New Years Lost Photo Collection

Each year I try to post a solid collection at New Years to provide some perspective on what I may have been shooting. This year has been a busy and fruitful year, and I feel like I could post hundreds! Here is a small sampler and I will get some more stuff up here soon...

It was a big year for spending time at Illumination Saddle. This unique feature on Mt Hood is at roughly 9500' and provides some stunning views in all directions. Here is one from the Illumination Saddle Summer Solstice extravaganza! Notice oddly that Indiana Jones is visible with his fedora and whip in the top of this photo. Seriously. Quick side note: over a hundred people attended this event and there were no vestiges of our presence save for footprints. If only all groups treated this mountain with that kind of respect!

This shot was the result of an effort to shoot some engagement/wedding photos for two of my favorite people. We were really happy with the results!

Sunrises over Mt Hood are the best. It would be impossible with its dominance in our landscape to 

Not have it be front and center in so many photos 

The introduction of the next generation into the love of adventure and the fascination with our wild spaces can not be given enough emphasis. It is they who will protect our incredible Public Lands from the maelstrom of assaults currently underway. Here my daughter joins me in the exploration of an ice cave in the Columbia Gorge formed by one of the many storms that ripped through the Gorge this year...

The haze from the Eagle Creek Fire made for some amazing sunrises and sunsets, perhaps the only 

Up side to this horrific and unnecessary degradation of our local playground 

Smoke billows from the Wyeth Campground Complex in the Gorge. This plume was tiny when I left Portland and by the time I reached here it had gone ballistic. What a difficult time for the residents of the area 

New Year's Retrospective

The New Year seems to always bring retrospectives and I am no different.  Here are a few favorites, new and old, from my year.  @himalayanskier in Pattycakes on Mt Hood, this has been such a unique snow year, many things are possible

 Sunset from Roach Bowl Mt Hood Meadows

 Love this shot of Broken Top at Sunrise...How many mornings have I toured out somewhere for a sunrise and gotten totally shut down, but mornings like this are why I continue to do it!  The Emotions that this shot evokes for me, the feelings, are similar to the ones I get from the work of photographers like Ralf Dujmovits.  Proud, for a moment, to feel in such company.

 Hanes Dam in Los Angeles because if you look hard enough, natural beauty really is all around you.

 Playtime for puppies in Portland anytime of year but especially in the wet winter months, has a tendency to end like this

@ghenarie doing a little conditions check at Mt Hood Medows.  He is sporting wings, and skis from Portland based ON3P Ski Co.  one of the few handmade ski companies making production quality skis.  Impressive that every pair of skis that comes off the line here is ready for the hill, no tuning or waxing necessary.

Papa Murphy and Climate Change

With all the snow falling and seemingly on the way, it is important to reflect on how amazing the privilege of skiing and in particular skiing deep lines is when viewed from the larger perpective that our grandkids may not be able to experience these things.  A warming planet could mean an end to Winter as we know it.
Here Brian "papa" Murphy doing his best to show his appreciation of these days in Jack's Woods at Mt Hood Meadows A couple years ago...best to go outside this Holiday weekend and find a way to show your gratitude.

Fall is Harvest Time

 This time of year is the time of the PNW bounty!!  there are so many things ripe and ready for harvest and here is one!  This is Oregon's official state mushroom, the Golden Chanterelle.  Delicious and earthy, it is wonderful fresh, frozen, or even dried.  Getting out in the woods and going for a hike is such a great part of this iconic northwest activity.  I love going out with friends, or even by myself.  The joy of the first mushroom trip of the year is akin to being a child again; the restless anticipation, the "are we there yet" drive, the angst before you find a few wondering if the timing is right, or if someone found your spot.  And of course the fun when you see the first one, and you feel as if you have found an old friend..."hello! Sorry I am late"  

Fall Colors in the Upper Hood River Valley

 This is such an amazing time of year!  It is the time of Fall Foliage, harvests of all sorts of fun, and teasers of the Winter's recreational opportunities to come.  Here the Upper Hood River Valley shines resplendent in Autumn colors while the snow from a few early storms graces Mt. Hood.  Makes me want to bike, hike, and ski right now!

Palouse Falls, Washington

 I was fortunate enough last weekend to be able to travel to Eastern Washington State near Spokane for a wedding.  An amazing couple and no question the #beckweddingever2016.  On the return journey from the wedding I decided to take a sidetrip to Palouse Falls, near the town of Washtucna.  This amazing geologic oddity is right flat square in the middle of nowhere, but that only adds to it's already significant charm.  You will notice that I have actually added no images of the falls themselves, but only the surrounding terrain.  I was amazed by how much there is to see here!  There are copious numbers of images of the falls in all conditions, but I did not see a ton of shots of the periphery terrain which I found to be just as beautiful as the falls themselves.  Still waters, golden hour light, very few people and deep blue skies left a lasting impression on me.  No wonder this is Washington State's official Waterfall!

These columnar basalt pillars guard over the top of the falls and remind me a lot of formations in the Crater Lake area in Oregon.  they willingly accept the very last vestiges of sunlight and are warm to the touch a half hour after sundown!

