Capturing the Wonder of Nature

DAYTON – By the time David Frame was a freshman at Dayton High School, he knew he wanted to be a professional photographer. Six years after his 2010 graduation, he's well on his way.

"I got my first digital camera when I was 10," he said. "I really got into it in high school."

Frame's love of wildlife and the outdoors has fit perfectly with his love of photography. He has already had his work featured on the covers of two outdoor publications, as well as in a book featuring the natural history of the Walla Walla area.

Frame will be showing several prints of his photographs next week at the Bighorn Outdoor Adventure Show in Spokane, which takes place March 17 – 19 at the Spokane County Fairgrounds.

Frame continued on to college after high school, and he will graduate from WSU in May with a bachelor's degree in humanities and natural resources.

During his college years Frame has slowly built his business, and through social media and local contacts, has developed a strong following.

Frame has traveled throughout the western U.S. in search of wildlife and outdoor scenes to photograph. "I've taken trips to Wyoming, Montana and Alaska," he said, "and I've taken photos in Oregon and Idaho." He has taken photos of elk, mule and white-tail deer, big horn sheep, coyotes and black and brown bear. Several of his photos also feature birds of all sizes.

Some of Frame's most remarkable photos have been taken near his family's home along the North Touchet River south of Dayton.

"Sometimes I just go out and wander around, and usually I end up seeing something that makes a good photo," he said. "For landscape photos I like to go out at night and take long exposure shots."

Frame works with a large format printing company in California to produce prints of his work, which he sells. He has also provided photos to companies such as Outdoor Edge Knives, Matthews Archery and Sitka Outdoor gear, which they use on their websites and in social media.

Frame features his work on Facebook and Instagram, under the name David Frame Photography. He also has a website called davidframephotography.com. He can make prints for customers on request from any of his photos on those sites.

One of Frame's photos was featured on the cover of the Summer 2015 edition of International Game Warden Magazine. That publication is edited by Todd Vandivert, who was formerly a Dept. of Fish and Wildlife officer in Dayton.

Frame also offers his services to hunters, photographing them with game they've killed. He says he tries to emphasize the dignity of the animal, with the hunter perhaps standing in the background, rather than a traditional "trophy" shot.

Frame provided the cover photo for the Winter 2016 edition of Back Country Journal. Several of his photos are featured in a book called "Many Waters, Natural History of the Walla Walla Valley and Vicinity," which is edited by Robert J. Carson.

In a separate venture, Frame is working with Dayton surveyor Bryan Martin to set up a new company specializing in aerial photography, using drones. He said that the new technology allows farmers and landowners to monitor and conduct inspections of their land and crops at much less expense than other methods.

"I'll be operating the camera with special goggles while the drone is flying," Frame said. His high school classmate Nick Powell, who is a licensed pilot, will fly the drones, and Martin will run the business.