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12.07.2006

Introducing Photographer Michael Regnier

Vinography readers, I have a special treat for you, and for a change, it's not more words on screen from me. Instead it will be stunning images of vineyards from Michael Regnier.

Michael Ireland Regnier is an award-winning art and commercial photographer whose work carries him around the world. He has a degree in photography from the Kansas City Art Institute, and has been working a professional photographer since 1982, garnering accolades from nearly every major graphic design, photography, and advertising publication in America, including the honor of being one of only six photographers in the world published by the Kodak International Photography imprint.

Michael's photographs, prized by art collectors as well as commercial clients around the world, are unique, multilayered images that go beyond the reality of the image in the camera. He starts with high resolution digital photographs and layers in textures and colors until the image feels right, and then he moves into the tangible world, printing the images on watercolor paper and often covering them with encaustic wax. The final result is an image that is both a photograph and not a photograph, a landscape, but also something more.

Recently Michael began exploring the vineyard landscapes of California. While he doesn't consider himself anywhere close to a wine expert, he loves to drink the stuff, though perhaps not as much as he loves the early morning light over a vineyard.

Michael will be posting one image per week for the next year that you can use for desktop backgrounds, screensavers, or any other personal and non-commercial use. Additionally, Michael will be selling archive-quality prints of these images on his web site, should you decide you would like to own any of them in a more tangible form.

These are really beautiful images, and a very nice opportunity to decorate your computer, so to speak. I would ask that you respect Michael's copyright and do not under any circumstances use these images for anything other than your personal, non-commercial use. To be explicit, these images are NOT covered by the Creative Commons license that applies to other content on this blog -- Michael has reserved all rights.

Now that we have gotten that out of the way, sit back and enjoy Michael's inspiring interpretation of the places we get our wine from.

Posted by: Alder on December 7, 2006 10:09 PM: Filed under: Vinography Images; Like this post? Share it! Digg it! - Add to del.icio.us - Add to Stumbleupon - Add to Reddit

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» Vinography Images: Winter, Trace Ridge Estate from Vinography: A Wine Blog

Tracked on December 7, 2006 10:16 PM

Winter, Trace Ridge Estate, Sonoma We drove into the vineyard before sunrise so that we would be there for the first light. There was no sunrise in the quiet dampness, but the fog was beautiful. It moved quickly through the vineyard, changing what I s... Read more

» Vinography Images: Flying Home from Vinography: A Wine Blog

Tracked on December 15, 2006 12:18 AM

Flying Home by Michael Regnier. INSTRUCTIONS: Download this image by right-clicking (Mac users, click and hold) on the image and selecting "save link as" or "save target as" and then select the desired location on your computer to save the image. To s... Read more

» Vinography Images: Flying Home from Vinography: A Wine Blog

Tracked on December 15, 2006 12:35 AM

Flying Home "This is one of my favorite of Michael's images. It's got such atmosphere and captures a beautiful sense of place and time, not to mention one of the worlds most beautiful creatures. Hawks are increasingly being given homes in vineyards ar... Read more

» Vinography Images: Vineyard Lights from Vinography: A Wine Blog

Tracked on December 21, 2006 11:30 PM

Happy Holidays from Vinography!! "It took 5 generators and over $1000 of white Christmas lights and lots of help, but we pulled it off. We lit the vineyard the night before and came back just before sunrise. We got stuck in the mud on our way back and ... Read more

» Vinography Images: Hawkeye Mountain Estate from Vinography: A Wine Blog

Tracked on December 28, 2006 8:28 PM

Hawkeye Mountain Estate "The thing I like most about this image is the lack of the obvious vineyard rows. After photographing rows and rows of vineyards all day long, we came around the bend to this beautiful hill of golden grass. It took a moment bef... Read more

» Vinography Images: Vineyard One from Vinography: A Wine Blog

Tracked on January 4, 2007 5:46 PM

Vineyard One "There's always a period of adjustment to any new shooting location. It takes me a little bit of time to really see the vineyard, sometimes minutes, sometimes days. And then there's the light. This image was made on my first day of shooti... Read more

» Vinography Images: Hilltop Vineyards, Sonoma from Vinography: A Wine Blog

Tracked on January 18, 2007 8:17 AM

Hilltop Vineyards, Sonoma "This photo was taken on Cougar Mountain in Sonoma. At the end of a long day of shooting in the opposite direction, I turned around to find this beautiful setting with the perfect light. Sometimes it seems that luck plays a b... Read more

» Vinography Images: Sunset, Camelot Highlands from Vinography: A Wine Blog

Tracked on January 25, 2007 8:19 PM

Sunset, Camelot Highlands "We drove all over this vineyard looking for the right vantage point to show the differences between this Santa Barbara county vineyard and the Sonoma vineyards that we had been spending most of our time photographing in the ... Read more

