Scott Spiker- Journey

Just finished processing

2011-02-27T17:35:00.000-08:00

Images from Teton, Yellowstone, and Crater Lake National Parks. Crater Lake was a Aug. trip which was very warm with thunder showers most afternoons so if you plan a photo trip there you might want to keep that in mind. Great lakes for sea kayaking in both Teton and Yellowstone which was a fall trip around mid to late Sept. Nice as neither park was overly crowded although some nights and early mornings where below freezing in temp. Great sunrise and sunset shooting in both parks with loads of wildlife as well. Got to watch Elk start that annual rut process and actually had a satellite bull bugling in my face 10 feet away at camp in Mammoth Hot Springs. Exciting!

2010-11-22T09:11:00.000-08:00

So it looks like Travel Montana is using this image shot at Whitefish Mountain Resort (Big Mountain) as a winter campaign. It is slated to run in Backpacker, 2 issues of Ski Magazine and Delta Sky Magazine. It was shot from more that a quarter mile away with a 500mm lens in the west bowl of the resort. Looks to be gearing up for a pretty good winter.

2010-05-03T11:51:00.000-07:00

Got a call about mid last month to see if I was interested in doing a one day photo shoot for Mountain Hardwear, a technical outdoor clothing company. They were interested in finding out if I could scout out a good place to do some lifestyle/winter hiking and snowshoeing. Ummm, lets see, probably want to do that in the Mt. Hood area and hopefully find some capable models/athletes. I think it worked out pretty good for a short notice gig and there was more than enough snow on Hood. Special thanks to the hard work of Kent and Danielle.

2010-04-23T16:00:00.000-07:00

Headed down to four corners and southern Utah and northern Arizona this last few weeks to do some shooting. Always a great area in the early spring because the pacific northwest is still usually under winter conditions but you can manage to get in some warm weather biking, hiking and shooting. Well we got biking, hiking and shooting but WARM it was not. 20 degree nights most of the time and never really warmed up even though we got as far as the Grand Canyon.

2010-04-12T17:02:00.000-07:00

One of the images from our five day shoot in the San Juan Islands will grace the inside Islands section of the Washington Visitors Guide. Shot from Matia Island after paddling from Sucia that same morning we spent lunch there and headed on to Strawberry Island. The San Juan's are a great sea kayak destination with the smaller islands being a little more remote and somewhat less populated. But then again we where there the week just before the big Memorial Day opening season weekend. More of the Islands here

2010-04-05T12:20:00.000-07:00

Just a few spring images appearing in the new Osprey Packs Catalog. Cover is from Arches National Park, a great shooting place just a stones throw from Moab, Utah. Utah is one of my favorite places to visit and explore with a camera. It's usually best in early spring or late fall unless you plan to spend allot of time canyoneering in which case the warmer summer months are good as well. Inside image is from Mt. Rainier another great shooting area located right here in the heart of the pacific northwest. Spray Park and Paradise are a couple of my favorite areas there. See more Utah here or more Mt. Rainier here

2010-01-18T21:30:00.000-08:00

I entered this on line contest put on by Princton Tec (who makes cool headlamps) over 4 months ago and never heard anything about it, just figured I never placed and was busy enough I didn't ever check back to their flicker site to see how things ended up. Well last night I decided to see what ended up happening and low and behold I took first over. Thanks for letting me know Princton Tec??!! Anyway just one of many new clips I've added to my travel and recreation stock photo site

Illustrated Book Cover

2009-10-27T09:40:00.001-07:00

I've been in the field a bunch this past summer and fall and am now working to get new images from the northwest and other locals posted as soon as possible. New recreational stuff is coming from Montana, Washington and Oregon. Just recently had this image published as a book cover on the city of Portland. Interesting that they decided to use a photo illustration but I guess the publisher really liked this image even though I'm not if he's have ever been to Portland.

Little Known Conflict

2009-04-07T15:04:00.000-07:00

Most of us really don't have a clue what it's like in some of the more desperate parts of the world until it comes face to face in the form of some sort of visible human suffering. This last assignment for American Legion magazine was just such an example. Imagine living in total fear for your families life and your own simply for being a translator for US troops in Iraq. This man and his family were long standing citizen's of Bagdad and had be violently threatened numerous times culminating with a body of a dead victim being left at their doorstep as an example of what was in store for them. Now in this country as part of a program to help these folks he will be headed back to Iraq simply because he can't find a job here that will pay as much as being a translator in Bagdad. Interesting challenge on this assignment as I could not show his identity and still had to make an interesting and story telling visual.

Ultimate super-light tripod

2009-04-03T18:21:00.000-07:00

After some thorough research looking for a super duper ultra lightweight tripod and head I really didn't find anything that fit the application I was thinking of. Namely back country hiking, biking, overseas travel and general active recreation and travel photography. I'm thinking something of carry on variety, very minimalist but still stout enough to hold my 5D Canon Body and 70-200mm IS zoom. Most of what I looked at on the internet was about twice the weight I was targeting. Enter the Gitzo GT0531 6X Carbon fiber tripod. Given not cheap, but very strong for it's size. I ended up matching it up with a Really Right Stuff BH-25 ballhead with circular platform. Now the head wasn't to bad, coming in at just under $100. And the nicest part is the whole set up weighs 1.75 lbs! Now thats a lightweight tripod setup.

