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.

Lake Champlain Sunset

Sunset over Lake Champlain in Burlington, Vermont...there are days when I miss this place.

White River Slide, Mt. Hood

With winter upon us and several slides having occurred around the West already, I thought I would post this photo of a slide in White River Canyon between Mt Hood Meadows and Timberline Ski Areas.  Just a reminder that we don not live and recreate in benign environments, and it always pays to keep your wits about you and be aware of your surroundings.  Although it is easy to miss, NOTICE the two Ski Patrollers from Mt Hood Meadows investigating the slide in the lower left of the photo.  This slide could have gone much bigger, but as it was, the crown was 30+ feet in spots.  Stay safe and go get some turns!

Cloud Cap Inn

Cloud Cap Inn...Home of the Hood River Crag Rats, the Mountain Rescue organization for the North Side of Mt. Hood.  They have carefully maintained this structure and it's history since 1954.  First built as an Inn in 1889, signatures of summiters on the walls are still visible to this day, often for subsequent years.  Take some time to get to know this magical place, and feel free to contribute to this amazing volunteer organization.

Skinning is Winning

I got out for a tour yesterday and was fortunate enough to be able to skin up the East side of White River to about 8000'.  The East wind was honking and I was more or less driven back down a little bit to where I could tuck in below the ridge and wait for the Golden Hour to capture a few shots of the Sunset and the commanding view that you get from there!  The spindrift that was being thrown over the ridge felt like being sandblasted with tiny ice pellets, but it was getting caught up in the setting sun and was casting an incredible halo.  By using the flash and directing it with my hand and goggle lenses I was able to light up the ice crystals, giving it the strange appearance in this photo, almost looking like meteors or star stacks.  I stayed until the sun actually dropped below the horizon, scrambling from spot to spot in the waning moments of light trying to get as many perspectives as were possible before it disappeared.

Once it was gone, I put my skis on and started down, surprised by the pockets of super fun windpack that were available here and there, slashing a turn or two wherever I could.  The runnels from the rain on snow event of last week were mostly dried out and made for a fun, consistent surface all the way down to the bottom of Mitchell Creek where I could duck back into the resort and head back to the truck to end a great day! 

Fly Fishing at Detroit Lake

Fly Fishing is an excercise in patience.  Ryan and his dog Big Head excercising some patience at Sunset at a much depleted Detroit Lake.  Hopefully with some of the recent rains, it will begin to help refill these reservoirs.  Amazingly the "boat docks" at the State Park were hundreds of yards from the feeble flow that passed for a river trickling into the Lake.  The advantage of a low water year is that you can check out the holes you would normally fish, and understand the actual topography of them and know just how deep they actually are.

Sandy River Valley

 

This time of year is often about changing weather.  These shots are from Sandy looking across the Sandy River Valley.  I sat in my puffy coat and drank coffee from my thermos, waited for the light to change, for the fog to lift, and for the feeling to come back into my fingers so I could take these shots.  A cold and foggy morning eventually broke into a sunny day which was pouring rain by the end of the day.  Gotta love Oregon.

Triple Falls

The waterfalls in the Gorge are again thumping away with all the recent fresh snow and rain.  After such an incredibly dry Summer it is so good to see water back in the system.  Take a little time out of your day to be grateful for our ample water in this region.  This is Triple Falls in the upper Oneonta Gorge...go see it for yourself!

Mt. Hood Sunrise

Mt. Hood put on quite a show this morning! Thanks for the beauty!

Mt Tabor Reflections

Mt. Tabor Reservoir in SE Portland, Oregon.  This reservoir, due to the fact that it is not covered and therefore represents a national security compromise, will most likely be decommissioned and emptied.  Shots like this will no longer be possible.  I am grateful to be one of the many people almost silently gathered last night to witness this beautiful show.

Mt. Hood Sunrise

 Good morning Mt. Hood!  She bursts forth into the day in fine fashion!  Of late the Sunrises and Sunsets have been totally ludicrous.  I love the annual return of clouds and the dance of light that accompanies them.  I am grateful to have caught this from Mt. Tabor Park in Portland, Oregon.  I tried to get to Rocky Butte immediately afterward but got distracted in a conversation...more on that later.

Columbia Sunset

The sun casts its final rays on the waters of the Columbia River.  This Gorge is so beautiful!  There are no two days or evenings the same.  I have found that on days when the weather is enough to keep most folks home that it is then that the gorge shines...can you imagine what it was like for early photographers like Carleton Watkins?

Mt. Rainier Paradise

Love this place...Paradise on Mt. Rainier.  The home of the old Paradise Campground and current home of a Government Weather Station, giving us data that helps provide water supply forecasts and real-time data for weather forecasts.  Distracting this peak!