CREllsbury Photography
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Images that reflect environmental debate
Updated: Oct 19, 2007 12:54am PST
Your Bio
My name is Rick Ellsbury. For 40 years I have always carried a camera with me.
My interest in photography started when my father was wise enough to give me his old camera as a "hand me down" after hinting in his subtle way how he really wanted to purchase a Honeywell Pentax "someday" during the months before Christmas one year in the mid-60's. Not surprisingly, the Honeywell Pentax showed up under the Christmas tree and not long after he gave me his old Ricoh Singlex SLR along with three lenses: a "wide angle" 35 MM lens, a "regular" 50MM lens and a "telephoto" 85mm lens.
My father graduated from Colorado State University in Forestry. He married my mom, then joined the Army and as a Sergeant and was an Advanced Artillery Surveyor for the United States Army during World War II. He came ashore the second day during the invasion of Normandy and participated in all five major campaigns in Europe before coming home to take up his career in the Forest Service.
My father taught me about the outdoors. As a child he took me out to remote areas of Colorado and Wyoming searching for and mapping out old survey markers in off-road areas. From ages 5 to 12 we lived in Del Norte Colorado, Delores Colorado and Douglas Wyoming. When I was 10 we moved to Lakewood Colorado when he was promoted and transferred to the Denver Federal Center in Lakewood. As I grew up my dad made sure he taught me about the outdoors, wildlife and how to work with firearms safely. Every Saturday morning he took me to the small-bore competition range where I learned competition small bore. We backpacked, camped, went fishing, skied, climbed mountains and fished.
During Junior High and High School I backpacked throughout Colorado, all the while carrying my camera with me. I went to Lakewood High School in Colorado and started to learn how to rock climb when I was a junior in high school. I was privileged in that the Assistant Principle of my high school had been a member of the 1963 Everest Expedition. He spent his summers running a climbing school in the Gore Range outside of Vail Colorado. I spent my summers in the Gore Range at his climbing school. To pay for my tuition, I worked for him doing odd-jobs around his home in Vail and also packed in supplies for the climbing school. All the while, I kept my dad's hand me down camera with me.
I graduated from Colorado State University during a time period when the economy in Colorado was at the worst level it had ever been in. My sister suggested I move to Seattle, and with this move I met her husband to be. My sister's husband was Washington State Seismologist. He was also an expert photographer, a world class climber and a world class Kayaker. My brother in law supported me in my endeavors and career development after I moved to Seattle. He introduced me to one of the top Chief Technical Architects in the Seattle software scene. Through this introduction I was able to secure a wonderful career working with great people. My brother in law jump started my career and all the time I really didn't "get" what he was up to. He encouraged me in low key ways to continue with my photography. At the time I really had no idea just how accomplished he was with his photography, climbing and all things "outdoors".
As I learned more and more about photography, I discovered the work and philosophy of a photographer whose writings and images simply astounded me. In the mid-90's he was invited to speak at The University of Washington in Seattle to lecture in conjunction with an exhibit of his work at the Burke Museum at University of Washington. I decided to attend the lecture he was giving and when I arrived at the lecture hall I discovered my brother in law had also come to attend the lecture.
Attending this lecture was a milestone event along my path of interest in photography. The lecture was inspiring and non-technical. The lecture was about a recent body of work he had just published regarding Tibet. For the first time I understood that there are a very few photographers out there who use their gift to pursue advocacy and free speech. After the lecture was over I was getting ready to leave with my brother in-law. I thought we were leaving the lecture hall, when I found myself being introduced to the photographer by my brother in-law. I soon listened as two friends reminisced about their climbing exploits together in Yosemite and Canada. Because of this introduction I eventually was able to spend a significant amount of time learning photographic techniques as taught by this photographer for two weeks in Glacier National park. I was also able to correspond with him periodically over the next several years until August 2002.
My father is now 94 and snappy as a bull-whip with humor on the end for his age.
My brother in law passed away October 5, 2005 when an out of compliance logging truck going 20 MPH over the speed limit lost it's load and crushed the car he was riding in on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington. The truck driver tested positive for methamphetamine.
My mentor in photography passed away in August 2002 when he and his wife were killed in a plane crash.
This site is dedicated to my father, the assistant principle of my high school, my brother in-law and one of the finest photographers one could ever have the privilege of meeting. Their wisdom, friendship, positive influence and spirits will forever be with me.
