Five Truths About Oregon

Only in Portland - A coffee cup stuck in a mirco-beer cup in a bicycle water bottle holder on a bike chained to a tree in downtown Portland.

There are five truths about Oregon. I was reminded of them in a recent trip to Portland and the Oregon coast in my RV.

Truth #1: Oregon is the definition of green.

As I drove down the Columbia Gorge going from the high plains of eastern Oregon into the mouth of the Gorge, the green begins to overwhelmingly emerge and swallows you as progress deeper into the green bowels of the state. It is so GREEN it makes you want to puke.

Truth #2: It always rains in Oregon.

Sometimes you cannot tell its raining, but trust me, it's raining. Then there are times when it is clearly raining. Rain, soggy, wet, moist and mud. Rain is ever-present in Oregon.

Truth #3: Oregonians cycle.

Oregonian cyclists are everywhere. On every street corner, on the shoulders of the roads, in the coffee shop, on MAX..........everywhere. And remember Truth #2.

Truth #4: Micro beer is king.

Oregonians make great micro beer. You will be thrown out of a beer-serving establishment if you say "I'll have a Bud." There are as many choices of micro beers in Oregon as there are combinations to order your latte at Starbucks. Oregonians are probably so good at brewing micro beers because of Truth #2.

Truth #5: Wine is queen.

If micro beer does not cover your alcoholic tastes, Oregon wine will. Oregon makes great wines, particularly pinot noirs. Take a trip down the highway 99W corridor through the Willamette Valley tasting wine and you will see what I mean. Again, this probably has something to do with Truth #2.

Cheers,

Dale

Union Pacific

There are some brilliant photographers in this world. I am fortune to say I personally know some of them. I love staring at their prints in person far more than gazing at them on the web (though images posted on the web can be stunning too). There is just something about a finely displayed finished piece of work that I love.

I have always been enamored with the idea of managing the entire photographic process from capture to print to mounting for display. With color images, this has not been possible in the past. I could control as much of the process as I could but was handcuffed to sending a file off to the lab to make a print. Even with black and white film, completing the film processing and printing required an expensive and smelly darkroom.

Digital photography has changed all of this. And I love it! I can control the capture of the image in the camera, control the processing in Photoshop, print the image from my computer to a high quality printer, and complete the process of mounting, matting and framing the image exactly the way I want it done all within the cozy confines of my office. All the while, rocking to U2 or Bon Jovi in the background.

Today marks an event I have dreamt about for quite some time. I have completed the missing link to this whole process; printing. For my 50th birthday, my wife Joy, got me an Epson R2400 printer. It's a refurbished model from 2008 but in fine condition. I ran multiple tests, replaced ink cartridges, cleaned printer nozzles, aligned printer heads, bought a couple varieties of paper and printed my first quality print output. In fact, I printed two different images and am thrilled with the results.

I am now in control from capture to display. The first two images are amazing. The color, sharpness, contrast, and impact to the eye of these two images is just stunning.

The "Union Pacific" image above is one image I printed. The second is "Window" taken in downtown Salt Lake City. I am letting both completely set and dry before I mount, matte and frame them.

With my process now complete, I still have much learning to do in the printing process but can't wait to get started. My plans are to begin completing many of my China and India images to make a full fine art gallery collection.

So, rock on U2! It's Friday, the weekend is here, and I am going learn more about fine art printing. I bet your weekend won't be this exciting?

Cheers,
Dale