I had the fascinating opportunity to meet Hungarian sculptor, painter and stone Mason Joseph Baraz. Much of what I shoot is very confined, but to show Joseph’s personality I had the latitude to “open things up”. He is high on my personal list of “Most Interesting People” I have had the honor of meeting. If you would like to see and hear the story click here: Mountain West Voices
My image of the week is from one of my new projects. My good friend and associate Jeff Van Tine and I are shooting the Broken O Ranch near Augusta, MT. One of my aerial images of the ranch is currently on Forbes Magazine on Line Edition.
Here is the link: Broken O Ranch
Come join us for a photography filled afternoon at Capital Sports and Western wear. We will spend the afternoon discussing topics from basic photography to more advanced techniques, all geared to help you take better photographs. Bring your gear and some warm clothes because toward the end of the afternoon we will head over to Spring Meadow Lake and put into action some of the things we will talk about.
When: January 15,2012
Where: Capital Sports and Western Wear, 1092 Helena Avenue in Helena MT
at about 3:30 we will head over to Spring Meadow Lake
Time: 2:00 – 5:00 PM
Cost: Free, Sponsored by Capital Sports
What I have been up to:
The following are a selection of aerial photographs from a project I am working on. They will start out as documentary of the land and wildlife then move toward the abstract. Not everyone’s idea of a fun morning, it was 15 degrees Fahrenheit, flying at 100 miles per hour with the planes window open so I could shoot without obstruction. Math isn’t my thing so I will leave it up to someone else to do the calculations for wind chill temperature. Enjoy.
“The Front” Looking south from the Sun River
“Looking Down the Sun” Looking east at sunrise on the Sun River near Sims Montana
“Golden over the Sun” A golden eagle lit by dawns first light as it flies over the Sun River still shaded from the early morning light.
“Haven From the Cold” A pond poke-a-doted with over 1000 mallards.
“Ice Flows On The Sun” Canada Geese navigate ice patches on the Sun River.
“Patterns of a Pivot” Rows of wheat, patterns from harvest, wind blown snow all come together to form this abstract image all connect to this pivot irrigation.
“Spectra of Textures” Starting from left to right: Wheat field, field boundary with grass, ditch, snow on shoulder, highway, shoulder, ditch.
“Winter” Leafless tree shadows stand over ice on the edge of the Missouri River
Come join us for the Workshop tomorrow!
Here are some comments we received at the Carolina Show.
“I’ve been to several previous showings of Kenton’s work. His show at the Carolina was fabulous – the best by far. The setting and evening were perfect with food, music, and a nice selection of his photos which demonstrated the depth and breadth of Kenton’s work. Kenton sees the world and captures its beauty like no other, and his unique artistry was showcased beautifully at the Carolina show.” Len Lantz
“Kenton’s art is both beautiful and profound, it touches the human heart.” Judy Garrity
On the evening of June 30, 2011, we had a showing that featured multiple galleries at the Carolina Bed and Breakfast in Helena, Montana. There was a mix of images that are typically shown at the Bear’s Den Gallery in Helena and thirteen new pieces were featured. The large crowd enjoyed viewing the images along with a background of musical selections and refreshments.
This post features nine of the thirteen new releases by Kenton and are now available for purchase.
Trout Silhouette
Porpoising Trout
Flying Fish
Rural Montana
Calf Chase
Lone Horse
Winter On The Front Range
Wildlife Selections
Great Grey Owlet
Landscapes
Centennial Valley, Montana
Random Images
Combined with an apple, this caterpillar makes for a compelling image.
Here are a few photographs taken during the June workshop at Pine Butte Guest Ranch. We were able to experience the thrill of shooting babies in their natural habitat.
In June 2011, participants from as far away as Hawaii and New York enjoyed hiking while out in the Montana wilderness capturing shots of a variety of wild flowers and wildlife.
I spent some time in the last few weeks shooting The Race to the Sky, a 350 mile race through western Montana. For Mountain West Voices I followed the stories of 13 year old Aiyana Ferraro as she raced in the Junior race, a 100 mile run on the same course as the adults run on. Ted Miesner a retired judge was also high lighted for the piece. Check it out, double click on this link: A Tale of Two Mushers
I am pleased and honored to be helping producer Clay Scott out with his radio program Mountain West Voices.
