November
November is often a dreary month in the Pacific Northwest, and I find it hard to get excited about outdoor photography. The fall colors are mostly gone and it rains (a lot) west of the Cascade Mountains. The hope of winter photography is often yet not realized – if there is much snow in the mountains, it is often heavy, wet, and melting under dull gray skies. Okay, things aren’t quite that bad, but November is not my favorite time of year for photography.
That’s why I was pleasantly surprised last week when I tagged along with Tanya to her work conference in Vancouver, Washington and found some good November photography. While Tanya was being educated, I decided to drive down into the Willamette Valley of Oregon to visit a few wineries and take some pictures. It was sunny on and off throughout the day mixed with light rain. Not perfect conditions, but better than the steady downpours we’ve been having lately.
The Willamette Valley south of Portland is chock full of wineries and vineyards, and it can be hard to figure out where to go for photography. So once again I relied on an excellent photography guidebook by Greg Vaughn, this one about Oregon. In his section on the Willamette Valley, he lists several wineries that are particularly photogenic, so I picked out a few of those and plotted a route through the area.
Unfortunately, most of the grape vines had already lost their leaves, but I was able to find enough to take a few colorful late fall photographs. Mid-November is a bit late for color here, and based on what I saw, I’d think late October would be much better. But between the photography and the wine tasting, it was one of my better days photographing in November.
Colorful orchard in the Willamette Valley
Wine grapes at a Willamette Valley vineyard
Colorful scene along a back road in the Willamette Valley
The stairs and colorful maple leaves at the Torii Mor Winery
Quick Shot – Santa Fe
Tanya and I just got back yesterday from a quick trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico. Santa Fe is one of our favorite places in the American Southwest for many reasons, but one in particular (for me at least) is that the Santa Fe region is a wonderful place to photograph.Santa Fe is at elevation 7,200 feet (2,195 meters) above sea level, and with the elevation, spring was just starting to blossom out there. The quick shot posted here was taken at the Estrella Del Norte Vineyard about 15 miles north of Santa Fe. It has lovely grounds, and I’d like to go back some day when the grape vines are green and the flowers blooming. As you can see in this image, the cottonwoods in the background were just starting to leaf out. Enjoy this shot, and I’ll post more in the next few days.
joebeckerphoto 