Union Street Bridge

As many of you might be aware if you live in the Salem area that we have had this really wonderful Pedestrian / bicycle bridge converted from a very old Railroad bridge crossing that goes over the Willamette River. It also provides some interesting shooting in the AM or PM, with or without Fog coming off the river, etc.

It is also a part of my commute to the building I work in that allows me to keep earning money to keep shooting photos. Unfortunately it is not a business with photography as part of its business. So getting to cross the bridge to/from work when I bike commute can give me some really great shots, but usually on small windows out of the year do I get this.

Well on the morning of 10/26 I got a window of opportunity and happened to bring a camera with me. I only happen to bring it, as the morning before It was similar but with more fog so I thought with the very cool nights and some moisture in the air, just maybe I would get another chance.

Included in this post are a couple of shots from that AM. Hope you will enjoy them.

Tim

Portraits

I have decided to get into a little more of the work of portraits and senior year photos. This will not stop me from my normal landscapes, animals and what have you. This is just another area to pursue and work with other folks and continue to become better all around as a photographer.

Included is a shot from a senior /yearbook photo for a local West Salem HS Senior. Cree and her mother gave me a call as mom works with a friend of mine (who recommended me) and asked if I would be interested. Sure I would and I may be a little less expensive than many of the 'full time' portrait photographers here locally. Anyway we did the shoot up in Portland on Sept. 4th for a couple hours in the mid-morning. We wondered around parts of "Old Town" in Portland and had quite a variety of backgrounds to work with and interesting textures from the buildings. I also had my wife in the process as she carried camera gear and reflectors for me, and that was a big help! Overall we had some really great shots and some so-so ones but found enough for Cree to choose from for yearbook and for handouts.

I also cut her the DVD with the photos that I worked on along with the originals. This is partially why I may be a little less expensive as I do not do any of the printing work. I will shot, edit and copy for a standard flat fee. If you would like to talk about some future work, please give me a shout via email at tim.e@opusnet.com


Thanks for reading! Tim -

Nice View for backpacking! Tetons!

So I will include a shot from what we were able to see over half the time we were backpacking in Wyoming in the Teton Wilderness. We headed out of the Pacific Creek TH that was just inside the gates at Moran Junction.

As we hiked up the trail that more/less followed the creek it opened up to a very large valley that had Pacific creek running through it along with several other creeks that flowed into Pacific creek which all (may someday) end up flowing to the Pacific Ocean. Probability is pretty low due to all the other folks taking out some of the liquid resources along the way but some of the water may make it?

Anyway, on the first day hiking in we turned around and this was the constant site we had at our backs. It was great having it coming out also! The Tetons rising above and we were at 7,000 plus feet going through this valley it was a grand site to see. I took this shot from where Gravel Creek comes down and joins with Pacific Creek looking back Westerly. Although the bugs were horrible back there this year the scenery was worth it!

Enjoy! Tim -

Back from Wyoming

Got back last Saturday 7/23 in the mid afternoon. Good trip back in Wyoming but lots of those damn mosquitoes and it drove me out a day or so early. That allowed me to actually go through Yellowstone park and visit my folks for a couple nights back in Cody.

Then headed back to Jackson, WY, to catch up with the rest of the crew and have night in Jackson checking things out and Friday AM on 7/22 headed home! I made it to John Day, OR, were I spent the night before pushing home last Saturday. After going through the Hwy 26 drive of Oregon, I saw some excellent mountain areas that I think will have to go back and hike and do some camping or something. Looks like excellent Elk territory and I have heard there are some Mt. goats up in some of those eastern Oregon ranges.

I'll post a shot or two of the Tetons hopefully by the end of this weekend.

Tim -

Getting Ready - Wyoming One Week away

As I type this on this Friday evening (7/8) I think that in one week I should be in Twin Falls, ID catching a nights rest before pushing into Wyoming in the Bridger-Teton Wilderness area to do some backpacking with my brothers and few friends. We'll be heading out of the Pacific Creek Drainage and do about 5 days in the back country.

I would like to get some good photos while there of any animals that want to come near our motley crew but will not mind keeping distance between us and any Grizzly Bears. I have had the wonderful experience of being within about 40 yards of a Sow/cub several years ago and was glad they took off to the trees. I have done some photos from the road in Yellowstone and that is good enough. Enjoy from a distance! I definitely should get some decent landscapes though.

