Projects and Travel Plans
Current Projects
A recent trip to the Klamath Basin has gotten me very excited about the potential of the wildlife refuges there and I have decided to commit to a project to photograph there every month for a year. It is March as I write this and I am just getting started but if you would like to follow my progress please check out the new blog A Year in the Life of the Klamath Basin..
The other project is a replacement for the "In Search of New Mexico" Project. I call this one "Rediscovering Oregon". I have the website all set up and I've done a little exploring but I don't have quite enough material for serious blogging. But don't worry, it's coming!
I've been toying with the idea of photographing along the Rogue River from headwaters to mouth and have even done a couple of scouting trips. So far it hasn't really lit a fire under me though so I will just keep it on the back burner for now and see if the spirit moves me when the weather gets better.
I also have a yen to do a project photographing in Redwood National Park but that is still in the concept phase.
I know, I know, it says right on my home page that I am getting more into macro photography so what's up with all these landscape projects. Well, first of all there will be macro subjects to explore and photograph along the way. Second, there are some great local destinations for that including the Bear Creek Greenway a five minute walk from my door, Litha Park just 5 miles away and North Mountain Park not much further. And the opportunities for garden photography in the PNW are outstanding, so fear not, I will find my niche.
Travel Plans
With of all of Oregon to rediscover I expect to keep it mostly local this year. I'm looking for affordable photo workshops in Oregon and Washington, possibly British Columbia.
I'm also trying to come up with a special trip to celebrate my 60th birthday. I was looking at a Strabo tour in Ireland but my environmental conscience is streering me toward a week in San Francisco instead. And since its about time for a new photomobile (i.e. car) I suppose it will be the City by the Bay for me. Of course, my photo projects will be taking me out and about in Oregon, along the Rogue River and over to the Klamath Basin. And there will be at least one trip to the Redwoods even if it is only a scouting trip. And of course, the Oregon Coast beckons to me always.
Past Projects
I first started assigning myself projects back in 1999 when, while living in Missoula, Montana I decided to visit Glacier National Park every month for a year and see what I found and how the flora, fauna, and landscape changed. In those days it was all slides and I finally got around to scanning my favorites last year but in the end I found that my skills and the technology had advanced enough that none of them made it into my portfolio.
My next organized project started in June of 2003, I was then living in the Seattle area. My mission was to visit Willapa Bay on the Washington Coast once a month for a year. Seasons change only gently on the Washington coast but every month I found something new and exciting to photograph.
More recently I have been working on a more open ended project called "In Search of New Mexico" which involved traveling to New Mexico counties one at a time. It was more a means to get me out and shooting while putting a boundary and direction on what to shoot. My new "Rediscovering Oregon" Project is patterned along the same lines though I have decided to be lest strict about going county by county since some Oregon counties, such as my home county of Jackson do not lend themselves to a two or three day excursion because there is too much to explore.
(last updated March 2015)