fly again I thought, wait, this is in New York, this can’t effect me but as the days passed it effected me in ways that I never even imagined. I had never felt so alone before or heard the world outside so quiet – it’s as if the entire planet just stood still while this tragedy was unfolding before our eyes.

Subaru DRIVE cover

At the time of the tragedy I was at a crossroads with my work, my burnout level was very high and I felt like a change was coming but I didn’t know what that would be. I lived and breathed photography and thought I would be shooting adventure sports photos until I was too old to chase people up mountains and down mountain bike trails. It never occurred to me that I would be “worn out” by the business but it seemed on September 11th and the days that followed my decision would be made for me. As the days and weeks went on and the shock waves continued the stock photography business was hit hard, especially when it came to ad revenues and the editorial world which is of course was where a bulk of my income came from. My heli-hiking trip to Canada never happened nor did my wildflower trip to Crested Butte, my safe little life as I knew it was over and I had to come up with Plans B, C, D and E if I wanted to stay afloat and survive in this strange new world.

My HERO - Lt Kristen L Rouse

Not only was my world shaken but so was my confidence and sense of security and I felt lost. I felt like I was walking around in a cloud for months and in my daily errands I could tell other people felt the same way. All concerns about work and making money seemed to fall away, they seemed so trivial and I just couldn’t shake it. All I could think about was the sadness that I felt for those that lost their lives and their families but at the same time how happy I was that me, my friends and family were safe. Then the dreaded phone call came and it was my little sister, Kristen who was in the Army Reserves at the time, telling me that she was going off to war – WHAT? My little sister was going to be in harms way? No, this was too close to home, I didn’t know how to process it but at the same time I felt such a sense of pride that she, Lt Kristen L Rouse, was going to fight for our country and what she believed in. She proudly served two tours of duty in Afghanistan – I am happy to report that she has returned home safely and is living in Brooklyn and working for the City of New York. She continues to be my hero!

Chevy Apache - Rt 66

I continued to eak out a living in the stock photo business for another year and then quietly tucked my camera into my camera bag and there it stayed for almost 6 years. Life went on and time helped me find a few other paths in life but alas the camera kept calling and now I am friends with it again. This time I chose to shoot photos for fine art as opposed to the adrenaline filled photos of my past. Life goes on and changes but each and every year around September 11th I stop and take myself back to those days when any shred of innocence that was left in the world was snuffed out. I vowed that I would somehow bring it back in my life if I could and today I feel like I do that through the nostalgic subjects that I photograph, they always take me back to simpler times when the world was still a big friendly place.

"Spiritual Experience"

My thoughts and prayers go out once again for those heroes that gave their lives on that horrible day and for the ones that continue to overseas as well as all of the grieving families. I wish for a more peaceful friendly world and I know that any change I want to see in the world has to begin with me. Gandhi said it best; “Be the change that you want to see in the world”.

Peace – Cheyenne

Posted in High Dynamic Range, Landscapes, Photography | Leave a comment