Portland Winter

I had been aching to shoot with film in this beautiful Portland winter-weather, so I sucked it up and went to a local camera shop to get my favorite 35mm camera fixed. It turned out the camera only needed a tiny plastic part replaced, so the nicest old man in the world in my opinion, gave it to me for free. One of the days photographed above I went on a solo adventure as like to do. I drove for miles and miles through the backroads of Oregon, finding old bridges, tiny towns, and meeting some friendly faces whom ended up asking me onto their docked old fisherman's boat for a beer. Also photographed above is Portland's first snow of the year. The weather as plunged to below 20 and gives me a taste of being back in that Minnesota weather. I hear that it's rarely this cold here, and snow is an unfamiliar sight as well. They don't have salt trucks or snow plows here, contributing largely to me crashing my tiny car within hours of the first snowfall. Even through the crash, the snow makes it hard for me to stay mad at it. The cold air and dreary days put me in the holiday spirit and I've spent my evenings reading, watching Christmas movies, drinking hot toddies, and getting Christmas presents ready for those I love. Happy Holidays to you all!

When you are feeling at your darkest, it's the time to work the hardest. These past few days I let those haunting stresses start to drown me…money, too many jobs, and the "am I doing to right thing with my life?" constant question that we all battle. Sometimes, you just have to drink a bottle of wine to your face and vent to those closet to you. BUT the important thing is to light that fire under your ass and get back at it. After a few days of feeling defeated I woke up early, did some yoga, slapped on my favorite outfit, and dug into my computer for an entire day, e-mailing and making things happen for myself. This Saturday I have photography meetings with two incredible companies. If for some reason nothing comes from either one, I am still fortunate for the chances they are giving me, and that they even took the time to look at my work. Remember you are valuable, and that you have something positive to offer to the world.