Best of 2009 Photo Slideshow

I've recently made a few new online fans of my photography.  I do love it when people let me know that they enjoy my work, and I always encourage them to look through my stream and see all the variety I have to offer.  However, with about 2000 photos available in my public stream, it can be a bit much.

So I've put together a Best of 2009 slideshow for both newcomers and old-timers alike.  It was pretty tough to narrow these down, but I came up with a nice selection showcasing all of the great images I was lucky enough to capture last year.  It sure is fun to walk down a little memory lane, even if I am like two months overdue for putting this sort of thing together.



Thanks for watching and keeping up with me all this time.

Hiking up Eagle Creek

One of the most popular hikes in the Portland area is Eagle Creek, deep in the Columbia River gorge.  This hike is popular for a reason, as it leads to gorgeous cliff-side views and some outstanding waterfalls.





Some may recall photos I've taken of the area over the years, especially of Punchbowl Falls, which we'll see more of here shortly.  On Sunday, I made some great time hiking up, and ended up going further than I had in the past before I decided to turn around.  I had to say, the new area I found (past the "high bridge") is gorgeous and worth the effort.





The day was reasonably warm, and although the air was damp it never really rained.  The hike was surprisingly crowded for a winter's Sunday (especially with the superbowl on) but aside from that it was a great day to be out.  It really is a great trail to conquer.



Previous photos of Punchbowl falls have had an annoying distraction, which luckily has been swept away over the winter.  When I visited this year, the giant log had fallen and washed up on the small rocky beach nearby.  I had to climb over it to get out into the stream and take this shot, but I sure am glad I had to... it looks a lot nicer without that log there.

Some Modest Recent Results

On Sunday I went for a walk with my camera and new tripod, with the intention of catching some industrial shots and then switching to the downtown river shots as the sun set.  Things worked out well enough for me, although the industrial area I chose was a rather boring one and I didn't find a lot to shoot.  You may recall, I did find a bolt.  I was mostly interested in the item on the ground and using it as a background, but sadly it didn't come out.  The shot I did like, however, is still pretty good.



I walked throughout the neighborhood and got some good exercise, which is probably the most important part of these shoots... I am pretty lazy and do need to keep up with occasional exercise.  Turned out the few shots I did take came out interesting enough, so it's all good in the end.



The afternoon had started out partly cloudy, and I had been pretty excited about getting some great cloud shots.  They thickened up as sunset approached, however, and by the time the sun went down they were pretty thick overhead.  As usual, I was pretty happy with the way the camera is able to pick out some more interesting textures in the clouds than my eyes.