BY REBECCA BRATBURD

Jeffrey Murray got started in photography for a very simple reason: there happened to be a space available in an intro class at Danville’s Monte Vista High School. That class quickly turned into a passion as Murray went on to earn a degree in photography from Northern Arizona University and now spends most of his time traveling in search of epic landscapes to capture on camera. (click here to see examples of his work)

The 26-year-old Danville native, whose work has been featured in National Geographic, has traveled throughout California and the western U.S. This weekend at Berkeley’s Live Oak Park Fair, he will display photography from a recent two-month road trip through the American West including southern California, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. This fall he’ll branch out even further as he embarks on his first cross-country road trip from Washington to Maine and into southeastern Canada, traveling in a diesel Ford F/250 Super Duty and setting up camp at campsites along the way.

Murray said he enjoys being self-employed and self-directed. What he shoots depends on his mood.

“I shoot anything that is pretty, interesting, and different, ” Murray says. “Any time I can find good light, I’m having a good time.”

The trees, canopies, and the light of the rainforest are Murray’s favorite landscape subjects. He has shot many types of landscapes from the snow to the desert.

“Recently, I shot photographs in wine country and caught the Napa harvest,” he says. “I shot an old barn right outside the town that was by rows and rows of grapes.”

Originally, Murray was drawn to the outdoors for the adventure of it—in college, he met photographers from the Sierra Nevada who turned him on to the beauty of nature. Still, he admits that life on the road isn’t always as romantic as it sounds.

“Sometimes there’s a lot going on to interfere with my work like running into road closures, problems with the engine on my truck, or finding a place to camp, especially in big cities,” says Murray.

At Mount Rainier, Murray experienced a rock avalanche that landed just 30 feet away from his camp and was assaulted by someone while sleeping, all in the same weekend.

Yet Murray shows no signs of slowing down.

“[Life on the road] is awesome,” he says. “Sometimes, it’s the best life you can ever imagine. It’s having the complete freedom to really pursue what I’m out to do.”

1) Favorite New Place to Photograph?

“I was surprised by how much I enjoyed photographing in Ohio. I found two great places to shoot. One being Marblehead Lighthouse in Lake Erie, Ohio and the other Blue Hen Falls in Cuyahoga National Park, Ohio.”

2) Favorite new place to visit?

“I really liked Badlands National Park in South Dakota.”

3) Favorite camping spot? 

“Right outside Glacier National Park in Montana at US Forest Service Big Creek Campground right along the Flathead River. Beautiful!”

4) Destination Agenda for 2012?

“One word, Australia! I will continue to travel around the western/central US but my goal is to make it to Australia in 2012.”

5) Favorite photo of 2011? 

“Atlantic Dusk, Pemquid Lighthouse, Maine”

Field Notes: Canon EOS 5D, 58mm 1 sec @ f/11 ISO 50

After multiple days at this location, I was becoming frustrated since I was having trouble creating an interesting composition. I had found a few that worked but they always had one element that threw the whole thing off, sometimes a branch, other times a poorly located rock. I decided to eat lunch and clear my mind from photography for a bit, so I climbed atop a nearby rock. When I reached the top, far from where I had been photographing, I gazed out upon the falls and the image was obvious.

-Jeffrey Murray

Johnston Canyon was cool.  It reminded me of the Narrows in Zion Park Utah but rather than trudge through the rushing water, there is a system of suspended concrete trails hanging on the edge of the canyon.  Arlo loved it!  Naturally when there is very easy access to such a beautiful place, the tourists come in droves.  Me included.  There is a reason that park officials suggest you stay on the trails (although not required) and its to keep secret caves like this one a secret.  Hey Canada… guess what. I found it!

If you are interested in Ancient cultures like the Anasazi, old structures, and ancient cities, then this is the place for you.  If you don’t like any of that stuff, don’t bother.  I personally love that kind of sh*t so I thought it was pretty neat.  They have all kinds of these old structures built right into the walls and with a bit of  restoration, you have a pretty sweet National Park.  The Anasazi are one of the oldest cultures known to man, and their structures have been around for hundreds of years.  I wonder if our buildings will be around in thousands of years.  I assume so.  They are made of steel.