2013, Day 340 - Demonic view

This is the view from Puerto del Diablo, the Devil's Door.  The legend says that when the daughter of a noble family started fell in love with an evil spirit her father discovered the relationship.  He set out after the spirit and the agent of evil in turn split that enormous rock formation and descended safely into the underworld.

On one side of the Devil's Door is San Salvador and on the other is Panchimalco.  Panchimalco is a small community where the indiginous witch doctors still practice their craft.  It is said that people seek out their services for the casting and removal of curses as well as to aid in unrequited love.  They can cast and remove the evil eye, provide charms to ward off malevolent magic, and one particularly sadistic curse will cause a toad to make its home in the victims stomach where it will grow until they die is agony or another powerful witch doctor is able to counteract the magic.  We had rather hoped to visit the town and investigate the brujos but ended up short on time.

Funny how two places steeped in lore and magic are in such close proximity, I am sure it isn't chance that brought them together.  It is a beautiful location and apparently it is quite a popular place for young couples to do on dates.  I suppose if it ends in heartache you can always head down to Panchimalco.

Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 24-70/f2.8L Mark II
24mm, f5.6, 1/500 sec @ 100 ISO

2013, Day 234 - Bleeding

I can't get enough of the clouds recently.  This was an in-camera panorama I took to see how well it would stitch and I was pleasantly surprised, there was very little ghosting but there are some JPG artifacts that I don't care for.  Still, it captures a lot of the clouds in the sky and the rim of golden light along the horizon.

Fuji X-Pro1, Fuji 14/f2.8
14mm, f5.6, 1/450 sec @ 200 ISO

2012, Day 96 - Oyster

This photo is from my Saturday adventuring with Brian Matiash around the remaining industrial areas of northwest Portland.  Although the Pearl district has been expanding the boom that brought it from a seedy area of drug users and heavy industry into a yuppy haven has come to a near standstill.  It grew quickly and values climbed even faster but some of the veneer is cracking.  To my mind that isn't a bad thing, it isn't want Portland wants to be really, the Pearl is inhabited by people with money but without imagination, the eat and shop at chains instead of patronizing local business because the thought of something new and unfamiliar is unsettling to them and most the the establishments in their neighborhood need corporate backing to afford the absurd rents.  Who would have thought that there was such a thing as a yuppy ghetto?  Fortunately they are still hemmed in by the river and an impenetrable wall of industry that the city is dead set on preserving.  So as they some and go from their condos of glass and concrete in the luxury of their German cars the rest of us feel fortunate that they aren't brave enough to invade our neighborhoods and drive prices up and local businesses out.  The Pearl may be the most apt description imaginable because it is a pretty little thing with more shine than substance encased in an exterior that is rather unpleasant to most but what the pearl doesn't understand is that the shell is there for our protection as much as its own.

Canon 1Ds Mark II, Canon 16-35/f2.8L Mark II
35mm, f11, 1/200 sec @ 200 ISO

2012, Day 33 - Stormy skies

I was watching a live hangout with Nicole Young, Brian Matiash, Dave Veffer and James Brandon this evening as they talked about various aspects of photography ranging from composition to post-processing.  At one point there was a little black and white processing in Nik's Silver Efex and I watched as over a dozen different control points were dropped.  I have to admit that I was multi-tasking and only half paying attention but as I sat down to process this panorama composed of seven shots taken in the portrait orientation I decided to take inspiration from the hangout and processed it in black and white.

My goal was to simulate, in part, infrared film so the sky was made dramatically dark and the contrast was boosted pretty high.  The result is that all the little trails in the hills are highlighted which in turn gives a sense of scale to the scene.  I like it, it's pretty and grumpy just like me.

Canon 1Ds Mark II, Canon 70-200/f2.8L IS Mark II
70mm, f8, 1/320 sec @100 ISO

2012, Day 31 - Building bridges

Many cities look better at night when the lights highlight what you are supposed to see and the shadows conceal neglect and decay.  Portland isn't one of those cities; it is clean, well maintained and very nice to look at by day.  However at night it looks so much more like a city than what it really is, a large town.

