Andrea Johnson Photography

 

The Noble Spirit documentary Trailer

“A rare glimpse into one man’s battle with ALS…with the spirit to find good in every situation and embrace every day no matter the challenge we face”

Not many people would have the courage, tenacity, and long term vision to chronicle their own terminal illness. Fred invited me into his life with a no holds barred approach, and encouraged me capture every detail of his daily life.   It’s been an honor and to have complete access and a challenge to watch him struggle without interfering with events as they naturally unfolded.
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Oregon wine harvest 2012

It’s impossible to capture Oregon’s epic harvest in words, picture perfect conditions that are better shown than described. We had three months of blissful summer weather with no measurable rain June – mid September, without any heat spikes to sunburn fruit, and cool nights to retain the acidity. In the ten years I’ve been photographing harvest at home, these are the most ideal conditions I’ve encountered, making the past three weeks of pre-dawn wake up calls well worth the effort. Here’s a few hightlights of the harvest in Oregon’s Willamette Valley:

Harvest day sunrise over Mt. Hood and Sokol Blosser's estate vineyard, Dundee Hills

Pre dawn light at Sokol Blosser's estate vineyard and aerial view over Elk Cove's Mt. Richmond vineyard, Yamhill

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Helicopter snowboarding with Canadian Mountain Holidays

I’ve dreamt of the complete freedom and incomparable adrenalin rush of helicopter skiing & snowboarding for the past twenty years. My expectations were high, yet these visions were exceeded by my Canadian Mountain Holidays experience in the most surprising ways.

Bugaboos Lodge overlooking Bugaboo Range and Spires, British Columbia, Canada

I learned to ski at the age of 9 from my grandfather, Andy Hennig, who was an Austrian Ski instructor at Sun Valley, Idaho until the age of 77. He was a legend in his own right teaching the Hemingway family and countless celebrities while working with Warren Miller in the early days of the adventure ski films. This lifestyle made an unforgettable impression, and in my mid 20’s I took a job at a snowboard company, hired photographers for marketing campaigns, and watched endless ski and snowboard films to fuel the fire.

Clear days offer unlimited access to tracks high alpine glaciers

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Summer Adventures at Canadian Mountain Holidays

Looking for an adrenalin rush? Check out our video of CMH’s newest summer adventure, dramatic scenery where the Bobbie Burns guides have developed a new Conrad Glacier Experience for 2012 with bridges, ziplines and waterfalls.

CMH used the our video to launch ‘The Wildest New Adventure in North America”.

Brett Lawrence setting the course for the new Conrad Glacier experience, Bobbie Burns lodge

Brett Lawrence zip lining across glacial river, working with Bruce Howatt to create the newest Conrad Glacier Experience

The CMH blog written by Topher Donahue also interviews Bruce Howatt, the manager of CMH Bobbie Burns – here’s an excerpt from his post: “You’re right. It isn’t a via ferrata nor is it anywhere close to a traditional hike. The trip is hiking, navigating wild canyons using bridges and rungs, ascending colourful rock slabs right next to waterfalls, zipline crossings, traversing rock walls next to a glacier and, coming soon, more climbing, waterfalls and hopefully some crevasse crossings. All this is mixed into some of the most scenic, mind-blowing, wild mountain hiking you can imagine. Blue glaciers, dark orange rock and bright green ponds are everywhere.”

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Aerials – Napa & Sonoma, CA

Each year there’s a few days of perfect fall conditions where the vineyards are in their peak conditions. On November 15 & 16th I was fortunate to photograph California wine country on crystal clear, 85 degree days. There’s no better way to experience the terroir of the wine country than flying in a helicopter without doors – the views were spectacular from the Golden Gate Bridge to Carneros, Sonoma, and Napa Valley – I love my job!! Here’s a few highlights:

View to Pacific Ocean from Evening Land's vineyards, Sonoma, California

Russian River winds through Sonoma vineyards on a brilliant fall day.

Russian River winds through Sonoma vineyards on a brilliant fall day.

Aerial view of Spring Mountain Vineyards overlooking Napa Valley, California

Revana winery & vineyards, Napa, California

Revana winery & vineyards, Napa, California


Raymond Vineyards, Napa, California

Raymond Vineyards, Napa, California


Ideal aerial set up: R44 helicopter with the doors removed, clear 85 degree day in mid November

However ideal the conditions are for aerial photography, experience from years of flying has taught me the most important considerations for capturing the best angle and drama of the subject. Learning to work with pilots who are adept at maneuvering the helicopter at low altitudes, holding steady for panoramic stitch photos, and getting to the right angle of the sun to backlight vineyards and cut out surrounding distractions can take determination and time to optimize. When all the elements do come together, there’s no better way to capture a sense of place from this unique vantage point.

Here’s a link to the updated aerial photo gallery on my website:
http://andreajohnson.photoshelter.com/gallery/Aerials/G0000iV_4mt0gP4U/