I forgot to post this one last photo from the juggling shoot a couple weeks ago. Remember I said the key to juggling is selecting three objects that are roughly the same weight.  Well, it doesn’t help when one of them is wiggling and licking. I know this looks like a Boston Terrier, but it’s actually a pint-sized Bull Terrier that accidentally got dropped on its face a couple of times. I think the key to juggling animals is not necessarily the size, rather the age. I should have found a lethargic poodle that didn’t move a lot. Oh well, maybe next time….

One more photo from the weekend. We spent Sunday evening on Hank and Darcy’s patio with a couple of pizzas and a mutt case of beer. Just in case you wondering, a mutt case of beer is anything you have left from multiple beer runs over the past month. Or in this case;  what was leftover from a party two weeks ago. Speaking of mutts, this is Darcy’s dog Amoni; who is probably one of the most photogenic dogs I have ever run into. For Valentines Day Hank ordered a test to determine what breed(s) she is. The results were so outrageous it almost made us question its validity.

Great Dane, Ikita, Rottweiler, Italin Gray Hound, Minature Pincher, Boston Terrier.

I know I’m forgetting one, but let’s just say she come from a long line of unlocked gates. Anyway, this is clearly the Great Dane in her coming out because she has no clue how big she is. To bring out her eyes I bumped up the brightness and contrast of the entire photo while taking down the saturation in everything but reds.

Winter finally let up this weekend and we were graced with clear skies and near 70 degree temperatures. Ash, Elli and I packed a lunch and headed out to the Gorge on Sunday to take advantage of the weather. Instead of taking hwy 84 we took the Historic Columbia River Highway. This road is the reason why supercharged convertibles were created.  It curves between sheer rock faces and waterfalls while outlined in classic white wooden gard rails.  We stopped at Bridal Veil Falls for a short hike. I had a better shot of the falls, but I couldn’t get the photo taken before my lens was spotted with mist.

After the hike we drove back into town and stopped by Lucky Lab Brewey for a beer. Dogs are allowed on the back deck, so its usually a fairly popular place when the weather is nice in Portland. This is what happens when you let your guard down around my dog. LICKED!! 
 

I got a new lens last week: Sigma’s 50mm 1.4 I have only owned Canon lenses to this point, but so far I am really impressed with this product. Canon has a 50mm 1.4 lens, but from what I could tell, produces mediocre photos; especially with a $300 price tag. It’s obvious that Canon puts a majority of their effort into the “L” series lenses. Don’t get me wrong; it’s an astonishing line but they’re expensive. It’s nice to see a 3rd party company realize, and fill, a gap in the product line in terms of quality and price. Good job Sigma! Both of these shots are stopped down to 1.4. While other lenses will get soft at this aperture the Sigma remains fairly sharp.
ps. This is really the only “hood” you can live in Portland.

Ash and I were invited to a beach rental this weekend in Manzanita with friends. On Saturday we went on a hike along the beach; the trail ended at a point with sheer cliffs that drop off hundreds of feet to the ocean. It was a great place to take some shots with Hank and his dog Zoey.

Ashley and I dog sat this weekend. Hank was scheduled to work all night at OHSU and subsequently needed someone to watch his puppy for him, so we offered knowing he will watch Ellie for us some weekend. She’s part Lab part Weimaraner and in that awkward stage where her legs simply cant keep up with her thoughts. This was taken on the deck while I was trying to sweep up the fallen leaves. I say “trying” because every time I got a decent pile accumulated Zoey got the urge to tackle it.  Clearly by the shot she knows the command “Sit”…   Maybe Hank can tech her ”No” next.  :-)

Ashley and I went to Hood River with our friends Riann and Jamon this past weekend. The point of the trip was initially for pumpkins and apples since both are in abundance around the Colombia River Valley; however we ended up visiting two orchards, two wineries and a brewery, so clearly the bearing of the day changed. I don’t feel like I have really made progress in the photography realm as of late. I know it’s my nature, but I feel most of my recent photos are mundane and lack symptoms of progress. As I dialed through my shots on the camera yesterday I was again disappointed. That was until I got home and started to process the photos. I really feel like these photos represent my best processing work to date. I’m really thrilled by the “feel” I think I got out each shot, most of which is not from the frame itself, but by the post processing work.
   
