Tag Archives: Steptoe Butte

Overcome your Fears and Go For It

Posted on August 27, 2009 | Leave a comment

First Light Caresses the Landscape - Copyright Gary Hamburgh 2009 - All Rights Reserved

Over the last few years I have been working with my friend and mentor, Scott Bourne, he is always encouraging me to be bold, get out the boat and really go after what I want. As I read this article he wrote entitled “The Fear of Failure”, it brought into perspective many of the ideas that he has been sharing with me. These concepts have helped to shape me both in my photography and business practices.

Nobody knows you as well as you know yourself so you must truly believe in your dream and go for it. Don’t let the negative ideas of others influence your goals. I hope this post by Scott and my words help to encourage you to really be creative and work hard as you pursue your dreams in the world of creating beautiful images to share with others. Good luck and have no fears.

Choose your Combine by Color

Posted on August 17, 2009 | 1 comment

John Deere Combine 1 by Gary Hamburgh - All Rights Reserved

When shooting harvest in the Palouse not only are you treated to some beautiful landscape, but the various colors of the farm equipment adds to your images.

John Deere Combine 2 by Gary Hamburgh - All Rights Reserved

John Deere combine 3 by Gary Hamburgh - All Rights Reserved

In this post I am going to mainly just share images with you that were taken during the wheat harvest last week in the Palouse. The harvests showing the John Deere and Case combines were shot near Steptoe Butte. Each of the growers that was using these two brands was harvesting between 8500 and 10,000 acres. These are large operations and involve several combines and trucks at each location.

Case IH Combine 3 by Gary Hamburgh - All Rights Reserved

Case IH Combine by Gary Hamburgh - All Rights Reserved

Case IH Combine 1 by Gary Hamburgh - All Rights Reserved

The harvest showing the Gleaner equipment was shot near Dayton, WA. They were harvesting only 4500 acres and using two combines. In this process a tractor pulls a wagon up to the high country where the grain is emptied then the tractor pulls the wagon down to where it is loaded in a truck.

Gleaner Combine 2 by Gary Hamburgh - All Rights Reserved

Gleaner Combine 1 by Gary Hamburgh - All Rights Reserved

Gleaner Combine 3 by Gary Hamburgh - All Rights Reserved

The dog in the last picture belongs to the man driving the combine. He runs with the combine all day, every day during the harvest.

Try to get to the Palouse to photograph the harvest. It is a colorful scene and very interesting to observe. Hopefully the images in this post let you experience some of the process and scenery that is involved during the wheat harvest.

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Posted in Palouse Landscapes, Photography Advice

Tagged agriculture, clouds, combine, farming, harvest, harvester, John Deere, landscape, Palouse, photography, Steptoe Butte, tractor, wheat, wheat field

Lentil Harvest in the Palouse

Posted on August 9, 2009 | 4 comments

Harvest has finally begun in the Palouse. Everything is several weeks later than normal but a visit now will allow you to see the harvest in full swing. Farmers work long hours each day to get the fields cut and the seeds into storage. In addition to the cereal crops of wheat and barley, lentils are also grown and harvested in the Palouse region.

Patterns of Rows by Gary Hamburgh - All Rights Reserved

Palouse farmers generally harvest lentils by mowing and swathing, or they may combine the crop. Swathing is often necessary to kill green weeds and allow them to dry so the lentils can be threshed efficiently. Plants are usually swathed when the pods turn a cream to golden color; then older pods will be dry and their seeds firm.

Lentil Patterns by Gary Hamburgh - All Rights Reserved

The images in this blog were all taken from Steptoe Butte in eastern Washington. This high vantage point gives an almost aerial view so the many patterns and contours of the land and crops can be appreciated. Lentil harvest provides beautiful colors and patterns to enrich the landscape in this picturesque region. Visit this region and come away with some truly unique and colorful images of the harvest.

4 Comments

Posted in Palouse Landscapes, Photography Advice

Tagged agriculture, combine, farming, harvest, harvester, landscape, lentils, Palouse, photography, Steptoe Butte

Show Your Work

Posted on April 22, 2009 | Leave a comment

Red Combine at Work by Gary Hamburgh - All Rights Reserved

As I have worked over the last few years with my mentor Scott Bourne, he reminds me of three things that will help you to become more successful. They are the following:

1. Show your work

2. Show your work

3. Show your work

He says this to provide emphasis of how important it is to show your work. Getting your work in front of people is so critical to your success in selling. Remember that no one will probably show up at your front door looking to buy your work.

Find any avenue that you can to show your work. I will be showing my work at Walla Walla University in an exhibition for alumni weekend in a couple of days. I taught at the university for thirty four years so many of my former students and colleagues will come by to see my work. It will provide a good opportunity to display my work as well as let people know about the business that I am now involved in.

Below are some of the pieces of artwork that will be displayed during the exhibition. They will all be large gallery wrapped canvases.

Chocolate and Caramel Mounds by Gary Hamburgh - All Rights Reserved

Fading Light by Gary Hamburgh - All Rights Reserved

Wheels in the Wheat by Gary Hamburgh - All Rights Reserved

Evening Light in the Palouse by Gary Hamburgh - All Rights Reserved

Winn Road Barn in Snow by Gary Hamburgh - All Rights Reserved

Remember look for any opportunity you can to follow the advice of “Show your work”.

Observe wildlife while exploring the beautiful vistas.

Posted on March 2, 2009 | Leave a comment

It is necessary to keep a watchful eye as you travel the Palouse country. Many times you are so involved in taking in the beautiful scenery that you miss some of the birds and other wildlife that is abundant.

On a recent trip to the Steptoe Butte area just north of Colfax, I was intent on getting to a high vantage point to observe the final light of the sun as it was preparing to bathe the landscape of rolling hills and valleys in the lowlands below. As I came around a corner on the road up to the state park I spotted the red-tailed hawk that is pictured below.

Red-tailed Hawk (buteo jamaicensis) by Gary Hamburgh - All Rights Reserved

He was very intent in watching the fields below him as he perched on a ridge in the wheat field searching for any movement that might signal some prey for his supper. He did not give me much attention as I captured his image from my car window.

As I parked my car in one of my favorites spots to capture the last rays of the sun, I heard the loud trill of a bird just over the edge of the hill on some rocks. I was treated to the view of a rock wren that was enjoying bathing in the last light of the day. In the image below, it is obvious how well this species blends in with its environment.

Rock Wren (salpinctes obsoletus) by Gary Hamburgh - All Rights Reserved

As the sun set on the landscape and I descended the butte in the twilight, I was once again reminded of the beauty that is both in the landscape as well the wildlife that inhabits this region.

Changing Faces of the Palouse

Posted on January 23, 2009 | 1 comment

Photographing the Palouse can be very rewarding if you go back to capture the same image at a different time. That familiar scene has a completely different look due to a change in colors and textures. These changes may be a seasonal change or because of cultivating and harvesting the land. As you revisit, it exciting to see the the subtle as well as the bold transformations that have taken place.

The two photos above were taken from the same location on Steptoe Butte during the same calendar year. The first photo “View from Steptoe Butte” was taken in May and the second “Chocolate and Caramel Mounds” was taken in July. They both show common elements as well as major differences. This seasonal change is very dramatic and can provide you with a new vision as you explore the Palouse .

Remember when shooting the Palouse, retrace your steps and be rewarded a second time.

1 Comment

Posted in Palouse Landscapes

Tagged Palouse, Steptoe Butte