Natural Images by Rodney Ninow

Stephanie and Kevin

2008-08-23T10:37:00.000-07:00

A few weekends ago I photographed Stephanie and Kevin's wedding. They got married at a place in North Plains called Horning's Hideout. It's a camping and fishing park in the forest. As the evening drew to a close, we were all treated to a fire dancer show. It was a great experience, here are a few images from the day.

The first kiss as husband and wife.

I liked the old west feel of this image, so I gave it an "antique" treatment to make it look like an old, worn out photo.

The fire dancers were amazing!

Rene' and Steven

2008-08-09T02:08:00.000-07:00

I had the privilege of photographing Rene' and Steven's wedding ceremony a few days ago. They were a fun couple and a pleasure to photograph. Steve is in the Marines and is stationed in San Diego, Ca. Two days after their ceremony they had plans to rent a Uhaul and drive down the coast on their way home. These are some of my favorite shots from their collection.

New Product Offerings

2008-07-29T00:28:00.000-07:00

I am excited to now be offering flush-mount Tuscany wedding albums. They are available in many sizes from 4x6 up to 11x14, with covers in rich leather and a high quality, leather like finish. Each album comes with a soft, slip cover and a hard case with hidden magnetic closures. They feature the smallest gutter in the industry for amazing two page spreads.

My top package comes with a 30 page 8x10 album, this same album can be added to any of my other packages for $600. Depending on design, these albums will feature 100-150 photos. Please Email for detailed wedding pricing information. Here are some photos of my 8x10 sample album. To really appreciate it you have to see it in person, call to book a consultation today!

I am also now offering Gallery Wrap Canvas prints in sizes from 8x10 to 30x40. They are printed on museum grade canvas and mounted to a wooden stretcher frame. Pictured here is a 20x30 inch gallery wrap. One and one-half inches of the print is wrapped around all four sides. You can see the wrapped edge in the closeup photo below. My gallery wraps are priced starting at $140 and they come ready to hang.

Stephanie and Kevin

2008-06-18T15:13:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I had the privilege to photograph Stephanie and Kevin. They are very photogenic couple and were a lot of fun to work with. I am looking forward to photographing their wedding in August. Here are a few of my favorites from their session.

Great Sand Dunes National Park

2008-01-04T12:41:00.000-08:00

I visited Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado last month and at first wasn't satisfied with the images I captured. Looking again, I found this one that I like. One thing that strikes me is the lack of scale. It's hard to tell how large the dunes are in the foreground.

Winter Sunrise, Monument Valley

2007-12-12T11:32:00.000-08:00

Last night I arrived in Monument Valley, which sits at the border of Arizona and Utah. Today at sunrise, I captured these images. It snowed recently and there is still quite a bit of snow left.

Theses formations are called "The Mittens."

New images!

2007-09-29T21:40:00.000-07:00

The Wave, Arizona

Well, my blog is back and I have some new images I want to share. Since my last post, I haven't done a lot of traveling, but I have taken a few short trips, one to AZ and one to WA/OR.

This first shot was taken in an area called The Wave. It is in Arizona, near Page. You have to hike 3 miles on an unmarked trail to get to it. My friend, Tony, and I made the hike after a sleepless night sleeping OUTSIDE (no tent) near the trailhead. It was windy, and there was lightning in the distance and eventually a full moon came out! Hence, the sleepless night!

This shot is Multnomah Falls in Oregon. The whole time I was in WA and OR, it was overcast. I wanted to photograph Mt. St Helen's, but it never came out of the clouds.

Traveling...

2007-05-22T20:25:00.000-07:00

Since my last post, I've traveled from Yellowstone to Denver to Bryce Canyon, Utah. Here are a couple shots I got on my last day in Yellowstone. The first shot is an elk sitting in a meadow just south of the Mammoth Hot Springs area of the park. I'll be in Bryce for a few days and hope to get some good shots at sunrise, which is the best time for photography in Bryce.

This photo shows a caterpillar nest and the trails they are using along this rock to access the nearby plants for a bite to eat.

