Art Stuff...

So I finally got to do an artist portrait of my friend and graphics legend, Winky Wheeler, after I had to bribe her to get me a portrait referral! Along with being a great designer, illustrator, cartoonist and all-around good person, she's also a major source of referral business for me, high-energy and terrific to work with! I liked her portrait so much, I made it into a promo card! While I was in the mode, I made a few more from a recent shoot with a new client, Lisa Pfaller of Lisa Marie Sculpture & Bronze.

Blue Bridge...

Once the scene of Oregon's record high-speed car chase at just over an incredible 150 MPH, the Astoria Bridge to Washington is long, straight and impossibly narrow. I have no height or bridge phobia but having to cross this one always makes me sit up and pay extra close attention. Returning home from a shoot in Illwaco, WA early Friday evening, I thought it might be nice to get some shots of the bridge in silhouette against the setting sun. But arriving too late for that, and not really wanting to scout out an eastern location visually free of telephone wires in the dark, I remembered an old Life cover of Three Mile Island by Greg Heisler. Before digital cameras, he used tungsten transparency film to produce a spooky blue-toned photo of the two cooling towers. Switching gears, I shot east instead, into the gathering night. Easily able to set my white balance to a lower Kelvin temperature with my Canon digital camera, I quickly shot several images with a similar look and feel, this one my favorite. As an added bonus, halogens from the nearby Cannery Pier Hotel created some nice highlights on the foreground pilings.

Spring Arrives...

We've had some really great weather lately in Portland, coinciding with the arrival of spring. Brenna and I got out to the park this weekend to have some serious fun on the play equipment and give Mom a break. This girl can go for hours! I don't know how she does it. I was getting nearly nauseous and dizzy trying to get this shot, while she kept saying "faster, faster!" As much as I love winter, I'm always glad to see the crocus and forsythia blooming, signaling that warmer weather is on the way. Won't be long now!

Great Day in the Studio...

Busy day in the studio yesterday, three jobs in one day, woo hoo, I love it! First up was a portrait of a credit union president for her newsletter. When she arrived, she had on this cool mink coat, so after our session, I brought her back on set with the coat for some fun shots. Then my buddy, Roland Simmons (a very capable photographer with a keen eye for composition) came over to work out some lighting set ups and shoot some portraits of me. I got him to sit for a few and this is my favorite from the take. Then a new art client brought by four incredible bronze sculptures to shoot for her portfolio (thank you, Leslie!) All in all, a great day spent in the studio, getting the work done and having fun.

Persistence...

Persistence. That's what it takes to make it in this business. I think of things like this river when things aren't going my way. How if I just keep on keepin' on, things will turn again. Eventually, this rock will cease to be, but in our lifetime, it will only change shape. How much do I need to "change shape" in my lifetime?

Quiet Giants...

Driving home from a shoot in Molalla, OR, saw these old switchers, and pulled in the rail yard. Got out some gear and walked over. It was very quiet. I was thinking just the opposite.

Hello out there, Look out below!

Up late, many things on my mind. One of them, why not start a blog? So here it is World, my very first post!

Had some great snow in the mountains recently so we took the little one for her first ski trip. Didn't get too far from First Aid! Mom & Dad had refreshments on the deck while we watched "Instructor Dan" do his stuff, teaching the basics, like how to put your skiis on, take them off, turn around and how to build a snowman!