Portfolio Post - People

The people portfolio was an easy one to name.  It is pictures of people.  Friends, family, skiers, climbers, clients, musicians, etc.  Just pictures of people.

Check it out: www.dbutcherphotography.com

Although you can't see from the photo, this was taken amidst a sea of hippies, their tents, and their awesomeness.  Check out the full three days here: Day1 - Day 2 - Day 3

Ryan Wells - Phish Festival 8 - Indio, CA

I really like how the colors work together in this one.

Crazy and V Henriksen - Spring City, UT

Portraits are my favorite thing to shoot with the Holga.  There is just something about how it works with color, the shape of the image, etc. that just makes it great.

Candice Groesbeck - Big Cottonwood Canyon, UT

One of the best things about a Phish show is the light show.  I was waiting for the right time to shoot this image knowing exactly what I wanted.  I got lucky when it all worked out.  

Trey Anastasio - Phish Festival 8 - Indio, CA

People spend all this money on gear to keep their face warm while skiing, but they really should just grow a beard.  While it may look cold, the fact is that it freezes over then acts as a weather barrier for your face.  Just don't open your mouth too big as it may be frozen to itself.

Jer Valentiner - Big Cottonwood Canyon, UT

Another shot taking advantage of the great lighting at Festival 8.

Trey Anastasio - Phish Festival 8 - Indio, CA

Shooting the Down Syndrome Buddy Walk was one of my photo highlights of 2009.

2009 Buddy Walk - Cottonwood Heights, UT

Portfolio Post - Art

This portfolio was the hardest to name.  I didn't want to call it "Landscapes" because it isn't just that.  I didn't want to call it "Scenic" because I think that is lame.  "Nature" didn't seem to cut it either.  With input and help from others, I finally decided on "Art."  This is the space to showcase my photos that have more of a fine art feel to them - landscapes, sunsets, sunrises, animals, plants, etc.  This is a portfolio I hope to expand on a bunch over the next several months.

Check it out: www.dbutcherphotography.com

I don't know what kind of plant this is, but I think it looks cool.

Plant - International Peace Gardens - Salt Lake City, UT

Shot while climbing at the SUV crag above the Salt Lake Valley.

Bird and Cliff - Salt Lake City, UT

I was headed out to attend my little brother's baseball game and saw this single bird on the wires outside my back door.  I had been thinking about a shot like this for a while and recognized it when I saw it.

Bird - Salt Lake City, UT

Sundial Peak sits at the top of the Mill B South drainage between Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons.  This day we ended up skiing some of the terrain you can see in the right third of the photo, but I did scope a line off the top that looks pretty awesome.  We will have to get back there when the time is right.

Sundial Peak - Big Cottonwood Canyon, UT

Taken from the North Summit of Mt. Olympus looking down on the Salt Lake Valley just 20 minutes or so before I cut my head open skiing down it.

Mt. Olympus - Salt Lake City, UT

I don't think I ever saw the television show, "Green Acres," but I do know the theme song from that part in the Pauly Shore movie, "Son-in-Law," where he sings it.  Embarrassing, I know.

Farm - Spring City, UT

Snow can be quite the fascinating subject.

Silver Fork - Big Cottonwood Canyon, UT

My wife and I took a road trip up to the Pacific Northwest this past summer.  We stopped in Vancouver, BC and shot this flower in the park.

Flower - Stanley Park - Vancouver, BC

Springtime is a perfect time to shoot in farm towns as there is plenty of adorableness to go around (yes, that was meant to be over-the-top cheesy).

Sheep - Fountain Green, UT

Portfolio Post - Spaces

I initially got into photography because of skiing and being outdoors.  However, once I started carrying a camera around with me more and more I found that I really enjoyed taking pictures of old things - architecture, cars, streets, etc.  "Spaces" is where those old things have ended up.

Check it out: www.dbutcherphotography.com

I took a video production class in San Francisco in December.  The class didn't start until 10am each morning so I took advantage of the time to walk around town and shoot some photos.

Lombard Street - San Francisco, CA

My wife's parents own an old pioneer home down in Spring City, UT.  The town is a registered historic city.  Going down there just automatically sends you back to simpler times.  This building is an old general store.  The same illustration is on the other side, but the sun has essentially removed it of color over the years.

Schofield's General Merchandise - Spring City, UT

Just 15-20 minutes south of Spring City lies Manti.  This building was completed in 1888 and looks super cool at night.

LDS Temple - Manti, UT

I took a photo class last summer and one evening was spent downtown shooting some architecture.  I think this shot was a bit different than what my instructor was used to seeing, but I really liked it.

City and County Building - Salt Lake City, UT

Spring City was founded in 1850 by the Allred family on assignment from Brigham Young.  This meetinghouse replaced the original structure and was built from 1902-1911.

LDS Church - Spring City, UT

Yes, another shot from Spring City.  This barn sits on my in-law's property.

Barn - Spring City, UT

Old cars can be fun to shoot, too.  These three sit in an overgrown field.

Car - Spring City, UT

I showed the above image of the blue car at the Hammers Inc Art Festival last year and it turned out to be one of my most popular images.  I had shot these others with it and have since put them together as a print series for a few people.  