Flowers and Falls

2007-05-16T07:51:00.000-07:00

I shot this flower near the Mammoth area of the park. I'm not sure what kind of flower it is, so if someone reading this knows, post a reply with the name and I'll send you a free 5x7 of any shot from my blog. First person to reply here or email me the name wins.

This is Rustic Falls which can be found along the road between Norris and Mammoth.

Lower Falls

2007-05-15T11:31:00.000-07:00

This view of the Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River can be seen from Red Rock Point. It is a 500 foot drop from the canyon rim to get to this viewpoint. If you arrive at just the right time in the morning, you will see a rainbow in the mist at the base.

This cascading creek runs alongside the trail to Red Rock Point.

Hot Springs and Pools

2007-05-13T22:16:00.000-07:00

Today I spent some time photographing in the Old Faithful Geyser area. The first photo shows Chromatic Pool.

This is Morning Glory Pool. I wanted to take a shot that cut out the boardwalk, so I put my camera on self timer and held it over the pool by the legs of my tripod. This also allowed a more downward view into the pool.

Yellowstone National Park

2007-05-11T21:54:00.000-07:00

Today was my first day in Yellowstone. I'll be here for a week and hope to get some good animal photos as well as shots of the geothermal features and other natural areas of the park. I found a herd of Bison that had several calfs with them. Here is a mother grooming her calf. The calf seems to be enjoying it, don't you think?

This is a photograph of Emerald Pool which is just a mile or so north of the Old Faithful area of the park. The colors come from organisms growing in the water.

Hiking and traveling upates...

2007-05-10T07:17:00.000-07:00

Since my last post I have spent some time back in California visiting friends and family and washing and waxing my truck and trailer. Then I returned to Las Vegas and my friend, Mary Beth and I hiked up Fletcher Canyon in the Mt. Charleston area northwest of town. As you get near the top of the canyon, you enter a narrow slot as shown in this photo. We also caught a movie and and saw the fabulous production of Phantom of the Opera.

I am now on my way to Yellowstone National Park. It is about 750 miles north of Las Vegas and I stopped in Rexburg, Idaho for the night. Here's a shot of my trailer last night. We had a few thundershowers, but nothing too severe.

Rock Climbing, Bishop, CA

2007-04-24T18:26:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Mary Beth and I joined her mountaineering club for a rock climbing outing near Bishop, CA. It was the first time I have climbed outside on real rock, and for that matter, the first time I have climbed at all in 7 or 8 years. The trip was led by Xavier who did a great job leading the routes and setting up top ropes for us to climb safely. Mary Beth led one route as well and this photo shows her in that process. It was taken in the Owens River Gorge, where we climbed the first day.

Most of us were top rope climbing. Assuming your belayer has your rope tight while you are top roping, you won't fall any distance at all. When you lead, you can fall some distance until the rope catches you. This distance depends on how far above the last bolt you clipped into you have climbed. The routes in the gorge are "sport," which means permanent bolts have been placed in the rock that you clip into for protection. We were free climbing, which means the rope is only there for protection in case of a fall. All upward motion is obtained by gripping the rock with our hands and feet.

The second day, we climbed at Iris Slab in the Sierra Nevada. The Sierra are composed of granite and the rock seemed easier to climb to me compared to the volcanic rock in the gorge. The routes at the slab are traditional, or "trad" climbing. This means the lead climber must place his own protection, two types being nuts and cams, which are placed into cracks or other features in the rock to tie into for protection. Xavier is leading this route as Mary Beth belays him from below, as seen in the second photo.

I had a great time and enjoyed meeting everyone. Thanks to Xavier, Steve, Nadia, Nathan, Val, Elizabeth, John, Marlie and most of all Mary Beth for allowing me the opportunity to join them for this wonderful trip! This last shot shows Mary Beth belaying Xavier.

West Temple and Towers at Sunrise

2007-04-18T08:11:00.000-07:00

Today I am leaving Zion on my way to Las Vegas. Before heading out, I got up early for this shot of the West Temple and the Towers of the Virgin. The sun rises in a different spot compared to winter, so the formations are lit differently than in my shots taken in January. I love the clouds in this shot.

