Milli Vedder
Kitsap County, WA
Nikon D7000
You shoot the majority of your shots in portrait orientation. It works really well with the location that you shoot (the tall trees and the falling streams). Is there any other reason which drew you specifically to the format?
The vertical nature of my subjects calls for portrait orientation to capture them in their true appearance and beauty. There also seems to be more to see in photos shot in portrait orientation, just because of their increased height compared to horizontally shot images. I keep coming back to vertical shots and seeing more, while horizontal shots don’t keep my attention for as long.
You often capture wildlife and fungus while shooting. Is there any creature or fungus which you’ve hoped to capture that you’ve missed or never stumbled upon?
While I see so many animals and mushrooms during hiking, I have yet to see an antlered buck outside of velvet. I will never understand how hunters find them so easily, but I’m sure if I just keep looking I’ll find and capture one on camera. Owls are also on my “to capture” list. During the summer of 2014 I had a beautiful barred owl land in the lower branches of a tree not far from me, but as I went to photograph it, the owl flew away. That wasn’t the last time I’ve seen an owl thankfully, I saw another barred owl a year later, and a snowy owl right next to my house over the winter, so I’m confident someday I’ll be able to capture one on camera.
Almost all of your pictures seem to have been shot in the rain (or shortly after). Is it really that wet over there, or do you just prefer those conditions when shooting?
It really does rain that much here, we average around 52" of rain annually (the US average is 37" or so), so I’ve learned to work in rainy conditions. However, I do enjoy the way rain makes a forest and its inhabitants look. Rain makes forests look so alive and vibrant; it helps mushrooms grow and feeds the streams and lakes I so often photograph.
