Adam Gibbs: The art of Nature

Columbia River Gorge

Adam Gibbs — Thu, 03 May 2012 18:12:49 +0000

Michael Wheatley and I spent a few days in the Columbia River Gorge. Flowers were in their prime on the Washington side, a little late on the Oregon shores. It was great to get away for a few days. It’s been quite some time since my last visit to the gorge and like my trip to Zion National Park I am amazed at the amount of photographers flooding these areas. I guess living in Canada I live a sheltered life, rarely do I meet up with other photographers. It was great to bump into a couple of familiar online faces, Floris van Bruegel and Alex Mody. Both talented photographers from Washington state.

While down in the gorge I spent some time playing around with a new toy, the GoPro Hero 2 camera. The GoPro is a heck of a lot of fun, I am sure I will be using the camera on a regular basis. Here is a quick video of some random clips taken with the camera. Editing was done quick and dirty on an ipad. Music is catchy but quite annoying after about a minute.

Evening light on Crown Point

Mt. Seymour

Adam Gibbs — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 19:21:44 +0000

For anyone that has seen my winter images on the web it’s no secret that the majority of them were taken locally. Even though I am not particularly fond of Vancouver, or any other huge metropolitan area come to think of it, living in a city that is so close to an abundance of mountains does have its advantages. The biggest advantage for me is that on any given day I can jump in my car and be in an alpine environment within forty five minutes from my house. Within an hour of hiking, skiing or snow shoeing I can feel as if I am isolated from urban sprawl. Not bad for a city dweller.

One area that I spend a lot of time at in the winter is Mt. Seymour provincial park. Mt. Seymour is a beautiful park that offers some great short back country travel and gorgeous wilderness scenery that extends northward for hundreds of kilometers. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve hiked to the summit, often I’ll just go without a camera to get some quick fresh air and an alpine fix.

Last year I put together a short video about Mt. Seymour that I would like to share with anyone that is interested. Hopefully as time goes on I will be posting more video logs to share some of my travels.

Mt Seymour from Adam Gibbs on Vimeo.

Winter Light

Adam Gibbs — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 17:39:54 +0000

Winter Light Portfolio: follow the link to discover more examples of my winter photography.

Several years ago I decided to embark on a personal quest. My goal was to capture the quintessential image of a Canadian winter. In my mind’s eye, the ultimate winter photograph would contain all of the ingredients that we associate with the dormant season: snow laden trees, powdery white drifts of snow and perhaps the grandeur of a pristine mountain vista. All of these elements would be bathed in cool, winter light.

Sublime Light and Snow

This journey has brought me close to capturing my preconceived vision of the ultimate Canadian winter scene. However, from the start of my quest, it became quickly apparent that there is more to the winter experience than just the visual elements that we associate with the season. The stark ghostly shapes of snow covered trees, intricate patterns of frost and ice, or the simple sensuous curves of fresh snow continue to be the obvious essentials to catch my attention. For me it is the other sensory aspects beyond the visual that have become an important part of the photographic experience. Bracing myself towards a frigid northerly wind, the muted ‘whump’ of snow underfoot or the pure and still, quiet air that often surrounds me when I am out in the field are some of the other essentials that make the winter landscape so enthralling.

Glimmer of Light

I have renewed admiration for the wildlife that survives tenaciously in this harsh beauty. Often, the only evidence of their existence is a lonely track zigzagging across the snow. So, have I found my ultimate winter scene? Well, I have a collection of winter images that I am very happy with, as far as portraying the ultimate winter scene, well, I’m still working on that one.

Shadows in the Snow

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