Craig Snazelle

Jazz Bassist Craig Snazelle came in for some marketing/promo shots, and he brought his beautiful upright bass with him. Craig is a talented musician, a long-time friend, and a recent cancer survivor. Our objective for the shoot was simple; just some good promo shots, nice light, simple. Craig later told me that, without really knowing it at the time, we ended up creating a few images that really summed the way he now feels about life, music, and his bout with throat cancer: Grateful. The last couple images are examples of that.

Mount St. Helens

May 18th, 2010 was the 30th anniversary of the eruption of Mount St. Helens. On May 15th I rode up to the Johnston Ridge Observatory with my friends, and fellow photographers, Bruce Ely, and Andy Batt. Bruce is a staff photographer for the Oregonian, and was assigned to make a photo for the paper. The night before, he and Andy hatched a plan to go up and camp overnight (Bruce got clearance from the Forest Service ahead of time), in hopes of being there for the perfect light to make some great photos, fortunately, they called me as well.

We hit the road around 1pm on Saturday, stopped for lunch at Rose's in Castle Rock, and got to the observatory around 4. The afternoon was hazy, with a big cloud bank parked over the crater. It was windy, and a bit cold, and I was beginning to realize that it would be a while before that perfect light showed up, if at all. We all had backpacks stuffed with tents and sleeping bags, rain gear, and whatever else we were going to need to stay comfortable for the night, but we had yet to decide where that would be. All of us had slightly different agendas; Bruce had his assignment, Andy's objective was a time lapse sequence that would run throughout the night, and mine was to make a panoramic of the view. So we milled around a amongst the day tripping visitors, hobbyist photographers, and ham radio veterans, trying to decide where we were going to make our pictures from, and where we were going to sleep.

After weighing all of our options, which (briefly) included hiking down into the valley a bit, or up on the ridge, where we'd be hammering our tent stakes into rock and pumice, we decided to go with the level ground and slight wind protection of the path in front of the observatory. No tents of course, just bags and pads. This gave us the ability to manage and operate our gear in a mostly dirt free environment, and since we were able to set up our folding chairs, it felt a bit like three dudes out car camping, which was nice. We sat and made pictures late into the night, talking about how great, and how challenging, it is to be a photographer right now. We ate freeze dried food from bags, and enjoyed it. And we slept sound, with only the occasional stir from a restless chipmunk (which apparently are vicious according to the signs). We got up at 5am to make some more pictures, packed up our stuff, and headed home, stopping again at Rose's for breakfast on the way. I always learn something about my friends when on roadtrips, this time out I learned that Bruce will get recognized anywhere, even on top of a volcano, and that he likes chocolate milk with his breakfast. And I learned that Andy likes his corned beef hash crispy, and that he always brushes his teeth before bed, even when he's sleeping outside.

That perfect light never quite showed up, though we were given a few windows of opportunity during our stay. Here's ten of my favorite images from the adventure, the first being my pano, which is comprised of five frames, and is 1 foot by 6 feet.

Hoffmans return home safely after Haiti earthquake

Joel and Rachel Hoffman were trapped in their apartment building for several hour after the devastating earthquake in Haiti. Returning home to Portland was emotional, after not having contact with their families for several days. Rachel's parents flew up from their home in Sydney, Australia for the reunion. They suffered relatively minor injuries in the quake, Rachel a gash on her arm, and Joel and minor head injury. They credit their survival to having lived on the top floor of their apartment building. The Hoffmans were living in Haiti working with a Christian relief agency.

Melt

Melt, sandwiched between (pun intended) a coffee shop and a nail place on NW 23rd, is a new hot spot for yummy eats, and good cocktails. Small, yet cozy, comfortable, and a good bit hip, Melt's interior is nicely designed and laid out to accommodate in-and-out foot traffic, as well as mealtime diners. Hearty, gooey, sandwiches, like the Pulled Pork with Green Chilles and Havarti, are served with Buckets of Crispy Fries, and a pile of napkins. For the surf crowd, a Dungeness Crab Cake burger and House Salad hits the spot. If your looking for kid-friendly try, the drippy Grilled White Cheddar Cheese and Hearty Chicken and Rice Soup.

A huge thanks to my models for this shoot, Fine Art and Childhood photographer Anna Hoye, and Katie Ryan.

Vintage Cocktail Lounge

Vintage Lounge is a classic cocktail bar in the Montavilla neighborhood of Southeast Portland. The space is small, yet accommodating, low lit with rich warm tones, and a beautiful hard plank bar top that was salvaged from an old hop barn. The drink menu is long and varied, with 20 house cocktails laced with housemade tinctures (grain alcohol infused with herbs, spices, and/or fruits), every top-shelf spirit you can think of, and a good selection of beers on tap. Or, if you please, owner Justin Akins drink of choice; an Oly pounder. Vintage also has a yummy bar-food menu featuring Pizzetta and hearty sandwiches using their housemade flatbread, including a spicy Roast beef with Serrano Peppers and a classic Philly Cheesesteak. For something a little different try one Vintage's many Absinthe cocktails. And if you've had too many, one of Justin's fine bartenders will be more than will be happy to order you up a cab.

Owner Justing Akins (left) talks shop with Wayne, one of Vintage's highly skilled mixologist.

Justin making a Corpse Reviver; Brandy, Fernet Branca, Mente Branca, and Sparked Lemon Zest.

A Corpse Reviver sits atop the handcrafted bar salvaged from an old Hop Barn.

Wayne mixes up some traditional Absinthe cocktails at Vintage Lounge.

Wayne burns some sugar cubes into his Absinthe cocktails.

Happy Sparrow cafe

Happy Sparrow is a super cute Belmont Street cafe owned by super cute couple Danny and Mary Quach, who are in their shop every morning before even the sparrows are awake, baking up hot pockets of goodness for Southeast Portland's morning people. What are they up to in those pre-dawn hours you ask. Kolaches. A Czech pastry of sweet yeasty dough filled with wonderfully fresh local ingredients, sweet and savory, and baked up puffy and warm. Fresh berry, jelly, and even Nutella filled Kolaches are a favorite with the early crowd, who also come in for a tall mug of Mount Hood Roasters coffee. And for the lunch bunch there's Puled Pork, Sausage and Tillamook Cheese, and even Salmon and Cream Cheese. Pair one of those with a local berry smoothie and you can't go wrong. My visit was around Thanksgiving and I was fortunate enough to sample a special Kolache filled with Turkey, Cranberry Sauce, and Housemade Stuffing. Bring home a sack full of these next year and it's guaranteed no fighting over the dark meat at the kids table.

Owner Danny Quach chats it up with some locals in for a Kolache lunch.

Owner Mary Quach (left), busy serving hot Lattes and Kolaches during the lunch rush.

The Thanksgiving Kolache.

Sausage and Tillamook Cheddar Kolaches with a Local Berry Smoothie.

Photo assistant and food model Katie Ryan chomping into some sausage and cheese Kolaches.

Art Wolfe

I had the opportunity, and great honor, to photograph legendary travel, adventure, landscape, culture, and wildlife photographer Art Wolfe this evening before his multimedia presentation, Between Heaven and Earth, at the Newmark Theater in Portland, Ore. I found him to be absolutely wonderful to work with. Open, comfortable, warm, and funny. Not to mention he's got a great smile. Couldn't ask for much more out of a subject. Art's presentation was fantastic, and included images, new and old, from Nepal, Tibet, India, and Pakistan. Stunning compositions of color, culture, wilderness and wonder. It was also a benefit in support of Braided River, a nonprofit whose goal is to protect the last remaining wild places in western North America. He's truly an inspiration.