About

Jürgen Hess Photography

I create photographs that tell stories, capture a moment in time, or reflect the beauty found in both the ordinary and the awe-inspiring. I look for the uncommon viewpoint, the light that paints a landscape or the look that says this is the essence of the person. My wildfire photos show the dangerous work of firefighting and the terror and beauty of fire.

Picture1Avoiding being typecast, I specialize in wildfire, conservation, photo-journalism and wild landscapes. Getting my first Zeiss Ikon camera at eight, I studied photography in college and received a BS in Landscape Architecture from Iowa State University. I worked for the US Forest Service for 34 years. I teach group and individual photography classes.

Published Photos

The Oregonian, Oregon/live, The Dalles Chronicle, Hood River News
Envirogorge, Ruralite, Homes+Gardens, Wildfire
Oregon Wild, Gifford Pinchot Task Force, Friends of the Gorge
Books: Landscaping with Natives, Kidding Around the Gorge
 
 
 

Photographic Awards

  • National Geographic Editors Favorite
  • Ruralite magazine
  • Columbia Center for the Arts
  • Tod J. LeFevre Sustainability Award

My photos have been in juried exhibits and hung in Hood River, Roseburg and Portland galleries and are on permanent display at the Columbia Art Gallery.

Photographic Authenticity

Dollar Lake Sunset on Smoke Column 0088My goal is to create an authentic rendition of what my minds’ eye saw when I took the shot. While I use Lightroom, Photoshop and Photoshop Elements to do minor adjustments as crop, contrast, lights and darks, etc., I do not use HDR or combine elements from different images into a final composite image. Dramatic colors in some photos, such as the orange smoke cloud (Mt. Hood Dollar Lake Fire) are the result of shooting at the right time and right spot for the 10 minutes when the sunset gave the orange hue to the white smoke.

 

 

 

541.645.0720 hess@gorge.net
PO Box 163, Hood River OR 97031