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Thank you veterans

Adam Schallau — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 05:27:41 +0000

It’s a bit late in the day, but I’d like to take a minute to thank all veterans for your service to our country and for the sacrifice that you and your families have made. I’d like to extend an extra special thanks to my granddad who served his country in World War II as an U.S. Army paratrooper, was a P.O.W. and went onto retire from the United States Air Force. After his time in the military he continued to serve those in uniform and their families as a Civil Service employee working for the National Cemeteries.

In the photo below, General Dwight D. Eisenhower gives the order of the Day. ‘Full victory-nothing else’ to paratroopers in England on the eve of D-Day. My granddad is in this iconic photo.

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Soda…I gave it up

Adam Schallau — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 03:41:43 +0000

Exactly one year ago today, I gave up soda. I don’t smoke, drink (alcoholic beverages), or do drugs, but I had a serious soda habit. Near the end I was drinking a 32 or 44 ounce fountain drink at lunch, a 20 ounce drink at dinner and a couple 12 ounce cans in the evening. Yuck! I lived in a perpetual state of feeling like crap.

You might ask, what made me stop? Two things. The first was that I had just been selected to be an Artist-in-Residence at Grand Canyon National Park and I wanted to be in better shape so that I could spend more time hiking the canyon. The second, and most important reason was my wife, Sally.

It was tough to give up, but I sure do feel better for doing it and I’ve saved a ton of money to boot!

Artist-in-Residence ~ Grand Canyon National Park

I’m Back from Arizona

Adam Schallau — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 03:40:23 +0000

Wow, it’s been over three weeks since my last post! The business has kept me very busy lately. I’ve taken on a few new photography students recently and had several submission deadlines to meet. All of this has kept me from posting on the blog.

Last week my wife Sally and I took a road trip out to northern Arizona to photograph Lower Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend (at both sunrise and sunset), Marble Canyon, the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, and finally Shiprock peak in New Mexico. And while I’m not a wildlife photographer I was lucky enough to photograph a condor at the twin Navajo bridges in Marble Canyon and I also photographed a Kaibab Squirrel. I’ve just begun to process the images and hope to share a new shot each day over at least the next week.

We had both great and not-so-great weather on the trip. As was to be expected, it was hot as hell in Page with the mercury peaking at over 100 degrees Farenheit and hardly a cloud in the sky on our first couple of days. My greatest weather concern wasn’t the heat, but rather the smoke from a forest fire burning on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park which we could see from the lodge at Marble Canyon. Discovered on July 29th, the lightning-caused Aspen Fire has scorched over 4,000 acres on the Walhalla Plateau. The smoke from the fire had filled the canyon obscuring visibility. Not exactlly ideal photography conditions. Luckily for us, a few hours after our arrival a line of thunderstorms advanced up from southern Arizona through the Grand Canyon region, cleansing the air of the smoke and providing photogenic skies.

I’m going to get things started by sharing this image of rain falling into Bright Angel Canyon over Phantom Ranch. This was my last image of the evening as I was chased off the rim by an intense thunderstorm that was producing a lot of lightning.

Late evening rain. North Rim - Grand Canyon National Park

This image of a late evening rain falling into Bright Angel Canyon as viewed from the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park and others like it are available for purchase at my website AdamSchallau.com.

~Tech details~

Camera & Lens: Canon EOS 5D Mark II and EF70-200mm f/4L IS USM lens

Exposure: 1.6 seconds, f/16 and ISO 100

Filters: none

Desert View at Twilight ~ Grand Canyon

Adam Schallau — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 04:45:18 +0000

The sun has set on another day at Grand Canyon National Park, but a bit of light remains. It is twilight and the watchtower at Desert View soaks up the remaining light as the night sky approaches. In the distance at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, the Colorado River reflects the blue sky above.

Twilight ~ Desert View Watchtower, Grand Canyon National Park

This image of the Desert View Watchtower at Grand Canyon National Park and others like it are available for purchase at my website AdamSchallau.com.

~Tech details~

Camera & Lens: Canon EOS 5D Mark II and EF17-40mm f/4L USM lens

Exposure: 6 seconds, f/8 and ISO 100

Filters: none

Editor’s Pick Award – Travel Photographers Network

Adam Schallau — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 05:00:59 +0000

I’m excited to announce that I’ve had an image selected for the Editor’s Pick award by the Travel Photographer’s Network. The photo is of an old Chevy parked behind Saint Francis de Asis Church in Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico. I captured this photo with my Canon G9 at ISO 80 and it was handheld.

Gallery Reception for George Bornstein

Adam Schallau — Wed, 20 May 2009 05:00:01 +0000

I’m very excited to announce that one of my students will have his work on exhibit as part of a show at the Rift Gallery in Rinconada, New Mexico. The show, titled The Sweet Hereafter, features the work of 10 artists including one of my students George Bornstein. George is an excellent photographer whose work explores the forgotten spaces of the American West. He has an incredible knack for capturing the overlooked and mundane structures.

