Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Klamath Falls in 48 hours - loads of photos!

Klamath Falls is a lovely town in Southern Oregon.  After spending so much time in the major California cities, it was nice to slow things down to a mosey, meet a few local photographers, and enjoy the beautiful scenery that the area offers in abundance.

Sunday was the Klamath Falls Photowalkback to backphotowalks make me sleep like a rock, by the way – and we had a wonderful time.  The downtown area of Klamath Falls features some really cool Art Deco architecture, stylized modern construction, and peaceful parks.  We had a small group which really helped me get acclimated in the slower pace and high altitude (I forgot just how much being at 4,000 feet will reduce your energy)!

Day two in Klamath Falls was packed with amazing natural locations.  We started at sunrise and made our way – with several gorgeous stops – to Crater Lake National Park.  Fortunately, I picked up a hat and a pair of gloves on the way, because there were still several feet of snow on the ground up there!  Next we moved on to the Rogue River Gorge for incredible rapids and an amazing breakfast at Becky’s (best biscuits and gravy ever)!  Photowalk leader, Brian Gailey, designed a wonderful, 200 mile scenic loop for me to get the full area experience.

Now, after two fantastic days in Klamath Falls, OR I’m on the Coast Starlight up to Portland.  Despite keeping incredibly busy during my time in Klamath Falls, I’ve assembled some of my favorite photos from the Klamath Falls Photowalk and my day of sightseeing for your enjoyment.

Thanks again to Brian Gailey of Brian Gailey Photography andDesign for planning an excellent photowalk itinerary, being my chauffeur and tour guide for two days, and for making Klamath Falls such an amazing and memorable experience.  I’ll definitely be back that way someday!



A crazy cool old train car found in Downtown Klamath Falls
I loved the textures of this old log cabin outside the Klamath Falls History Museum
A remaining wall with hollow windows drew me to it from across the street
The Ross Raglund Theater with a super cool deco exterior
Golden afternoon light on this vibrant tree + a bold blue sky = happy photographer
Great lines and color!
A lovely pastel sunrise on the outskirts of Klamath Falls
Hey look its me again!  Enjoying the snow at Crater Lake in late may! 
Thank goodness for my truck stop hat!


What an amazing place!
A view of Mt. McLaughlin from Lake of the Woods
...and another... So glad I made it here!


Crater Lake is spectacular in a whole new way
See what I mean?
The Rogue River Gorge with soooo many stacked filters to get flowy water :-)
So peaceful despite the roaring water!
For anyone who is incredibly jealous of all the fun we've been having, you can STILL join us on one of the last two photowalks!  Photowalk Portland is this Saturday with Ben Latterell, and Photowalk Minneapolis is next saturday!

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Photowalk San Francisco!

Yesterday was our photowalk in San Francisco with Thomas Hawk.  We had a great group of photographers of all ages, experience levels, and preferred styles.  Thomas Hawk was a fantastic photowalk leader, taking the time to explain to everyone what he was doing on some of his shots and why.  After admiring his work for a few years, it was so great to finally see him in action!  For someone with so many followers and such acclaim, he's wonderfully down to earth and has a great sense of humor.  Thanks again to everyone who joined us yesterday!  It was really wonderful to meet everyone, and I've really enjoyed checking in on the your G+ posts since the end of the walk last night.    

Don't forget to tag your favorite photo from the walk #abrcontest for a chance to win a Gorillapod Focus with Ballhead X!

Now I'm off to my 2nd photowalk of the weekend -- Photowalk Klamath Falls!  More photos soon!















Friday, May 25, 2012

San Francisco & GOOGLE!!!

Yesterday I woke up at 4:30am to shoot the sunrise with Mark Esguerra at the Golden Gate Bridge Recreational Area.  Whoa baby, was that an amazing spot.  There wasn't any fog, just gorgeous light, fantastic views, and an awesome friend to shoot with!  

A couple hours, a few hundred exposures, and a giant plate of raspberry pancakes later, we headed down to Mountain View to visit our friend Brian Rose at the Googleplex.  Visiting Google for me was a lot like going to Disneyland for a kid.  I had an AMAZING time getting to see so much at a company I really believe in.  

Here are a few photos from the sunrise shoot and Google.

:-)














Tuesday, May 22, 2012

The Salk Institute

Yesterday I got to explore The Salk Institute in La Jolla, CA.  The architecture is so interesting, stark, and textured -- I really enjoyed checking it all out and playing with my new Diana Fisheye Lens.  The shadows and light in and around the buildings suggest an Escher type of perspective.  Here are some of my favorite shots from Salk.