Monochrome Monday: Pine Nursery Park, Bend, Oregon

Oregon High Desert Monochrome Vignette

Bend Oregon’s Pine Pine Nursery Park is a large community park and located in northeast Bend between Purcell, Deschutes Market, and Yeoman Roads and consists of 159 acres. The park includes a sports complex for field sports, natural areas, fishing pond, fitness trails, disc golf course, paved trails, a 14-acre off-leash area, all-abilities playground, pickleball courts and room for future expansion.

Artie Retrieves

While visiting my sister and brother-in-law in Bend, Oregon last August, we took their dogs Elsinore and Artie to the Pine Nursery Park early one morning.  In addition to a large sports complex, playgrounds, natural areas, fishing pond, fitness trails, and disc golf course, the park includes a 14-acre off-leash dog park.

Western Fence Lizard

Half of the dog park features trails through a natural area well representing the volcanic high desert of central Oregon.  While the representative color of the big sagebrush, rabbitbrush, bunchgrass and junipers are lovely, I instead focused on the rich textures, organic patterns and inspiring monochrome tonality.

High Desert Bunchgrass

Pine Nursery Dog Park Silhouette

Oregon Rabbitbrush Composition

For the best viewing experience, click on an image to view a high resolution version. Or, see more of my Bend, Oregon Gallery.

Cheers,

C. S.

First in Flight: Wright Brothers Memorial

Either by school field trip, family vacation, or in this case Boy Scout trip, many residents of North Carolina have visited the historic Wright Brother Memorial in Kill Devil Hills, just south of Kitty Hawk, on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Here, on December 17, 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright successfully conducted the first sustained controlled flight of a motorized aircraft.

Wright Brothers National Memorial, Landscape Composition 2

Their breakthrough engineering development of a three axis control system (pitch, roll and yaw) allowed the pilot to steer and maintain equilibrium. It remains today as the standard method of control for all fixed wing aircraft. Though I’ve visited multiple times in my life, each time I’m quite inspired by the brother’s ingenuity over years of slow but steady progress, hard work, and perseverance.

Wright Brothers National Memorial, Wilbur Composition

Wright Brothers National Memorial, Orville Composition

Wright Brothers National Memorial, Landscape Composition

Wright Brothers National Memorial, Front Composition

Equally inspiring is the natural beauty found along the wind swept barrier islands of the North Carolina Outer Banks. It quite a long drive for me, but once you get there, you’re so thankful for having the opportunity to visit. For the best viewing experience, click an image to view a high resolution version. For more photos of this amazing destination, also see my Outer Banks Gallery.

Cheers,

C. S.

Monochrome Monday: Smith Rock Landscapes

Finally got around to completing some additional landscapes from the magnificent Smith Mountain State Park in Oregon.

North Point View 2

Smith Rock Tuff Monochrome Composition 2

Homestead Trail Vignette 2

Crooked River Vignette

For the best viewing experience, click on an image to see a high resolution version. Or, visit my Smith Mountain State Park Gallery at my portfolio site.

Happy Memorial Day,

C. S.

Lan Su Chinese Garden

The Lan Su Chinese Garden in Portland, Oregon represents a collaboration between the cites of Portland and Suzhou in China’s Jiangsu province.  The garden is an authentic Ming Dynasty style garden built by 65 Suzhou artisans on a block of Portland’s historic Chinatown district.  My family visited the Portland Japanese Garden earlier in the day.  Two wonderful photography opportunities in the same day!

Courtyard of Tranquility Vignette 1

Hall of Brocade Clouds Vignette

Courtyard of Tranquility Vignette 2

Stonework Pathway Composition 2

Moon Locking Pavilion Pond Vignette 1

Moon Locking Pavilion Pond Vignette 2

For the best viewing experience, click an image to see a high resolution version.

Cheers!

C. S.

Monochrome Monday: McKinzie Pass Oregon

Northern and Middle Sisters from McKinzie Pass

In Bend, Oregon, the high desert begins to rise along the eastern slopes of the Cascade Range.  At an elevation 5,325 feet (1,623 m), McKinzie Pass on Oregon Route 242, is at the western boarder of Deschutes county, about 25 miles northwest of Bend. The pass cuts through between the Three Sisters to the south and Mount Washington to the north.

Dee Wright Observatory Composition 1

The Dee Wright Observatory is an open shelter built with basaltic andesite lava from the construction site.  The structure features windows aligned with views of the surrounding Cascade peaks.  Of course, there were numerous photography opportunities! The observatory was built during the Great Depression by a Civilian Conservation Corps crew at Camp Belknap near Clear Lake.

Dee Wright Observatory Composition 2

Oregon Route 242 follows the path of a 1860 wagon route, it emerges from the forest and crosses a 65 square-mile lava bed (170 m). The Cascades are part of the Pacific Ocean’s Ring of Fire. All recent volcanic eruptions in the contiguous United States have been from Cascade volcanoes, including the famous 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption.

Dee Wright Observatory Composition 3

For the best viewing experience, click on an image to view a high resolution version. Everyone please stay safe and practice social distancing.

Cheers,

C. S.

W-S Bank Buildings: Monochrome or Color?

I initially processed these BB&T building and Wells Fargo Tower architectural compositions, from downtown Winston-Salem, with over-top-HDR color tonality. Afterwards though, I experimented with color luminosity settings in monochrome. The resulting monochrome tonality range is quite impressive, but the near abstract HDR color styling is kinda cool as well. What do you think?

Winston-Salem Bank Building Cityscape Monochrome

Winston-Salem Bank Building Cityscape

Winston-Salem Bank Building Abstract

For the best viewing experience, click on an image to see a high resolution version. Or, visit my Winston-Salem Architectural Abstracts gallery.

Cheers,

C. S.

Bend Oregon, Old Mill District

For those in the Northern Hemisphere, here are some street photography captures from last August in the Old Mill District of Bend, Oregon.

Deschutes River at Old Mill District 7

Bend Old Mill District 5

Deschutes River at Old Mill District 3

Bend Old Mill District 6

Bend Old Mill District 4

Deschutes River at Old Mill District 1

Bend Old Mill District 2.tif

For the best viewing experience, click on an image to see a high resolution version. Thank you for taking time to visit my photo blog.

Cheers!

C. S.

Monochrome Monday: Ecola State Park, Oregon, pt 4

More photos from the beautiful Indian Beach at the northern end of Ecola State Park.

Indian Beach Driftwood and Rock Composition 1

Tillamook Rock Lighthouse from Submarine Rock at Indian Beach

Indian Beach, Ecola State Park Seascape 7

Indian Beach, Ecola State Park Seascape 6

Thank you for taking time to visit my photo blog. For the best viewing experience, click on an image to view a high resolution version. Or see more of my Ecola State Park gallery here.

Cheers,

C. S.

Monochrome Monday: Charlotte Douglas International Airport Concourse A Expansion, pt 2

More architectural abstracts from my visit to the Concourse A Expansion at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.

Charlotte Airport Concourse A Expansion Vignette 1

Charlotte Airport Concourse A Expansion Vignette 5

Charlotte Airport Concourse A Expansion Composition 6

Charlotte Airport Concourse A Expansion Vignette 2

Charlotte Airport Concourse A Expansion Vignette 3

Charlotte Airport Concourse A Expansion Vignette 4

For the best viewing experience, click an image to see a high resolution version. Or visit my Charlotte Douglas International Airport Architectural Abstracts gallery.

Cheers!

C. S.