Friday Featured Photographer - Sean Patty

I'll go a little different direction for this week's featured photographer... as in, way out west.  I happened upon West Texas Photo a few weeks ago and invited photographer Sean Patty to be seen on this side of the Lone Star State...

A quick browse through the galleries is all it takes to see that Sean likes beautiful western landscapes.  No surprise then that a love of the outdoors has inspired Sean's photography obsession.

"I have always enjoyed hiking and backpacking into the great outdoors," he said. "I wanted to begin capturing some of the beauty in the wilderness. I love landscapes and I love being on location, generally alone, and capturing a moment in time to share with others."

You can also see that Sean spends time processing some of his images for a stylized, almost HDR look.  He said that there isn't one particular look he goes for, but rather a look that he thinks suits each image.

"I’m not sure what my “’style” really is," he said. "For landscapes and some of my energy shots, I try to get a feel for that particular scene and then process accordingly. For some shots I go for a more surreal look while other shots will contain the perfect elements with only minor tonal adjustments. Maybe one day I’ll find a “style” to be known for. I use Adobe Bridge and CS5 software."

Sean's images of the Alamo raised my curiosity ... clearly this is not in San Antonio.  It is a good example of making the most of your photographic opportunities when you can.

"A few summers ago, I took my boys camping at Kickapoo Cavern State Park. Near this remote park were the remnants of the old John Wayne movie set for The Alamo," he said. "It was a wonderful opportunity to shoot the Alamo in an authentic setting. My understanding is the set is now closed to the public so I’m grateful to have gotten the shot."

While Sean's inspiration may come from the likes of Ansel Adams and other nature photography greats, he also ventures in to many other areas of photography. Here are a few other clips from his site that caught my eye.  I particularly like the Air Power gallery.

Sean also works for commercial clients around his home base in the Midland area.

Last thing... Sean is a Canon shooter, and he carries a versatile set of lenses for treks into the backcountry...

"I bought my first Canon Rebel over 5 years ago. Then I migrated to the Canon 60D and 2 years ago I purchased the full frame Canon 5D Mark II," he said.  "In my bag is my 5D Mark II, Canon 17-40mm, Canon 24-105mm and a Canon 70-200mm Zoom. I also carry a remote flash, ND & Polarizer filter along with a sturdy Manfrotto tripod."

Thanks Sean!