Portland Rain

Portland is best known for its abundance of rain, trees and strip clubs. This is a great photo of our better side of notoriety. Thank you Kim S. for another great Portland photo.

Powell Butte - Mt. Hood

Robert G. submitted this photo of Powell Butte Park with a snow covered Mt. Hood in the back ground. If you have been admiring Robert’s work, stop by the Glisan Café in April and see his photo’s on display. There is rumor that his opening night event will have a slide show and commentary.

Fall into the Portland

Adam T. submits another photo of the leaf that came in at a very close second last week. This angle shows the Portland sky-scrapers in its reflection. Thus, I had to post it larger than normal. Very cool Adam, thank you!

New Gresham Wetland?...

I am not sure if I should be amused or depressed by this photo. Anthony B. captured this photo of two beautiful birds on a tree outside of a new office building in Gresham. I suppose we should simply be happy there was a need for a new office building in Gresham. Nice photo Anthony.

Old-School Motel signs

Here is another good photo from Jenny B. This photo looks like it could be on the cover of a CD or Video. There is a very old-school "no-tell motel" theme going on. The colors are captured well with the blue sky and clouds filling the background. Thank you Jenny.

Mt. Rainier

This photo isn’t in the Portland area so it’s not eligible to win this particular contest. I did however admire it so much that I felt the need to post it. This is a great shot taken by Athul A. of Mt. Rainier as viewed from the Pinnacle Trail within Rainier National Park. Great photo Athul!

Oneonta Gorge

This picture was taken by Jay F. at one of my favorite Gorge hikes (within an hour of Portland). Many have made the trek to Oneonta falls, but part of the journey is admiring the gorge that it has carved as it continues its journey to the Columbia River. Great photo Jay!

Sunflower power to the hive...

Here is a very cool picture from Abhi S. The sunflower is impressive enough, but I had to post this photo larger than usual to show the bee in mid flight. I always get a bit geeked out by these kind of photo’s.

Swift Gathering

I have heard about this swift spectacle at Wallace Park for years now. Yet, I have never made my way up there to watch this for myself. Luckily, Evan L. captured it in this picture to show me that it truly does happen. Apparently, the best time to view this is at sunset in mid September for the greatest number of birds (approx. 4000). By now there are barely over 1000 circling, and then flying into the chimney over a matter of minutes.Cool photo Evan, thank you!

Sunflowers

I am secure in my manhood enough to say that I have always appreciated sunflowers. They are big, beautiful and rugged. Their stem is so big, rough and ugly, yet their flower makes it all okay. Kathy M. captures the beauty of this plant with this photo.

St. Johns Farmers Market

Here is a great photo from Janna K. of the St. Johns Farmers Market. You know you’re getting old when you look at this photo and think to yourself; “those beets and carrots look good”. My teenage self would be so disappointed in me right now!

A Touch of Purple

Jenny B. also submitted this photo from the Rose Test Gardens. Roses aren’t the only beauty to behold within the park…

Good by Summer...

This is when it pains me to see the Summer roll away and Fall moving in. No more kids gallivanting in the park making fun from nothing more than an open space and sunshine. This great photo was captured by Jenny B. at the Rose Test Gardens.

Where...What... How Have I Missed This?

John W. once again impresses me with his ability to capture Portland’s beautiful architecture on film. I recognize the buildings seen through the glass and in its reflections, but I can’t identify this dome. Does anyone know where this dome is located?

Week 8 Winner

This week Kim S. takes the prize with this fantastic photo of the "Old School" Lotus sign. It is truly Portland in design and style complete with the light clouds breaking up the blue sky in the background. Truly a great Portland area photo. Well done Kim!

Take a Seat...

One of the things my slightly neurotic self appreciates about this city is its symmetry and balance. This picture from Jenny B. captures this in some of our newer park benches which we tend to take for granted, but are always there for us when we need to take a “load off”.

Balloon Rainbow

Jenny B. also sent us this colorful photo of one of the most popular daytime attention getters, the rainbow balloons. It’s funny; we never get to old too be mesmerized by balloons or to appreciate a nice rainbow (real or man-made).

Oscar Grabbing Some Lunch

Okay, so this is the week for amusing photo’s… This picture from Jenny B is HILARIOUS! No description is really necessary. Right place/ right time. Well done Jenny!

Signs of Fall...

