Wild Desert Calendar Submissions

Bruce Couch

Calling all photographers! Use your creativity and talent to support conservation! Submit your best shots of Oregon’s high desert for a chance to have your photos featured in our iconic Wild Desert Calendar.

ONDA’s Wild Desert Calendar

  • Is the only published collection of images devoted exclusively to Oregon’s high desert
  • Is a unique volunteer-led effort to inspire action to protect and restore public lands and waters and wildlife habitat
  • Reaches a broad audience — the Wild Desert Calendar is mailed to all ONDA members and is sold by 40+ retail vendors in Oregon
2023 deadlines and prize details
  • Early bird deadline: May 31, 2022
  • Final deadline: June 15, 2022

Submit one or more images and you’ll be entered in to a drawing for an “explore the desert” prize package that features gear and goods from MiiR, COAST, Arcade and MicroBiome Bars. If you submit by our early bird deadline, you’ll be also entered into another drawing win a copy of Photography Birds. (See what we did there?)

Featured landscape image photographers will enjoy drinkware from MiiR. Featured detail image photographers will level up with a copy of Photography Birds: Field Techniques and the Art of the Image, courtesy of Mountaineers Books. And, featured people image photographers will have their path ahead brightened by a new headlamp by COAST.

For more opportunities to share photos that capture the natural beauty of central and eastern Oregon’s high desert with ONDA, sign up for our volunteer photographers list.

fact

Young Horny Toad Lizard

Young Horny Toad Lizard

In the summer these lizards begin foraging for food as soon as their body temperature rises as the heat of the day increases. They feed on slow-moving, ground-dwelling insects. In the fall they hibernate by burying themselves in the sand.

Latin name: Phrysonoma platyrhinos

success

Central Oregon’s “Backyard Wilderness”

Central Oregon’s “Backyard Wilderness”

Our quest to protect the Oregon Badlands

Located just 15 miles east of Bend, Oregon Badlands is a 30,000-acre wilderness area filled with fascinating lava flows and ancient juniper trees Arriving in the Badlands, so named for its rugged and harsh terrain, can feel like stepping

Read More

watch

The Last Darkness

The Last Darkness

These few tips will give you the best chance of being featured:

  • Include a variety of shots. We need large-scale landscape images and also small-scale shots of plants, animals, insects, petroglyphs, and other desert details and small wonders.
  • Show us desert-loving people. There are many ways to enjoy the desert — birding, hiking, camping, fishing, biking and more — and all sorts of people who appreciate this landscape. While we don’t need all your family photos, we’d love to see some shots capturing people’s enthusiasm and love for the high desert!  
  • Think natural and public. Photos of roads, power lines or other signs of permanent human development are unlikely to be selected. Photos of private lands and non-native species will not be considered.
  • Focus on ONDA priorities. We love to feature the places we are focused on protecting and restoring. Learn about our priority regions or check out our Featured Projects for specific ideas. (For example, Smith Rock State Park is beautiful, but ONDA doesn’t work there.)
  • Look to the past. If you have a past edition of our Wild Desert Calendar, you’ll have a good sense for the kinds of photos we’ve loved before.

Submission guidelines

  • Photographers must read and acknowledge the image use agreement
  • Only images from public lands and of native species in Oregon’s high desert will be selected
  • Photo submission format requirements:
    • Send JPEG files less than 5 MB in size, but please note that if your image(s) are selected, print quality 300 dpi TIFF files must be available.
    • Filename must include photographer’s name, location, season, and subject (e.g. Joe-Smith_Middle-Deschutes-River-Spring-wildflowers.jpg)
  • Submit no more than ten (10) photographs
  • Both professional and amateur photographers are encouraged to submit
  • Deadline: June 15, 2022
  • Questions? Email communications@onda.org.
Submit Now

Submit your photos

If you have not already read about ONDA’s Wild Desert Calendar, you can do so here.  By submitting photos, I agree to the following: I have full rights to the […]

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How to Take Better Photos of Oregon’s High Desert

Author: Lace Thornberg  |  Published: March 9, 2018  | Updated: May 5, 2022  |  Categories: How-to   Five landscape photographers share their advice: knowledge, persistence, patience The arid landscape that covers […]

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