I don’t mean to brag, but Oregon is probably the best place to do a location photo shoot. I would say even better than California, unless you’re shooting models in bikinis and board shorts (the beaches are a little chilly here). I originally moved here for personal reasons; mostly looking a change of pace from the East Coast. But after living here for a couple years, I realized how fortunate I was to find a photographer’s dreamland.
Anyway, here are my Top 6 Reasons to do a Photo Shoot in Oregon (I’m sure this list will expand later on).
- No Sales Tax – No tax on meals, on materials, on rentals, on services, on anything really (there is a small tax for lodging). So, if you’re expenses budget is around $20,000, then you will save $1450 if you do your shoot here rather than California (7.25% sales tax). To look at it another way, that’s $1450.00 more you can spend on making your shoot awesome.
- Microclimates – Oregon is only 260 miles wide and 360 miles long, so getting from one part of the state to another is easy enough to do in a day. But with in that 93,600 sq. mi. area are some of the most stunning locations on earth. From beautiful sandy beaches with towering cliffs, lush old forests, high desert wide open spaces, beautiful streams and rivers running through canyons, all the way up to year round glacier topped mountain peaks. There’s an infinite number of locations for any type of photo shoot.
- Portland – The Rose City is in its glory days. The urban planning of the 70s has really paid off today and we have some of the best public transportation, bike paths, and urban forests in the country. It has locations ranging from the modern and chic Pearl District, the classic Old Town area, and mini-hoods like Nob Hill, Alberta, NOPO, and Sellwood. Whatever urban flavor you need, you can find it here. Go to Travel Portland for more info.
- Rent Here and Save – It costs a lot of money to travel with camera gear. It’s big, it’s heavy, and the airport people hate you. In Portland, we have two professional camera rental shops (Pro Photo Supply and Clutch Camera) and two full service Hollywood grade grip and lighting rental companies (Pacific Lighting & Grip and Gearhead Grip). You need 10 wind machines and 20,000 watts of HMI power, you got it!
- Talent – We also have some outstanding talent in this town. For models, you have Ryan Artists, Q6, Mode Models, Sports Unlimited, and more. Producers Mark Fristad, Amber Geiger, Michele Greco, and to name a few. Hair and Makeup by Alyson Bradshaw, Angela Borrelli Reed, and Crystal Shade. Killer stylists like Casey Boyd, Molly Anderson, and Carol Ladd. And props/sets/special effects from FX Boggs, Jerry Buxbaum, and Creative Art Services. This is just to name a few. OMPA is a great resource to find local image making talent in Oregon.
- PDX – Our beloved airport. One of the fastest and top rated airports in the country. They’re so cool, they don’t even mark up food at the cafes, mainly sell local foods, and have free wi-fi. There’s nonstop service to New York, LA, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, Atlanta, Dulles, Tokyo, etc… You can even take the Max Lightrail from the airport to downtown for around $2.
To sum it up, it easy to get here, cheaper to shoot here, a cinch to find talent and gear, and you’ll have a total blast being here with endless possibilities for locations. You really can’t go wrong.
While your at it, you might as well hire a photographer from here, too. Like me 
-lincoln