Siuslaw River Falls

Spent this cold, foggy morning in the Coast Range west of town with a stop at Siuslaw River Falls. I have photographed this waterfall in the past but the increased flow added to this image.

It is a tangle of vine maple etc. along the stream bank and interspersed are clumps of coarse grass and I found this dead leaf caught in the stems.

Love to have your comments and as always you can click on an image for a larger screen view.

Internal medicine

This morning Hendricks Park was filled with fog and that added to the stillness that greeted me as I parked the car and walked the paths. This is a meditation for me (internal medication from the rush of the world) and one that I hope allows me to create images that define the scenes. —A string of lights in the forest; a lacy bare branch against a timber stand; and bare boles in the fog with the light just coming on.

Thanks for looking. A predicted sunny evening will take me to the wetlands for sunset, I hope.

Comments are always welcome and you can click on an image for a larger screen view.

Bristow morning

We had fog and chilly temperatures in the Valley this morning and following my time in the gym I went out to Elijah Bristow State Park hoping to find some interesting shots. The last time I was out there was before the rains had filled up the streams and it was very dry but all that has changed and it was so nice to see the little ponds and streams full and flowing.

I think both these images are from what they call The Beaver Pond. First one is just light coming into a small wedge view of the pond and then a wider Black and White image of the main pond. What a fun morning.

I listened to a podcast interview of John Paul Camponigro on the drive out and it whetted my photographic appetite. This link is to his blog. https://www.johnpaulcaponigro.com/blog/ Certainly worth a look.

Love to have your comments. As always you can click on the images for a larger screen view.

Simple images

I went out to Fern Ridge Reservoir last evening hoping for a colorful sunset. Alas the fog that had lingered in the Valley all day still wrapped the lake. I decided that there were some natural abstracts to be had and I spent the time out there trying to find and compose those types of images. Simple images from a simple mind.

On the way back to the car I stumbled upon a grouping of down and decaying leaves and while there was not much color the texture and patterns caught my eye.

Thanks for looking and as always I welcome your comments. Click for a larger screen view.

McKenzie Morning

Spent the morning in the McKenzie River watershed both on the main stem and in Quartz Creek – a major tributary. After a week of snow, rain, wind and darkness it was great to get out and experience the sky beginning to clear. Streams are near or at bankfull and the waterfalls are tumbling full tilt into the rivers creating natural music.

I had not been up the Quartz Creek road since the Holiday Farm fire moved thru the watershed and was taken back by the amount of the burned area. The image below is from a crossing I had shot in the past and it is now so different.

I went back downstream to the main stem of the McKenzie and the morning clouds were starting to clear. Stopped at a point where there was some access to the stream. I think the subtle tones of Black and White help to define the still injured conditions that exist in the fire area.

Thanks for looking and I welcome your comments. Click for a larger screen view.

Welcoming a New Year

I went out to the overlook of Lookout Point Reservoir this morning anticipating a New Year’s day sunrise and was delighted to not only get a sunrise over the lake but to find my photography friend April Norman at the same location. I met April exactly one year ago and have been treated to her photographs this past year. Your can find her work on FB and Instagram.

It was right at freezing this morning with a stiff wind blowing that made time out with the camera a challenge. There were several out and backs from the car to the camera to shoot and warm up. Waited long enough to welcome the sun and thus the new year. I hope you all have a wonderful and fulfilling one. Blessings to you all.

As always I welcome your comments and you can click on the image for a larger screen view.

Valley Snow

Snowing heavily up the Mohawk River this morning. Stopped at my favorite hybrid poplar stand near the town of Marcola and found this image. Love what the falling snow can provide an image. (Click for a larger screen view)

Have a wonderful and creative New Year. All my best to all of you.

Christmas Eve…

…in the snowy Cascade mountains. This image reminds me of a Robert Frost poem:

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

Whose woods these are I think I know.   
His house is in the village though;   
He will not see me stopping here   
To watch his woods fill up with snow.   

My little horse must think it queer   
To stop without a farmhouse near   
Between the woods and frozen lake   
The darkest evening of the year.   

He gives his harness bells a shake   
To ask if there is some mistake.   
The only other sound’s the sweep   
Of easy wind and downy flake.   

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,   
But I have promises to keep,   
And miles to go before I sleep,   
And miles to go before I sleep.

Merry Christmas to you all.

LensWork

Just received my copy of the book Our Magnificent Planet published by LensWork. This is my image that is included in the book. Dead Man’s Cove near the mouth of the Columbia River. Copies of the book are available thru the LensWork website. https://www.lenswork.com/

Lake Abert abstract

This simple almost abstract image is of Lake Abert taken along Highway 396 north of Valley Falls. Low water level and a distant shoreline.

One of my favorite images from a recent High Desert trip. Thanks for looking