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Hi everyone,

Thank you for following my blogspot over the last two years. In the interest of enhancing your experience with Stentzel Photography, I have upgraded to an integrated blog on my new site.

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Thanks! Look forward to seeing you on the new site!

Canyoneering - San Antonio Falls, Part 1

Fog

Southern California is amazing... but there is very little fog. This is sad for a photographer. I want to go back to Carmel!

Ugandan Woman

Christine

This is a favorite photo of my most excellent friend Christine! The colors, the location, and composition of the shot all connote how awesome this hippy girl is... not to mention, she's a rad photographer!

Provo at Night!

Found this recently. Shot it over a year ago. I don't know how many nights I've wandered around Provo, Utah at night.

Portraits

Pool

Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Pool

Carmel

I love Monterey and the area around it!

Alley way

Alley way in Peru... not quite sure what someone is trying to say with this...

Unhinged Available to Watch Online + an interview

Unhinged - My undergrad thesis film! Shot on super 35mm. Enjoy!

Sillouttes

I am not usually a huge fan of these types of shots (crazy huge sun flares), but this one reminds me of the hot sun in Peru we felt one day exploring some ruins after a VERY long bus ride.

Meadow Valley Night Photography

I saw some of the most stunning shooting stars of my entire life while shooting with my Dad. This is my favorite image from the night. The old gas station in meadow valley is lit by the moon just barely over the mountains. I got really excited that water from the fields had made the street wet enough to reflect light from the sky. Quincy, California and the surrounding areas are really lucky to have such amazing views.

Night in the Plaza De Armas

I remember that the 11,200 high altitude in Cusco, Peru made me feel a little woozy. So before embarking on our trek to even higher grounds, we took a few days acclimatize a little bit. The time was great for taking photograph's on our adventures.   

Cusco Woman, Peru

Anyone who has been to Peru knows that its famous for selling fantastic Alpaca articles of clothing. If you buy in a reputable shop however, the prices are really quite high. "Thats because its not 100% baby alpaca," we were told. You ask any street vender though and they'll say what they sell is "100%." I, like Switzerland remain neutral and unsure. This woman is standing in front of a famous church in Cusco near the Plaza De Armas. Take a look at the grey stones that make up the foundations beneath the church. They are ancient Inca stones and said to be earthquake proof!

Channel Islands part 3

We went ocean kayaking around the cliffs Santa Cruz islands. There were beautiful views of Ana capa island as well as Dolphin's and jelly fish that came right up to us.  The whole experience made me want to invest in a water proof housing for my 5D. One day... Until then I'll be quite happy shooting landscapes on solid ground!

Scary Bridge at Night

While shooting this photo, I got a very strong feeling that I was not alone. It was late and probably not the safest place to be. Right as I was leaving I realized that there was actually someone hiding out of view behind one of the mainly pillars my back was facing. I made a quick exit to say the least. Pepper spray is now always in my bag when shooting at night in the City!

"Suicide Bridge"

I don't get too many chances to shoot night photography in the city. I generally gravitate toward nature. But the very first time driving past "Suicide Bridge" I knew I wanted to shoot it late one night. I love design of the historic bridge near Pasadena. The flares in the bottom photo are a bit disconcerting, but I feel like the photo successfully conveys the scale of the bridge.

Channel Islands part 2

I shot the photo above of my friend Sam as he rested from the long hike across the island. There is only one dock on island. I believe that there is only one or two boats a day to the island. I loved the isolation and the opportunity to explore with my cameras! More to come!

Channel Islands

I recently spent some time in the Channel Islands off the coast of Southern California. Surprisingly it is one of the least visited national park in the USA. I loved photographing the landscapes of the island chain that has been nicknamed "the Galapagos of North America." Thats right! There are many species of animals that only exist there! Island Foxes and Spotted Skunks!

Adventure!

This past week I went up to Northern California. I got to spend time with family, saw old friends, and went to some of my favorite places. I can remember being not much older than my nephew standing in the same spot in Quincy, staring off into the field and wondering what was out there past the fence. Looks like my nephew is pondering some adventures far away one day. I wonder if anyone who grew up in Plumas County recognizes this little landmark...

