Thank you to all my clients for making this year so great. You all are a truly a pleasure to work for and I look forward to many more projects together.

Also, thank you to all the stylists, models, assistants, art directors, photo editors, art buyers, and marketing directors I’ve worked with this year. The success of all these shoots wouldn’t have been possible without your collaboration.

Finally, a special shout out to Justin Tunis and Daniel Cronin for being two excellent go to assistants. Thank you for your hard work, your professionalism on set, and being easy to travel with. I’ll be calling you soon.

Man, do I love shooting food. I love it almost as much as eating it. And I feel really lucky because there’s no shortage of truly great food in Portland. In fact, the most difficult thing about food here is deciding what to eat. That’s why this story by Allison Jones was so great to photograph. It’s only a small sampling of the food choices here, but these 10 dishes were all so good that I would shoot this story over again in a heartbeat.

The tricky part of this shoot was getting everything to go together in layout. Jason Blackheart’s art direction was key in dealing with the various angles, shapes, and sizes of food. His goal was to keep it simple and about the food. We decided early on that we couldn’t shoot this in studio, but wanted to make it look like it was. It was going to be too challenging to set up a traditional table top setup inside all these restaurants, so Jason’s solution was to go light and shoot everything on white foam core. To keep the lighting consistent, we always shot with natural window light coming always from the right. My processing did the rest and the spread looks fantastic. One of my favorites this year.I also really enjoyed meeting the chefs and restauranteurs who I met during this shoot. Every one of them was incredibly generous with their time and with their food. Thank you to all of them.

Now get outside, grab a Portland Monthly, and use it as your guide to some truly awesome summer food.

PS: Not to pick favorites, but that LGBLT with pickled asparagus by Bingo! Sandwiches was the bomb. Get it only at Portland Farmer’s Market on Saturdays.

The May 2011 Portland Monthly is out and there is a great feature story I shot of Andy Ricker’s place in SE Portland. Ricker, the restaurateur responsible for Pok Pok, Ping, Whiskey Soda Lounge, and, Pok Pok Noi; has one of the coolest bachelor pads I’ve ever seen. Designed by Andee Hess of Osmose, the space has a ton of character and truly reflects Ricker’s personality and esthetic.

Check out Amara Holstein’s article on Portland Monthly’s website to hear what I mean. Better yet, get off your butt and go pick up a copy of the magazine right now. Jason Blackheart art directed the shoot and did an amazing job with the layout. Here are the rest of the spreads PLUS the shots by themselves.

First tearsheet of 2011 and it’s goody! I actually shot this house in December of 2010 on a really crappy weather day. It was looked like night when we showed up and was raining really hard. Fortunately, by the time we were set up and ready to shoot, the rain lifted and clouds got brighter. Using long exposures and fill flash from my monolights, I was able to create the bright and sunny look on what was a pretty typical Portland winter day.

I’ll share a little secret with you: I actually prefer shooting interiors on cloudy days. Sunny days are a pain in the butt because the windows get too hot and I usually have to photoshop them in later. All these shots were single exposures.

For you interior design lovers, it was another fabulous project by the talented Jessica Helgerson Interior Design. They’ve just launched a new website and it features a lot of my work I shot for them over the past few years. Check it out!

Here’s the rest of the feature that ran in the February 2011 issue of Portland Monthly.

In July of 2009, I photographed the cover of Portland Monthly for a feature story on rivers and river activities. It was definitely one of my favorite shots from the year and a great tearsheet.

To my surprise, that issue of the magazine just turned up in a hilarious trailer of Portlandia. Look for it right past the 1 minute mark.

About Portlandia

The 6-part IFC Original short-based comedy series PORTLANDIA, created, written by and starring Fred Armisen (SNL) and Carrie Brownstein (vocalist/guitarist, WILD FLAG, Sleater-Kinney), premieres on IFC Friday, January 21, 2011 at 10:30 PM ET/PT. Each episode’s character-based shorts draw viewers into “Portlandia,” the creators’ dreamy and absurd rendering of Portland, Oregon.

Read more about Portlandia here: http://www.ifc.com/portlandia/

The August 2010 issue of Portland Monthly just came out and I am really excited about this tearsheet from it. This custom built modern home, nicknamed Harpoon House, designed by Matt Kirkpatrick and Katherine Bovee has only 704 square feet of livable space. Shooting was really cool experience because it felt much larger than that. It also made the shot list really short. I think the high ceilings and big windows really helped the space feel open. It’s amazing what you can do with good design.