A couple of years ago George came to me looking for his first digital camera and a computer to process his work, at the time I think neither of us realized how far this would go. From the camera (A Canon 5D and 24-70/.8L lens) we also expanded into the world of modern digital printing with an Epson Stylus Pro 4800. This guy was serious, he wanted to learn the entire process from capture to print. So for the past couple of years I’ve worked with George assisting him in his transition to digital photography. We have covered nearly everything from proper exposure with a digital SLR, converting a raw image in Photoshop, working in Layers, using nearly every Photoshop tool and finally printing.

I’ve had a great time working with George, but the best part of this experience has been the camaraderie shared between us and the inspiration I have gained as a result. I’m very proud of George and his photography, I sincerely believe his work deserves to be seen by others.

A reception will be held on Saturday May 23rd, 2009 from 3-6pm at the gallery located at 2249 Hwy 68 in Rinconada, 20 miles south of Taos.

All images copyright George Bornstein.

Featured Picture at FrameDestination.com

Adam Schallau — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 04:39:51 +0000

The Frame Destination (FrameDestination.com) is featuring one of my photos created during my time as Artist-in-Residence at Grand Canyon National Park. This image was captured after backpacking to the bottom of the canyon. It represents the confluence of Bright Angel Creek and the Colorado River near Phantom Ranch. If you look closely you can see the “Silver Bridge” over the Colorado River.

I have been using FrameDestination.com for the past two years for my framing and presentation needs including clear bags, mount board, mats and frames. My work that is currently on display at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve was assembled using materials from Frame Destination. I would like to thank Mark and the rest of the team at Frame Destination for their excellent service, great products, and for selecting my image as the Featured Picture. Thank you!

Grand Canyon Presentations ~ A recap and thanks

Adam Schallau — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 05:24:14 +0000

Those of you that know me, you know that I like to talk. I like to talk about photography with other photographers whether they are beginners or a seasoned pro. I also enjoy speaking to groups, and although I’m not exactly great at it (I get very nervous in-front of a crowd), I appreciate the feedback I receive and the interaction that takes place.

Participants in a presentation

During my time as Artist-in-Residence at Grand Canyon National Park, I had several opportunities to chat with other photographers and those that are interested in photography. Some of my best experiences came from the presentations I gave at the Verkamps’ Visitor Center and at the Grand Canyon School. I gave two separate presentations to park visitors at Verkamps that also included time spent working one-on-one sharing photography tips and ideas.

Working with the students at the Grand Canyon School was an extra special treat. It was incredibly rewarding to be surrounded by their enthusiasm and to watch them work because they see the world in a very different way than adults. Their creative process has not yet been influenced by the rules or defined styles of the art and as a result they will often create images that most adults would never consider or visualize.

Tristin working on his photos

The students were given a photographic “assignment” that had to be completed within a limited time frame. Thanks to the contributions of several other photographers and the readers of this site, each student had a camera to use and was able to participate without having to share cameras. Final images were presented to me for review and constructive feedback was provided. Their photography, to say the least, was impressive. One student did standout amongst his peers and that was Tristin. Tristin’s photos were excellent, but most importantly his passion for photography was obvious and it left me with a great feeling to know that there are still young people that are excited by art.

I’d like to thank everyone that made these opportunities available to me including the Grand Canyon National Park staff including Judy Bryan, Chief of Interpretation, who was my primary point-of-contact at the park. Amy McBroom, Art Instructor at the Grand Canyon School. Amy’s enthusiasm is intoxicating and I’m sure is huge reason why the student at the school are so fired-up over art. FYI, Amy was the 2008 teacher of the year in Arizona and she is a founding member of a committee that created Arts for our Park, a juried art show for students in the Grand Canyon Unified School District. Amy is very humble and a dedicated teacher who would never brag about herself, so I’ll do it for her.

Presenting a Slingshot 200AW to Tristin

I would also like to thank Lowepro who has supported me and my photographic endeavours through sponsorship. When I informed the team at Lowepro that I was to be the Artist-in-Residence, they graciously donated several Slingshot 200AW camera bags for me to award to one lucky participant in each of my presentations. The criteria for deciding who would get the bag included the questions they asked and who traveled the farthest to reach the Grand Canyon. I also presented a Slingshot 200AW to one deserving student, and that student was Tristin.

Thanks again to Judy, Amy and Lowepro!

It has been too long…

Adam Schallau — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 03:47:54 +0000

…since my last entry here on Across the Southwest, and for that, I’m sorry.

What can I say? There are no excuses other than I’ve been busy developing the images I created last month while I was at the Grand Canyon. I’ve been waiting on a new laptop to arrive after the first one arrived damaged and I’m not willing to expose my workstation (i.e., my Photoshop machine) to the internet. And lastly, I’ve migrated my work to a new website, one that is better setup to serve you, my faithful viewers, readers and appreciators of my work. O.K., enough excuses.

I would like to thank everyone for your patience. Oh yeah! Please visit my website, AdamSchallau.com where you can now explore my Grand Canyon photographs and other new work.

Artist-in-Residence ~ Grand Canyon National Park

I’m back from the Grand Canyon

Adam Schallau — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 15:37:01 +0000

I’ve actually been back since late Saturday night. It will take me a few days to get settled in, but once I do, I will start to post new images.

I appreicate the overwhelming response I have received from friends, family and all my new friends that I met at Grand Canyon. I look forward to sharing my images with you!