Dick Estel's Photo Albums

Please enjoy these photos, share them with friends and family, but do not violate copyright laws by using them for commercial purposes. Click on the links below to open the full album. Click here for commentary about specific photos, and here for camera information. Click here for sample photos, and here for other links. Click here to report non-working links or other problems.

  
Albums
Animals
Arizona Photos
Artifacts
Bluegrass T-Shirts
Borrowed Photos
Central California
Colorado Photos
Fire Photos
Four Wheel Driving
Merrill's Saw Mill

Midwestern United States
Nevada Photos
Northern California Scenery
Oregon Photos
Parkfield, CA
Flowers & Other Plants
People
Redwood Gallery
Sierra Nevada Mountains
Sky & Weather
Southern California
Southeastern US
Utah Photos

Western United States

   

Sample Photos 
(Text links open the full album; click on the photos to see a larger version in a new page).
Animals Arizona Photos
How Furry Lewis observed his 10th birthday party Rattlesnake, Siera foothills The Four Peaks View from Cape Royal
How Furry Lewis observed his 10th birthday party Rattlesnake, Sierra foothills The Four Peaks View from Cape Royal
   
Artifacts - Man-Made Subjects Bluegrass T-Shirts
Railroad Water Tower, Bakersfield, 1965 Barn, Fresno, 1966 KIngs River Bluegrass Festival Parkfield Bluegrass Festival
Railroad Water Tower, Bakersfield, 1965 Barn, Fresno CA 1966 Kings River Festival, Sanger CA, 2001 Parkfield Bluegrass Festival, Parkfield CA, 2004
   
Borrowed Photos Central California  Scenery
Red Neely at Plumas Fire  "When Joel went out west in 1891" Coast Range Squaw Leap BLM area, near San Joaquin River
Rod Neely at Plumas County Fire, August 1999  "When Joel went out west in 1891" Coast Range San Joaquin Gorge BLM area
   
Colorado Photos Fire Photos
State Capitol (with real gold on the dome) Looking west at Denver from Cherry Creek State Park Flames dominate the landscape at the Hunter Fire. Rod at Plumas County Fire, summer 1999
State Capitol (with real gold on the dome) Looking west at Denver from Cherry Creek State Park Flames dominate the landscape at the Hunter Fire

Dan Patchett & Francoise Tremblay at the Hunter Fire

   
Flowers, Plants and Trees Four Wheel Driving
Near San Miguel Nature's rock garden Jeremy's Jeep Over the top
Near San Miguel Nature's rock garden Jeremy's Jeep Over the top
   
Merrill's Saw Mill Midwestern United States
Log rollway Billy Lewis & Jimmy Carlton Ohio Minnesota
Log rollway, 1935 Billy Lewis & Jimmy Carlton, 1939 Ohio Minnesota
   
Nevada Photos Northern California Scenery
Nevada Nevada Mt. Shasta Lake Shasta
Basin in central Nevada Arch in Valley of Fire State Park Mt. Shasta from the south Lake Shasta
   
Oregon Photos Parkfield, CA
Mt. Hood from Dufur OR Crater Lake Cholame Creek north of town Mail boxes on Parkfield-Coalinga Road near Oak Street
Mt. Hood from Dufur Crater Lake Cholame Creek north of town Mail boxes on Parkfield-Coalinga Road near Oak Street
   

People

Redwood Gallery

Dinner time on the trail A misty day in Blue Canyon General Grant Tree, Kings Canyon Park Bull Buck Tree, Nelder Grove
Dinner time on the trail A misty day in Blue Canyon General Grant Tree, Kings Canyon Park Bull Buck Tree, Nelder Grove
   
Sierra Nevada Mountains Sky & Weather
Silver Divide from Kaiser Pass area Tehipite Dome from south Clouds Fresno Sunrise
Silver Divide from Kaiser Pass area Tehipite Dome from south Clouds Fresno Sunrise
   
Southern California Southeastern US
Joshua Tree National Park Joshua tree and rock formation Southern Mississippi Bayou Full size Saturn rocket replica
Arch in Joshua Tree National Park Joshua Tree and Rock Formations Southern Mississippi Bayou Full size Saturn rocket replica
   
  Utah Photos Western United States  
Arches National Park Canyonlands Nat'l Park Wyoming Montana
Double Arch Canyonlands Nat'l Park Wyoming Montana
   
Camera Information

I started taking pictures when I was about ten years old, using (what else?) a Kodak Brownie camera. In his younger days, my dad had done some photo processing, so we got out his old trays, bought a cheap film developing tank, and gave it a try. The poor quality of the equipment, and the difficulty of creating a darkroom in our one bathroom house caused us to abandon the effort after a couple of rolls. In addition, we had no enlarger, so all we could make were tiny prints the size of 127 film, about 2.5 by 1.5 inches. A few of the older family photos were probably taken with this camera or its successors.

I continued to take pictures, however, eventually getting into color slides and a few rolls of color print film. While working at a TV station in Bakersfield, I was able to borrow several different 35 mm cameras, and that became my preferred format. I eventually bought a second-hand Nikorex camera, which I always assumed was a low end product from Nikon, but it could have been an even lower end imitation. I also acquired equipment for developing and printing, including an enlarger, and made many black and white photos this way (this is one of my favorite examples).

The Nikorex reached the end of its useful life, and I finally bought a Nikon, which was stolen in 1987. My insurance covered a replacement, which served me well over the next dozen years. Many of the photos on these pages were scanned from slides taken with the Nikons.

In 1999 I bought my first digital camera, a Kodak DC265, and all photos dated after that time are digital. From 2003 to 2006 I used a Minolta Dimage 7, at which time I acquired my present camera, a Canon EOS10D digital SLR. The following year I acquired a Kodak Easy Share, which I use when I'm in places where I don't want to carry a heavier model.

For the most part, I let the camera choose the aperture and shutter speed, although the Canon does have manual controls. It provides a close-up setting that I use for flowers and other small subjects.

As I've mentioned elsewhere, I have received a number of compliments on my photos, and I usually point out that I only share one or two out of fifty shots.

--Dick Estel, August 2009

  

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All photos copyright © 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 by Dick Estel & other credited photographers. 
Permission granted for personal use only; commercial use prohibited.

Updated August 13, 2009