Tiles #23

This seemed like a fitting photo for Election Day, one of the most grueling in my recollection.  What I like most about this photo is the neatness and order created by the symmetry.  There are shapes and colors mirrored throughout the photo and everything about how our flag is presented is neat and tidy.

This is a photo that represents what most people want to see.  Ordered lines and similar and complimentary colors are safe and predictable guardians of our flag in the middle. 

Life would be simpler if it worked like this, but would it be fulfilling?  I, like most like to live in a comfortable and familiar place, without things that challenge me or get in the way of my routines.  But I also know that discomfort and pushing past a place where you feel comfortable can result in incredible experiences that are oftentimes the most rewarding and memorable that you encounter.

The same can be said of photography or art in general.  If you get comfortable in one aspect of your creativity and there are fewer challenges, your art may still be interesting to others, but less so to yourself.  It's the challenges and stress that help us see differently and form new ideas.

One other aspect of this photo that interests me is that even though it looks well kept and tidy, when you look a bit closer the wear is starting to show.  There is missing paint, a missing vertical shutter, and cracks in the foundation.  The picture isn't as tidy as it looks.

So on this election day where we are placing all the issues in the complex world we live into two very different and inadequate boxes, where decency and honesty have taken a back seat to fear mongering and deceit, where we have forgotten that our candidates are a reflection of how we treat each other, where we have the ability to communicate faster and simpler than any time before in human history, but no longer know how to talk to each other with respect, and where we've forgotten that our strength as a county comes from the freedoms we all take for granted that others come here to find, we need to be OK with being a bit uncomfortable and learn how to listen to each other with empathy and respect.

Tiles #22

This photo of the Yaquina Bay Bridge in Newport, Oregon was taken early on a foggy morning.  I thought the fog would be clear enough to get a decent shot from the jetty below, but it was just too thick.  I moved up onto the deck to see what I could make happen.

I envisioned this shot without the car, but the traffic on HWY 101, even this early in the morning was just too steady to avoid.  I had to move quickly so as to be able to get the shot from the center of the deck.  In the end Ireally do like the oncoming headlights as it adds a sense of drama that heightens the scene.

I eventually settled on a square crop of the shot due to the symmetry of the bridge and how it compacted the scene into its best parts.  This is one of my favorite images in my catalogue.

Ideas and Imagery #127

The gesture says it all.  There are times where this is all I have to offer to the world.  I guess on this day this raccoon felt the same.

Tiles #21

This photo is another from the Blue Heron paper mill site, sitting empty and awaiting its next incarnation.  The buildings are all growing something green on them be it moss or ferns.  The rectangular pattern of these moss mounds growing along the seams of this rooftop helped give an oddly regular  shape to something that generally grows more random.

I love that even though the moss has shape to it, the distribution is broken up by solitary clumps strewn here and there between the lines.  It reminds me of heavily divided agricultural lands with trees dotting the landscape and lining the grid of roads.

It looked like a landscape as seen from far above in Google Maps.  I'll be interested to see how this landscape changes between now and when this building is eventually renovated or demolished.

Ideas and Imagery #126

There is a planning process going on to transition the Blue Heron mill site, which closed several years ago in Oregon City, to retail and commercial space.  In addition to those changes, there is an effort to reconnect people to Willamette Falls, which resides just out of frame to the left of this photo.

While I am excited to see that transition take place, it also makes me think about the transition this area has had from a Native American fishing and cultural center to its current industrialized state.

From milling to pulp and paper to its current state, Willamette Falls has supported the community and thousands of people whose families have called Oregon City home for over a century and a half, not to mention the fishing that had occurred for thousands of years prior.

I don't think most people fathom just how abundant this landscape has been.  It's bittersweet I am guessing for the community to lose a large provider of jobs and resources, but hopefully the reimagining will once again make this site productive for the community.

For now, the site stands empty, a reminder of the economic losses that were left in the wake of its closing.  The buildings sit on the bank, slowly rotting away, likely making this the only time in history, or in future years where this place is stagnant.

It won't be long now, and in 10 years, the emptiness of the mill will be forgotten, except in pictures like this one.   When that happens, the river will once again be a place where the community can be productive.

Ideas and Imagery #125

I have an affinity for old barns.  There is so much character in the barns from the late 1800's and early to mid 1900's compared with the pole buildings and metal barns built today.

This barn located in Baker County is one of many beautiful barns in the area.  On this day, the sun was setting and casting hard shadows on the shaded sides of the building, giving the barn shape and making it stand out from its surroundings. 

Buildings like this are getting fewer and fewer as they start to deteriorate.  The cost and difficulty of keeping these older structures viable makes it likely that over time they will mostly disappear.

While this process is maybe inevitable, I try as often as I can to preserve them in my photos.  I won't get to all of them, but I do my best to get them when I can.

Tiles #20

This image was a bit of a happy accident, but they say that luck favors the prepared.

We were all set up for a great fireworks show at the coast in Newport, Oregon.  The only problem is that the fog didn't get the message to hold off until after the show.

We arrived a few hours early, staked out our claim and then watched the fog slowly drift in off the ocean.  When the show started it was hazy but clear enough to see.  By the end, however, all we could do was listen to the boom of the fireworks and see a feint colored glow close to the ground. 

 I was able to get some shots early though, and luckily the fireworks were visible just through and above the bridge. 

This shot in particular was my favorite, with a few second long exposure creating the trailing lights of the explosion.   The firework light was also bright enough to leave the bridge and spectators in silhouette. 

The luck I referenced at the beginning came in with the spectators on the bridge.  They landed squarely in the middle of the frame at the intersection of firework and bridge.  I hadn't even noticed the spectators until I got home and loaded the images on the computer.  What a pleasant surprise, as I would have been happy with just the fireworks and the bridge. 

Good things happen when you least expect them. I came home with doubts about getting anything interesting and ended up with what is now my favorite fireworks shot in my catalog.

Ideas and Imagery #124

We were lucky enough to get a private tour of a local vineyard through a connection, and the grapes were full on the vine.  It was a hot and cloudless day, and the light filtering through the leaves on the vine created a beautiful soft light on the grapes.

The contrast between the grapes and the rest of the frame draws your eyes in and keeps you focused squarely on the grapes.  Its a simple photo, but most times simple is better.

It was great to be able to tour the vineyard and the fact that I was able to walk away with a few great photos made it even better .

Tiles #19

If you've ever driven past a farm field, one thing that becomes apparent pretty quickly is the regularity of how a field was planted.

It doesn't matter what type of crop it is, but I get mesmerized looking down the rows as the car keeps going, each row centering itself in view and moving on.  It becomes a movie of sorts, each centering a revealing a bit different view. 

While passing this wheat field the animation was one of the lines changing angles until centered and then angling off again, which is what grabbed my attention.  It became even more pronounced with the lines curving up the hill. 

I decided to stop at this field because I liked the shape and regularity of the curved lines, and the diagonal pattern that subtly ran from top left to bottom right, likely from a spray rig.

It would be a bit disorienting if not for the side light creating some shadows and direction.  Its a fun image and one ready made for my tiles project. 

Tiles #18

For me this image was all about the varying shades of brown and the shapes of the elements.

There is a lot of warmth in these colors, and the darker tones are bookended by the tan and cream colors on top and bottom. 

Geometrically, everything is right angles.  I love the assortment of rectangles and the awning with the right angles offset 45 degrees to the rest of the shapes.

It's a simple image, accentuated by the square crop that I really enjoy, and while I am generally drawn to bold colors, the elements here won me over.  It's a nice addition to my tiles series.