Beautiful Landscape Photography - East of Portland

-
What a fabulous time with fellow photographer, Bruce MacGregor. A trip down Highway 97 was also a trip into the past and afforded us many photographic opportunities. We were both interested in buildings or scenery with character and we found a few indeed. In fact, we got so carried away, we missed lunch. (oh and the fact that all the towns were practically deserted and there weren't any restaurants contributed to this).

 
Looking into the church



Inside the church


 Old Gas Station

Baby Deer visit after dinner!

Comments

Post a Comment

Don't Miss A Thing...

* indicates required

Previous Posts

Zombie Meets Indulgent Sufferers - My recent stay in hospital.

-
Image
I arrived at the Emergency Room, wrapped in my toasty blanket. Despite it being 28° outside of my furry throw rug, it was closer to 40°C inside my body, so it felt freezing to me. I slowly moved through the doors like the walking dead emerging from a post-apocalyptic horror scene. The admin nurse took one look at me and bade me sit in the red priority chairs, whilst I waited for my triage nurse to finish her tea. I lowered myself tentatively and, unable to remain upright, lay shivering across all three chairs. The nurse arrived abruptly and suggested emphatically, before she had examined me, that I had Rhinovirus.  I explained to her that, as Rhino = nose and my nasal passages were decidedly clear and my brain decidedly lucid that I begged to differ. She replied, “What do you mean by lucid?”  I pretended that the roll of my eyes was due to the fever and briefly explained lucidity as the opposite of brain fog, then went on to relay my actual symptoms. Above-normal temperature, ...
Read more

Top 5 Photo Tips for Lifestyle Bloggers

-
Image
Great photography is vital to lifestyle bloggers who want to stand out and get results. Impactful images get increased engagement on your posts, as well as attracting new followers. Here are my top five tips for great photos. Location Pick a location that compliments the theme of your blog and at the same time provides you with a variety of scenes within a short distance from each other. That way you can capture various different looks, quickly, building a library of stock images to use for future posts. My aim is 2 hours shooting, 5 different locations and looks with approximately 100 images (Stay tuned for my upcoming post on my favourite locations.) These were all taken in the same block for fashion blogger, Kirsty, With Love .. Lighting Always the key to any good photography is lighting. Whether you manipulate the natural elements or use lighting equipment to achieve your look, it should match your style. For a more fashion look, use flash equipment and for a...
Read more

The Love Story - The Final Word

-
Image
THE FINAL WORD Present: As I prepare for my return trip to London, I flick through upcoming walks on Meetup hoping I might join one during my stay, when I come across a picture of him from a recent event. A woman, his latest girlfriend I suspect, leans into him smiling contentedly. She seems happy. He looks mildly distressed and lost in contemplation. I suspect he needs to tell her something but he is too afraid. He’s done it again. The Parisian Doctor and I didn’t work out. We did go for lunch and it was all very exciting but I don’t think I was quite ready and there was that niggling feeling that I was being catfished. After Paris, we met up a few more times for walks and drinks where he persistently asked me about “the Doctor”.  I wondered whether it was jealousy or zealousness to have me attached so that I might make a trajectory out of his orbit. I think the latter. Sipping Pinot Grigio at Gordon’s wine bar near Charing Cross station one afternoon, he confessed that ...
Read more

The Love Story Part 1 - A Chance Meeting.

-
Image
We met through friends and the attraction was instant. A tingling sensation aroused from its sleeping hibernation. A burgeoning sexual energy combined with a sense of knowing that together we would be compatible in every sense. He would quieten my uneasiness and I would feel safe. I would be the spark to his humdrum, the wisdom to his healing. He was recently separated, and I was a few years down the track after my own split and divorce. A horrific affair that ended up with lawyers and court hearings for over 5 years. It was an abusive marriage that lasted over twenty years and I was happy to be out of it. I had become a person that I no longer liked. Through it, my self-esteem around relationships had taken a battering. I had been on a few dates and quite frankly, was exhausted by the entire process. So you can imagine the exhilaration when this lovely man reciprocated my attention. He was safe too because he was an old classmate of my girlfriend's husband. I didn't have to do...
Read more

