Hey all! It’s been too long since my last post. I want this post to be a bit of a catch up with Daniel Sharp Photography, and perhaps a bit of inspiration. That’s always been my goal, to create images that have a bit of joy…a bit of wind in your sails. It’s been a challenging year to say the least. It’s been hard to see where this is all going, but the things that have kept me positive and moving forward have been when I’ve been able to get outside myself and help others.
I started volunteering at my local food pantry, where we serve up to 200 families every Tuesday and Saturday. Folks wait in their cars, lined up around the block, where they take boxes that we prepare - usually a mix of (soon-to-be) expired food from Whole Foods and Trader Joes in addition to prepared dairy boxes from Oregon Food Bank or another source depending on the month and if a federal program is in place. We take care to hand pick a selection of food that will hopefully keep folks eating well for the week…basics like potatoes, onions, apples, bread, cheese, yogurt, etc. It’s an intense four hours of my day, but one that fills me up, knowing I helped many families eat this week. If you’re in need of food, they start serving Tuesdays and Saturdays from noon to one pm and they’re located at: 6120 NE 57th Ave., Portland, OR 97218
I had a couple back-to-back shoots last weekend. On Friday we shot new images for Olander Earthworks. Rather than shoot in models’ homes, they rented the Good Mod for the morning, which gave us the opportunity to play with their stock of vintage furniture and make sets in their warehouse. It was a small crew, so it was all hands on deck. We made the most of our time there and came up with some great images as part of their “Strategy-Led Brand boost” collaboration. Shannon Holt headed up the design and art direction and Megan Amberson led with strategy. The whole package was a new way of working for me and I really enjoyed working with this motivated young company. If you don’t already know Oldander Earthworks, they are a small business based in Portland that designs and crafts these amazing sand spheres that create intricate patterns in fine sand. The experience with the spheres is at once calming and meditative - a great way to take a break from our digital lives. I really enjoyed being a part of small start-up team that came together to give this smart small company a brand makeover. Both Shannon and Megan are brilliant at design and strategy, so it was amazing to put our heads together and riff off of Sarah and Andy’s product. They’ll be launching their new site with all the new creative, shortly, but I’ll share two images right now to give you a taste…The top image is a rare BTS (behind-the-scenes) shot of me shooting at the Good Mod. (Thank you Keana!) The other is the shot I was taking. It’s fun to see two looks at the same scene.
From Friday’s Olander Earthworks shoot, I made the drive down to shoot the Oregon Timber Trail’s only work party of the year. I’ve been on the board of the OTT for the past three years, and most years we try to do four work parties and do as much trail rehab as possible. Due to COVID-19, we were only able to do one, but you could sense how much every volunteer was motivated to do as much as possible. We all met at Campbell Lake Campground in the Fremont National Forest, where everyone was able to set up their own base camp with plenty of space and make their own food. Normally we would all get together to share food. I certainly missed the shared meals, but everyone was still able to huddle around the campfire and enjoy each other’s company. The goal of the work party was to rehab trails after the Watson Fire. We cut out a few large trees blocking the trail, but the main goal Saturday was rerouting the trail in some wet marshy areas. The group broke out into four different crews and each took on a stream crossing, armoring it with large, heavy stones that would allow through riders to cross streams without creating more mud. It was incredible to see massive stones harvested and brought to the worksite with a rock sling. In the afternoon our group cut out a brand new trail and established singletrack in grassy areas where previously the trail was barely visible. Here are a selection of images from Saturday’s work:
Sunday, the group scouted a section of trail that had gotten quite a bit of cattle traffic (this is their neighborhood after all) and we flagged and cut an entirely more fun, serpentine track that could be enjoyed by folks doing weekend downhill rides, and not be destroyed by commuting cattle. It was incredible to see the track take shape quickly and be ridden by lunchtime! A dozen motivated mountain bikers can accomplish quite a bit in very little time. The value in documenting the work for the OTT is sharing with partners what we’ve accomplished in the field and reminding our audience that we’re dedicated to maintaining the trail for all to enjoy. Here are some of my shots from Sunday’s work:
Another project from 2020 I’d like to share is my portrait series where I sought to shine a light on some local figures in the Portland bike scene. I wanted to celebrate some of the folks that have dedicated themselves to cycling and those that have found creative ways to document cycling and further the conversation. I didn’t have a commission with a magazine yet, but I wanted to nominate some folks and get shooting. Without rolling them all out at once, I’ll share with you my first of the series…Jonathan Maus of bikeportland. org. As a former racer, and someone who would occasionally attend cycling advocacy meetings, I’d always run into Jonathan. He was everywhere, always with camera in one hand, note pad in the other…getting the story, complete with all the details so he could share it on his site for others to enjoy from the comfort of their laptop screens. Bike Portland is celebrating its 25th year today, and so I'm taking the opportunity to thank Jonathan for his years of dedication to the Portland cycling community. We’re better because of his work and discussion of all things cycling…from racing to the politics of commuting. Jonathan was there for us. I met Jonathan in Kenton without a fixed plan of what/how to shoot. I quickly spotted a painted wall I wanted to use, and we just rolled with it. I was grateful for how playful Jonathan was and how he was up for creating fun images with me. We chatted in between shots, and rode bikes to a few different locations. It was definitely one of my most enjoyable shoots I can remember. Thank you Jonathan!
I loved the fantasy feeling of the pink sky with stylized clouds, but while riding from one location to another, I spotted traffic backed up on the interstate. I always wanted to show that feeling of freedom, a cyclist moving under his own power while cars sat stuck on the highway. I have always felt this is the future of Portland. Traffic will only get worse, and cycling will become the best way to get across town. Skip the gym and get your blood moving on the way to work! It was a challenge to capture Jonathan on his bike and have the traffic still be prominent in the frame. In the end, I used my 85mm and stood on the railing on the South side of the overpass to get the framing I wanted. I was happy with the composition with the car in the foreground as well.
OK, enough about my work. To wrap this up I wanted to share some music that has been keeping me motivated.
First, here is a Spotify mix of some tracks I’ve been listening to. A bit of revolutionary energy as we head into the election: Let’s Go!
Finally, here’s one of my favorite mixes lately from Monika Seta and Luna Vega. It’s gotten me through several trainer workouts. They call it melancholic, psychedlic, industrial, but it feels right to me…