Category: Travel / Nature Blog

Image of a man sitting under a palapa in Bora Bora, Tahiti, French Polynesia, model released by Randy Wells

WHERE TO GO IN MARCH

About this time of year I grow tired of the PNW winter rain and yearn for someplace warm and dry.

Tahiti and Australia make my short list, as do closer locales like Hawaii and Mexico. I still pine for that bungalow on the beach in Bora Bora, where I spent a winter week below the equator in 1991.

RED SKY IN MORNING

… Sailors take warning. It’s an old adage, along with studying clouds, that has proven helpful for me in predicting weather conditions for photography. Here’s a red sunrise I was gifted with at the harbor in Ilwaco, WA recently.

Merry Christmas! The holiday that celebrates the birth of a fisher of men.

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9-8-22

QUEEN ELIZABETH II

Britain’s longest-reigning monarch died today at age 96. I was in London the week Princess Diana was killed in Paris. If this next week is anything like what I saw then, and it surely will be, it’ll be something to experience. The English have always had a special relationship with the queen mother, and it will on full display everywhere.

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MY FATHER WAS CHUCK WELLS

Chuck Wells and his Alaskan king crab boat, the F/V Shaman, from 40 years ago were little known on the Internet until an on-line article appeared last year.

My father was one of the shrewdest people I’ve ever known. He was way ahead of his time. Although he made and lost millions, I’m still proud of him. I made this image onboard in 60 knot seas, which was our limit for pulling 800 pound pots.

When he stopped fishing crab in the late ’90s, the concept of a “World’s Deadliest Catch” dramatic TV documentary was just getting started. Continue reading “”

BACK FROM PORSCHE PARADE

Once again, the Porsche Club of America sent me to cover their annual Parade. This year the big event was held in the Poconos of Pennsylvania. Over 1000 Porsches attended, among them this rare 1992 Euro Carrera 911 RS in Raspberry.

Thanks to the whole Panorama Magazine team for all the good times and photo ops. Look for my features to be published in the coming months.

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INSTA REPEAT

Here’s an image I made in the late ’80s. It was extensively published in print and has been copied since by other photographers many times. With the advent of social media, this phenomenon is in hyperdrive. Shooting for the approval of others (i.e. chasing likes or followers) is just plain dumb. It’s almost as bad as photographing for unsustainably low pay. How bad are things? Just check this out:

INSTA REPEAT

JUST BACK FROM A LONG ROAD TRIP

It’s good to be back home, but it’s also exciting to have had such a productive journey last month. I photographed 15 cars, 11 of them in 4 days, and made some new friends in the Porsche 356 and 911 communities along the way. Here’s a photo I made with my Leica Q on a windy day along Rte 66, one of my favorite roads.

R GRUPPE TREFFEN

St. George, Utah near Zion National Park was the location of last weekend’s 21st R Gruppe Treffen. About 50 early Porsche 911s made the trek from parts across the USA. Here’s a shot above of a Silver ’72 made from a ’70 coupe all the way from Seattle. A majestic setting and a great group of people.

Randy Wells

LUCKY STILL

I wrote this to a talented professional automotive photographer struggling in today’s world:

“Don’t be bothered by some of the stuff you see happening from those trying to make a living as a car photographer today. For the most part, they either have financial backing or cannot see the effects of the low fees they accept for their work.”

“Understand that most will never achieve what we were lucky enough to experience in the past. What we did then (and still manage to do today when the client has a budget) is considered a glamour profession. And it can actually feel that way when you are shooting, being treated fairly, and see your work published. Continue reading “”

LAST CHANCE TEXACO

Rte. 66 is one of my favorite roads to travel on. I grab my personal photo kit and some clothes in a carry on, fly to Las Vegas, rent a Mustang GT convertible, and drive down to the original route.

This photograph was made somewhere along the way where an old Texaco gas station sits next to a modern Chevron one. You just hang around listening to the birds and waiting for the right light. Then presto, you are transported back in time to a simpler world.

NOT A GOOD SIGN

From Uncrate: “In airplanes, the black box records and stores flight data to provide information in the event of a crash. With climate change putting our planet in a downward spiral, earth is getting one of its own. The 33-foot-long steel vault is being constructed on the coast of Tasmania and is designed to record and collect measurements and interactions as our planet continues to decline. Continue reading “”

Drone image of North Cascades landscape at sunrise, Washington by Randy Wells

LOOK UP, THE SKY IS OPEN.

Drone photography and videography can be magical.

However, it is not for the faint of heart. The deeper you go into this discipline-laden aerial specialty, the more you risk being confronted with the limits of what is possible. Those limits are not very forgiving.

Still, for me, the effort is worth the risk for the imagery that can only be acquired aloft. It’s an inspiring and addictive vocation. Fly safely.

For more, see Randy’s Landscape Instagram page: @landscapes.randywells