Posted by Austin Booth on September 25, 2008 at 9:14 PM
Hi. I moved to Portland, OR earlier this year from Northern California and I was wondering if anyone who knows the area well could suggest some good locations to shoot landscape photos near Portland. I took a trip to Multnomah Falls earlier and shot many of the other falls at this location but would definitely go back again. I'd like to check out Oneonta Gorge as well. I'm mostly looking for places to shoot close to Portland that I can take day trips or even half-day trips to such as Sauvie Island. However if there are other must see places to shoot photos for a weekend trip that are a little farther lets say 3-4 hours I'd like to hear about those as well. If you'd like to take a look at my website http://www.austinbooth.com/ it's not strictly nature photos but it should give you an idea of what sort of photos I like to take. Thanks in advance for your help everyone!
Posted by Scott Brown on September 25, 2008 at 11:50 PM
You wouldn't happen to be the Austin Booth of Tyler/Stephouse would you?
There are so many great places to shoot in such a close area to Portland...
You already mentioned the gorge, soon the fall colors will hit and it will be great -- I love Multnomah Falls, but there are too many people there, even on weekdays, so I prefer the other falls.
In the Mount Hood region you have Ramona Falls and many lakes (Trillium, Timothy, Lost, etc)
In a few months Ridgefield NWR will be full of Hawks, Herons, and Egrets - so close that you don't even need a super-telephoto lens (though they are nice) - there were times last year my 400mm was too long and I wished for a shorter lens.
Central/Eastern Oregon has some amazing landscapes, though a lot of them are more than 4 hours away from Portland.
The coast - all of it - has something to shoot... this would be a really long post if I went into detail...
In April there is the tulip field in Woodburn and in August there is the dahlia field in Canby... all very popular with photographers...
I am working on a new website, but you can view my gallery here: http://photos.scottbrownphotography.com/ and see some of the various things around Oregon/Washington...
Scott Brown
Posted by Austin Booth on September 26, 2008 at 12:43 AM
Yep thats me, I work for stephouse. Tyler is my brother.
Posted by Austin Booth on September 26, 2008 at 12:48 AM
Oh an some great photos by the way Scott, I really like the Ramona falls ones.
Posted by Cezar Mart on September 26, 2008 at 1:02 PM
If you like ocean beaches, probably the most scenic place near Portland is Hug Point Beach just south of Cannon Beach. After entering the beach go to the right around the cliff to a very scenic cove behind it. Watch the tide, though. Actually Cannon Beach is not bad either, the problem there are crowds of people that make it impossible to make a quiet nature photo.
Another option is foggy sunrise around rural Woodburn. It is one of my favorite spots for rural photography.
Posted by Austin Booth on September 26, 2008 at 4:31 PM
Ok cool, I'll be on the coast just north Tillimook around thanksgiving time. Hopefully the weather cooperates and I can make a side trip one evening.
Posted by Chris Hodney on September 26, 2008 at 7:04 PM
Another option close to Portland is the Lewis River area around Lewis River Falls, and down the highway to Indian Heaven. Beautiful lakes, rivers, amazing waterfalls, and fall color will be intense very soon.
Only takes about 2 hours to get to the furthest of these places from Portland, via Carson, WA.
Discussion
6 repliesThere are so many great places to shoot in such a close area to Portland...
You already mentioned the gorge, soon the fall colors will hit and it will be great -- I love Multnomah Falls, but there are too many people there, even on weekdays, so I prefer the other falls.
In the Mount Hood region you have Ramona Falls and many lakes (Trillium, Timothy, Lost, etc)
In a few months Ridgefield NWR will be full of Hawks, Herons, and Egrets - so close that you don't even need a super-telephoto lens (though they are nice) - there were times last year my 400mm was too long and I wished for a shorter lens.
Central/Eastern Oregon has some amazing landscapes, though a lot of them are more than 4 hours away from Portland.
The coast - all of it - has something to shoot... this would be a really long post if I went into detail...
In April there is the tulip field in Woodburn and in August there is the dahlia field in Canby... all very popular with photographers...
I am working on a new website, but you can view my gallery here: http://photos.scottbrownphotography.com/ and see some of the various things around Oregon/Washington...
Scott Brown
Another option is foggy sunrise around rural Woodburn. It is one of my favorite spots for rural photography.
Another option close to Portland is the Lewis River area around Lewis River Falls, and down the highway to Indian Heaven. Beautiful lakes, rivers, amazing waterfalls, and fall color will be intense very soon.
Only takes about 2 hours to get to the furthest of these places from Portland, via Carson, WA.