Northwest Imagery

My Picnik Gallery

2011-04-18T18:45:00.001-07:00

hereMedia Platformfile transfer

Morrow County Court House

2010-04-26T23:07:00.000-07:00

Steps

2010-04-26T23:02:00.000-07:00

Along the Rock River in Central Oregon.

Been Gone Too Long

2010-04-26T16:59:00.000-07:00

View On Black

I was smitten with the beauty I found at Pioneer Park in Walla Walla.

Old Work New Use

2009-10-13T10:45:00.000-07:00

An old photograph taken in 2003 was slected to be used in this October 2009 brochure.

The Spider Chronicles

2009-10-08T10:05:00.000-07:00

Iconic

2009-10-03T11:37:00.000-07:00

Echos In The Alley

2009-08-25T12:47:00.000-07:00

Portland, OR

A Lock On My Heart

2009-08-13T15:41:00.000-07:00

Meter Reader's Nightmare

2009-08-13T14:31:00.000-07:00

Standing Alone

2009-07-25T11:38:00.000-07:00

Yellowstone Rams

2009-07-24T15:50:00.000-07:00

Packaged Wildflowers

2009-07-24T15:37:00.000-07:00

Postcard From Yellowstone

2009-07-24T15:26:00.000-07:00

Putting On The Squeeze

2009-07-24T15:19:00.000-07:00

Lonely Road

2009-07-24T15:12:00.000-07:00

Glass Dancers

2009-07-24T15:02:00.000-07:00

Coop Window

2009-07-24T14:57:00.000-07:00

Cattail

2009-07-24T14:52:00.000-07:00

Silver Falls

2009-07-24T14:50:00.000-07:00

Walnut Trees

2009-07-24T14:42:00.000-07:00

Leaving Home

2009-07-24T14:24:00.000-07:00

Moon Shadows

2009-07-24T14:18:00.000-07:00

Corner Flowers

2009-07-24T14:09:00.000-07:00

Twisted Exposure

2009-07-24T11:57:00.000-07:00

Split Rock

2009-07-24T11:02:00.000-07:00

Sky Rider

2009-07-24T10:36:00.000-07:00

The Rifleman

2009-07-24T10:21:00.000-07:00

Akita Orphan

2009-07-24T10:14:00.000-07:00

The girl with red hair

2009-07-24T10:11:00.000-07:00

Layers

2009-07-24T10:07:00.000-07:00

Creative imagery combines real photographs with the concepts and ideas of the maker. This is my special area of interest.

Wooden Shoes Tulip Garden 2009

2009-04-20T20:52:00.000-07:00

peachy rose

2009-04-03T12:56:00.001-07:00

peachy rose
Originally uploaded by Rocket-Sputter

Created using Picasa 3. Original rose photograph taken at Portland's International Rose Garden 2008.

Monochrome Lighthouse

2009-04-01T16:41:00.000-07:00

Montana Elevator

2009-04-01T16:08:00.000-07:00

Creative processing using Picasa 3.

Refuge Tree

2009-02-27T13:38:00.000-08:00

Tualatin River Valley National Wildlife Refuge

Cattails on the trail

2009-02-23T13:47:00.000-08:00

A composite image from two photographs taken in Kings Valley, Oregon.

Kat-Man-Do

2009-02-20T12:26:00.000-08:00

Florence, OR

Just a selfish plug

2009-02-16T15:29:00.000-08:00

Once in a while I stumble upon something like this that I can't pass up without photographing it. This was on the main street in Old Town Florence Oregon on Valentine's Day 2009.

Morning At The Refuge

2009-01-20T10:37:00.000-08:00

January 20, 2009

Sunrise at the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge

Winter Reflection

2009-01-15T11:02:00.000-08:00

Photographed January 10th, 2009 at

Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge

spray

2008-12-31T14:24:00.000-08:00

Bringing back a bit of summer on a winter day.

Snow Day In Sherwood

2008-12-15T17:52:00.001-08:00

Snow Accents

2008-12-14T15:22:00.001-08:00

Snow in Portland, Oregon happens, but not all that often. Coming from the U.P. of Michigan and living in Minnesota for over 30 years tends to harden one to this sort of thing.
When the colors are obscured by the contrast of white snow against anything less, I prefer monochromatic imagery.

Drive By Shooting

2008-11-12T13:49:00.001-08:00

Returning from Minnesota cruising down I-84 at 70 mph I was able to capture this image through the passenger side window.

