“Alpenflow”, Mt. Bachelor, Oregon

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“Alpenflow”, Mt. Bachelor, Deschutes National Forest

Fine Art photograph of Oregon’s Mt Bachelor at sunset

During the summer of 2017, I captured this beautiful image of a winding alpine stream arcing through through the Three Sisters Wilderness towards Central Oregon’s Mt. Bachelor.  Mt. Bachelor is Oregon’s premier ski resort.  In the enlarged version of this beautiful fine art landscape photograph, you can, with close inspection, see sunset reflected off of the Pine Mountain lift house, high on Mt. Bachelor’s flanks.  Most Mt. Bachelor Photos are captured in winter but I’ve always been drawn to this summery composition.

Alpenglow bathes Oregon’s Mt. Bachelor after a heavy winter snow.

At left you can see my iconic winter photograph of Mt. Bachelor as seen from Tumalo Mountain.

I offer fine art prints, Posters and greeting cards of this beautiful wintry image.

Mt. Bachelor is located approximately 22 miles from the city of Bend, but accessing the Three Sisters Wilderness where I captured, “Alpenflow”, requires a long, rugged drive and a considerable hike.

I’ve shot this composition several times over the past few years with unsatisfactory results.  The summer of 2017 was different.  Fortune was on my side.  I had spent a three day period scouting for new compositions in the Three Sisters Wilderness.  On the last of those three days, wonderful cloud formations began to form above and to the east of Mt. Bachelor.  I knew that there was a cloud break low and to the west which would allow low, warm sunset light to illuminate these timely clouds.  I also knew that the wildflowers along this little stream were in full bloom as I’m scouted them earlier in the day.  I hurried as quickly as I could with my 45 pound pack full of large format photography gear and scrambled to the location of this composition.  I was enthralled.  It was a rare windless evening and the  light was stunning!  The scene was bathed in rich pink light from the startling sunset.  It was a magical combination of seasonal timing and fantastic alpine light.  I experimented with my shutter speed  because I didn’t want too long of an exposure which would have turned much of the stream into a giant braid of white silk.  This image comes from my favorite transparency of the night.  Tack sharp focus, stunning sunset light, windless conditions, climax wildflower blooms, and an elegant flow pattern through this amazing alpine scene make “Alpenflow” a summery favorite.

Thanks for Reading,

Mike Putnam