I posted another panorama a couple days ago and this one was taken further down the river.  On the left is the Morrison Bridge and on the right is the Burnside Bridge.  I like that you can also see the Fremont Bridge under the center span of the Burnside.  If you know what you're looking for you can also see parts of the Steel Bridge and the Hawthorne Bridge in the distance.

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 16-35/f2.8L Mark II
35mm, f8, 3.2 sec @ 320 ISO

2012, Day 29 - Photowalkin'

This afternoon was the first ever Portland Google+ Photowalk!  Although the weather was not cooperating there were over fifty people who braved the rain.  We made our way from Union Station to the Hawthorne Bridge and then on to Hair of the Dog for a few post-walk libations.

These kind of events are a lot of fun, you get to meet new people, catch up with old friends and take tons of pictures.  To make things even better we have a bunch of great prizes for a post-walk contest.  In the days to come we will be announcing the categories and I really look forward to seeing how many different perspectives fifty people can have when they look at the same things.

Well, I'm pooped, it is time for bed and dreams of adventures to come!

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 16-35/f2.8L Mark II
35mm, f22, 15 sec @ 320 ISO

2012, Day 15 - Bridges

What is now Portland was once three cities, Portland, East Portland, and Albina.  Their divisions were based on the geography of the area with the major border being the Willamette River.  As such a number of bridges have been constructed to keep the different parts of the city easily accessible and to minimize congestion.  There are ten primary spans and in this picture you can see the Hawthorne Bridge on the right and the Marquam Bridge on the left.

I took this photo on my way home last night.  It has been a long day and I was reluctant to make the stop to take pictures but these sunsets can't possibly last and I don't want to be kicking myself over a fifteen minute delay in getting home.  As it turns out it was absolutely worth the brief detour!

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 16-35/f2.8L Mark II
23mm, f5.6, 1/30 sec @ 100 ISO

2012, Day 14 - Winter glory

Last night we were treated to a particularly beautiful sunset.  As I was chatting with my friend Karen in her kitchen I happened to glance out the window and noticed the amazing colors in the sky.  Excitedly I excused myself, grabbed my camera and tripod, and ran out the door.  Having been to her property a number of times I knew there was a pond down in one of the pastures so I headed there first to try to get the reflection of the sky in the water.  With our recent cold snap most of the pond's surface was frozen but I like the texture it gives to the water.

After firing off a few shots I decided the do a vertical panorama so this is five photos stitched together with three masked layers at different exposures.  The reflection in the pond was darker than the sky and I wanted to be able to see the trees and the color reflected in the water.  I still am in awe of the successive days of colorful sunrises and sunsets.  Regardless of whatever else is happening 2012 has the makings of a great year for photographers!

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 16-35/f2.8L Mark II
35mm, f8, 1/2, 1 and 2 sec @ 200 ISO

2011, Day 362 - Windbreak

A panoramic reminder of home.  These oaks were planted as a windbreak decades ago and run parallel to a main street adjacent to my parent's house.  This want taken the morning of Christmas Eve as the sun was rising and slowly burning off a layer of fog and clouds.  If you look closely you might be able to see the furrows plowed into the field in the foreground as it is prepared for planting.

For me one of the most iconic images of California are the oak trees.  They have such amazing structure that is highlighted when they are seen in silhouette; it doesn't matter if they are bare or wearing a cloak of green/black leaves their shape is so distinctive.  Oddly, this is a scene I drove past thousands of times and it wasn't until I moved to Oregon that I really appreciated the beauty of the scene.

Canon 1Ds Mark II, Canon 70-200/f2.8L IS Mark II
200mm, f8, 1/1250 sec @ 100 ISO

2011, Day 354 - Holiday travel

Brian Matiash and I were doing the hobo thing last night; walking along the train tracks looking to score some crack, to fight with other drifters, and to take a few pictures.  Unfortunately the first two goal bore no fruit but the third was met with reasonable success.  Seeing as the holidays are bearing down on us images evocative of travel seem particularly apt.

