By THERESA HOGUE
Gazette-Times reporter | Posted: Tuesday, January 22, 2008 12:00 am
Nature photographer's day at the office can sometimes include grizzly bears
As a nature photographer, Marc Adamus of Corvallis spends around 200 days a year in the field, braving mountain storms and backpack-stealing bears in order to capture the perfect shot.
For Adamus, whose landscape photographs have appeared in publications ranging from Popular Photography to National Geographic's on-line site, dedication is everything. His work often drives him to stand in the pounding surf of the Oregon Coast to capture water across black rocks or freeze in the blowing snow of Iron Mountain to photograph an explosion of ice crystals.
His patience, talent and endurance have yielded awards, acclaim and, at age 27, the freedom to earn his living and live his dream: He travels to the world's most beautiful locations to take photographs, and he gets paid for it.
Adamus said the key to his success as a nature photographer is becoming accustomed and comfortable in his surroundings before he begins snapping photographs.
"A landscape doesn't like to be photographed by strangers," he said. That's why he often camps where he's filming, to see a place in all kinds of light and weather.
By establishing an intimate link with the landscape, Adamus' work opens a window into a world of light and shadow that is his own. From glorious orange light bursting out of a rock archway at Ecola State Park to a frost-tinged oak grove in Owens Valley, Calif., the photographs capture a magical moment.
Capturing nature's beauty carries some harsh reality.
Two weeks ago, Adamus and several friends were at Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge when a sudden blizzard forced them to race through the twilight to avoid having to spend a frigid night.
In his outdoor workplace, Adamus occasionally has come across bears, including a black bear that spent half an hour emptying out his backpack just outside his tent. But 20 yards was too close an encounter for one eye-to-eye meeting with a Canadian grizzly that still gives him chills.
"We stared at each other, and then I started backing away and he started backing away."
Adamus values all of his outdoor experiences as lessons - the many good ones and a few scary ones. Yet he values most that he can return from his forays into the wild to his family in Corvallis, his hometown.
Adamus and his family moved here when he was 7 years old. He attended Mountain View Elementary School and Cheldelin Middle School. He went to several local high schools, including Crescent Valley, but became disenchanted with formal education and graduated early so that he could spend time traveling. He tried out culinary school after graduation, but he soon realized that a different kind of art appealed to him.
"I didn't find my calling until my early 20s," he said. "I had a love of backpacking and climbing and mountaineering, and I got a camera as a gift for my 19th birthday. I started taking it out on trips."
He also began reading the work of Galen Rowell, a renowned nature photographer. His book "Mountain Light," which includes a "how-to" guide, inspired Adamus to pursue photography as a career.
It just seemed right. Adamus' father, Paul, is an independent environmental consultant and nature lover. He took Paul and his siblings on hikes and bird-watching trips. Adamus appreciated the beautiful landscapes of his native Maine and that appreciation grew when the family moved to Oregon.
"It's the diversity you find in this state and region," Adamus said. "You can go from the coast to the rainforest to the mountains to the desert within six hours of each other."
With such a wealth of scenery to capture on film, Adamus has been prolific. In addition to his work in magazines, he's released several calendars, including the "Northwest Wilderness 2008" wall calendar, which has just sold out. Adamus teaches workshops and leads guided photography tours. He's working on a book of his work.
Adamus' advice to photographers who want a similar career is part practical, part inspirational: Take advantage of the on-line tutorials available. Then photograph - at every opportunity - the places you know and love.
"Eat, sleep and breathe it," he said.