Reflections of Eastern Washington

2008-08-10T20:31:00.000-07:00

The Port of Garfield along the Snake River

Field Art

2008-08-02T17:41:00.000-07:00

Spring in Eastern Washington State

Contract Work

2008-04-21T13:51:00.000-07:00

Most of my photographic work relates to both artistic creation, graphic arts and realism. Occasionally I'm asked by a friend or professional associate to do some contract work.
These photos are a case in point after my doctor Maggie Yu opened her new office. She needed some patient exam photos for her new ads and marketing literature. I photographed both staff and patients. As we reviewed the patient photos we decided that photos of these young girls conveyed the image she wanted.

Our Little Gallery

2008-03-21T14:28:00.000-07:00

The multifaceted five artists here in the Sherwood neighborhood, have opened up a small, simple but interesting gallery in Old Town Sherwood. I work Sundays. On one of those Sundays, a nice couple and their puppy drove up in this antique Ford. Of course I couldn't pass this photo-op. I thought it would be fun to play with pixels and give it an artistic look while I was at it.

Hood River to White Salmon Bridge

2008-02-02T21:51:00.000-08:00

A vector graphic rendering of the bridge crossing the Columbia from Oregon to Washington.

The Allure of Monochrome

2008-01-18T15:50:00.000-08:00

Black and white, monochrome prints have always been considered a more formal photographic presentation. The classical photographers or fathers of photography all captured images in monochrome. Well duh, they didn't have color film. If they had I'm sure we would have seen Ansil Adams first works in color... maybe not.
There is that "thing" about black and white prints however. Words don't seem to allow me to describe that thing right now.

PDX Vietnam Memorial

2008-01-18T15:44:00.000-08:00

As a Vietnam veteran, I sometimes visit the Vietnam Memorial here in Portland. Typically people visit on bright sunny days. On this day, it was foggy with a bit of rain. Moody to say the least. I enhanced this mood in post process. One of my larger prints.

Motion on Motion

2008-01-18T15:37:00.000-08:00

I often break rules when photographing people. People are always in motion in some way. Unless your are not of the living of course. Setting low ISO numbers and slow shutter speeds without a tripod mount is not the formula for good photograpy. So what I say. This is a pan, stop, pan shot. The smile is a constant.

Primary Colors

2008-01-18T15:30:00.000-08:00

Just an interesting composition I saw at the Petrified Forest in Arizona.

Monument Valley, Utah

2008-01-18T15:22:00.000-08:00

One of many red mesas I photographed at sunset in the valley.

Glen Canyon

2008-01-18T15:19:00.000-08:00

At high altitude and cold temperatures, the condensate created by the waste stacks and cooling towers is out of place in the high desert.

The Table

2008-01-18T15:11:00.000-08:00

One of my more recent prints from a field shoot in Arizona.

Graphic Creation Steps

2008-01-18T14:55:00.000-08:00

This is an example of a graphic I created for a web site I support. I photographed an old "bone shaker" bicycle while I was down in Prescott Arizona last year and pulled out a rough silhouette of the bike. Layering the bike on a transparent layer allowed me to create just about any graphic I want with the bike in play. I can do this with almost any subject.

The Lew Jones Session

2008-01-07T21:14:00.001-08:00

Orton Series Slide Show

2007-12-18T09:58:00.000-08:00

The images in this slide show are rendered using several post processes. Some were enhanced to create an HDR, High Dynamic Range, effect. The end result are photographs rich in soft color and shadow details. The intent is not to create realistic images but to provide interesting photographic experiences to the viewer. This is only a small sample of my Orton images.
Best viewed using Firefox

Photojournalism For A Day

2007-12-04T15:59:00.000-08:00

The Old School in Sherwood was going to be torn down the day after I took this photograph. June was one of a half dozen protestors that want the school rebuilt as it was. Once rebuilt, it is to serve as the community art center among other things. Will it happen? Let's wait and see. Our little group of local artists are always vocal and quite active in the community. What we don't need is another football field.

My Little Corner of the Gallery

2007-12-01T16:07:00.000-08:00

We finally opened the Sherwood Artist's Co-op gallery in the Odgepodge shop this past December. I've been very active with this group of local artists and working with Odge Gribble, the shop owner and Sherwood historian.
I have three pieces hung along with 30 other artists. Yes, I said 30. We give each customer a shoe horn when they walk in the door. Mine are there somewhere. Look hard.