Truck - Spring City, UT

The third of the series.  If you have interest in these prints or any others you have seen on this blog or on my website just let me know and I would be happy to work it out.

Truck - Spring City, UT

Portfolio Post - Lifestyle

Initially, I was thinking of just having a general "Skiing" or "Snow" portfolio that would cover both the up and down of backcountry skiing.  The issue I ran into was that the mood and feel of uphill images was totally different than that of downhill images, and I wanted to separate them to portray that.  So, instead, I put the downhill stuff in the "Active" portfolio and the uphill stuff in the "Lifestyle" portfolio.  I feel like the hiking aspect of backcountry skiing really portrays the lifestyle of what we do.  This portfolio also includes other outdoor lifestyle activities such as sailing, hiking, etc.  It just happens to be dominated by backcountry skiing right now because those are the best images I have.

Check it out: www.dbutcherphotography.com

It turns out that getting to the North summit of Mt. Olympus is not as easy as one might think.

Mark Hammond - Mt. Olympus, UT

I was in Rhode Island for work and our sales rep set up a day of sailing in Newport.  I'm a sailor.  I sail.

Nate Williams - Newport, RI

In order to ski the Y-Not you have to first walk up the Y.  Our problem here was that we actually took a wrong turn and had to work extra hard to get back into the main chute.

James Good and Mark Greenwood - Y Couloir, LCC, UT

The view of the gods.

Mark Hammond - My Olympus, UT

You've seen this image before.  It remains to be one of my best and one of my favorites.

Bob Athey and Mark White - Big Water Gulch, Millcreek Canyon, UT

This was shot during my blue period.

Jer Valentiner and Luke Behrman - Wilson Fork, Millcreek Canyon, UT

We skied the NW Couloir of the Pfeifferhorn for my 27th birthday.  You can't see the chute from this angle, but doesn't that peak just look rad?

James Good and Brook Golling - Pfeifferhorn, LCC, UT

After skiing South Monitor bowl, Bob broke trail on the way to No Name.

Bob Athey - South Monitor, Parley's Canyon, UT

Shot on the first roll of film I ever shot with my Holga medium format camera.  This also happened to have been Candice's first backcountry tour ever.

Candice Groesbeck - Mill D, BCC, UT

Portfolio Post - Action

With the recent redesign of my website I spent time putting together five different portfolios to try to best represent my work.  Check them all out here: www.dbutcherphotography.com

The first of the portfolios (and my favorite) covers action imagery including skiing, climbing, swimming, etc.

Jer is one of my favorite ski models.  He will wear bright colors, ski the lines I want him to ski, make turns where I tell him to, and he is a ripping skier.  What is up with that tongue, though?

Jer Valentiner - Silver Fork, BCC, UT

The Y-Not is a classic Wasatch line for a reason.

Mark Greenwood - Y-Not Couloir, LCC, UT

This season has been weird regarding snow and avy conditions.  I spent a bit of time earlier this year back in the Wilson Fork area.  You won't find me complaining, though.

Jer Valentiner - Wilson Fork, Millcreek Canyon, UT

Mt. Olympus had loomed over me for long enough.  In March I made my way up there with Zach Clanton and Mark Hammond.

Zach Clanton - Mt. Olympus, UT

Shooting video for a climbing company for work definitely has its perks.  Among them is the chance to shoot some cool photos along the way.

Tom Adams - Maple Canyon, UT

This one was shot last season.  I went out to visit Jer in Boulder, CO while he was living out there.  Surprisingly, we actually found some good skiing.  Who knew?

Jer Valentiner - Berthoud Pass, CO

The rap on the Y-Not shot from inside the cave.

Mark Greenwood - Y-Not Couloir, LCC, UT

Took the chance to shoot a bit while at the Ouray Ice Festival.

Mike Portanda - Ouray, CO

Last fall, I went out and shot the Daybreak Triathlon.  The swim was supposed to happen in the lake out there, but due to a bacterial issue they moved it to the pool.

Bouldering during this year's Red Rock Rendezvous.

Mike Portanda - Red Rocks, NV

I had the opportunity to ski and shoot a bit with Cait Morgan this season.  She is an owner of BlueHouse Skis, has red hair, and is one helluva skier.

Caitlin Morgan - Reynolds Peak, BCC, UT

Another one I shot while shooting video in Maple Canyon.  The D90 shoots both stills and HD video.  This makes it nice when you want to get a little bit of both.

Jessica Taverna - Maple Canyon, UT

It's been a while...

I had these grand plans to post at least once a week this winter with my best shots from the week.  My last post was from December.  It is now April.  So that didn't really work out.  I have been busy.  I have been skiing a lot, shooting a lot, working a lot, and probably doing other stuff a lot, as well.

Here are a few photos from the winter that I like (just to wet your palette):

Jer skis the Nipple headed into Wilson Fork.

Tom climbs some ice in Maple Canyon.

Mark on the lower section of the Y-Not Couloir.

I plan to do a few posts over the next little while that will cover what I have been shooting, skiing, and otherwise doing over the past few months.  Thanks for your patience.

In the meantime, check out the redesigned www.dbutcherphotography.com.