Alaska Art Bank

Ron NiebruggeAlaska, Chugach, Photos, Shameless Self Promotion, Travel 16 Comments

Gallery wrapped canvas print of the Copper River Delta, Chugach National Forrest, Alaska.

Gallery wrapped canvas print of the Copper River Delta, Chugach National Forrest, Alaska.

I am very, very honored to have an image selected for the Alaska Art Bank.  The State of Alaska hasn’t added to their art collection since 2001, and only selected 17 pieces of art out of 556 entries from 110 Alaskan artists!  I am so proud to be included among such a small group of artists.

I captured this photo a couple of years ago from a helicopter with the door removed.  I have shot from helicopters many times in Alaska and California – it is a blast!

We don’t offer canvas wraps on our on-line shopping cart, but have had a number of people special order them – they turn our great, and are ready for hanging.

Clearing Storm and Outdoor Gear?

Ron NiebruggeAlaska, Photos, Travel 6 Comments

A break in the stormy weather last night over Resurrection Bay, Seward, Alaska.

A break in the stormy weather last night over Resurrection Bay, Seward, Alaska.

When we left the desert, someone made the comment about looking forward to seeing more images from our home / office – well, here is anther look at that ever changing, amazing view!  This is a view I never get tired of looking at.

It was  a year ago where I did a post after discovering the fun one item at a time outdoor gear website  Steep and Cheap.  I did a follow up post months later where I shared a little page I created for Janine and a few friends listing the numerous daily outdoor gear deals.

As time went on, I began to see some potential in the outdoor gear website.  Since we already were paying for our own server, it would be easy to expand the website.  Problem is, I prefer spending my time outdoors behind a camera, and not indoors in front of a computer screen.  So we decided to hire Digital West Media – these are the folks behind the wonderful website Desert USA.

Well long story short, the crew at Digital West Media were wonderful to work with and did a fantastic job!  Check it out:  Outdoor-Gear-Deals.com

Anza-Borrego Ocotillo

Ron NiebruggeAnza-Borrego, California, Photos, Travel 12 Comments

Ocotillo, Anza Borrego Desert State Park, California.

Ocotillo in bloom two weeks ago in Anza Borrego Desert State Park, California.

Ironically, I did a better job of keeping up with the photo blog while on the road.  Seems like we have been really busy since we have returned home with different business opportunities and general catching up – but, I’m not complaining!

I might not post every week day like I normally do over the next few weeks, but I do have a long list of topics, and a couple of great ask Ron topics, so do stay tuned!

Resurrection Bay Morning

Ron NiebruggeAlaska, Photos, Travel 7 Comments

Boating on Resurrection Bay, Seward, Alaska.

Boating on Resurrection Bay, Seward, Alaska.

We aren’t in the desert any more!  Snow off and on this week has made that clear.

This was a boat passing by the home / office this morning.  The light here was a bit flat, but moments later, it turned dramatic – fresh snow, great light, no wind it was a beautiful morning!

I thought perfect conditions for an animal – landscape – snow – mountain combination.  I drove around trying to find a moose to no avail – I usually  can always find a moose!  Next, tried to find the swans I spotted yesterday, no luck.  A close eagle, nope.  I could have taken advantage of the light and gone for the straight landscape, but at times I would rather go for the great shot and come away with nothing, then capture the sure thing, but lesser image.   That is especially true when photographing a place where I already have a lot of coverage.

Photo Rescue to the Rescue!

Ron NiebruggeArizona, Phoenix, Photos, Travel 17 Comments

McCormick Ranch Golf Course, Scottsdale, Arizona.

McCormick Ranch Golf Course, Scottsdale, Arizona.

Here is a mistake I have never made before – I went out one evening to photograph sunset in the hills above Scottsdale, and noticed my card was nearly full.  I did a quick look – perfect, these have been downloaded and backed up, so I formatted my card and began shooting.  It wasn’t until I got back to camp that I remembered that I had photographed Scottsdale and the McCormick Ranch the night before and hadn’t backed up or downloaded those images – I just wiped out that evenings work!

I couldn’t believe it – I’m always so careful.  I told Janine that if we ever get any requests for photos of McCormick Ranch, don’t tell me!  I didn’t lose anything that was going to win awards or solve world peace, but it is still a bummer to lose a nights work.

So I decided to see if I could rescue the images – even though the card was formatted, as long as the new images weren’t written over the old, I thought there might be a chance, and I had nothing to lose.  I downloaded a recovery program, and didn’t have any luck.  I then thought of Photo Rescue.  I noticed that I could download a free version that would search your card and tell what it found before you actually had to buy the program – so I would know if it could work before parting with the cash.  Well, sure enough, I believe it found every photo from that night!  I couldn’t believe it, and happily paid the $29 for the actual program.  It successfully recovered every image.

The ironic thing is that this same SanDisk Extreme card came with Photo Rescue on it for free, so I’m sure I had a copy at home – this is just another reason to use  SanDisk Extreme cards.  In the future I will make sure I have that program on my laptop when I travel.

So if you ever unintentionally delete, format, or just have a card go bad, don’t give up until you try Photo Rescue!

Country Extra Cover!

Ron NiebruggeAnza-Borrego, California, Photos, Shameless Self Promotion, Travel 19 Comments

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park on the cover of Country Extra.

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park on the cover of Country Extra.

We made it back to Alaska safe and sound, it is great to be home!  I was hoping to post a new Alaska photo, but rain and ugly weather discouraged that so I thought I would do just a little bit of shameless self promotion.

This was in the mail when we came home – I captured this photo back in a trip in 2008 and I thought it looked pretty cool on the cover of the March issue of County Extra!

Back to Borrego

Ron NiebruggeAnza-Borrego, California, Photos, Travel 13 Comments

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California.

Sunrise this morning in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California.

Anza-Borrego looks better now then it did a month ago when we left!  Many of the wildflowers have come and gone, but there are still lots of flowers in full-bloom, especially the cactus.  Speaking of cactus, the Ocotillo are now blooming through out the park and look as good as I have ever seen them – they are just brillent red.

We have stopped here just briefly to pack / ship / clean / winterize / and store our trailer and gear and then begin the journey home.   It has been an awesome trip, but it will be nice to be back in Alaska and sleeping in our own bed.  My next post will be Monday – from Alaska!


Rocky Point Mexico

Ron NiebruggePhotos, Travel 11 Comments

Rocky Point, Mexico.

Rocky Point, Mexico.

Last weekend we joined some friends who were former Seward residents down in Rocky Point, on the Sea of Cortez, Mexico.  We had a blast!  And, I even captured a few photos. I love the bright, bold colors!

Speaking of our friends, if you need the best and most successful real estate agent in Tucson, Arizona – be sure to contact Brenda O’Brien!

Roccky Point, Mexico.

Rocky Point, Mexico.