OK, Yes, That's a Snake Alright

2007-11-28T21:22:00.000-08:00

Polaroid Transfers

2007-10-10T09:19:00.000-07:00

Polaroid transfer is the process of moving the wet chemical negative of the Polaroid film to a porous material such as wood or paper.
The image you see here was transferred using the wet method. The wet method typically uses paper as the medium as was the case in this process.
Each transfer is a unique work of art and cannot be duplicated due to the variety of conditions that can effect the process such as room temperature, the film chemicals, the pressure applied and the time waited to release the chemicals to the paper.
Only blister pack Polaroid films such as model 669 will work using an older Polaroid camera or a slide transfer machine which was the case here.

Autumn Hike

2007-10-09T16:48:00.000-07:00

October hikes in the woods at higher elevations can provide great color if you arrive soon enough. My most recent venture took me to Beaver Creek & Sweet Creek falls near Florence, Oregon. Normally early October provides rich fall colors. This year however fall has arrived early by about three weeks. This cold wet weather caused an early leaf fall so the best I could photograph in some places was those colors still on the ground. This is an example of dead leaves laying in a puddle near the upper Sweet Creek Falls.

American

2007-07-05T14:38:00.000-07:00

There are those moments when you know that this is the shot. This is the shot!

Postcards From Sherwood

2007-05-23T20:51:00.000-07:00

Old Town Sherwood conjures up a mental picture of a turn of the century, 19th-20th, of a place your grandmother lived when you traveled for many miles to see her.
If your grandparents lived in the city, well then that would be another matter.

Here, I have created some postcards of Old Town that hopefully provide that sense of "back then".

Artistic Ads Are Fun!

2007-05-07T18:55:00.000-07:00

I've been spending most of my work hours on creating eye pleasing and informative ad mailers for a number of local business.
Yesterday, the music director from our church asked me to photograph her and her sister for an upcoming event that requires a poster for the band they are part of.
They were essentially looking for "head" shots and wanted black and white images.
After about 150 photographs, I sat down to collate and render what I had. I never really know what they will look like until I get them on the computer screen.
Usually I end up using only 10% of any photo event. This has to do with the redundant nature of digital photography or just plain bad photography.
Most of the creative fun starts as I look at the photographs. I imagine how each one will look in a particular format or layout.
Once I have established a plan, I create the first of many layers using Paint Shop Pro as the post processing software.
These images above this text are some of what I created today.

Ad Art For A Cafe

2007-04-21T19:09:00.000-07:00

I'm working on the second of three graphic ad jobs. This one is for a small cafe here in Sherwood, OR.
The owner would like to have a somewhat "retro" look that brings back the flavor of Old Town Sherwood during the 30's-40's.
I have taken a number of photographs both inside and outside the cafe. The cafe interior offers plenty of subject matter to build off this concept. The exterior however is problematic. The building is sandwiched between two very different structures and the lack of good perspective angles is limiting my choices.
This card draft places one of my rendered shop images as the main subject of the ad but provides a upscale renovation of the image to reflect the then and now idea.

Commercial Graphics

2007-04-12T21:50:00.001-07:00

I recently expanded my photography offering to include commercial graphic ad art employing my photography.

I've been working on a few local projects this week and really enjoying the free creativity offered to me with this work.
This graphic creation uses a subtle application of the customer's logo and artistic renderings of photographs I took at the location.
It looks real good when printed and so far, it is my favorite.

I have found however that what I like doesn't always translate perfectly into what the customer wants. For this particular project, I shot over 200 photographs and rendered six draft ads similar to this.

Most ad art needs to be a bit edgy or out of the box to attract attention these days. The typical photo and layered text isn't enough to create interest.

2007-03-26T20:40:00.000-07:00

The Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge is located only two miles from my home. It is very new and still growing with new plants, animals and buildings for visitors.
My wife and I walked the trail to the forest this past week and during the walk, I stopped to photograph these yet bare trees along the marsh. While there wasn't much vibrant color here this time of year, the new wildflowers in the forest are now in bloom and are a nice accent to the budding forest.
I used my "Orton" setting with Picasa to render the above image. It added some nice rich color and soft texture to the bare branches and green grass.

Windows Of The Canyon

2006-05-08T07:47:00.000-07:00

Looking out on the canyon from the tower.

Artistic Surprise

2006-05-08T07:42:00.000-07:00

The rugged look of the tower's construction belies the Native American artwork inside.

Footpath To The Tower

2006-05-08T07:35:00.000-07:00

The South Rim of the Grand Canyon provides the sun angles that accent the blue sky and stone tower overlooking the canyon.

The First Of Many

2006-05-07T21:41:00.000-07:00

This cross country journey in 2003 was to be the first of several I was to make in only Two years. My goal during these trips was fairly simple. Take interesting photographs and avoid the typical views. In other words, follow the "blue highways".

