Services — Vandivier Fine Art Photography

“All Things Work Together For Good” ©Kevin Vandivier

Throughout the day I was scouting out multiple locations for a shoot on a central Texas ranch near Mason, Texas. At the end of the day two huge thunderstorms developed and high winds, rain and severe lightening chased me into a barn for cover. I was a bit shaken since one bolt had hit the ground just a few yards from where I was. I’ve spent years storm chasing and have developed a sense of how weather works. As the sun began to set, it dawned on me that the two storms were merging and chances were good for cloud to cloud lightening as both systems began bleeding off energy. I immediately rushed to a location I had scouted in the middle of the Llano River. Just as I was setting up God showed up and gave me His best show! F8 and be there!

“No Good Tree Bears Bad Fruit." Luke 6:43 ©Kevin Vandivier

What makes these oaks truly enchanting is the influence of the salty coastal air, which creates extra branches, resulting in a mesmerizing display. In addition, this oak grove is considered the oldest gathering of oaks in Texas. “No good tree bears bad fruit”, has become one of my bestsellers, captivating art enthusiasts with its timeless allure. Currently less than 10 editions are still available.

“I lift up my eyes to the mountains” PSALM 121:1 ©Kevin Vandivier

For years I travelled to The Grand Tetons to capture what I would call the perfect color shot. Great landscape photos require magnificent skyscapes! I camped out many nights to be there early in the morning when the light was right. One morning was filled with storms before the sun rose. Then just as the sun broke dawn, the clouds began to open up allowing the golden light of sunrise to highlight the Teton peaks with that sweet golden light. The nerve racking part was I could hear some major movement in the trees behind me, but I couldn’t make out what it was. I feared it might be a griz! Once the light came up I was able to see that is was a moose. Hard to focus with all that messing with your head:)

“BLUEBONNET ROAD” ©Kevin Vandivier
During normal years this area is under water. For 50 years, this land has been under water, but the recent drought has lowered the water levels so low this land became exposed. For those 50 years, bluebonnet seeds were blown out over the water and sank to bottom laying dormant. Then after a year of drying out 50 years of seeding bloomed at the same time producing a super-bloom Texas has never seen. Only eight large editions are left of this image.

“The Bay St. Louis Pier” ©Kevin Vandivier

Years ago I was assigned to shoot a book on “The South”. I found this image just East of New Orleans in and area called Bay St. Louis. Throughout the years, whenever passing through the area, I would go out of my way to shoot this scene over and over. I was always amazed how this pier would survive hurricanes for decades, while so many other did not. A photographer tends to develop a relationship with his favorite locations. After Hurricane Katrina rolled through the area, I made a trip there to see if my old friend had survived yet another hurricane. My heart sank. Not this time:( The pier was gone. Not even a trace, no pilings, nothing.

“Spiritual Rain” ©Kevin Vandivier

It’s not often one gets to shoot rain showers at White Sands. The rain would come down in sheets and dance around as if guided by spiritual forces. It almost seemed to be alive.

“Lonesome Ranger” ©Kevin Vandivier The end of a long day on the range can call for a time of reflection. We had spent the day shooting since sunrise. The horse was tired, I was tired and I know this cowboy legend was tired. He had recently lost one of his best friends to an accident and I could tell he was needing a moment to grieve. I was still tender myself from the loss of my son to an accident so I respectfully backed off and shoot a few frames with my 400mm. Work can be a friend for those suffering loss!

“Moab From Day to Night” ©Kevin Vandivier

The rock formations at Moab National Park are like none other on this planet. Though famous for Delicate Arch, I chose this wall to create a series of timed exposures from just before sunset until 10 P.M. at night. This is a new image, the latest of my “Day to Night” series. Only 3 Carbon Transfer Prints will be printed and 7 Dye Infused Metal Prints.

“Born Again” John 3:8 ©Kevin Vandivier

I love how the wind is ripping through the fall colors of this tree grove in the North East. It reminds me of the words in the Gospel of John, talking about how the wind blows where it wishes and the sound it makes. For me it reminds me of being free. I felt free the day I shot it. Believing in Jesus Christ changed my life to resemble this photo…Free in The Spirit!

“A Drink From The Spiritual Rock” 1 Corinthians 10:4 ©Kevin Vandivier

Since I started building houses as a hobby, I have found myself taking note of more textures and shapes in nature. While on a photographic trek in Glacier National Park, I came across this beautiful waterfall and at the bottom, these water cut blocks of granite. As I admired and photographed this scene several scriptures filled my mind about Jesus being the rock in our lives and a cornerstone rejected by humans but chosen by God. I felt God with me as I made this art!

“Sacred Grounds” ©Kevin Vandivier

Very early in my career as a photographer I was hired as the site photographer on an archeological site in Israel. This assignment lasted a few months and allowed me to travel the area on the weekends. I shot this image from the Mount of Olives Just outside The Old City of Jerusalem. The wall in the foreground follows the natural divide on this mount. It divides the Jewish side from the Christian side. The gate on the right side is the “Beautiful Gate” prophesied in the Bible where the coming Messiah would enter Jerusalem through.(Ezekiel 43: 1-2, 4) At that time the Mount of Olive will split in two (Zechariah 14:3-4). Finally, you have the Dome of the Rock which is partially built on the area the Temple is prophesied to be built.

“And God Saw That It Was Good” Genesis 1:25 ©Kevin Vandivier

My first photographic love is wildlife. When I shot a story on Cheetahs for National Geographic Society, I wanted to shoot them in a way that illustrated their infamous speed. I decided to drag the shutter while my assistant drove me along side this cheetah simply trotting along. Its one of my all time favorite personal wildlife images.