Evening Primrose Zion National Park

2007-04-15T19:50:00.000-07:00

Mary Beth came to Zion for the weekend and we hiked to the top of Angel's Landing yesterday. Along the way we found this primose growing next to the trail. Angel's Landing is 1500 ft. from the base of the canyon floor and about a 2 mile hike one way. The last half mile is a steep, exposed climb up a rocky trail that has a chain handrail to help keep you from falling.

Zion National Park

2007-04-12T15:35:00.000-07:00

I've returned to Zion National Park for about a week. It is so different here compared to my last visit in January. The campground is nearly full, the trees have leaves, there are crowds in the park and in town and the snow is all gone. I got this shot of a dead snag this morning.

Updates...

2007-04-10T08:47:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in a while, have taken a break from shooting but did get out yesterday for a little shooting in Red Rocks, NV. After that last Yosemite trip, I spent a weekend in San Francisco and saw the musical, Jersey Boys. If you have a chance to see it, I highly recommend it! It is the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. It wasn't a working weekend, so I don't have any photos to share.

At the moment, I am in Las Vegas to hang out with a friend. She's been showing me the natural areas surrounding Las Vegas and even took me caving. I had to crawl on my belly to fit through a narrow passage way to access a cave.

Last day in Yosemite...

2007-03-28T22:32:00.000-07:00

Well today was my last full day in Yosemite. I decided to visit Vernal Fall and captured this rainbow. There was still snow left near the base from yesterday's snow fall. I've never seen snow there before, so it was a nice change.

Winter Wonderland... Yosemite

2007-03-27T21:39:00.000-07:00

Last night about 10PM I lost my satellite internet signal, figured it was the weather. When I woke up I found out I was right, there was 2 inches of snow stuck to my dish! I took a lot of pictures today and these are just a few. I chose to convert some to black and white because the whole scene was so monochromatic. Lower Yosemite Falls is pictured above and the Yosemite Chapel is below.

Lower Yosemite Falls and the Middle Cascades

Lower Yosemite Falls in black and white

Wile E. Coyote

2007-03-26T13:55:00.000-07:00

Well, I got the issue with the card reader fixed, with some help from the SanDisk support page. This coyote approached the cars parked at the Gates of the Valley turnout. Some people were calling it, like a dog, I guess to feed it. People do some foolish things in national parks!

Yosemite

2007-03-26T10:05:00.000-07:00

I've been in Yosemite for a few days now and have had technical problems so I haven't posted any new images yet. So far I have only been able to download one CF card and can't get the reader to read anymore cards. Luckily I have enough cards to last the rest of my stay! I did manage to get this image off the card before the reader apparently died. It's Upper Yosemite Falls with rainbow lighting in the mist.

Beacon Hill Gallery Opening

2007-03-16T23:00:00.000-07:00

Tonight was the grand opening of the Beacon Hill Gallery. We had a good turnout and several of us sold some work. To see the images from my showing, go here: Beacon Hill Gallery Images

Owens River Valley

2007-03-14T10:15:00.000-07:00

In preparation for a gallery exhibit I will be displaying I have been editing photos from last year. This image was captured near Lone Pine, CA and shows the Owens River (somewhat tamed here thanks to the LADWP) at sunset. I will be participating in the grand opening of the Beacon Hill Gallery this weekend. Please feel free to drop in Fri 5-9, Sat 12-7 or Sun 12-5. 1762 Fourth Street, Norco, CA, behind Carl's Jr.

Sunset on Half Dome

2007-03-08T21:39:00.000-08:00

As I set up in the meadow this evening to photograph late afternoon light, I was at first disappointed because it seemed that clouds would prevent alpenglow from lighting up Half Dome. I waited patiently as a cloud moved across the face of the 8,000ft high cliff. Then, as if on cue, the upper half of the dome lit up with warm light just after sunset. This shot was taken at the height of that show. This is not a computer "trick" but a real phenomenon that occurs when warm sunset light strikes high altitude objects such as the face of Half Dome.