The photo on the right is of a sunflower. While most of the ones at the orchard were on borrowed time they still have an amazing design. I know I’m from the Sunflower State, but I forgot how large the flowers can grow. Ashley is standing under one in the middle photo and it towers over her. I would guess some reached to nearly 6ft when they were in full bloom! The photo on the right is in the style of HDR photography or High Dramatic Range. Basically it’s combining several images that were exposed at different levels to give it a 3 dimensional and saturated look. If you have ever used your point and click camera on a bright sunny day often the sky looks white. That is because your camera is selecting an exposure to properly expose the image you’re pointing the camera at; while the person (or in this case a pumpkin) is properly exposed the sky is blown out. Now imagine taking two photos, one of the sky and one of the objects and combining them; basically that is what HDR imaging is. It is actually more in tune with how our eyes truly see color.  In this photo I only took one photo, however because I shoot in RAW format I am able to tweak my highlights and shadows to create the look. Technical? I swear I won’t do it any more in this post.
 
 
 
 

I noticed these chairs outside of the orchard. My grandparents had two chairs similar to these outside their cabin. I’m sure they are long gone, but I wish we still had them. I guess they just suggest a simpler time to me.

 
The grapes were from Cathedral Ridge Winery. I didn’t sample any wine there since I was eager to get down the road to the brewery, but according to Ashley the Reserve Pinot Noir was good. We also tasted at Pheasant Valley Vineyards; I think the all-around favorite there was the Red Zinfandel

If I had to title this shot of Elli it would be Folsom Prison Blues. She spent a portion of the day locked up in the car as we stopped of at our various destinations. This was taken outside of the brewery as we got some needed and deserved exercise. Don’t feel too bad for her… she just chewed up one of my shoes.  

 
It was a beautiful weekend at the coast in Oregon. My dad and stepmom were in town to visit so we took off for Cannon Beach on Friday. These are the weekends you deeply appreciate as an Oregonian. October is the swing month when it comes to weather. The average temperature on October 1st is 71 degrees while the average temperature on October 31st is 58 degrees. I guess it’s a “get it while its hot” mentality in terms of weekend recreation. I love the Cannon Beach area, but I’m ready to travel to the central or southern coast soon. The beaches are rockier and you’re much closer to the crashing surf, which also makes it a better area to go beach combing. That being said, I think Haystack Rock is one of the more amazing formations on the coast. You can click here for my past photos of it.
 
**UPDATED**
 

It kind of sucks posting these photos of our beautiful weekend from last week while it is (and has been) pouring outside.  The rest of these have more of an “abstract” feel to them. Most were taken at the Chinese Gardens in China Town.  The photo of the tree has been turned upside down to really mess with the eye. If you can’t tell from the lily in the bottom of the shot, it’s actually a taken as a reflection in the pond. It’s kind of interesting  that the rocks in the bottom of the pond serve as clouds in the sky too.  

The Portland Beavers graciously open up PGE Park to our furry friends during two games a year. No, not hippies… dogs. Ashley, Elli and I met up with Hank, Darcy and Amoni a couple weeks ago to watch the Beavers play a double header against Fresno. I always wondered if the park is cleaner or dirtier after these particular games. I can tell you that I never saw a stray nacho or a homeless hotdog lying on the ground that day. I did however see lots of spilt beer. Taunt leashes and beer to the rim don’t seem to go well together. I love the nervous look on Amoni’s face just prior to visiting the Beaver. If I had to give the states I would say:
 
90% nervous
5% anxious
4% happy because she’s out of the house
1% concentrating on holding in a giant dump

It was 70 degrees and sunny yesterday so we took our Boston Terrier, Elli, to the dog park. As we parked and began walking towards the park we started to see several other Boston’s. Typically we see a couple every time we go to the park, but this time there were lots of them. We entered the gates to find 30-40 Boston Terriers running amuck. Apparently all of the Boston owners meet up on the first Sunday of the month at 2:00 pm, I just happened to have my camera with me.

This little girl got hit by a car a couple of months ago, so she wasn’t feeling well yet.

I would have loved to get a photo of all of them together, but that would have been nearly impossible considering the chaos that was taking place. So, I just tried to focus on some of the ones with the most personality.   

I have never seen so many variations in one breed. Some are 25 + lbs and some are like mine. (I don’t think she weighs 12 lbs with a mouth full of food)  Some are cross-eyed, some are wall-eyed and others….  Well, as my friend would say, “one eye watching the poll and the other is dig’n for bait.  Some are black some are brindle and I even saw one that was tan. In all, they are a great breed and just aim to please their owners.