Labor Day Sunset on Mt Tabor

 Wonderful #sunsets this Labor Day Weekend, here my outing to Mt Tabor Park with the dog on Saturday evening pays off with this incredible show.  I was amazed that on this traditional "last weekend of the Summer", it seemed that everyone was out of town.  The park was quiet and serene, the feeling of which was enhanced by the lack of even a breath of wind.  A few folks sat quietly and enjoyed the beautiful evening, but the usual cadre of dog walkers, runners, cyclists, and in-town tourists were conspicuously absent.

Summer at Timberline Lodge, Mt Hood

 A stop at Timberline Lodge is requisite when hiking around on the Timberline Trail...we chose wisely for this one getting treated to an amazing sunset and just a stunning afternoon.  Some time on the hill cruising around, then a beer and some food in the lodge, and a beer on the deck watching as the mountain reaches for the last rays of the setting sun.  It just doesn't get any better!

 I love the way the Palmer Lift lights up at Sunset, glistening in the alpenglow.  Hard to believe just a few short months ago it was completely buried in snow, with only the tops of the towers peeking out of the snow!

Bai Yok Fire, NE Portland

 This was a fire in NE Portland, which consumed the Bai Yok Thai Restaurant, and an insurance and chiropractic building.  I only had my cell phone with me but I captured it as best I could.  Although I am sorry that these people lost their businesses and possessions I was struck by what a visually stunning fire this developed into.  All scenes had such dramatic lighting...I rarely post this many pictures of a single event, butnthis one was an exceptional event.

Getting Illuminated on Summer Solstice

 These are a couple shots from the Summer Solstice Celebration on Mt Hood with some good friends, some old friends, and some new friends.  Top shot was a gift...just as everyone was packing up and clicking in for the ski down, the light which had been in and out all afternoon(mostly out, as in white out)returned for a brief moment giving us imho the best light of the day.  I t did not last long, but in the bottom shot, the seemingly indefatiguable Tommy Ellingson boots up for one last try.  Although no one got "the shot" with this light in it, I got this shot!  Mt Hood sure missed this guy this year.  Thanks all for a good time!

Hawthorne Bridge and the Portland Skyline

Sunset over the Willamette River in Portland.  It is amazing to me with all the effort that goes into some shots how this one came to be.  I often visit the same spot several years, or in different seasons to eventually get the shot I want, planning the timing and position of the sun, waiting for what I think will be the right light.  Then,  I am talking to my daughter on the phone and drive by this.  Done. Nice when it is this easy.

Oregon Coast

Why are sunsets on the Oregon Coast always so amazing?  I am always so grateful for any time that I get there...thanks #Astoria and #Gearhart.

Astoria Sunsets

I had so much fun with this shoot, and this group of people!  On the coast for work, this group was so accommodating with my repeated requests of "just one more!" each time I thought I could get one just a little bit better, then when I looked at them I had so many amazing photos I could never use them all!  Thanks to @kice_shelly, @tlive88, and @tdtucker13 for their endless patience. 

Mt Hood Sunrise

 Holy Cow!  This morning's sunrise was spectacular.  A very brief show, but beautiful nonetheless.  I was debating going out for Sunrise, but a slight mauve in the predawn clouds made up my mind for me.  So glad that I made the effort when I was rewarded with one of those mornings that makes you want to click your heels.  I will cruise through my day with the armor of such beauty surrounding me.  Thanks for the Earthporn!

Feather River Firefighting, Northern California

Firefighters in the Feather River Canyon in Northern California get an overview of ongoing operations.  This fire was started by Cartel marijuana growers making their escape from Federal Agents, and starting fires as they fled to cover their tracks.  This is amazingly difficult terrain, with precipitous walls in the Canyon, draws and smaller canyons everywhere.  Hiking is not hiking but more accurately scrambling, making firelines near vertical in spots.  The logistical challenges are unbelievable.  These Hotshots make it all just another day on the job, handling the extra effort and workload without a second thought.  With any luck the spate of recent State actions on legalization will cut deeply into the market for these illegal grows which are devastating to our National Lands, leaving garbage strewn camps, dangerous chemicals and miles of PVC piping from their "irrigation projects".

Crater Lake Reflections

Todat's shot from Crater Lake!  With the days and days of rain in the city and snow in the mountains, sometimes we can forget why we put up with it.  Here is a little sunshine and a remnder that all of the grey days allow us to have full rivers and lakes, ample fishing, spring skiing, water sports and all the amazing craft beer, wine, and cider that we can drink!  It is days like these that we pay for all winter by putting up with a little grey.  I don;t know about you, but I think the payoff is well worth it!

Raven Playtime on Mt. Hood

Taking a photo is an ephemeral thing.  It is fleeting, and if the opportunity is gone, it does not frequently return.  The light will not be the same, the moment, the conditions, you...none of it will happen exactly the same way to recreate your experience.  I have become better, as I age and shoot more and more, at seizing that moment, stopping whatever I am doing, and getting the shot.  This applies so much when I am driving.  I see a certain condition, or light, or subject, and have to know if I stop that it is not going to be a quick thing.  The right photo takes time, and often encompasses simple patience and waiting for that place in time when you get what you see in your mind's eye.  I have often yelled, danced, sung, or otherwise expressed my happiness aloud when I have gotten what I think I was after, most often with no one around...The joy of photography is not for everyone, but if you are bitten with the bug, it is gratifying.