I think that all seasoned photographers whether they be hobbyists or professionals know that under the current state of affairs governments officials and their law enforcement personel are highly suspicious of anyone taking photos of infrastructure, especially when it is on private property.  There are countless stories of people being harassed and accosted by law enforcement offices around trains especially.  Did these cautionary tales deter us?  Not even slightly.  They did make us a little cautious but if you are too cautious it looks like you're up to no good.  The simple solution is to adopt the practice taught to me by my grandfather, pretend you know what you're doing and that you have every right to do so and people will be a lot less hostile when they call you out on your actions.

We were able to shoot for about forty-five minutes unmolested.  I was still shooting when security approached us and was in the middle of a thirteen second exposure so I let Brian talk to him to buy myself a little more time.  He saw the guard coming well before I did and seemed anxious but this being Portland I felt relatively confident that he would rather give us a friendly warning than go to the effort of getting confrontational.  It was a bit of a risk but most people out here don't see the point, especially if you are polite, apologetic, and do as you are asked.  As it turned out the guy was a complete gentleman, he reminded us that the railroad is on private property and that we would have to seek permission next time.  He even went as far as to tell us how we might go about obtaining the required permit.  We thanked him for his time and for how courteously he handled the situation and adjourned for some amazing rustic cornmeal crust pizza.

Canon 1Ds Mark II, Canon 16-35/f2.8L Mark II
33mm, f5.6, merged layers of 1.6 and 3.2 sec @ 200 ISO

2011, Day 291 - Todd Lake

Across the highway from the Green Lake trailhead is an open field that surrounds Todd Lake.  We had hoped to time our hike so that there might be a decent sunset at Green Lake but because of the where the trail deposited us there would not have a good angle to see the sun go down so we rested there briefly but as we got back to the trailhead the sun was giving a rather spectacular display.

This is fourteen shots total with two exposures for each frame to capture details in the foreground and the skies.  Each frame was blended together and then the seven resulting images were stitched together.

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 16-35/f2.8L Mark II
17mm, f4, merged layers of 1 and 4 seconds @ 320 ISO

2010, Day 316 - UrbEx

Another day of playing with my friend Terri. Yesterday we went to shoot in one of her favorite places and today it was my turn to play guide. She told me that what she wanted was some night shots of Portland. Actually, night isn't really right, she wanted shots at dusk when the sky still holds some color but when the lights in the buildings highlight the city.

Unfortunately the first spot I selected didn't work out but thankfully it was readily apparent that it was a dud so we moved on to plan B and it turned out to be a great choice. We started shooting together but I wanted something different because I have a number of cityscapes already. I hope you enjoy the results, for my part I found it to be a very fun evening.

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 24-70/f2.8L

68mm, f18, HDR of 1, 2, 4, 8 and 15 sec @ 100 ISO

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 24-70/f2.8L

34mm, f11, 8 sec @ 100 ISO

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 24-70/f2.8L

24mm, f5.6, masked layers of 1/4 and 0.6 sec @ 100 ISO

2010, Day 305 - Iconic Portland

The St. Johns Bridge is probably one of the most recognizable bridge in Portland connecting North Portland's St Johns neighborhood to the Northwest Industrial district over the Willamette River. The Gothic suspension towers are just plain cool and the city has worked hard to keep this bridge in good working order.

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 24-70/f2.8L

24mm, f4, HDR of 1/6400, 1/3200, 1/1600, 1/800 and 1/400 sec @ 400 ISO

2010, Day 223 - Stretch

Playing with panoramas today and went to Mount Tabor to do it. The lighting wasn't ideal but I like the sense of scale you get with the trees soaring above you.

Canon 1D Mark III, Canon 50/f1.4

50mm, f2.8, 1/80 sec @ 320 ISO using 5 images