Shaniko

Shaniko is a little town in Eastern Oregon that was once a major wool-producing hub, and then someone got bought off, and the railway moved, leaving behind sagebrush and rattlesnakes. Not many people there now, but there's a wealth of decaying buildings. It is, in short, a ghost town. A buddy and I traveled there last year on a lightly overcast day, which is not much for sightseeing but perfect for shooting detail, of which Shaniko abounds. This is from an abandoned barn...a taste of the real West.

Tech: Shot on Ilford Delta 100 with a Leica M3, souped in DDX, and printed on Ilford warmtone.

Painted Wall

More of my fascination with textures and form, I suppose. What was it Ezra Pound said? "Make it new." He was talking about writing, of course, but that idea of looking at something you've seen a million times and seeing it in a new way. Very difficult. Very, very difficult. Once in a great while, you stumble onto something, which is why you keep shooting, writing, working. Because you don't get there if you don't try. Most of the time, you fail. I didn't do it here, but it's still an image that pleases me. Guess because it means you're in the game.

Tech: Canon T-90, Fuji Velvia.

Hosta

Overcast days (of which we have many in the Northwest) bring out detail, particularly in black & white. This was shot at Crystal Springs Rhodedendron Gardens in Portland.

Tech: Leica M3, Ilford Delta 100, developed in DDX, printed on Ilford Cooltone paper.