About Me

Scott Schechtel was born and raised in the Chicago area and was immediately obsessed with Oregon at the age of 10 after thumbing through photo books by the late photographer laureate Ray Atkeson. Atkeson's work inspired Scott to the point that he wanted to capture Oregon's majestic beauty on film in a similar way, lugging camera gear into the wilderness. Following his first visit to the state at 14, he was determined to attend Oregon State University to pursue a degree in Forestry and eventually fulfill a dream to live in Oregon. During Scott's college years, Ray Atkeson happened to be signing his third volume in the scenic "Oregon" large format hardcover series with Graphic Arts Center Publishing held at the OSU bookstore in the spring of 1990. Scott heard of the signing a day too late and unfortunately Atkeson passed away only a few weeks later, therefore never getting his signed copy from his photographer idol.

However, this and much more has happened since obtaining his Bachelor of Sciences Degree in Forest Recreation Resources in 1992. He has worked several seasons for the US Forest Service performing timber stand exams, surveying and other related tasks and fought wildfires throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Today his photographic file from many miles of backpacking and road trips across the western states now accompany articles in many familiar and not so familiar magazines such as Camping Life, Mountain Living, Cascades East, Backpacker and Hooked on the Outdoors to name a few.

He continues to lug his camera gear up steep mountains, while fording icy creeks and even dodging rattlesnakes in the high desert just to get that perfect and unique shot, not so much for getting published, but for the simple love of photography. He also designs websites and has a growing portfolio of sites.

In The Field
My photography is all created with a digital Canon 5D body. Lens selection includes Canon 28 - 105 mm IS, Sigma DG 105mm Macro, and Canon 75 - 300 mm EF Zoom. All landscapes are shot using a Slik Swivelhead tripod and most images are taken using existing light or a polarizing and split ND filters.

* Book Project

Author, poet and best friend Scot Siegel and myself are embarking on a travel essay project that will illustrate both our experiences of traveling and living throughout Oregon. It will be in the form of a large-format coffee-table style book with images of the various locations complemented by a lively description. Stay tuned!