Matt and Katherine did a fantastic job making the most of their 2500 lot, as well. The house is only 16 feet wide and 28 feet tall and that leaves space for a garden plot and a small yard. And the upstairs bedroom has an outdoor space with a green roof. Smart and eco-friendly. I’ve included an outtake that didn’t run in the magazine after the rest of the tearsheets.

I really liked how this feature shoot came out in the January 2010 issue of Portland Monthly. Art directed by Michael Novak, the two of us first drove down to Corvallis, OR to photograph OSU scientist Steve Strauss in his grove of genetically modified trees. The trees in the above shot have been engineered so that can be made into paper easier which creates less waste and uses less chemicals in the processing. The trees, though, have been attacked be eco-terriorists and Strauss has certainly had to face a mountain of criticism from peers and pundits alike. It’s a great story and you can read it here on Portland Monthly’s website.

We then shot a series of everyday things that are genetically modified but you would never know it. Mike suggested the products be shot in a clinical sterile way to emphasize the scientific angle of the story. I like how they contrast to the outdoorsy shot of Strauss.

*note: I did not shoot the cat. Apparently our cat isn’t genetically modified, but she’s still very special.

Mmm… bread. Read more here.

Another noteworthy tidbit about last year, I only had 12 clients the whole year. So, my core clients kept me in business through that rough patch known as The Recession of 2009. I’d like to extend a HUGE thank you to them and look forward to many more shoots in 2010!

Without further ado, here’s one shot from every shoot last year with some commentary.

Portland Monthly March 2009 Best Breakfast Cover Feature

A lot of people asked me how I lit this. Well, the truth is I didn’t. I shot this hand held at arms length, auto-focus on, under stained fluorescent lights during the lunch rush at Fuller’s Diner. It just goes to show that the best light is often the one you know how to look for.

This was lit, however. We actually did this shot on location at the Original Pancake House. It’s amazing how many people eat pancakes for lunch. The place was jammed with the business crowd when we showed up around 1pm on a Tuesday. We had a little 6ft corner to work from and the left side light was actually coming in from outside shooting through a window.

Portland Spaces April / May 2009 SpaceMakers

This was the second time I photographed Stephanie Sheldon-Nevarez. She owns this great vintage store called Noun which I shot for the April 2008 Portland Monthly. Here, I photographed her home for Portland Spaces. Stephanie and her husband, Thomas Nevarez, have some amazing vintage pieces in their home. They also had a pretty cute cat.

Travel Portland – Tryon Creek State Park

Shot this hiking shot for an edition of Travel Portland’s quarterly magazine which is produced by the same folks who publish Portland Monthly. Small world. The couple in this shot are my friends Grace and Michael. They totally rock.

Glamorous Four Square by Jessica Helgerson Interior Design

Jessica Helgerson is an incredibly gifted interior designer. Every project I shoot for her is a true joy and I always get some portfolio worthy shots. This four square remodel is just incredible. To see all the shots, click here.

DLR Group – Happy Valley City Hall

Happy Valley, OR is really becoming a boom town. DLR Group was tasked with building a new city hall that would grow with the town.

Portland Spaces – Isaac Drake and Seth Truby

I don’t typically shoot outdoors in full sun. But the story for this shot was about the fence and these two neighbors. In order to get create a natural and sunny look, I bounced a strobe into a huge reflector to create a soft fill. It’s shoots like these that I wish I shot more behind the scenes stuff. Maybe that’s one of my 2010 resolutions.

Portland Spaces – Summer 2009 Furniture Designer Feature

Ken Tomita (above) made this bookshelf (below). Cool shoot to do a portrait and the product in the same day.

Portland Spaces Summer 2009 Cover Feature – Interiors & Designers

This was one of my favorite shoots of the year. Portland Spaces profiled three different interior designers. Here I shot the home of Nike designers Michael Shea and Kelly Tweeden.

This private residence was designed by Joelle Nelson and Allie McGory of Maison, Inc.

Andee Hess of Osmose designed this space for the 937 Condominiums in the Pearl District as well as one private residences there.

There are lots of shots from this 3 day shoot. To see them as they appeared in the magazine, click here.

Lane Powell – Portland Armory

I waited for well over an hour to get all the little bits of people walking by. All toll, this is a composite of 5 different shots.

Northwest Golf – Gear

This shot was inspired by Jill Greenberg’s lighting style, except I added my own punchy crisp flavor to it.

