Images of exhilaration & joy

The Second Story Gallery is upstairs at the Camas Public Library, 625 N.E. Fourth Ave. Lloyd’s show will continue through Saturday, April 25 during the library’s regular hours of 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.

The First Friday reception is from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Darryl Lloyd’s photography has won several awards and been featured in many publications, including the National Wine News, Columbia Gorge Magazine and The Oregonian. For more information on his work, visit www.longshadowphoto.com

Ever since he received his first Brownie Holiday camera as a child, Darryl Lloyd has been captivated by photography.

He and twin brother, Darvel, climbed Mount Adams as 10-year-olds. Darryl recorded that experience, as well as climbs the next year of Mount Hood and Mount St. Helens.

This led to “a lifetime of mountain travel, freelance photography and the study of geosciences, which nourished my love of volcanoes.”

In April, Lloyd’s work will be featured in the Second Story Gallery at the Camas Public Library. He has named the show “Guardians of the Columbia: Landscapes of Mt. Adams, Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helens.” It will include more than 40 years of shooting the three mountains from different angles and times of day.

“I try to embed my own emotional and physical experience in the photos, such as shooting alpenglow on a high peak from a wilderness camp,” he said. “Some of my favorite shots required a difficult hike or climb, and took careful planning to reach a spot where the light, sky and foregrounds were just right. I want my exhilaration and joy of being there to somehow be a part of my best shots.”

Raised at the base of Mount Adams on a ranch, he and Darvel often spent hours wandering around. Once, their frantic parents found the two 6-year-olds in the Bird Creek Meadows area on the mountain, after searching for hours.

“I remember them being really worried but we were just having fun and not scared at all,” he said.

That adventurous attitude continued throughout their lives and they went on numerous mountain climbs, sometimes at a vertical angle. Although those climbs were quite technical, it allowed Darryl to capture unforgettable shots of The Guardians.

“They are like old friends to me, changing and evolving over the years, always there in the time of need,” he said. “Whether hiking, ski touring or just gazing, the mountains and surrounding wilderness provide a sense of well-being and renewal of spirit.”

The term “guardians” was coined by some of the first white settlers in the area, after hearing Native American legends about the three volcanoes.

“The Columbia River also played an important role, as did the Bridge of the Gods,” Lloyd said.

Growing up, his favorite book was “Guardians of the Columbia,” by John H. Williams, which was published in 1912 and is still widely circulated amongst hiking groups.

In addition to landscapes, Lloyd also enjoys photographing people interacting with nature.

“For me, photography reflects a way of life,” he said.

Since most of his photographs were captured while hiking or climbing, these experiences have led him to become active in protecting the wilderness and expanding those areas. Lloyd donates photos to groups working to protect the Gorge and other places in Oregon and Washington.

He has found like-minded people in Hood River, which has been home since 2000.

“It’s a progressive community and there are many environmental activists,” he said.

Lloyd is currently working on a book about the history of Mount Adams as captured through 60 years worth of photographs.

His love of climbing and hiking led him and Darvel to establish the Mount Adams Wilderness Institute in the 1970s.

“It was very successful,” he said. “We would take people for eight days to two weeks and spent a huge amount of time on the mountain. We both knew a lot about climbing and hiking before that, but taking people around every summer was amazing.”

The institute closed after the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980. Lloyd remembers the day well.

“I was at the (family) ranch in Glenwood and could see a huge plume envelop Mount Adams at 9 a.m.,” he said. “I watched all day from a high point at the edge of Glenwood Valley.”

A week later, he and Darvel were camping at an 8,000 foot elevation on Mount Adams, when they felt the second eruption of Mount St. Helens.

“We were probably the only people who actually witnessed it, as the entire mountain was fogged in,” he said. “It went on all day long and it was great to get a whole series of photos.”

Lloyd gave up mountain climbing after he and Darvel went on a 50th anniversary climb of Mount Adams in 2003, at the age of 60. The brothers, 72, are still planning different adventures.

“We hike together a lot,” he said.