This was my sisters first time in Oregon. This was my first time on this trail. A new experience for both! However the scenery I was quite familiar with, nonetheless more stunned.

Nature is such a joy to photograph for me. When I look through the viewfinder I arrange the image perfectly from corner to corner, left to right, top to bottom to what feels right. And if it did not feel right, I will shoot until it does, and when it does that click is one of the most satisfying feelings of my life. Nature is already beautiful, it does not even have to try. So for me to try and capture it in a way that can fixate on the specifics that make it beautiful in my eyes, is a genuinely fulfilling challenge and intimate experience with nature and my creative path.

I try to photograph just a tiny portion of where I am and what I see to kind of capture the vibe of my surroundings. To carefully discover a scene that could easily have fairies and imaginary beings perfectly placed into that tiny world I have created with my camera.

Living in the PNW makes this mindset quite realistic.

Sometimes it sucks to carry three cameras around, on top of all other things you would bring on a hike. The load gets heavy that is for sure. But I just cannot find it in me not to take all three. Digital, film, and the fuji instant. The fuji instant, although a tad sizable, is the most lightweight of the three. I have had mine for about 5 years and I have taken hundreds of photos with that thing (not a cheap hobby). To give those little snapshots away to people I photograph with that camera is a beautiful thing. To see how excited they are to even be in the photo, let alone be gifted it, is priceless.

We walked along the water and came to a tree that had fallen down perpendicular about 30ft in and 5ft above the stream. Of course I had to crawl to the end, with all of my cameras on my back. This trail was so incredibly saturated, lush, and had a perfect crisp breeze from the stream.

To be in this rainforest wonderland one minute, hop back in the car for another 10 minutes to Timberline Lodge and stand in snow, is something I don’t think I could ever get sick of. And if I do? I guess I will have to head an hour west to the ocean…

I am about to embark on a journey to Australia, etc. I am definitely a mountain, woodsy, cold/rainy weather girl at heart, but I am excited to put myself out of my comfort zone and open myself up to new things. It is exactly what I need right now and I am ready to be taking control of my life.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me the past couple of months and who continue to do so

love,
laura.