Cambodian kids bring tears of joy! - Our visit to a remote school in Thailand

-
Image
Steps With Hope Desperately in need of funds to continue their support of this little school in Thailand, Founder of  Steps With Hope , Jen Spoor, hosted a Mother's Day High Tea. After her presentation, I said to Jen, "if you want to make a bigger impact, you need better photos".   So that was that and I committed to visiting the school on their next trip.   Meet The Kids If you're like us, you will want to meet the kids right away. There are about 70 children currently attending the school with three classes starting at Kindergarten age.  These children come from poor Khmer families, remnants of a recovering population that has endured one of the darkest times times in its history.  Around 3 million people slaughtered and many more terrorized by the Khmer Rouge has left a devastated people still clawing its way back to normality.  Families reside in makeshift huts just over the border in Cambodia. The children walk across...
Read more

Beautiful Teen Girl Portrait- Funny Faces-Too Much Fun!

-
Image
After a few hours of shooting, set changes, outfit and hairstyle changes, we decided to blow off some steam. Just in the casual shirt she came in, Shelly sat for some fun natural shots. We were trying to get the fan going to blow back her hair but it was a mess and we just ended up laughing. The real fun started when Shelly began pulling some amazing expressions. It strikes me how beautiful she remained even when she contorted her face so!
Read more

The Love Story Part 6 - The Sydney Arrival

-
Image
As diffused morning rays filter through my bedroom window, I stretch luxuriously, prise my eyes open and swipe my phone awake. I smile contentedly as I am greeted with a cheery, "Good morning, Nina. Sleep well? He will arrive today. I caress the space beside me. The time zone difference has been excruciating. It will be a relief to have him here waking up by my side. Sleep has evaded me often over the past seven months. I was restless thinking about what he was up to and only truly relaxed when I knew he was asleep. I caught myself glancing at my watch, calculating the time difference, pondering his whereabouts. Right now, he should be on the train into London to meet his daughter for breakfast at Dishoom or, this afternoon he'll be with his brothers bellowing expletives at a Charlton game. It's a tribal thing. The author of my anxiety was the disbelief that this love at first sight fairytale was actually playing out. This fantastical adventure was indeed happening to me. ...
Read more

Rustic Australian Countryside - The small town of Rylstone

-
Image
One of the Dam's looking toward Kandos  On the property, Lindoway looking back toward The Shed  It happened. A rare weekend when I wasn't shooting for a client! So I threw the camera in the car and headed three hours out of Sydney to  the Central Tablelands.  I visited a friend's property, Lindoway, in  Rylstone ,  a small town with a population of 615 people and at least 10 times that in sheep! View toward the town of Kandos There are 65 sheep on Lindoway and this is as close as I could get as they are quite skittish. The leader sheep lets out a massive Baa (he tried to sound scary but Baa still sounds cute to me) then they all take off.  Today is particularly warm 30 degrees celsius but it did cool considerably in the evening.  There don't seem to be any mosquitos but the flies certainly make up for it. The great Aussie salute probably originated here! So many flies... There are alway...
Read more

Pet Photography - Product Photography

-
Image
I am well aware of the old adage, never work with children or pets but I find the challenge they present, half the fun! What's a little Hedgehog poop among friends... Puppies are like children in that they grow up so fast. Their features and expressions alter as they mature. As with children, I recommend that you take as many images as possible to record this evolution. The pet can be a little nervous on set at first so a little coercion helps. After the pet has a little sniff around, I give them a tasty treat. Once I get a few photo's on the card, I give them another treat and a break. They end up quite enjoying the experience. In fact sometimes, they do not want to leave! Combining pets with product photography provides an extra challenge. The brain child of my friend, Alina, we approached this shoot with juxtaposition in mind - Mary K's "Satin Hands" against the grainy skin of the Bearded Dragon and the wiry spines of a Hedgehog against Re...
Read more