Rick Ellsbury 10/17/2007 2:25 AM
My interest in photography started when my father was wise enough to give me his old camera as a "hand me down" after hinting in his subtle way how he really wanted to purchase a Honeywell Pentax "someday" during the months before Christmas one year in the mid-60's. Not surprisingly, the Honeywell Pentax showed up under the Christmas tree and not long after he gave me his old Ricoh Singlex SLR along with three lenses: a "wide angle" 35 MM lens, a "regular" 50MM lens and a "telephoto" 85mm lens.
My father graduated from Colorado State University in Forestry. He married my mom, then joined the Army and as a Sergeant and was an Advanced Artillery Surveyor for the United States Army during World War II. He came ashore the second day during the invasion of Normandy and participated in all five major campaigns in Europe before coming home to take up his career in the Forest Service.
My father taught me about the outdoors. As a child he took me out to remote areas of Colorado and Wyoming searching for and mapping out old survey markers in off-road areas. From ages 5 to 12 we lived in Del Norte Colorado, Delores Colorado and Douglas Wyoming. When I was 10 we moved to Lakewood Colorado when he was promoted and transferred to the Denver Federal Center in Lakewood. As I grew up my dad made sure he taught me about the outdoors, wildlife and how to work with firearms safely. Every Saturday morning he took me to the small-bore competition range where I learned competition small bore. We backpacked, camped, went fishing, skied, climbed mountains and fished.
During Junior High and High School I backpacked throughout Colorado, all the while carrying my camera with me. I went to Lakewood High School in Colorado and started to learn how to rock climb when I was a junior in high school. I was privileged in that the Assistant Principle of my high school had been a member of the 1963 Everest Expedition. He spent his summers running a climbing school in the Gore Range outside of Vail Colorado. I spent my summers in the Gore Range at his climbing school. To pay for my tuition, I worked for him doing odd-jobs around his home in Vail and also packed in supplies for the climbing school. All the while, I kept my dad's hand me down camera with me.
I graduated from Colorado State University during a time period when the economy in Colorado was at the worst level it had ever been in. My sister suggested I move to Seattle, and with this move I met her husband to be. My sister's husband was Washington State Seismologist. He was also an expert photographer, a world class climber and a world class Kayaker. My brother in law supported me in my endeavors and career development after I moved to Seattle. He introduced me to one of the top Chief Technical Architects in the Seattle software scene. Through this introduction I was able to secure a wonderful career working with great people. My brother in law jump started my career and all the time I really didn't "get" what he was up to. He encouraged me in low key ways to continue with my photography. At the time I really had no idea just how accomplished he was with his photography, climbing and all things "outdoors".
As I learned more and more about photography, I discovered the work and philosophy of a photographer whose writings and images simply astounded me. In the mid-90's he was invited to speak at The University of Washington in Seattle to lecture in conjunction with an exhibit of his work at the Burke Museum at University of Washington. I decided to attend the lecture he was giving and when I arrived at the lecture hall I discovered my brother in law had also come to attend the lecture.
Attending this lecture was a milestone event along my path of interest in photography. The lecture was inspiring and non-technical. The lecture was about a recent body of work he had just published regarding Tibet. For the first time I understood that there are a very few photographers out there who use their gift to pursue advocacy and free speech. After the lecture was over I was getting ready to leave with my brother in-law. I thought we were leaving the lecture hall, when I found myself being introduced to the photographer by my brother in-law. I soon listened as two friends reminisced about their climbing exploits together in Yosemite and Canada. Because of this introduction I eventually was able to spend a significant amount of time learning photographic techniques as taught by this photographer for two weeks in Glacier National park. I was also able to correspond with him periodically over the next several years until August 2002.
My father is now 94 and snappy as a bull-whip with humor on the end for his age.
My brother in law passed away October 5, 2005 when an out of compliance logging truck going 20 MPH over the speed limit lost it's load and crushed the car he was riding in on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington. The truck driver tested positive for methamphetamine.
My mentor in photography passed away in August 2002 when he and his wife were killed in a plane crash.
This site is dedicated to my father, the assistant principle of my high school, my brother in-law and one of the finest photographers one could ever have the privilege of meeting. Their wisdom, friendship, positive influence and spirits will forever be with me.
Rick Ellsbury 10/17/2007 2:25 AM