» Vinography Images: Hawkeye Mountain Estate II from Vinography: A Wine Blog

Tracked on February 1, 2007 12:51 PM

Hawkeye Mountain Estate II It's difficult to make good images of vineyards. Take it from someone who's tried. A lot. They most always come out flat and non dimensional, and certainly lacking the expansiveness and drama that beautiful vineyard landscap... Read more

» Vinography Images: Vineyard Trail, Sonoma from Vinography: A Wine Blog

Tracked on February 8, 2007 6:17 AM

Vineyard Trail, Upper Hawkeye Mountain Estate, Sonoma County "One of the things that I love most about shooting in the vineyards is the exploration of all the small winding trails that work their way back and forth up the mountains. It's a real advent... Read more

» Vinography Images: Chardonnay from Vinography: A Wine Blog

Tracked on February 15, 2007 7:01 AM

Chardonnay, Sonoma County "This is one of the many images I shot one morning during the winter months in Sonoma County. It was a very foggy morning and the landscape changed every few minutes as the fog rolled through, revealing something new around e... Read more

» Vinography Images: Blue Trees from Vinography: A Wine Blog

Tracked on February 22, 2007 7:04 AM

Blue Trees, Sonoma "I made this image on a rainy day in Sonoma. Though it may come as a surprise, days like these are my favorite time to shoot. The rain brings out colors in a special way, making them richer and deeper and more vibrant. It's amazing ... Read more

» Vinography Images: The Hidden Vineyard from Vinography: A Wine Blog

Tracked on March 1, 2007 9:15 PM

The Hidden Vineyard "Yes, there is a vineyard under all this fog. When you are in wine country the landscape consists of so much more than rows of vines. Some of my favorite subjects are the trees that so often surround and occasionally penetrate the ... Read more

» Vinography Images: Stand of Trees from Vinography: A Wine Blog

Tracked on March 15, 2007 9:01 AM

Stand of Trees "When you're photographing in vineyards, it's easy to be too focused on the vines to the point that you develop a bit of tunnel vision, where all you see are rows of vines and nothing else. This stand of trees in the distance caught my ... Read more

» Vinography Images: Rock and Tree from Vinography: A Wine Blog

Tracked on March 22, 2007 9:41 PM

Rock & Tree "I suppose some may see this as a rather bleak shot, but the mood perfectly fits this cold foggy morning. On these mornings, I'm am always drawn to the amazing shapes of the trees and their starkness against the fog, and in this case t... Read more

» Vinography Images: Trees on the Hill from Vinography: A Wine Blog

Tracked on March 29, 2007 9:01 PM

Trees on the Hill "There are so many things I love about this image. The depth and layers are stunning, from the rich dark of the vines in shadow to the distant looming cone of the mountain seen through the fog and the emerging sun. I also love the wa... Read more

» Vinography Images: Stone and Golden Tree from Vinography: A Wine Blog

Tracked on April 5, 2007 12:15 PM

Stone and Golden Tree "This Image was shot at the Taylor Peak Estate in Sonoma County. For some time I have been trying to photograph this unusual tree that amazingly grows right out of the heart of this huge rock. Finally one fall afternoon, I was th... Read more

» Vinography Images: Olive Tree Lane from Vinography: A Wine Blog

Tracked on April 12, 2007 6:18 PM

Olive Tree Lane "Once, I was on my way to California for a photo trip and I stopped at a wine shop in Colorado and discovered a book of photographs about California wine country by a wonderful photographer named Andy Katz. In it I found an image of a ... Read more

» Vinography Images: Wet Vineyard from Vinography: A Wine Blog

Tracked on April 19, 2007 7:58 PM

Wet Vineyard â€œOne of the fascinating things about vineyards is how different they look depending on the weather. During the winter, when the vines are bare and wet, they offer striking and fascinating silhouettes. I was drawn to this composition of vi... Read more

» Vinography Images: More Than Vines from Vinography: A Wine Blog

Tracked on April 26, 2007 10:44 PM

More Than Vines "This image was shot in Sonoma county on a rainy day. I was sitting on top of the Jeep as we drove around to try and get a different vantage point. Sometimes the vineyards all start to look alike and it helps to see them from an unusua... Read more

» Vinography Images: Three Red Leaves from Vinography: A Wine Blog

Tracked on May 3, 2007 9:33 AM

Three Red Leaves "Grapes just before harvest take on a special quality, a fullness that fully justifies their use throughout history as a symbol for the bounty of harvest and the pleasures of Bacchus. Bonus points for anyone who can jog my memory by i... Read more

» Vinography Images: Moonlit Vineyard from Vinography: A Wine Blog

Tracked on May 10, 2007 7:24 PM

Moonlit Vineyard "Very few wine lovers, unless they also live in the heart of wine country, ever get to see a sight such as this. I love the way the moonlight has transformed what might be a rather ordinary view into something much more sculptural and... Read more

