Interesting how you can live in a place for a while and not really know how many interesting people and places are practically in your back yard.  What an interesting voyage of discovery this latest assignment for Washington county (here in Oregon) ended up being.  I knew a little about the local winery's and Oregon being famous for it's Pino Noir, but it wasn't until I started scouting from the clients list that I discovered how beautifully scenic the Willamette Valley and surrounding area is.  Like my wife mentioned, this was a great project that lead me to some awesome travel and recreation spots we locals can enjoy in day or weekend.             

Alternate Forms of Transportation

So what can we all do to save a little on the financial bite of fuel and transportation?  How can we spend a little or a lot less on gas and vehicle maintenance?  Those were questions we pondered on this last shoot.  Bikes and public transport would be obvious choices, but I wanted something a little more free spirited and irreverent.  I knew I wanted to incorporate some feeling of movement and motion so I shot from a moving bicycle (for a steady platform) and used a gyro for smooth one handed shooting.  Other versions soon to be posted on DRR and/or PhotoShelter    

Concept Green Living

So what does "green living" mean to you?  As part of a stock shoot for my archive on DRR or postings on PhotoShelter, I thought a little bit about that and came up with a impressionists sort of view of moving through a endless green grassy field.  I scouted this tall grass meadow near the outskirts of Beaverton and decided a late afternoon time frame would be a perfect time to shoot there.  The unfortunate part about this was realized once we started shooting and found the field to be in full bloom with pollen everywhere which reigned overall havoc with our hay fever. More versions of this will be available on Digital RailRoad and/or PhotoShelter            

Relaxing afternoon

Living in Oregon is pretty nice because of the proximity to geo thermal areas, i.e. the volcanic "Ring of Fire" that includes Mt. Hood, and the Sisters.  It also includes Mt. Adams, Mt. St. Helen's and Mt. Rainier to the north and Mt. Shasta to the south.  Because of all this underground heating we have some pretty special hot springs here in the northwest and this nice spot with great views of the Umpqua River is less that 40 minuets from Crater Lake.   It makes a great spot for a rest day or afternoon break from winter activities in the Park.  Where exactly is it?  Like most of the best things in life that would be for you find out.  Not to hard if your in the area and at least remotely resourceful.                

Spring Ski at Crater Lake

Just back from a recreation/travel shoot at Oregon's Crater Lake National Park, only a few short hours from Portland.  Its mid May and no lack of snow there with around 7 feet of the packed white stuff around and still on the rim drive.  Road clearing crews will have their work cut out for them this season.      

a little piece of China in our own backyard

I suppose most cities have some sort of China Town and the Northwest city of Portland is no exception.  Within our China Town is the Classical Chinese Gardens.  One night a year (or if you pay a special fee) you can hang out till dusk, just after sunset to capture some great images of interesting Chinese architecture and gardens.  The tea house also has great hot drinks and food.  We pretty much got chased out out as I wanted to stay as long into the magic period (when dusk and interior lighting are mostly balanced and the same value) as possible.  Great place in the middle of the city yet calm and inviting..........     

rain, rain.......

In case you don't know, Portland, Oregon gets a fair amount of rain, mostly in the winter.  After being inside working on computers for a while I need to get out, rain or no rain.  I hopped on the Max to metro and made some images while the evening drizzle started to clear a little.  Many folks don't think of taking the camera out in less than ideal weather, but sometimes that's where your most dramatic images can be made.  Just make sure to keep that valuable piece of equipment somewhat dry.