Bend Lifestyle magazine remembers Gary Calicott, who passed away on March 26, 2025. Calicott was a frequent photographer for the magazine and, beyond that, he photographed some of the most iconic spaces in Oregon and around the world. His ability to capture musicians at the right moment during concerts was uncanny and his images of wide-open spaces and starscapes were his love letters to the earth and the night sky.
Donna Burklo, Calicott’s wife, says, “With photography, he would scope out locations and map the stars, the sunrises, and the sunsets. He often made a point of leaving the camera behind so that he could just enjoy the vistas he would travel so far to see.”
Born in Springfield, Oregon in 1964, Calicott had an early career in the automotive industry in Eugene and Portland. Calicott moved to Bend in 1999. Being an avid fly fisherman, backpacker, and mountain biker – Central Oregon was the perfect place for him to work and live. His friends will say that, “Gary knew all the right spots to go.”
Besides loving vintage cars and the outdoors, his passion and talent were in photography. Calicott made a name for himself shooting weddings, events, sports, concerts, portraits, real estate and of course, the great outdoors. In every photo he took, it was evident that he had a keen eye for detail and saw the beauty in every person, place, or thing he shot. While his work kept Calicott busy, he always made time to slow down and enjoy his time camping, fishing, and hiking with friends and family.
After being diagnosed with stage four colon cancer, Calicott was no longer able to work full time, and this is where his next journey began. With Burklo by his side, the two planned the ultimate travel and photography bucket list.
It was always important to Calicott that Oregon came first and with his photography of the high desert, Cascade mountains, waterfalls, wildlife, and vegetation – his lasting images are a dedication to the state he loved so much. Calicott and Burklo intertwined their travels to the four corners of Oregon, along with trips to national parks, Maui, Alaska, Argentina, New Zealand, Australia, Patagonia, a month-long immersion in the Western states of the U.S., and England, where he and Burklo attended a Liverpool match and visited Abbey Road. He got to drive a Lamborghini Huracan, rode in an acrobatic stunt plane and a souped-up private jet. Every precious moment was captured, every monument, every wide-open space or landmark photographed in real time for the community to share and remember Calicott and the legacy he left behind for those he knew and loved.
Local Legacy
After Calicott’s passing, dedications, music and photos were shared on social media and at his Celebration of Life. It was clear that Calicott had a strong connection with his family, friends, local musicians, his clients, and the Central Oregon community.
People shared images he took of them, of himself and the isolated spaces where he found raw, breathtaking beauty. Calicott’s photography is in homes and spaces everywhere. Musicians and clients have lasting photos for the promotion of their craft or business. Families have captured memories and the protected spaces that Calicott loved so much, all preserved in each photo he took.
“Gary had an impossibly difficult section of his life that nearly resigned him to merely just existing, yet somewhere along the line he let love in and then after a terminal cancer diagnosis, chose to live life beyond any of the hopes or dreams he may have had in the past. He would love nothing more than to know he's inspired others to do the same,” says Burklo.
Thank you, Gary, for everything you did for the community, for every moment, person and landscape you captured, for everything you touched and the legacy of beauty you left for us all.
"Gary chose to live life beyond any of the hopes or dreams he may have had in the past..."
—Donna Burklo