I will have to make some serious lens choice as I want to minimize weight of my gear as I will be humping around my food, water, sleeping bag/pad, extra weather gear and either all of a tent or part of the tent if I can get a tent roomie to share the load.

I will try and post something a day or two prior to leaving. Will get some shots out as soon as I return from the trip.

Thanks for checking in! Tim

Humming Along....

Okay, so a lot of the time I would prefer to be taking photos of large, medium or even smaller landscapes or even larger animals to include people's pets. Then there are times when you have to just shoot what is there and most of the time I will take a camera in my bag to work with me. This way if there is anything to capture or maybe while taking a walk at lunch there will be something I can shoot it and see if I like it later.

Back in February some of the ladies in the office set up a humming bird feeder outside the Westerly windows in our building. Surprisingly the humming birds did visit considering this was next to an open ally which also was next to a large parking lot, mostly vacant that time of year. All of this was just on the Northerly border going into the greater downtown Salem area.

I was able to be within 10 feet of the feeder and using an Tamron 18-200 on my Pentax Kx (back up camera) I got a few shots. This is one with the hummer taking on some nice sugar water that was freshly prepared for them.

I am glad the little critter sat still long enough for a few shots. Enjoy. Tim -

Memorial Day & the end of May

Another month is wrapping up and had the day off in honor of Memorial Day! I thank my fellow veterans who have served, continue to serve and the ones who did not return from the service of their country.

Got in a couple nice bike rides this weekend and checked out some more lands in Polk county Oregon to think about doing some shooting. Didn't get out this long weekend and should have but will hope a few fields I saw a couple weekends ago will still be blooming with some reddish clover looking vegetation?

I have put in a shot of some Big Horn Sheep - Rams as they were grazing this past March just outside Yellowstone Park in Wyoming. I again was battling some shade on these and not using the fastest lens for the conditions but that is all experience and not carrying extra cameras with other lenses. I hope you will enjoy the shot. I will be looking to hit some of the local NWR areas in the area and get some new shots of animals and landscapes!

Tim -

A Younger Ewe

Sometime back in April I had the one shot of the Bison posted and mentioned that I may get some shots of the other game animals that we had an opportunity to photograph. Well, here we go with a tighter shot of a young ewe working on the grasses among the snow.

I carried with me my Sigma 70-200/f.28 as my main lens this day so everything is shot with that and it reacts pretty well in some of the shade conditions which this one was. As these animal's congregate in the drainage's for the water during the day then head back up in the evening I had to deal with some taller walls of stone on either side of the drainage. We actually will do quite a bit of shooting not to far off the Highway 20 that runs into Yellowstone from Cody, WY.

In March it would become quite a bit of work to heft gear back for a days shooting but would be nicer knowing that most of the bears are still in hibernation (hopefully!).

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the shot and you can find more out at my website, there is a link over on the right column to lead you there!

Tim

Keeping an "Eye" out....

Wow! It has been about a month and a half since last posting and really I have looked to do something but have not done much? I am posting in a close up shot of a Bison that was passing close by the car when we did a spring break trip back to Cody, Wyoming to see some family.

Almost a dozen Bison were out near or on the road close to the East entrance to Yellowstone Park and part of that was due to the huge amounts of snow that the park was getting over the winter and spring. It will drive some of the animals out to lower areas to forage for food and have water with the nearby streams and rivers running. It helps me to have family living so close to one of our national treasures so when I am out there I can get out and find critters and some really great landscapes!

We did get some shots other than Bison and include some Big Horn Sheep, both Rams and Ewes along with some Deer. I will look at getting in some of those shots in another post which I will do very soon.

Enjoy the shot and check out the photo website - link is over there on the right and order something you might like. You can download digital files at various prices for personal or commercial use.

Thanks for stopping by! Tim -

Canada Geese - Basket Slough NWR

The same day that I was out at a local National Wildlife Refuge where I got photos of a Great Blue Heron. I was also getting some shot of other water foul, that is if these Canada Geese are considered foul? eh?

Anyway, they were kind enough for a few to come in for a landing and then just hang around eating from the grass stubble. I tried to have both photos but they were a little sizeable and I don't feel like reducing them any further. Sorry, you just get them eating!