Portland Monthly May 2009 – Prêt-à-Portland

We shot this colorful clothing feature on black to make the it really pop. Has that neon quality almost.

Surround Architecture – Rebound Joint Center at the Rose Garden

I have a funny feeling the Blazers are here these days a lot more than they want to be.

Surround Architecture – Keen Corporate Headquarters

Keen shoes are my absolute favorite for work. I can wear them all day and my feet never get tired. So, I was stoked to go to their headquarters to shoot their new design room. Someday, my new shoes may have been concepts on these desks.

Jason Blackheart – Portrait

Helluva an art director and very good friend. He now is the main man in charge at Portland Monthly. We’ve done a lot great work over the years and I owe a lot of portfolio shots to his skills and guidance during shoots.

Mahlum Architects – Sue Buel Elementary

This is an amazing school designed by Mahlum. These common areas serve as impromptu classrooms that can quickly be reconfigured to suit whatever the teachers need for the day.

Inside Design International – Private Residence

This soothing master bathroom was designed by Kim Hagstette. I really love the color palette used in the space.

Imbibe Magazine – Summer Beer Feature

I had fun with this one. I wanted to to what happened when you shot beer bottles with a ring flash. The distinctive wrap around look of the light is just so cool. It really made everything so edgy. Plus you get that cool shadow line. Click here to see the rest of the shots.

Portland Monthly July 2009 – Rivers Cover Feature

This is Sam Drevo of eNRG Kayak. The nicest guy you ever met and an amazing athlete. We shot him on the banks of the Sandy river at Oxbow park for Portland Monthly’s feature on Oregon rivers. This shot ran on the cover.

Northwest Meetings & Events – Crisis Managers Story

Portrait of Cathy Mason, an event coordinator with expert knowledge in managing an event during a crisis. She knows how to handle anything that comes her way.

NBAA – Fagan Profile

Oddly, this shoot was the first time I left Oregon for a shoot all year. A very cool gig, I flew out to Minnesota to document a member company of the National Business Aviation Association. We shot portraits, employees at work, pilots on planes, even an ethanol plant. Too much to feature here, but I really liked this shot.

Bergren Rameson’s Paper Project

A good stylist can really make your job easier. An amazing stylist gets you phenomenal images. Check out all these shots.

Portland Monthly August 2009 – Eat + Drink Opener

The Original is a “dineraunt”. They have hot dog flights and pie. So tasty!

Parliament Design – Interiors

These guys are so cool and their space is absolutely amazing. They’re also one totally kickass design firm. I had a blast photographing their workspace. More coolness here.

Portland Monthly August 2009 – Cornershop

Designer Modi Soondarotok owns IDOM, a fashion boutique specializing in “sustainable designer apparel, accessories and objects for today’s fashion forward woman.” Cool clothes and green sensibility = Win Win!

Atwater Place – Exteriors

I would not been able to get this shot digitally a year ago. Canon came out with a 17mm tilt shift lens this year and it’s the only lens wide enough with enough movement to shoot a building this big so close. It’s one of the sharpest lenses they make, too

Atwater Place – Lifestyle

This is an excellent example of how being multidisciplinary can get you gigs. Not only did I shoot all the architectural shots for the Atwater, I shot all the lifestyle shots, too.

Gourmet Magazine October 2009 -  Pok Pok’s Khao Soi Kai

This little shot had a lot of mileage. Shortly after the issue came out, Gourmet announced it was ceasing publication. Saddened by the news, I made a blog post about it and tweeted about it. Within a few hours, I was contacted by the local NPR station, OPB, for an interview about being in the last issue of Gourmet. Pretty cool! Though, it actually wasn’t the last issue. November was. Mea Culpa.

Mahlum Architects – Pacific University’s Gibson Hall

I try to make these motion shots look easy and spontaneous. The reality is that it takes dozens of tries to get the right amount blur. Timing, shutter speed, angle of subject, and their velocity all have to work together at the right time to get something decent. What’s decent? You know it when you see it.

Mahlum Architects – Thurston Elementary School – Springfield, OR

I sort of remember elementary school. I remember dark hallways, funky smells, and dirt playgrounds. Things have definitely changed for the better thanks to architecture firms like Mahlum. They won some awards from this shoot.

DLR Group – Ashland Elementary School System Renovations and Additions

Again, I’m so impressed by how much better school designs are. DLR Group had three awesome projects for me to shoot down in Ashland, OR. The three day shoot took a lot planning and coordinating. We were chasing the sun from to school to school to get the best light. I don’t think we were ever at one location for the whole day.

