Photography is the adventure.
The Highway is my Home
Infrared Photography
Photography is a way of life! Even when I'm not photographing, I'm either working with it or thinking about it. There's a thrill in finding new photographs. It's a way to discover an already explored world.
When I'm not photographing architecture or events you can find me out in nature photographing with a specialized infrared camera that captures light from outside the visible spectrum. The resulting images are a surreal, dreamlike version of the world. It's reality but not like you're used to seeing it.
This is s a collection of photographs taken in national parks across the United States of America.
TALES FROM THE ROAD
Location
United States of America
“El Capitan in Yosemite National Park”
“White Sands National Park”
“Crater Lake National Park”
Images from this gallery were captured in these National Parks :
Denali National Park, AK
Petrified Forest National Park, AZ
Saguaro National Park, AZ
Channel Islands National Park, CA
Joshua Tree National Park, CA
Kings Canyon National Park, CA
Lassen Volcanic National Park, CA
Redwoods National Park, CA
Sequoia National Park, CA
Yosemite National Park, CA
Black Canyon of the Gunnison, CO
Great Sand Dunes National Park, CO
Rocky Mountain National Park, CO
White Sands National Park, NM
Great Basin National Park, NV
Badlands National Park, SD
Crater Lake National Park, OR
Arches National Park, UT
Canyonlands National Park, UT
Grand Tetons National Park, WY
“Great Basin National Park, NV”
Sometimes more than one image is needed!
It all started with “Your” project!
Constant traveling can be the blessing or the curse of this profession. I prefer to think of it as a blessing and have been trying to use it as an opportunity to see and experience the world around me. Sometimes the location is overwhelming and hard to capture in just one image. Here is a gallery of panoramic photographs from the last couple years of adventures. Each panel of these panoramas could be easily be printed 2’ x 3’! Perfect for filling living rooms, lobbies, hallways and other large spaces! Custom photography is always an option.
The mountains peak out for a moment during a snow storm over Lake Tahoe.
Half Dome in Yosemite National Park in California.
A lone boat before the rain storm on Lake Powell in Arizona.
Dusk in Redwoods National Park in California.
Incoming snow storm over South Lake Tahoe.
Wildfire smoke from the Coffee Pot Fire at the Alabama Hills in California.
Partly cloudy over the Alabama Hills in California.
The storm has parted over Lake Tahoe, California.
Sunset over Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska.
Sunset over the mountains in Zion National Park in Utah.
Looking over the CZU Wildfire in La Honda, California.
The sun sets over Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska.
Dramatic clouds from an incoming storm in Carmel Valley, California.
2024
The Year in Review
Location
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Date
12/29/2024
What a year!!! Hoping your holidays were filled with joy and that your year is concluding nicely. The exciting news is that I’m expanding my services to Colorado. However, I will not be stopping the photography I do in California!!! I’m just expanding my horizons. Please continue to stay connected and follow Finger Photography on social media. There are so many more photographs to create!
I personally want to thank everyone for being part of the journey. Many miles were put on driving and many, many photographs were created along the way. It’s sometimes difficult to remember where you’ve been. Here are a few of my favorite moments and photographs from the year.
Here’s to an amazing New Year filled with art, music and photography!!!
Lindsey Stirling performing on the Yahama Stage at NAMM In Anaheim, California
Driving Bald Hills Road in Redwoods National Park, California.
Circosphere at the Porsche E-Macan Release in Redwood City, California.
The Northern Lights in Northern California.
Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) over the Pacific Ocean in Southern Oregon.
The Milky Way in the high country of Yosemite National Park in California.
Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico.
A Family of Foxes playing in Oroville, California.
A bear stands up in South Lake Tahoe, California.
Point Reyes Shipwreck in Northern California.
White Sands National Park in New Mexico.
An egret takes flight near San Louis Reservoir in California.
A Family of Red Foxes
Woke up the same as any other day. I was between photographing architecture for KB Homes and was headed towards Chico to photograph the PODs warehouse. It was between storms that I decided to establish a camp near Lake Oroville. The light was nice and I decided to go explore the area with my camera. Even when I’m not working, I’m photographing! I headed out with a Lensbaby Velvet 56mm lens on my camera. Shortly after starting my stroll I discover a family of red foxes playing. Lensbaby Velvet lenses are great, but the wrong lens for the job. Once out of sight I quickly headed back to the car to change up camera gear. The 200-500mm with a 2x teleconverter would be the weapon of choice. Since the mother and her kits were out and all together, I decided I wanted to be as far away as humanly possible.
Once I found the foxes I didn’t try to hide, but set up an invisible line that I wouldn’t cross. Think mom recognized this and stood guard at the other end of the hiking trail. The fox kits continued to play in the trail in front of me. The first couple of times I tried to leave I discovered a kit checking me out and being WAY to close to me.
My normal day turned into something special.
TALES FROM THE ROAD
Location
Oroville, California
Date
05/04/2024
truly blessed
Imagine watching this in person for over an hour!!! I’m truly a lucky individual!
The perfectionist reminds you that this is just a zoomed in video from my cell phone. My goal was to create as many still photographs as possible!
Why Architecture?
Why I specialize in what I do
The Wisconsin Home
Distinctly I recall the moment I decided I was going to pursue architecture photography as my speciality. The very next day I walked into a photo lab to pick up my 4x5 film and was informed of a photographer who specialized in photography and needed an assistant. Immediately I had to follow up with him. This led me to assisting many other architecture photographers. Yadda yadda yadda...
Ironically, during a photo class in Milwaukee I was required to photograph a building with a 4x5 monorail camera. I hated it! My brain has found satisfaction with the methodical process of the large format camera. Or maybe it was the fact that it was a cold winter in 1996.
So what led me to architecture photography? It was the simple fact that I wanted to work in one of the more difficult areas of photography. Creating a good architectural image with film was no easy task. As I mentioned to one of my early mentors, "I have no idea what to do with twenty lights, but I'm good at carrying things!"
Today, I love the challenge behind creating an architectural image. It's so much more than sandwiching a series of bracketed exposures. If you know what you are doing lighting a scene will show off all the textures and details of a design. I'm a strong believer in doing as much as possible with the camera. The more pristine the original capture is the better the final photograph will be.
The architectural photos here I created with a small 6 light set-up. My travel kit, if you may. This was the home I grew up in. My father built the home with the help of a few friends in the '70s. Truly an unique home inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright and designed by Al Drover. The subdivision was filled with more unique residential homes whose designs were inspired by the landscape around them. I currently wonder if this played a subliminal role into pursuing architectural photography? The fine line where architecture and nature meet.
the Wisconsin home
Drone footage of the Wisconsin residence showing off the neighborhood, Hogsback Road and the Oconomowoc River. The legend of Hogsback Road is mentioned. Video was captured during Autumn in 2019.
Drone Pilot : Bradley Jere
Video Editing : Finger Photography
Music : Frédéric Chopin
“you can’t make this shit up!”
The music had stopped and the night was coming to an end. Inside this rustic, probably haunted dive bar, hung some merchandise that read: La Honda - You Can’t Make This Shit Up. This has always been an oddball place and I couldn’t agree more.
There I was waiting to pay my tab and call it a night when the bartender questioned, “Is that really your last name?”
“Of course it is.” I replied.
“Do you know the man sitting next to you?” she chuckled.
At this point I’m now exchanging looks with this random guy next me and respond, “No.”
The bartender is laughing up a storm now and she says, “Mr Finger, meet Mr Hand. Mr Hand, meet Mr Finger.”
What are the odds that I sat down one bar stool away from Mr Hand?
I should have bought a lottery ticket.
2024.0803 15:43