» Vinography Images: Mountain Vineyard from Vinography: A Wine Blog

Tracked on May 17, 2007 6:56 PM

Mountain Vineyard "Some of my clients' most prized vineyards are those that are the most extreme in their aspect. Mountain vineyards with their steep slopes offer so much more to the photographer's eye than flat, endless rows of vines on a valley floo... Read more

» Vinography Images: Hill of Trees from Vinography: A Wine Blog

Tracked on May 24, 2007 11:10 PM

Hill of Trees "This photograph practically oozes atmosphere. I love the way that the sunlight brings the fog to life and gives an otherworldly glow to patches of the vineyard. My favorite part of the image, apart from all those great silhouettes of th... Read more

» Vinography Images: Hillside Vineyards from Vinography: A Wine Blog

Tracked on June 1, 2007 8:56 AM

Hillside Vineyards "Often vineyards stand in stark contrast to the landscape -- there's very little in nature that is so regimented and orderly as rows upon rows of vineyards. But in the most extreme environments the vineyards cling to rock and hillsi... Read more

» Vinography Images: Rolling Hill Vineyards from Vinography: A Wine Blog

Tracked on June 7, 2007 9:35 AM

Rolling Hill Vineyards "There's something mysterious that rows of vines do to the landscape. When they cover the rolling hills, they bring a smoothness to them that is instantly familiar to anyone who has been in a small boat in the open ocean. Rollin... Read more

» Vinography Images: The View From The Top from Vinography: A Wine Blog

Tracked on June 14, 2007 9:16 PM

The View From The Top "One of the greatest things about working in mountain vineyards are the vantage points they provide of the vineyard itself. As you can imagine, the landscape of perfectly flat vineyards doesn't afford much in the way of visual in... Read more

» Vinography Images: Sprawling Tree from Vinography: A Wine Blog

Tracked on June 21, 2007 9:22 AM

Sprawling Tree "At the end of a long day of shooting, we took a break by this old tree, but I couldn't stop shooting. It seems the only time I can get a break is when we leave the vineyards. There's just too much beauty while I'm there. This shot is r... Read more

» Vinography Images: The Hidden Mountain from Vinography: A Wine Blog

Tracked on June 28, 2007 5:15 PM

The Hidden Mountain "This image was shot with a special lens that tilts and shifts, a feature that changes the relationship between the front piece of glass and the back piece of glass. Essentially it gives me the ability to set a shallow focus for th... Read more

» Vinography Images: Green Rows from Vinography: A Wine Blog

Tracked on July 5, 2007 10:15 PM

Green Rows "On a recent shoot, these rolling green rows caught my attention and when the fog cleared, the mountain started to glow in the distance. I have photographed this hillside many times, but it always appears different. Weather is a photographe... Read more

» Vinography Images: The Curved Road from Vinography: A Wine Blog

Tracked on July 12, 2007 11:03 PM

The Curved Road "This was the first shot from my most recent trip to the vineyards. I've driven by this spot many times without stopping, but this time, maybe because of the light, the curve in the road caught my eye and I am quite happy with this sho... Read more

» Vinography Images: Hot Summer's Day from Vinography: A Wine Blog

Tracked on July 19, 2007 10:50 PM

Hot Summer's Day â€œThis image was shot a few weeks ago in Sonoma. On the day I shot this photo, I was told it was 108 degrees! I didnâ€™t know that it could get that hot in Northern California Wine Country! I guess I was too busy shooting to really notic... Read more

» Vinography Images: Straight Rows from Vinography: A Wine Blog

Tracked on August 2, 2007 10:03 PM

Straight Rows â€œMost of the time as a vineyard photographer, I'm looking for ways of breaking up the monotony of simply row after row of green vines. This is one of the reasons many of my images hinge upon a tree or some other form that can break up th... Read more

» Vinography Images: Swirling Clouds from Vinography: A Wine Blog

Tracked on August 10, 2007 1:28 PM

Swirling Clouds "This is one of the few shots that I have taken in the vineyards where the summer clouds have been so interesting. Usually, I find solid blue skies until sunset, at least in the summer. Winter on the other hand is amazing for its atmos... Read more

» Vinography Images: The Blue Fog from Vinography: A Wine Blog

Tracked on August 16, 2007 7:46 PM

Blue Fog "I love this shot. It's like two different worlds divided by a veil of fog. Vineyard landscapes are often this way, I think. You can get lost amongst the rows of vines and forget that there's a whole other world out there." -- Alder Yarrow IN... Read more