Here is another amazing photo from Adam T. showing the beauty of fall. He felt that we might not believe it was taken in Portland, so he included the whole photo complete with parts of our downtown metal beavers. He also raised the issue of color enhancement. From what I hear Adam, in this current age of digital photography, all the best photographers us Photoshop from time to time. There is no shame in that my friend so long as the lines are true! Great photo!

Poorly designed signs...

This picture from Robert G. amuses me. I think he says it best when he states "I always wonder what out-of-towners think when they see this sign. Is it some odd editorial comment by the department of transportation? Are they trying to discourage people from using the off-ramp?".

Portland Sternwheeler

Truly Portland…the Old Sternwheeler as captured by Anthony B. Nothing seems to amuse Portland travelers or our local homegrowns more than a lazy afternoon floating up and down the rivers on the Portland Sternwheeler. We don’t have the same sorted past or classic novels written about our little paddle boat, but we still enjoy it. Great photo Anthony.

NW Sunset

Here is picture submitted by Stanley P. of one of our famous NW sunsets. He describes it best when he wrote “An ominous northwest view from my terrace in the Pearl. The man made red glow of the Montgomery Park sign can be seen in the lower middle in counter balance to nature’s red sky.” Great photo Stanley, thank you!

Green Tomatoes

Kathy M. once again shows her mad skills in capturing vegetation with this photo of green tomatoes. Such a simple and common image captured perfectly with lighting and a slight mist. This makes even green tomatoes look appealing.

Traveling Green

This photo makes my Monday. Every time I look at it, I laugh out loud. This photo taken by John W. shows a bit more of the diversity and enthusiasm Portlandians can expect to see every day. Who says the lack of sunshine dampens our spirits. Great photo John.

The Lotus

Here is a cool photo submitted by Kim S. of an old mural from what he referred to as “The Glory Days”. It is rare that we still see advertising like this, and this is certainly a classic captured well on film. Nice work Kim, thank you.

Week 7 Winner

It brings me great joy when a regular weekly contestant finally has his day in the lime-light. Our voting system utilizes anonymity and a point system to insure we can’t sway the results. Thus, when it works out that a great person wins with an equally great photo, it really makes our week. Especially when it was a week of such great compitition. Congratulations Robert G., you deserve this win. Keep the photo’s coming.

The Beach Trip...

Here are a couple of great photo’s from Tom O. He states: “I took a road trip last week down I-5 and then over to the coast. The first picture is taken of Sunset Bay - the entrance of Sunset Bay State campground in Charleston, Or, at sunset. The second picture is taken of Willamette Falls in Oregon City, just before returning home on the same trip.” Of course only the photo of Oregon City is eligible for the Portland photo contest, but I really liked both and felt I needed to share them. Thank you Tom!

Isn’t Enterprise pretty?!

Here is a view of the Freemont Bridge few of us ever see. Anthony B. captured this photo from the Union Pacific Albina Railyard. They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder… What I see here is good Portland enterprise where the rails meet the seas in one of the few Ports in the US used for shipping and distributing of goods to nations all over the world... and our beautiful city in the background. I think it’s gorgeous! Thank you Anthony.

OMSI's view of Portland

Another great photo submitted from Robert G. In this photo he captured the Marquam Bridge captured in the reflection of OMSI’s glass. If you like these photos, you should see his photo’s waiting to be admired that aren’t of Portland area! Nice work Robert!

Spring...Already?

Here is a nice photo complete with amusing comments from Alodie L.: “I was taking a walk this Sunday and saw all these crocus flowers popping up everywhere. Am I confused or are they? I always liked crocus because they show Spring is coming. What are they doing coming up in September? They still put a smile on my face.” Thank you Alodie!

Opening Night Gala...

Many of you may have already seen or heard that Will M., Christina S., Carol T. and Sonja J. are all part of a photo exhibit in the World Cup Coffee Glisan Café most of this month. You may recognize a couple of these names from our photo contest. This Friday (9-17), we will play host to their Opening Night Gala. It won’t be much more than an opportunity to hang out and drink beer, wine and coffee, but it is a great way to show these local amateur photographers our support in their artistic endeavors. Thus, I invite you to join us from 6:00 to 8:00 this Friday night.

Alpenrose Dairy

It doesn’t get much more Portland than Alpenrose Dairy. One local family owned business that always has and continues to give so much to our community. Carol T took this photo of the sun setting over the Alpenrose Quarter Midget Race Track on one of the last days of the Softball Little League World Series. Thank you Carol.