Portland Monthly November 2009 – Cornershop

Pamela Baker-Miller is the co-founder of Frances May, a very cool and hip fashion boutique in downtown Portland. This shot was all available light. Kind of tricky to to do, but a good tripod and patient subject gets you results that you just can’t light artificially.

DLR Group – Happy Valley City Hall Round 2

The mountain lodge feeling of the structure fits nicely in the valley setting with Mt. Hood in the background.

Jessica Helgerson Interior Design – Overton House

I love to cook and kitchens are always my favorite rooms to photograph. Another incredibly stunning remodel by Jessica Helgerson and I’m not the only one saying it. This shoot was just recently featured on über-popular design blog Design*Sponge.

DLR Group – Mountain View High School Addition

I love this shot. We had was massive cloud cover all day long. I knew I wasn’t going to get much of an exterior shot during the day, so I decided to wait for a dusk shot. I’m so glad I did. The sky broke right at sunset and some of the most beautiful cloud patterns and colors rolled in like magic. It was right place, right time perfection.

Portland Monthly January 2010 – Branch Science Feature

The bulk of my shoots this year have been architectural, so it was nice change of pace to do this environmental portrait of scientist Steve Strauss. Steve’s research into genetically modified trees that make better paper pulp could reduce deforestation. However, GMOs are a touchy subject. The trees in this grove have been attacked multiple times by eco-terrorists. Pick up a copy of Portland Monthly to read more. I also shot some genetically modified products for the story…

Did you know the US makes 26 million notes of currency a day? The genetically modified ingredient: cotton. Each greenback is 75% cotton and 79% of US -grown cotton is
genetically modified. The GM cotton costs less to grow and uses less pesticides.

NBAA – Atlanta Aviation

Another shoot for NBAA and getting some really good stuff from these gigs. This trip we shot at Coca-Cola’s and Home Depot’s private hangers. We also went to the DeKalb Peachtree Airport for some general shots. I took over 1600 shots over the three day trip.

Oregon Food Bank – “Setting the Table” Pro Bono Project

I’m really excited to announce this project. What initially began as a friendly get together of colleagues, has morphed into a photographic collective know as PhotoForce. With four other photographers (Brian Lee, Daniel Root, Steven Scardina, and Stuart Mullenberg), we set a mission to be a creative force for hire and a creative force for good.

This year, the five of us shot a collection of images for the Oregon Food Bank. The theme of the shoot is “Farm to Table” and each of us tackled various elements of the OFB operations in our own unique styles. For my part, I shot volunteers processing bulk foods into smaller portions at the OFB headquarters.

On January 21, 2010, we’re having a large format exhibition of 5 images from each of us. Twenty-five images in all and printed by Pro Photo Supply. The show will be hosted at Venue Pearl and I would be honored to see you there. Click here for more information.

DLR Group – Oregon State University’s Women’s Basketball Locker Room

Last shot from the last shoot of the year. The Oregon State University’s Ladies Basketball locker room is fricking awesome. Despite being in the basement, the space felt open and bright. I can imagine it’s a great place to be before a game or even kicking back after practice. In case you’re not familiar with Oregon State, their mascot is the Beaver. Go Beavs!

So there it is: one solid year of work. Looking forward to keeping up the momentum in 2010.

Contact me if you want to get something going.

For the cover and feature opener of this month’s Portland Monthly, I traveled to Oxbow Park in Greasham, OR. The model in the shot is famed sport kayaker (and heck of a nice guy) Sam Drevo of eNRG Kayak. I’ve met Sam a couple years ago at the Portland RedBull Illume opening. When I got the call from Portland Monthly to do a shoot on a river, he was the first person I thought of. In a strange twist of fate, Sam is actively involved in the preservation of the Sandy River and has film a documentary of kayak trip down the whole river. Can’t wait to see it!

I shot this available light with my assistant to the left holding a soft gold reflector for fill. Post processing was done in Lightroom and that aged color look on the cover is my own special recipe based on some shots from my photoblog. Nice to throw a little personal edge into a staged shot.

What made the job really fun was eating little bits of it all along the way. And I can tell you, the Reggie Deluxe is everything you’d think it would be.

Here are the tearsheets from the magazine. Now go out and buy it! Better yet, subscribe to this great magazine and support an organization that’s really doing something unique in the world of city publications.