It was a great day to be out there with the sunshine and the animals. I did later try to catch a pair of bald eagles in flight but they were at a pretty good distance for the lens I had at the time.

Enjoy the shots, and hope you can get out and enjoy some nature!

Tim -

A Bridge - Not to Far

So with gas prices going up and up I am trying to get my arse in gear and make more bike commutes to/from the job site. I will normally do this when I do not have other appointments that I need to use my car or motorcycle. Really, I need to first work on more bike time and then motorcycle as second choice and the car as last choice. Bus service is horrible in Salem so that option is off the table.

If I can get back to my glory days of commuting around 120 days per year as I did when we first moved out here that would be great. Over the last couple of years that total as gone down to around 80 days average per year. It is amazing how long I can make a tank of gas last when I ride more to/from work or small trips.

So long story short....As I commute from home in the hills of West Salem to a location just outside of downtown Salem I pass through Wallace Marine Park most of the time and ride over the Union Street Ped/Bike bridge. This is an old railroad bridge that the City bought for a dollar and of course has had to do some mitigation on the old lead paint and some other issues. It is probably one of the best improvements I have seen Salem do in the almost eight years I have lived here and it is a popular and useful bike/walk-way for many!

The shot I added in is from a morning back in late January this year. Sun was starting creep up and the bridge is standing tall crossing the Willamette River. Many mornings I ride across this and have to ask myself why am I going to this day Job? Photography and riding are much more pleasant than an office but, something has to pay the bills and the job will do for now.

Enjoy the shot and wishing you many great Sunrises!

Tim -

Feb. - Baskett Slough NWR

Finally was able to get out to the National Wildlife Refuge that is about 10 miles from my house here in West Salem. It was a glorious morning the light fog and clouds lifted leaving a little bit of a milky sky and temps warming up from about 32 degrees overnight.

I came from the southerly side off of Hwy 22 and slowly crept along the gravel road that runs through the main section of the NWR. There were plenty of Canada geese in the fields and many coming and going, Redtail Hawks flying around a few American Kestrels and a pair of Bald Eagles sitting in some small trees above the shallow water areas. I didn't have a long lens with me today so didn't try to get much in their direction. Did try to catch them as they decided to take flight and go elsewhere.

One bird that 'finally' let me get close enough to shoot was a Great Blue Heron. I have tried over and over but anytime I come upon them and stop my car they seem to know how far to fly off so they will not make for good picture taking. This time though, I never left my car as I just rested the 70-200/f2.8 lens on the window of the car and tried not to jitter to much when I press the shutter release. I didn't have a beanbag with me to help with vibration but overall I think all the shots I took of this magnificent bird came out pretty well. So I'll share one here with you all and hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Get outside and enjoy nature or hit a wildlife area near you and take in the sounds and sights it has to offer. Thanks for stopping in, and hope you come back and visit again. Eventually the Heron shots will make it to my website where you can buy a printed photo or download a digital copy.

Tim -

No Picture Post

Just saying Hello from Salem, OR. Not much going on here but we have been in a decent dry streak with little or no rain in our area for the past couple weeks. Must mean that later in the spring we will be wishing for sunshine?

Hoping to get my arse out of bed one of the weekend days coming up and go out to one of the local NWR's, National Wildlife Refuge's and maybe capture some animals on digital and post later. Maybe just some landscape shots also?

going to head off the computer for awhile and see if I don't fall asleep.

Tim

January 2011 - Alive

I kept looking at the blog site and saying to myself...."self, you need to get some photos looked at and post one or two and write about something...anything!"

So here I am towards the end of January here in Salem and the going through our January dry streak. That means minimal rain for about a week and the ground isn't squishy under your feet. Good time to get some miles on the bike and do some yard work chores when not at work which really only leaves the weekends.

Last summer in August I did a day hike up on Coffin mountain in the Cascades outside of Detroit, OR. On my way to the trail head the I stopped a few times to take some shots such as the one included. The smoke haze had settled down into the low lying areas from a fire that was many miles away to the South/Southeast near the Three Sisters. It kind of made for a nice shot with the smoke, Mt. Jefferson, blue sky and deep green tree color. I love the smell of the smoke from a campfire and yes even a wildfire just glad that they controlled the fire a few days later.

Have a great rest of January! Hope to be posting more some time soon.

Tim -