» Vinography Images: Winter Fog from Vinography: A Wine Blog

Tracked on August 24, 2007 12:13 AM

Winter Fog "In the midst of all this heat washing across the country, I'm missing the cool winter weather that I remember from the morning I took this shot. Winter in the vineyards is still my favorite time to shoot."-- Michael Regnier INSTRUCTIONS: D... Read more

» Vinography Images: Rose Hill from Vinography: A Wine Blog

Tracked on August 30, 2007 9:29 PM

Rose Hill "This image was made in a vineyard in Sonoma. Sometimes the most simple observations end up generating the most compelling images. This soft cloud caught my attention as I noticed that its shape mirrored the hill below. As humans we tend to ... Read more

» Vinography Images: Crest of the Vineyard from Vinography: A Wine Blog

Tracked on September 6, 2007 10:34 PM

Crest of The Vineyard "I love the way this image, like so many of Michael's vineyard photos, captures the symbiotic and often symbolic relationship between vineyards and trees. Trees provide windbreaks, shade, and sometimes even mulch to the vineyards... Read more

» Vinography Images: One Vineyard Row from Vinography: A Wine Blog

Tracked on September 13, 2007 10:57 PM

One Vineyard Row "We all know what vineyards look like. There is a pretty common mental picture that springs to mind when someone asks us to imagine a beautiful vineyard. This is not that image. While we've seen them from the road or off the back porc... Read more

» Vinography Images: Group of Trees in the Fog from Vinography: A Wine Blog

Tracked on September 20, 2007 11:16 AM

Group of Trees in the Fog "This image was taken in Sonoma county, near the town of Healdsburg. Nearby, the Russian River acts like a siphon for the fog on the coast, which creeps up the river valley and eventually spills over the hills providing a fan... Read more

» Vinography Images: Sunset and Clouds from Vinography: A Wine Blog

Tracked on September 27, 2007 5:10 PM

Sunset and Clouds "Like some of my other recent images, this photo was taken in Sonoma county, near the town of Healdsburg. There is a certain point during the sunset where the sky begins to divide into light and dark, which this photo emphasizes. Bet... Read more

» Vinography Images: Blue Mountain Vineyard from Vinography: A Wine Blog

Tracked on October 4, 2007 6:35 PM

Blue Mountain Vineyard "The hills of Sonoma have something primeval about them, which I suppose may be what attracts people to these sorts of landscapes all over the globe and throughout history. Perhaps they are a symbol of fertility, as such hills a... Read more

» Vinography Images: Hillside Rows from Vinography: A Wine Blog

Tracked on October 11, 2007 8:37 PM

Hillside Rows "I don't know if it is because of their regularity, their slight elevation off the ground, or particular qualities of the foliage itself, but vineyards have a particular way of grabbing the light so it hangs off of the trellises, like ho... Read more

» Vinography Images: Smoky Mountains from Vinography: A Wine Blog

Tracked on November 8, 2007 10:39 PM

Smoky Mountains "This image was taken in the midst of the winter fog in Sonoma. It reminds me of a more placid version of some of the terrible landscapes of smoke we have seen on the news recently. This scene, while 'smoky' in its own way, is almost t... Read more

» Vinography Images: Sticks and Tree from Vinography: A Wine Blog

Tracked on November 15, 2007 11:19 PM

Sticks & tree "Deep in Sonoma county I discovered this fantastic, chunky tree. I love the way it fills the frame and you can only see the hints of the vineyard behind -- little matchsticks on a green carpet." -- Michael Regnier INSTRUCTIONS: Downl... Read more

» Vinography Images: Spring Vineyard from Vinography: A Wine Blog

Tracked on November 22, 2007 10:49 AM

Spring Vineyards "This image is from the Grizzly Ridge Estate in Sonoma County which is particularly beautiful because of its trees. I was last wandering through this vineyard in the spring when the wildflowers were in full bloom." -- Michael Regnier ... Read more

» Vinography Images: Water Droplet from Vinography: A Wine Blog

Tracked on May 8, 2008 9:39 PM

Water Droplet "Taking interesting pictures in vineyards isn't easy. While many are surely picturesque, there is a lot of sameness in them -- row after row of vines -- and that repetition makes it easy to overlook little details like this that can be q... Read more

Comments (3)

L. E. wrote:

12.08.06 at 9:11 PM

Michael Regnier does incredible work. I had a couple of very stylish restaurants that often featured MR's work and it gave the place tremendous energy. He's a true artist and a great guy. Check out his stuff...it's way better in person so I hope you can see it sometime.

Dee Rambeau wrote:

12.11.06 at 4:02 PM

Michael just did a portrait of our family. He's a great photog and a great guy. You're lucky to have his work available to you!

Wilf Krutzmann wrote:

01.18.07 at 9:46 AM

Stunning photograph! Its almost like a beautiful painting. I take pictures of vineyards, grapes, etc. whenever I am in any wine region but I can only dream of getting a picture as inspiring as this one.