Since it’s such an easy and commonly known hike, I was surprised that I was unaware of the beauty of Elowah Falls and Upper McCord Creek Falls within the Columbia River Gorge on the Oregon side.  Elowah Falls especially was quite incredible since it was so tall and majestic.  Being the end of Summer, Upper McCord Creek Falls was running very light, with only one side of the normally double waterfall flowing freely.

The hike was certainly more on the easy side, with very little elevation change, and only a short distance.  But even with such little effort, I was happy to get such a fantastic reward.  It was late afternoon by the time I began shooting the falls and details along the trail, but as a photographer, that’s when I prefer to be hiking.  The evening light is simply breathtaking within the Gorge as it cascades eastward, cutting in and out of the crevices along the cliffs.  The falls themselves were deep within one of these inlets, so the light didn’t become an asset until the entire Gorge was in view.  The low, warm light flicked over the trees highlighting their details with such subtlety and grace, adding so much depth to the scene.

I also took the opportunity to try out the technique of some more impressionistic photography.  I’ve seen this technique mastered by William Neil and have always wanted to experiment with it.  The dreamy, surreal images produced by impressionism in photography have always fascinated me and, if done right, can truly be works of art.  I definitely enjoyed trying this out, and hope to further develop my skills in this area.  So expect more updates along these lines in the future.

Below are a few excerpts from the hike, but as always there are plenty more in the full gallery.

I got a nice surprise earlier this year when a friend of mine asked if she could hire me to shoot her friends’ wedding.  It would be her wedding gift to them.  Now, normally I don’t shoot weddings outside my circle of friends, but with someone like my friend Jen vouching for them, I thought I’d give it a shot.  After meeting the couple I knew I made the right decision.  Jhanna and Steve seemed to be  very fun, artistic, positive, and relaxed people.  I got a great sense that we were going to work well together.

They were not concerned at all with the superstition around waiting until the ceremony to see each other, so that immediately took some pressure off of the timing to get some photos.  I understand how difficult it can be for couples to take as much time as they feel they need to get good photos once the day’s celebrations have begun.  We were able to all meet up well before the ceremony even started began to get lots of fun photos of the wedding party, the bride and groom, and even some with the family.

They picked great locations too (see how easy they made my job?).  First, we met at Washington Park in Portland, further focusing our location to be the “stairway to heaven”, a huge moss-covered stone stairway that leads from West Burnside all the way up the ridge to the park.  I loved the seemingly infinite pattern the stairs provided, as well as the forest surroundings.   Next we headed to The Pearl District to Tanner Springs Park.  It’s a remarkable urban block park, including a small pond complete with water lilies, and a crazy wall made of rusty I-beams fanning out in different lengths.  I had never been there before, but I was blown away at the many, many photographic opportunities it provided.

The ceremony was on a rooftop venue in downtown Portland.  The evening was beautiful, the bride and groom looked spectacular, and the entire celebration was relaxed, fun, and playful.. just like them!  There were a few hiccups throughout the day, as there always are with wedding days.  I was amazed seeing Jhanna be so cool, calm, and relaxed as she rolled with the changes and adjustments that needed to be made.  Not once did she waiver or cease to have that beautiful smile on her face.  What a dream wedding!

Congratulations to Steve and Jhanna Knauff!  Below is a simple slideshow of some of the photo highlights.  For more, please visit the entire gallery.

I was thrilled when my friend and fellow photographer Jeff Snyder, of Freesolo Photography and Jeff Snyder Photography, asked me to help him with a special project. A group of fire dancers he knows had asked him to take some performance photos to help with their publicity. I’ve done a lot of similar work in the past, and he flattered me by asking me to be involved. I am always looking for a reason to shoot talented fire spinners, so of course I agreed!

It took us a couple days to find an appropriate location. August in Portland means that much of the area’s grass has become dormant and can sometimes look like it will burst into flames spontaneously, let alone when someone is standing there twirling a flaming hula hoop. We decided somewhere with concrete ground would probably be our best and safest bet. Someone suggested the Burnside skate park, and it seemed like the perfect location, as long as we didn’t get in anyone’s way.

Jeff and I arrived early to scout out the best locations. There were still many skaters enjoying the skate park, so we figured it was best to find somewhere else to get the majority of our shots. Luckily, just above the park, but still underneath the Burnside Bridge, was a small loading dock that could serve as a perfect performance platform for the ladies’ talents. Our shoot was set, and we awaited the ladies.

Soon, Swirly Temple, Zoe and Ginger arrived on location in full costume, and we started setting up for the shoot. Under the Burnside Bridge, we were thankful for the great urban setting, which seemed to contrast nicely with the natural flames. Jeff and I alternated between one of us getting wider shots, a bit closer to the talent, while the other set up further back, getting more stationary shots showing more of the scene.

We took our time, making sure we got all the shots we needed of each performer in each location. Our time was spent getting group shots, individual shots, hooping shots, and even a few with Zoe spinning some poi. Once the activity died down a bit at the skate park itself, we headed down to set up for a few shots on the concrete. All of us were grateful that the skaters at the park shared their space with us for a short while so we could get some shots of the ladies spinning next to the big “Burnside” artwork.

We finished out the night’s shoot with a few taken in front of some incredible artwork just outside the park. We were amazed at the design of the wall, with its seemingly liquid flames drawn right in. Topped off (literally) with a series of buzz saws and blades lining the top of the wall, it was the perfect backdrop to finish the night.

Thank you to all the amazing talent within Swirly, Zoe, and Ginger. And a big thank you to Jeff Snyder for including me in such a fun, thrilling, and satisfying shoot! Check out the full gallery for more photos.