Wasatch Wonder

2009-04-02T17:39:00.000-07:00

Just back from Utah and not all the good skiing and/or shooting is up the cottonwood canyons. Good turns, good folks and great terrain to be had at both Snowbasin and Powder Mountain near Ogden. Great upper mountain OB stuff with good scenic value when the weather cooperates. After a four day stay of cold temps and no precipitation I almost left for SLC but changed my mind when it looked like Snowbasin got a skiff of new. Skiff turned out to be just over boot top off Allen's Peak via the tram. Gotta like those high mountain lifts...........

Ski the Methow!

2009-04-01T22:11:00.001-07:00

Kinda backed up here as it has been an action packed winter and by the looks of it far from over here in our Oregon Cascades. Earlier this season I made a trip to Methow Valley in Washington State and shot some nordic skiing with my son Nick. If you ever want a winter activity to keep in great shape, skate skiing is it! The Methow has long been one of those winter destination spots I've wanted to visit with miles and miles of great trails, not to mention a more remote section with huts for over night stays. I was also lucky enough to shoot with Eberline family while I was there who showed us around for the day. Thanks and kudos to them

Stock Archive Finally

2009-01-08T12:14:00.000-08:00

After being with Digital Railroad for almost a year and just starting to get the hang of how their DIY stock image site works they send me a surprise e-mail saying they are done--as in going out of biz. You know when I researched stock sites for photographers I basically decided I had 2 choices DRR or PhotoShelter. I have since switched to PS and wish I would have made them my initial choice in the first place. Great folks there and excellent features on their site including options for e-commerce, marketing and customizing your personal archive. Anyway we have a searchable archive up and running once more and will be adding new images regularly. Posts will be heavy on the travel, adventure, active lifestyle themes.

2008-10-02T10:10:00.000-07:00

Interesting how you can live in a place for a while and not really know how many interesting people and places are practically in your back yard. What an interesting voyage of discovery this latest assignment for Washington county (here in Oregon) ended up being. I knew a little about the local winery's and Oregon being famous for it's Pino Noir, but it wasn't until I started scouting from the clients list that I discovered how beautifully scenic the Willamette Valley and surrounding area is. Like my wife mentioned, this was a great project that lead me to some awesome travel and recreation spots we locals can enjoy in day or weekend.

Alternate Forms of Transportation

2008-08-22T08:26:00.000-07:00

So what can we all do to save a little on the financial bite of fuel and transportation? How can we spend a little or a lot less on gas and vehicle maintenance? Those were questions we pondered on this last shoot. Bikes and public transport would be obvious choices, but I wanted something a little more free spirited and irreverent. I knew I wanted to incorporate some feeling of movement and motion so I shot from a moving bicycle (for a steady platform) and used a gyro for smooth one handed shooting. Other versions soon to be posted on DRR and/or PhotoShelter

Concept Green Living

2008-08-01T15:46:00.000-07:00

So what does "green living" mean to you? As part of a stock shoot for my archive on DRR or postings on PhotoShelter, I thought a little bit about that and came up with a impressionists sort of view of moving through a endless green grassy field. I scouted this tall grass meadow near the outskirts of Beaverton and decided a late afternoon time frame would be a perfect time to shoot there. The unfortunate part about this was realized once we started shooting and found the field to be in full bloom with pollen everywhere which reigned overall havoc with our hay fever. More versions of this will be available on Digital RailRoad and/or PhotoShelter

Relaxing afternoon

2008-05-25T17:54:00.000-07:00

Living in Oregon is pretty nice because of the proximity to geo thermal areas, i.e. the volcanic "Ring of Fire" that includes Mt. Hood, and the Sisters. It also includes Mt. Adams, Mt. St. Helen's and Mt. Rainier to the north and Mt. Shasta to the south. Because of all this underground heating we have some pretty special hot springs here in the northwest and this nice spot with great views of the Umpqua River is less that 40 minuets from Crater Lake. It makes a great spot for a rest day or afternoon break from winter activities in the Park. Where exactly is it? Like most of the best things in life that would be for you find out. Not to hard if your in the area and at least remotely resourceful.

Spring Ski at Crater Lake

2008-05-19T14:32:00.000-07:00

Just back from a recreation/travel shoot at Oregon's Crater Lake National Park, only a few short hours from Portland. Its mid May and no lack of snow there with around 7 feet of the packed white stuff around and still on the rim drive. Road clearing crews will have their work cut out for them this season.

a little piece of China in our own backyard

2008-05-11T19:05:00.000-07:00

I suppose most cities have some sort of China Town and the Northwest city of Portland is no exception. Within our China Town is the Classical Chinese Gardens. One night a year (or if you pay a special fee) you can hang out till dusk, just after sunset to capture some great images of interesting Chinese architecture and gardens. The tea house also has great hot drinks and food. We pretty much got chased out out as I wanted to stay as long into the magic period (when dusk and interior lighting are mostly balanced and the same value) as possible. Great place in the middle of the city yet calm and inviting..........

rain, rain.......

2008-04-27T12:44:00.000-07:00

In case you don't know, Portland, Oregon gets a fair amount of rain, mostly in the winter. After being inside working on computers for a while I need to get out, rain or no rain. I hopped on the Max to metro and made some images while the evening drizzle started to clear a little. Many folks don't think of taking the camera out in less than ideal weather, but sometimes that's where your most dramatic images can be made. Just make sure to keep that valuable piece of equipment somewhat dry.