porky

Following along the food chain... I have been very interested in stories about where our food comes from. From salmon caught fresh by the Columbia River Indian fishers to Sauvie Island organic U-pick strawberries to "artisan meats", there are alternatives to buying your food from factory producers. A good friend, Aaron Silverman, has started an artisan Pork company (Tails and Trotters) featuring hazelnut fed pigs. I photographed some of the butchering process including superstar chef Morgan Brownlow who was doing the butchering along with the Gonzales father and son team.

things I do

Do I long for the days of serious photojournalism? Traveling to far off places at a moments notice....Being in the middle of the story of the day? Of course. It is in my soul. I see my peers doing amazing work and sometimes I wonder what direction my career will take. I often miss being connected in the old way. I am missing out on all of the stories and great images while I focus on parenting and a different style of work for now.

But... here are some things I really would miss if I did not have them in my life.

Picking strawberries on Sauvie Island, on a Friday morning, and getting caught in a downpour.

Listening to a boy and his squeaky violin play "Twinkle, Twinkle" over and over.

Volunteering to teach photography to a rowdy group of 1st and 2nd graders.

Planning a birthday camping trip, way in advance, and knowing that I will honor the commitment I make to go.

Sitting naked on the bathtub with a naked boy while we let the LICE shampoo take effect.. who thought having a child with lice would be a bonding moment?

Tucking my boy in bed almost every single night of his almost 7 years.

Growing and harvesting beautiful lettuces, tomatoes, carrots and broccoli and watching my son eat them raw from the garden.

Driving 10 minutes, after supper, for milking time so we can milk the goats who give us incredible raw milk every week.

Being a soccer coach to a rag-tag group of novices.

and.. Sharing slideshows of amazing work done by my friends and peers in photojournalism who are some of the most inspiring people I could introduce to my child.

Boiler Bay

Two portraits of very different lives intersected at the beautiful Boiler Bay tide pools near Depot Bay, Oregon. One a brilliant honors student in Marine Biology at OSU and the other one of 4 brothers who hang at the bay everyday with their father while he "catches one fish per day"