I have been posting my photography to Facebook for six months and recently have started to receive positive responses to my landscape work. Unless I sell a print I don’t get paid for any of my landscape photography. I do this because it is a real passion of mine. This blog will be a journal for those interested in the locations I visit and my photography.
I grew up Southern Oregon, I spent much of my life in the Illinois Valley. Growing up in the town of Cave Junction I was surrounded by beautiful mountains, rivers, forests and it was never hard to find my way to the ocean. When I was young I could never appreciate the surrounding beauty as I do now with camera in hand.
One place that was always talked about growing up was Sanger Peak. I never made it up to this beautiful location until recently. Located in the northeast corner of Del Norte County near the undefined border of Oregon and California, Sanger Peak is easy to access and very scenic. You can see this peak from Crescent City California and Cave Junction Oregon. I make my way up to Sanger taking Waldo road in the Illinois Valley. Turn on forest route 4803 and this road will connect you to the Sanger Peak trail head. This gravel road is located near my home and can be accessed with any two-wheel drive vehicle with good clearance. After a slow and beautiful drive from ridge line to ridge line you will find your way to the base of Sanger Peak Trail head after fourteen miles. After a moderate hike to the summit you can see some of the most amazing views in Southern Oregon and Northern California has to offer. From the right viewpoint and on a clear day, you can see all the way to the Ocean. Rolling green hills in every direction with no signs of towns, roads, or lights at night. This is one of my favorite locations and it is right in my backyard. I can not wait to camp out here for a week during the peak of Milky Way season.
Just down the road you can find Sanger Lake, a beautiful body of water surrounded by trees, wildlife, and a great little hiking trail. Sanger Lake, formed by glacial scour, encompasses 6 acres and is currently stocked with brook trout. An abundance of fungi, wildlife, and cool rocks can be seen on the hike around the lake. My girlfriend and I spent an hour fishing with only a few bites. Something is very special about this little body of water, I can not wait to come back and camp. The downside to my portfolio is my randomness. I don’t spend enough time in one spot shooting what I love, finding my style. Camping at places like Sanger Peak will let me compile a more complete landscape portfolio. Most of my current work was very rushed and was the result of spending hours on location. Coming back to these locations, collecting all the raw video, photos, notes, new viewpoints I can capture. I have been selling myself short with these limitations. If I am going to create a portfolio that people want to hang on the wall and look at for years I need to put more effort in. I am going to do this no matter how long it takes.
MW Productions 