Street Vender

This woman was selling candy on a side street in Cusco, Peru. Thought it looked very lonely and felt sort of compelled to capture the emotion that it made me feel. Hopefully I conveyed it well.

Pasadena City Hall

I really enjoy downtown Pasadena. Great food, shops, culture and art. This was a shot from a really great night I had exploring the area around the City Hall at night. 

Undisclosed Location

This is random, but I promise an explanation eventually.

Beach is nice in all weather!

I took a long walk down most of Cabarete via the beach. There were very few tourists out and it was nice to see locals being themselves.

Leavin on a Jet Plane

I've never been one for shooting out a plane window. Everyone always wonders what the heck you are up to. However, its kind of fun now and again.

Dominican Republic

I've seen alot of beaches in my day, but there was something unique about this one I can't quite put my finger on. This was a random and quick trip shortly after the earthquake in Haiti. It was strange to find no signs of devistation on one side of the island and know how much difficulty the other side was/is going through.

Mountains in Peru

Along the trek in Peru I kept thinking how I could spend a whole year photographing the mountains there. It was almost painful to only stop for the occasional moment of amazing light and have to move on. What a beautiful country, I have fantastic memories there.

Earthquake Self Portrait

A few weeks ago a friend challanged me to take a non smiling self-portrait and spend no more than 10 min setting up to take it. I got one or two shots off using a self timer... when I was interrupted by a 5.9 earthquake. After the shaking stopped I realized that the self timer had gone off during the mayhem... so the top photo is the best non candid self portrait i got out of the experience, and the bottom is my face during an earthquake when the self timer went off. Enjoy

Seven Teacups Canyoneering

I had a fantastic time recently with Alpine Training Services. I participated in their CIV class. We went to the Kern River for a few days to learn how to canyoneer in swift water. And wow, the Seven Teacups were really flowing! At the end of the day I felt confident and prepaired for more adventures. Such a cool sport. I can't wait to head back up to Kernville again. Moral of the story: You don't have to drive to Utah for some sick canyoneering; its right here in Southern California's backyard.

Fireworks!

I can't remember how many times as a child I tried to take photographs of a fireworks display. They almost never turned out. I feel better about these! Doesn't the top one look like a creature you might find in the sea at night?

Canyoneering Shots

I recently got to do some product photography for Alpine Training Services (ATS). They have a new rappelling device that will be on the market August 2010! I got to hang off the side of a 150 foot waterfall and shoot. Talk about fun! If you DON'T KNOW what canyoneering is, I suggest you check out the ATS page for some great videos and images! www.alpinets.com

IDP Camps

Some images from the Internally Displaced Persons Camp. This was perhaps the most surreal moment of the trip. This community of people had to flee the country side for closer land near Gulu in order to have some protection from the LRA - Lord's Resistance Army.

If you would like to learn more about the history of Northern Uganda, I suggest you look up the book Girl Soldier.

Africa!

Hard to believe its been a year since I was in Africa with Kara and Dani! Even harder to believe I haven't shared more of my images with everyone! My self imposed assignment for the week will be to post some of my favorite moments from the trip. The image above makes me really happy. It reminds me that I should always remain as thankful for the opportunity to pursue an education as the students I met everywhere in Uganda were.

Dennis

Apologies for an absent presence on the blog last week. I ended up going last minute to photograph the Channel Islands. It was a great experience, I can't wait to post some of the stuff soon enough.

The image above is from an old contact sheet that I found. Its one of the first assignments I shot for my first black and white class. (notice the fixer spots) Its also cool to see the snow coming down in the photo. Many who might know Provo will likely recognize Dennis, he could be seen almost daily walking University avenue from River Woods almost down to Town Center. Every time I would see him I'd stop and give him a granola bar and chat for a little while. Perhaps thats why he finally let me take his picture! He has some great stories to tell.

Macro Photography Experiment!

I have been playing with macro photography recently. This is my first experiment. I used a bellows with a 50mm F1.2 lens. Talk about a shallow depth of field! The makeup was done by my friend Jenny Engard and a really awesome model named Maddie we met recently. I'll be posting more from the shoot with her in a week or two.