The idea behind Mountain West Voices is simple. The interior West of the United States and Canada is a complex region rich in history and culture. It is also a gold mine of compelling human stories, which are a key to understanding our region’s past, present and future. It is our aim to find those stories, and tell them through the voices of ordinary people living their lives in this extraordinary place. (Clays words not mine)
I will be providing the accompanying photographs on the web site as time and funding permit. I am excited for the opportunity as I believe it will allow me to push my photo-journalistic abilities to new heights. Clay and I’s first “collaboration” (and I use the word very liberally), was a 2008 Montana Magazine story on the Matador Ranch in north east Montana. Our paths have crossed several times since and I have grown to have great respect for both he and his work. In many ways we have similar perspectives on people; we are both fascinated with the uniqueness of individuals that live “common” lives but have interesting stories. We work tell these stories, he through his pen and microphone and I through my camera lens.
Clay Scott is the creator and producer of Mountain West Voices. He has worked in print, radio and television, in the U.S. and abroad. He has covered a variety of stories, ranging from war and conflict, to environmental and social issues. He has won many awards for his work, including an Emmy for his coverage of the Kosovo refugee crisis. Clay lives in Helena, Montana.
Currently, the broadcasts are carried by Montana Public Radio and Yellowstone Public Radio, but if you like the programs contact your local public radio and ask them to carry Mountain West Voices.
To listen to the program click here: Mountain West Voices: Historic Black Church Still Going Strong
Thanks for listening/viewing!
Back in December when I committed to updating my blog on a monthly basis for 2011 my good friend Paul Lewis volunteered to hold me to it. Every week this month he has asked me how it is coming. It is now about 4 hours until February 1st so I am setting down and writing until I get this out.
Shooting wise, January was a little slow I really only got out once to do any sort of “nature” photography. Much of what I was working on was geared to preparing for the year.
I am finalizing the details for a year long contract with Montana’s chapter of The Nature Conservancy where I will be providing a number of services for them. The project includes shoots similar to what I have done for them in the past but on a larger scale. I will be teaching at least one class for them at Pine Butte Guest ranch, and keeping a blog for them.
I also look forward to frequent use of my images on a new radio program called Mountain West Voices. It is a great production by a friend of mine by the name of Clay Scott. The program airs every Wednesday night at 8:25 MST on Montana Public Radio. Now you might be asking yourself how exactly does photography work on the radio, the short of it is that the programs can be viewed at Mountain West Voices. There will be slide shows in conjunction with the recordings, so check in often. I anticipate doing a number of the stories so if you are following my work this will be a great opportunity to see my latest.
I have a number of other things in the works too. For instance, I am about to launch an art card series called “Spirit of the American West”. The cards will be available as individuals or a box set of 10 cards. I am working on some fun stuff like a custom leather pouch engraved with “Spirit of the American West” and the Photography of Kenton Rowe engraved on it. They are going to be made by a saddle maker out of Billings by the name of Mike Witt. His work can be seen at Witt’s Custom Saddle.
The C-Project I started in April of 2010 is going well, but I have not found the right Non profit to take me under their wing. This is a necessity, becuase I need to raise funding for the project as many of the patients I am working with live quite a ways away and I need to travel to photograph them. Keep this project in your thoghts and prayers please. I believe if I bring it to fruition it will be a tool that ill help many others face their cancer diagnosis.
They should be pretty neat when it is all said and done. P.S. My image “Proud Mama” will be one of the cards available. See below for a few example images I will be using.
I spent some time shooting the slopes of Bridger this month along with a half day trying to shoot “nature”. On my half day on the Little Blackfoot river I had hoped to find an ermine or a mink that would pose for me, but instead resigned to photographing ice bells. Here are some of January’s images: 
Ice Bells on the Little Blackfoot.
Deer 1
Deer 2
Face Mask of a skier
They start them early up here.
Fresh Powder….unfortunately it was only about three inches covering pure ice.
This is a sample of one of my art card series I am about to launch the they have a white border that is not showing up. They will be 5X7″ cards with an image on the front, blank on the inside and a write up and inset image on the back. I already have five stores in Helena that have agreed to carry them. Now we shall see how they sell. While many of them are shot in Montana, they tend to be images that do not specify a place, so I am hoping that stores in other states will pick them up too.
FRONT SIDE
BACK SIDE
Thank you for looking.