Shadows Of Blue

2006-05-07T21:38:00.000-07:00

Dark To Light

2006-05-07T21:33:00.000-07:00

From the darkness of the caverns to the full sun of a November day amplifies the mesa aganist the cloudless sky.

Drops Of Time

2006-05-07T21:24:00.000-07:00

Drops of water loaded with minerals build the beautiful deposits found in caves. Although I'm not a big fan of photographing in dark spaces, Carlsbad Caverns does offer the photographer some interesting subjects. The proper camera equipment is indeed necessary to capture good images. This is one of the few that I felt was worthy of showing.

Into The Earth

2006-05-07T21:18:00.000-07:00

The entrance to Carlsbad Cavern evokes Jules Verne's story of the Journey To The Center Of The Earth.

Empty Jug

2006-05-07T21:15:00.000-07:00

Transparency

2006-05-07T21:11:00.000-07:00

The Faith Of Our Fathers

2006-05-07T21:09:00.000-07:00

This small stone church in Valle Crucis, North Carolina is often photographed by tourists wanting to capture its red doors. I decided to photograph only the window and cross in this image.

There Is Always One Holdout

2006-05-07T17:19:00.000-07:00

Get A Grip

2006-05-07T17:15:00.000-07:00

Never Alone

2006-05-07T17:12:00.000-07:00

War Birds

2006-05-07T17:03:00.000-07:00

Birds of a feather at the Evergreen Air Museum in McMinnville, Oregon.

I enjoy the technical and gray tone aspects of the image.

Pearls Of Wisdom

2006-05-07T16:50:00.000-07:00

Obviously food for the soul.

Opening Day At The Market

2006-05-07T15:04:00.000-07:00

Some of you know that I sell some of my work at Sherwood's Saturday Market. Our market is still small and intimate and we like it this way.
Last year was the the first time I had sold at any market and SSM was the best way to ease myself into this fun way of selling.
This year, we have moved from a quaint little grassy park to the hardscape of the boulevard adjacent to the new City Hall and Library. This move has worked well for my business and I hope to see many new faces this year.
I have completely changed my product offering this year. Last year I actually thought that people would buy large, framed photographs and was disappointed by the slow sales. Then I realized that most people came to the market to buy produce and not photographs. If I was to sell something, it had to be small and inexpensive.
I have a large inventory of photo-art and card stock and I've matted both 4"x6" and 5"x7" prints to sell. I think this fills a nice niche' for the market and I'm happy to report that yesterday's sales proved I'm on the right track.
I have some other ideas and products I want to explore. One of these are Polaroid transfers. My fear is that many people will not appreciate the time, effort and single print concept of this craft. I will have to ask more for this sort of art work and I'm not sure it will work at the market.
People always ask me if I make any money at the market. My answer is, if friends are money, then yes. I meet the nicest folks at the market and all of the vendors have become good friends as well. For me at this point in my life, friends are more important than making a buck. This is true no matter where you are in life's journey. You can quote me if you want.
I sometimes make important connections at the market. Having a blog and a web site helps but doesn't really bring in many customers. These "tools" are a touch point and a reference for people wanting to see your work and to learn a bit about you.
Catherine Jamieson is one of my Flickr contacts. In fact, she was my very first Flickr contact and got me started posting my photographs on the Internet. She has now written a how to book called, "Create Your Own Photo Blog". Photography is one of those arts that will translate well on the Internet and I will continue to grow this blog to help in sharing my work with those of you that enjoy that sort of thing.
I am a newbie to blogging, so if my initial blog offering is a bit tame, I hope you will understand that I'm a tactile learner and it will take a little while for me to learn the ropes of this medium.
Dave

Image Art

2006-04-21T16:14:00.000-07:00

Photography today has become a multi-media process. The old standard of chemical films are still favored by some but there is a majority shift towards digital imaging.
Whether post process work is done in the darkroom or on a computer is really a moot point. If the viewer enjoys or is satisfied with the end product, the photographer's goal is met.
Additional processes such as Polaroid transfer, hand tinting and overpainting add more dimensions to the art.
The goal of Northwest Imagery is to create fine art using all of these processes. As the creative force of NI, I use a variety of film and digital cameras as well as slide to Polaroid transfers and Polaroid to paper transfers.
Within this blog you will find my trip reports as well as sample image creations along with standard photographs I think you will find interesting.
Please feel free to comment on anything and I hope you enjoy the blog.
Best regards;
David Gilmore