My intention that day was to do a short hike to the "Birth Cave" in Sedona, but I ended up photographing this eerie pano of the view from the cave when the weather took a turn for the unexpected. I would've never thought that I would witness snow falling on the Sedona desert, let alone capture this image.

Desert Snow Silence

A tree shaped by the wind throughout the years, near one of the many viewpoints of the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon. The grand vista of the area couldn't distract me from the beauty of this tree.

Caressed By The Wind

Portland, Oregon's most photogenic bridge during rush hour on a cold yet colorful sunset. The calm of the pink/purple sky tones and the symmetry of the bridge contrast with the chaos of traffic during rush hour.

Destination: Cathedral Park

I've been to this tulip farm with the family many times before, but this was my first time being there during sunrise. Seeing the farm during dawn was something else. Not included in the image are colorful hot air balloons taking off just to the left of the frame, a bit too far from the flowers, but they weren't necessary to showcase the beauty of Mt. Hood, the windmill, and of course the tulips.

A New Day By The Tulips

These trees rest with the peaceful and endless sound of the waves and the Neskowin Ghost Forest.

Ghosts II

Otherwordly rolling hills at the Palouse region, that turn into a dream when bathed by the golden light.

Golden Labyrinth

This is a small portion of the breathtaking beauty of the Oregon coast. The Natural Bridges are one of mother nature's best works. Atop one of the many sea stacks in the area, I noticed these lonely trees, which in contrast with the foggy yet warm evening formed a nice minimalistic subject.

Tree Family

Godrays on a distant sunset decorate this Oregon coast scene, where the gray of the thick clouds fights with the golden of the sunset.

Distant Rays

Clouds rushed in a failed attempt to cover Mt. Hood during sunset. It seemed like Mt. Hood had the power to dissolve them as they passed by, still providing a beautiful scene.

I captured the sunrise the next morning from the same spot, 

Trillium Sunset

A long thin cloud and haze decorate this Portland, Oregon sunrise, just minutes before the city wakes up and the sky fades into blue.

First Light Line

No crazy photo editing was done here. I took this pano by taking several long exposure photos from right to left as the sun was setting and then stitching them together. As a result, I got this gradient from the orange of the sunset to the blue after sunset. Golden and blue hours are captured in one image.

A Ghost Forest Sunset

Sunset, late evening city lights, and Capitol Butte as the main subject are captured on this pano. Different times are combined together to create this image. 

West Sedona

A couple of girls walking on the bridge help give a sense of scale, as well as the airplane flying by the almost dead center.

Conveyance

That lack of wind and an average gloomy day in Portland yielded this minimalistic square film captured image of Mt. Tabor Reservoir Number 5.

Reservoir Number 5

It was such a pleasure to capture this image during a short camping trip to Mt. Hood in the PNW. This was one of my first sunrises captured with my pano film camera, which is a lot of work yet fun and rewarding to use.

I also captured the sunset that day using different film stock. 

Trillium Sunrise

Titled after the Neskowin Ghost Forest on the Oregon coast, this is part of a triptych series. See 

Ghosts

Time and the violence of earthquakes and erosion created this Oregon coast ghost forest. Here depiceted is a brief moment of golden hour and low tides.

Ghost Forest

The lack of wind turns the Columbia River into a mirror that reflects the dawning and everything around it, soon to turn into a busy town by the water.

Dawning Mirror

Right before the dormant city wakes up, the sun begins to rise by the omnipresent Mt. Hood. Haze, buildings, evergreen trees, and silence are captured minutes before a new busy day begins.

Good Morning Portland

A tulip farm during sunrise is a sight to behold, with infinite angles from which to capture an image. I chose this one to include the omnipresent Mt. Hood in the background.

Oregon Tulips

Despite the grand vista of a sunrise with Mt. Hood in the background, these evergreens poking through the cloud inversion caught my eye. Notice the way the light creates shapes and leads the eye towards the trees.

Through the Clouds

The sun sets on the Oregon coast, by a Ghost Forest. The light accentuates the waving shapes and reflections left by the low tide.

RPP

Richard Pastenes Photography

Richard Pastenes Photography