Civil War 2012

I look forward to this game more than any other game throughout the year, and with Oregon State having a really great season I thought I'd finally see Oregon State win the Civil War in person. Sadly that didn't happen and the Oregon Ducks won their 5th straight Civil War. Though the game was kind of a bummer it didn't compare to the unpleasant sight of seeing a friend end up with stitches and a mild concussion from a player running into them on the sidelines during the second quarter. They're fine now, and even finished shooting the game, but I have to admit that the whole incident had me a little distracted. Still managed to get a few good shots though. Only one more game this season! GO BEAVS!

Christmas Tree Harvest

When you buy your Christmas tree every year do you ever think about where it came from? I haven't ever put much thought into it so when the opportunity came up to photograph the harvest of Christmas trees on a friends farm I took it. 

In short it's just a very physical job. There isn't a single part of the operation from the selecting, moving, and bailing of every tree, that doesn't involve some kind of manual labor. Add in that harvesting usually takes place in late November when the weather isn't ideal and you have a pretty intense job on your hands. 

You Can't Win Them All

Oregon State lost their first game of the season this weekend as they took on the Washington Huskies in Seattle. It was a bummer but I got over the loss pretty quick(like before I left the field) Probably because I felt like I had some good images to post, and that always make me feel good so I wasn't going to let the loss get me down. Other than that there really isn't much to comment on. A five hour drive up and back, shoot the game in the middle. That was pretty much it. So here are a few photos from the game and for more images from this season feel free to visit my website.

Silver Falls

Yesterday I took a trip up to Silver Falls State Park after class with a friend of mine to try capture a little of the fall color. Not the most successful trip from a photo standpoint but there is nothing wrong with quality time with good people in not so common places.

Six Down, Seven To Go

We are basically half way through the OSU football season and the team is undefeated. Not something I would have predicted at the beginning of the season when I was asked to cover the team both home and away. I have to admit I feel like I'm slacking a bit and need to pick it up because this has been a special season for the Beavers and I need to take photos that are equally special. So this weekend when the Beavers take on the Washington Huskies you can expect the best set of photos this season. 

Mt Hood at 2AM

Last night a friend of mine and I took a quick trip up to Trillium Lake near Mt. Hood for a little night photography. Each frame took about 45 minutes to expose so catching a little sleep in the car while waiting helped to pass the time. We were there for about 3 hours and I came home with 3 frames. It's a time consuming process but I'm looking forward to doing it again in the near future.

The Beavs Get Their Fourth

This past weekend the Oregon State Beavers managed to get their forth strait win improving their record to 4-0 on the season. This season I'm traveling with the team, and with the Beavs getting their forth win it means that this was my forth game photographing them. Trying to come up with new, fresh photos every weekend is beginning to get harder, but with great light in Reser stadium this weekend it was hard to take a bad photo. Couldn't have asked for a better day to shoot football in Corvallis.

Pole Creek Fire Continued

Here are just a few more photos of the Pole Creek fire that I've taken over the past few days. There was an unpredicted storm a few nights ago that was most likely caused in part by the heat from the fire. This caused the lightning in the photo above which was a 4.5 minute exposure of the storm.

Battle For Cascadia

This weekend the Portland Timbers had a chance to win the Cascadia Cup, they just had to win their match against the Seattle Sounders. The game ended in a 1-1 tie which was a little disappointing but the game was great. The game started at 12:30pm which meant lots of sun. I love the bright, midday sunlight because it's rare I get to shoot in it. It seems like I'm always covering events in extremely low light places so I'll take the harsh shadows any day. 

Pole Creek Forest Fire

 

A few days ago the Pole Creek forest fire started up here in Sisters, Oregon. In the past I have shot a few unique photos of fires so when this one roared onto the scene I waisted no time getting out a shooting. Since I'm not affiliated with a newspaper or any other kind of media I'm stuck behind the barriers that local officials have placed. This means creating an image that is different is difficult since I have the same vantage points as everyone else, but a trip up Black Butte or the use of long exposures has served me well in my constant quest for a different looking shot.  

The Giant Killers Add To Their Legacy

This weekend the unranked Beavers pulled off the upset win against the 13th ranked Wisconsin Badgers. The energy in the stadium leading up to kickoff was a little different from games of the past year. For me it felt similar to my first game as a student when OSU upset the USC Trojans at home in 2008 and after the game started it became evident the results would be the same as back in 2008. It was a great game to cover and walking away with images of the celebration after made it that much sweeter. More photos from this weekend's game are posted here on the team's facebook page.

College Football Week One

With the cancellation of the Oregon State vs Nicholls State football game it looked like I would be on the couch for the first weekend of college football. Luckily Arkansas State was playing Oregon down in Eugene and needed a photographer. They were a great group to work with and overall the game was fun to shoot even though Arkansas State lost to the Ducks 57-34. For me the only downside yesterday was the staff at Oregon. The security didn't know anything and somehow my name was missed on the media list so I spent over an hour trying to figure out what I had to do to remedy the problem with zero help from employees at Oregon. I don't dislike Oregon because I go to OSU its more because of the experiences I have had when trying to work with them. Anyway here are a few shots from the game.

Enduro Racing In Sisters

The Oregon Enduro Series held its first event in Sisters yesterday. I have never witnessed this type of mountain bike racing before but have always wanted to check it out so when I was asked a few weeks ago to photograph it for a local bike shop I made sure to save the date. With cyclists hurtling down steep hills the action was everything that I thought it would be and more. 

Everything You've Got

(GoPro Camera) 5mm, f3.6, 1/622, iso100

(Remote Camera) Canon 7D, 8mm, 1/800, f5.6, iso100

If yesterday's post was about using the bare minimum in just one lens and one camera then today's post is about throwing everything you've got at your disposal at an event. This morning I drove up to the top of the McKenzie Pass where the Cascade Cycling Classic held its first stage. Knowing that I would only see them go by one time I wanted to make the most out of their passing by as I could. So I set up a remote camera (Canon 7D) on one of the turns then took my gopro and main camera (Canon 1D MarkIII) to another location overlooking the area. The racers passed by in just a matter of seconds but I was able to walk away with three different looking photos in that time. I would have liked to set the gopro up and been able shoot from a third location with the Mark III but the terrain just didn't allow for it.

One Lens and One Camera

I'm a big cycling fan so every year when cyclists from around the country/world roll into Bend for the Cascade Cycling Classic I try to catch some of the action. Tonight was the prologue which is just a time-trial around a very short course (about 2 miles) to find a leader for the first stage of the multi-day race. Being a bit lazy and not wanting to carry around two cameras or a bag with different lenses I decided to limit myself to one lens and one camera. I figured that it would force me to look for different angles. I think it went well considering I only shoot cycling like one day out of the year. I limited myself to my 300mm f2.8 and Canon 1D Mark III. With the course being made up of long strait-ish roads and nothing more than bushes as the surrounding landscape it made for a fun challenge. Here are a few of my favorites from the night.