Recently, I wandered just out my front door and up Mt. Tabor to capture a panorama of Portland at sunset.  However, the panorama was not the only shot I brought home.  In going along with my goal this year to try and capture as much of the Fall colors as I can, I tried to get as many different shots from that location.  The colors were still shining brightly, even though all around town the leaves are piling up along the roadsides and in people’s yards, leaving the trees bare.  I knew this may be my last chance to get the full effect of Autumn sunlight in Portland.

The full gallery includes some grand views of the city, HDR shots to capture the full range of light, details of the colors, and even some impressionistic shots throughout the park.  Check it out!

In Portland, we can be fairly limited when it comes to seeing the sun when it gets past November. So I went up to Mt. Tabor to try and capture what I thought would be an incredible Autumn sunset. Well, one photo just wouldn’t do it justice, so I opted to stitch 26 photos together to capture this one panoramic shot. There are lots more photos from this photo walk coming soon, but for now, please explore this panorama.  It looks tiny at first, but you can zoom in, navigate around and explore, just by using your mouse. Try it!

If you would like to view a larger version, head to Gigapan to view it in full size.

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.