Fresh Water, Forests + Mountains
Mother's Milk
In 2014 I took my first photography trip to the Pacific Northwest. I had seen a lot of amazing images from the area and was excited to photograph some of the epic locations myself and to just explore and see what new landscapes I would be able to find.
As I traveled down the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon, it seemed like every 15 feet was something else amazing. Shooting landscape photography in Oregon is pretty much like cheating on the SAT. That state just gives you all the good stuff without having to work for it. By contrast, a lot of the best shots I got in Washington on the other side of the river I had to work for. It was the difference between a 10 minute hike and a 10 mile hike. If you are a lazy photographer and don't want to work hard, but still take incredible landscape photographs, go to Oregon. You can get a ton of really cool photos just by rolling down your window.
This, however, is not one of those shots. I did have to work for this. I had to swim upstream through a small canyon to get to this location. It's all good though, because, I don't mind working for the shot. In fact, sometimes that makes it even more special. My favorite images are the ones I had the pleasure of photographing alone. Places where most people never go or see. This was one of those spots!
I'm proud to say this was an award-winning image from the 2015 Epson Panoramic Awards!
