Blog (Press)

Rocky Trail Press (Erik's publishing company) is thrilled to share the news that they have won the award for Travel Book of the Year at the prestigious Benjamin Franklin Awards. The awards, organized by the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), honor the best of independent publishing in the United States...

I recently had an interview with the Rocky Mountain Channel. In this interview they dive into my background and into my personal life. If you want a little peek behind the scene, then be sure and give this some time...

Last week, the annual gathering of the Independent Book Publishers Association, which represents over 4,000 publishers, took place in Orlando. For this year's Benjamin Franklin book awards there were over 1,900 books reviewed...

On Thursday September 10th, the Colorado Independent Publishers Association held its 26th award ceremony and gave out its CIPA EVVY awards. Hiking Rocky Mountain National Park: The Essential Guide was awarded first place in the Outdoor and Travel category...

Estes Park photographer and author Erik Stensland says his photography was “an attempt to figure out how to get paid to hike.” That career decision has earned Stensland another award. His 2019 book “Hiking Rocky Mountain National Park: The Essential Guide” was recognized as Best Travel Book of the Year by the Independent Book Publishers Association at their 32nd annual award ceremony...

I am thrilled to announce that on Friday May 8th, Hiking Rocky Mountain National Park: The Essential Guide was awarded the Benjamin Franklin Award for best travel book of 2020. The Benjamin Franklin Awards recognize the very best in independent publishing in the United States and is run by the Independent Book Publishers Association...

In the publishing industry, the most prestigious award for a small publisher is a Benjamin Franklin Award. These are given out each year by the Independent Book Publishers Association. This year they had 1,700 entries...

With over 300 miles of hiking trails, it's no wonder that Rocky Mountain National Park saw a record-breaking 4,590,493 visitors in 2018. Colorado's famous protected lands are home to 124 named peaks at 8,789 feet or higher, part of The Continental Divide and an abundance species of mammals, birds, fish and plants...

In the annals of nature photography, Erik Stensland may someday be as synonymous with Rocky Mountain National Park, as Ansel Adams is with Yosemite...

My heart sunk as I approached the meadow. This spot which for years had been the most fertile section of wildflowers, usually filled with a mixture of elephant head, scarlet and sulpher Indian paintbrush, pinnate-leaved daisies and arrowleaf senecio, was now just a field of gravel with a few sprouts of green struggling to poke through...

Some would call him lucky to spend so much time surrounded by Colorado's iconic peaks and valleys, but Estes Park photographer Erik Stensland said his career of capturing Rocky Mountain National Park comes with bad weather, early mornings and long treks...

I was thrilled to learn that Backpacker Magazine came out with their list of the best gifts for hikers and my book, Whispers in the Wilderness was listed as one of the recommended items. You can see their other list of gifts here: https://www...

In the mailbox today was an award from the Colorado Independent Publisher's Association. It appears that my book, Whispers in the Wilderness won second place for Motivational & Inspirational books as part of their CIPA EVVY Book Awards...

In mid-May I was contacted by Active Interest Media and asked if I would consider being a part of three commercials for Tamron Lenses. Since Tamron makes some pretty good glass I agreed. They let me test out the three lenses for about a week so that I could get comfortable with them...

The National Indie Excellence Awards awarded Erik Stensland's new book, "Whispers in the Wilderness" two of its top awards for independent publishing. It was given the top honor in the inspirational category and in the gift book category...

Yesterday, Denver's Fox 31 News came up to Estes Park and did a little story about me and my new book, "Whispers in the Wilderness". If you didn't catch it on the 5pm news you can watch it below.

http://kdvr...

The Estes Park News, one of the local papers to Estes Park, Colorado recently released a short article about Erik Stensland titled, "Book By Estes Park Author Recognized As Best Inspirational Book Of The Year...

We just learned that my book Whispers in the Wilderness won a silver medal in the Nautilus Book Awards in their Photography and the Arts category. The Nautilus Book Awards are in their 20th year...

I recently supplied the Ritz-Carlton in Aspen, Colorado with 127 of my prints. These were images of aspen trees and moose. For this job we supplied primarily smaller prints. I doubt I'll be heading out there any time soon, so if you visit let me know if you saw them...

I was recently interviewed by Matt Payne on his podcast F-Stop Collaborate and Listen. This is my favorite photography podcast as Matt interviews some of the very best landscape photographers across the world and really gets at what motivates them and what lies behind their imagery...

Estes Park, Colorado— Whispers in the Wilderness, a new book by local photographer and author Erik Stensland has been recognized as the best inspirational book of the year by the Independent Book Publishers Association at their 30th annual award ceremony last week in Austin, Texas...

I was very honored to be interviewed for the 2018 edition of the Rocky Mountain Journal a publication by Active Interest Media that is designed for people planning to visit Rocky Mountain National Park...

The latest issue of Colorado Life Magazine (December 2017) devotes a big section to life behind the scenes in Estes Park, Colorado. Most people who visit Estes Park know if from perspective of the visitor but this article takes a good look at what it is like to live in Estes Park...

I had a delightful conversation with Doug Fox, an amazing interviewer who worked for many years as a major news anchor in Dallas, Texas. He delved into my past life and adventures in the Balkans and then into my transition to becoming a photographer...

Colorado Public Radio did a 15 minute interview with me about my life as a photographer and about my upcoming book, "Whispers in the Wilderness". You can hear the interview, see some of the photos I shared with them and read a summary of the interview at this link:  https://www...

In November of 2015 I was out in Utah on a photography trip when I received a phone call from Backpacker Magazine. They were wanting to feature me in a commercial they were shooting for Casio Watches...

When reflecting on my conversation with Estes Park photographer Erik Stensland, owner of Images of Rocky Mountain National Park gallery, successful author and active member of the arts and business community, two words come to mind: Solitutde and Passion...