Passionflower Knows No Boundaries

Here is another great photo from Kathy M who describes it best when she writes “A passionflower adorns an elegant trellis or a chain link fence with the same grace. This was on a chain link fence in a vacant lot in NE Portland”. Beautiful shot Kathy.

Incidentally, for all those who have been as impressed with Kathy M’s photo’s as I have, we have given her our walls in the World Cup Glisan Café for her own personal show starting June 10th and going through July 9th. Mark your calendars!

Finishing the Bottle...

Liam captures this photo at a downtown Portland restaurant as he nears “the end of a nice bottle of Malbec” as he celebrates his “Sweet Caroline’s 23rd birthday”. Very nice photo Liam… I could see this being used in a winery brochure one day.

I'm getting dizzy...

We start off week 7 with another great picture from John W. of our beautiful Portland architecture. I don’t know which captures my attention more, the vibrant colors or the illusions caused by the lines. Either way…very cool. Thanks John!

Week 6 Winner

Once again, Kathy M wins our hearts with this fantastic photo of "Madonna's Garden". You may also remember her winning photo from week 4 of the creepy Barbie scarecrow. Kathy, you have a knack for finding memorable gardens. Thank you for bringing them to us through your photo's.

Beer Bottle...

Here is our last photo submission of week 6 sent in by last weeks winner Adam T. This is interesting...I can't quite figure out what is going on. It appears that an old beer bottle is shedding it's skin. Gross and intriguing to the eyes at the same time. Nice photo Adam.

Portland captured in a single frame...

Here is a great photo from Robert G that screams Portland. You have the water, old-school Portland street lamp and grey cloudy skies… feels like home!

Portland Skyline

Here is a great photo of the Portland Skyline taken by Sean D from OMSI. For a “self taught amateur photographer” you certainly have lighting, angle, foreground perspective and timed exposure figured out. Great photo Sean, thank you.

Where am I...?

I don’t care where you are from... One look at this photo and you know it’s in Portland. This great photo from John W. Of one of my favorite buildings in Portland was captured from the right angle at the right time of day. There have been several photos of that sign taken over the years, but this instantly became one of my favorites. It combines old architecture with new design and “Portland” right in the middle. Great picture John, thank you.

The Simple Joys of Childhood

Here is a neat photo from Susan S. of a child enjoying “the last bubbles of summer”. Taken with water in the background and the reflection of sun and clouds in the bubbles, this is very Portland.

Free Concert in the Park

Here is a cool photo taken by James M. with his iPhone last week during the Oregon Symphony’s free concert at Tom McCall Waterfront Park. Notice the crowd at the base of the picture... We Portlandians love our culture! Thank you James.

Schnitzer Steelyard

Well, our slogan is “The City That Works” and it doesn’t get more Portland enterprise then the Schnitzer Family. With that in mind, this photo of the old cranes in the Schnitzer Steelyard on a cloudy day taken by Anthony B. screams Portland. Thank you Anthony.

Madonna of the Truck Full of Flowers

This is WAY cool and SO Portland. Flowers, Madonna, clouds and an old truck all coming together on Sauvie Island for this great photo taken by Kathy M. Thanks for sharing it with us Kathy!

Jiggle Foot Machines

Soooo, this photo from Shelly S. isn’t exactly Portland as it is a common sight at our Oregon State Fair. I still felt I had to post it however because it amuses me... kind of like the “magic finger” beds. Do those still exist?

Back to School

Week six is officially underway as are our Portland Public Schools. That is why it is so fitting that I begin the week with this photo from an anonymous photographer at Impact Northwest (a local charity that services local families in need) of kids returning to school. I don’t recall ever being that excited about our first day of classes...other then the chance to show off my new wardrobe...I miss parachute pants! Nice picture, thank you.

Week 5 Winner

This felt like a short week, but we sure received some amazing photos. This week’s winner is Adam T with this sweet photo of a guy “hoppin the rails” of max as he explores around the city. All the judges put this in their top 3. I really liked the way the checkerboard walkway made the subject look so small only amplified by his green sweatshirt that stood out amongst the other colors. Great photo Adam, thank you!

Reflections...

Here is another great photo submitted by Robert G of the Convention Center's reflection in what I believe is the NW Natural Building on the west side of the river. Robert also sent me a link to his personal web-page listed in the side bar near the bottom of this front page with other contestant links. Thank you Robert!