“Who are these that fly like a cloud” Isaiah 60:8 ©Kevin Vandivier

I came close to joining the Navy to fly fighter jets when I was in college but my girlfriend at the time objected strongly since her dad had been shot down in Vietnam, never to be seen again. My real passion was photography so I figured I would try photography first. I could always join the Navy later:) So, I took every assignment I could involving aviation. Second only to shooting the training of fighter pilots and flying on and off the USS Lexington, this assignment shooting images of this Stearman PT-17 Bi-Plane was one of my all time aviation favorites. I shot this at sunset over Lake Travis, Texas while flying inside and outside loops.

“Two Medicine Lake” ©Kevin Vandivier

I found this body of water one of the most beautiful lakes I have ever seen! Normally, when I get up early to shoot in dawns amazing light, it is a time of peace. A time I reflect while making art. A time I give thanks to God for what is before me. Not this time though. This area is infested with bears, big bears, hungry bears! I had to hike my gear to this location and set up in the dark, alone. It was not my first rodeo to do this. However, it was the first time I did this with a steady 40-50mph breeze in my face, eliminating my ability to hear if anything is approaching me. Something like a hungry bear:) Keep in mind, this is the park that the movie “Night of the Grizzly” was about after the famous bear attacks in the 60’s. As you can see, it was worth the risk:)

“Marathon, Texas” ©Kevin Vandivier

Marathon is a small town that can be found in far West TX, just north a Big Bend National Park. It's my favorite stop for when I'm heading to the parks, Terlingua and Lajitas! There is a couple of galleries that I enjoy stopping and walking through and a couple of places to eat that I love to grab a bite to eat and just kinda hang out for a couple hours before I get back on the road. It's a place where my mind set begins to change and prepares me for the days ahead in the Chihuahuan Desert. On one such trip I came across this wall art and being a big University of Texas football fan I had to take the time to shoot this photo. There was an old local sitting nearby so I asked him about it and According to him each one of the skulls represented a major win for the University of Texas football team at that time . Sounds good to me :)

“We will become like Angels”-Matthew 22:30 ©Kevin Vandivier

Probably my favorite bird to photograph is a great white Heron. I also love to use motion when photographing birds and animals. In this photo the great white Heron is beginning to flap its wings to take off. I purposely chose a lower shutter speed so that I would get motion like this. In this case the Heron does look like an Angel!

“Veiled Showers” Luke 12:54-56 © Kevin Vandivier

Whenever shooting landscapes I find it very important that a landscape photo be complemented with a great skyscape. I shot this scene just outside of Snowmass Co. The peak in the background is Snowmass peak. As the sun set the colors became very vanilla and as I was shooting snow started falling between me and the mountain and created this veiled look. Ever since experiencing this moment I have sought to use rain and snow in my landscapes. Not an easy thing to successfully accomplish. Personally I find this photo to be rather unique. I don't think I've ever seen another image like this. I'm sure it's out there somewhere it's just not something you see very often. Something about this technique moves me in an emotional way I cannot quite put my finger on, but I am drawn to it.

Years ago while working on a book about the South, I came across this boat in the Okefenokee Swamp. I set up my tripod to compose this image and as I did, I just stopped and began to ponder how many fish had been caught from that boat. I found myself wishing the boat could tell me some stories. Then on cue a story did come to mind, a story about some fishermen in Israel who were asked to leave everything, their boat, their vocation and their day-to-day lives to follow a Man who would change the world. They left their boats to become fishers of men rather than fishermen.

This bluff for years was my favorite place to watch the sunset. That is, until it collapsed a few years ago. I’m just happy I wasn’t shooting this photo when it happened:)

While back while shooting a story on the Colorado River, I came across the ruins of this old bank in Colorado City, TX. I love this image because it's a reminder that the things in this world will only rust and pass away. Artistically I love the contrast of the textures and the colors.

Colorful rocks can be found in both the rivers and lakes in Montana. I'm sure there's a geological reason for this. Whatever the reason is it's like seeing Jewels thrown into the water. Part of me wanted to scoop a bunch of them up and put them in a jar but then my conscience got ahold of me:) and began to think if everybody did that there'd be nothing there for others to look at. So I took this picture instead. There's so many deep messages here!

The University of Texas holds the heart of my youth! I spent three years there earning my degree and making many now life long friends. I shot this photo for a book on Texas years ago and still remains something I never grow tired of looking at.

I love capturing the drama of rain and snow storms, with clear skies in the background in my landscapes. It's not always easy to do. Definitely one of those F8 and be there moments. This particular image definitely was a spiritual moment for me when I shot it. After seeing it on the back of my camera I looked up and I thanked God for sending the snow just at the right time :)

“Blue Velvet” is one of my best sellers! Not my top seller but very close. There is a great story behind this photo. This area of land is normally 30-40 feet underwater. Every 40 or 50 years Texas goes through severe drought. This image was taken at the end of one of those severe droughts. Every spring, bluebonnet seeds would blow out over the water and settle down into the silt at the bottom of the lake. Once this silt had a year to dry out, all 50 years of bluebonnet seeds bloomed at once. They called it a super bloom, but I am here to tell you, I have photographed many super blooms and this was beyond any super bloom I've ever seen. Then you add a storm that had raged all night long and began to lose its energy at sunrise, a rarity in and of itself. The degree of difficulty to capture an image like this, at the right time, is amazing. This truly is probably one of the rarest events of my life and I'm just happy to have captured it on film.

This is one of my personal favorites! I made this image while I was working on assignment in Israel years ago. I spent a while watching these young boys jumping from boat to boat in the Akko Harbor, In Israel. I must have sat there for an hour watching them just jumping from boat to boat and having fun and I'm a little slow:) Suddenly, it dawned on me what a great photo op was in front of me.