Hometown Pizza

Pizza shop on Knight and 72nd. Haven't tried their pizza yet. Great, now I'm hungry.

Salem Fountain

Modern curves of a water sculpture near Oregon's capitol building in Salem, Oregon. Click for larger view.

Andy's Inn

Painted sign on the side of Andy's Inn, a bar on Foster in Portland.

Revolucion

Graffiti near the Burnside Bridge in Portland. Someone has too much time on their hands. Click for larger.

Bus Bingo

Bus route letters and numbers -- like a game of transit bingo.

Yamhill Stroll

An elderly man takes a stroll along Yamhill and 2nd Ave in downtown Portland. Click for larger view.

Sky Tracks

Looking up the outside of a glass elevator shaft -- like train tracks to the sky.

Angled 6713

Odd angled doorway at 6713 SE Foster, Portland. Click for larger view.

Mohawk Windows

Looking up at windows of the Mohawk Building at 3rd Ave and Morrison in downtown Portland. Click for larger view.

Uruapan Taqueria

Freshly painted yellow door on 82nd and Reedway in Portland. Click for larger view.

Speedy Orange

Speedy orange biker along Morrison and 3rd Avenue in Portland.

Iron Chicken

Above a doorway in southeast Portland.

Corner Shop

Corner of a mini-shopping strip nearby.

Brown City

Foggy brown morning out my office window. Click for larger view.

McTrash

Trash can outside McDonald's.

Parking Bar

Long view of a cross-bar protecting the entrance of a parking lot. Nice of them to have the cushy padding in case the bar comes down on your vehicle by mistake.

Trash Colors

Rainbow of trash bins.

Thousands of Items

Advertising on the side of a building.

Mumiy Troll

Concert poster on a telephone pole.

Yellow Circle, White Up

A drive-thru arrow on the pavement. I suppose it's lucky I didn't get run over by someone in a hurry to get their fries and a shake.

Just Grate

Portland's ubiquitous grates around trees at the MAX train stops.

Rivet Riff

More rivets from the Steel Bridge across the Willamette River in Portland.

Sinister Arch

A spooky view of the "Arch Grid" building near Holgate and Foster. Click for larger view.

Orange Warnings

Signs of construction in progress. Wouldn't the world be more interesting if lavender had been voted the color for warnings?

Validator

Validating machine (notorious for never working when you need them) for the MAX train lines.

Beef Jerky

Around the corner of the International Meat and Sausage Grocery on Foster, Holgate and 64th in SE Portland.

What Up?

Graffiti at the NE 7th Avenue MAX train stop.

Push for Coin

Cell phones have killed all my fun. As a kid, I used to check all the pay phones for people's forgotten change -- what a thrill to find a quarter or dime. Felt like a millionaire. But no one uses pay phones anymore.

Wet Bolt

Bottom of a sign post on a rainy day.

It's been nearly a week since I posted -- and the world kept turning. Nice to have a holiday, but also good to be back in the swing of things. Hope 2009 is filled with good things for you.

Hydrant and the Box of Clothes

Could take your clothes to Goodwill. Or just sit them on the curb. Whatever.

Snow Hydrant

Fire hydrant covered in snow. It's been coming down constantly for over 24 hours now and shows no signs of stopping any time soon.

For now, it's fun being "snowed in", but we may need some ideas on how to keep cabin fever at bay.

Montana Ranch?

Looks like a fence post from a Montana ranch, but it's just proof that snow does fall in a Portland, Oregon neighborhood.

You've Got Mail

Long row of mailboxes outside an apartment complex.

Hot Dog, Please

Not open for business today. But I've seen this hot dog stand doing quite the business at Portland's Saturday Market on Ankeny Square.

What I Saw Out the Window

View out an upper window of an old building in the Old Town section of Portland.

Chapel and the Tree

A tree still in color by Mt. Scott Park Presbyterian Church. Yes, in December.

Weather Bird

This sign will forever be etched in my brain. Something to stare at in the early morning as I wait for my bus.

You Are Here

Directional sign for the MAX train here in Portland. Sure love that aspect of the TriMet public transit system. The bus? Not so much.

Take Out the Papers and the Trash

Colorful trash and recycle bins outside a house.

Seems fitting considering the election. Out with the old. In with the new. This isn't a political blog (I keep saying that, don't I?) and I'm not about to say who I voted for. I just hope someone will restore America's image and goodwill in the world. There's a big mess to be cleaned up.

Cash for Cars

The car salesman tells me that this sign has been up since 1970-something. That makes the sign an antique. And me too, now that I think of it.

Fence Decay

Urban decay both fascinates and bums me. Odd how there can be scenes like this, and a house across the street with an immaculate lawn and flowers--like a neatly trimmed personal oasis for some city dweller.

Ice Machine at Sunset

Outside a convenience store down the street.

SE 77th

SE 77th is leaning particularly south.

Bakery

From a cafe nearby. They make some incredible chocolate espresso cookies.

Flag in the Sky

Looking up from Starbucks at Pioneer Square in downtown Portland.

Steel Sunset

Portland's Steel Bridge at dusk. Fun fact to know and tell: This is one of the few (the only?) bridges featuring two levels that can raise independently of each other to allow boats of various heights to pass. (Our family got to see it in action just before this photo was taken the other night.)

Riveted

Transfixed by patterns of rivets holding the Steel Bridge together across the Willamette River in Portland.

Import Plaza

Color or black-and-white?

Sign from an old Import Plaza retail store at the corner of NW Couch and 1st Avenue in Old Town Portland.

Triple Steps

Stairs leading down to the lower walkway of the Steel Bridge across the Willamette River in Portland. Twin spires of the Convention Center in the background.

Style Shop

I see this sign nearly every day as I wait for the bus each morning. Advertisement on the side of an old barber shop (which appears to be open only on Mondays).

Safety Green

Safety patrol guarding the myriad of joggers, cyclists and pedestrians crossing the Steel Bridge in Portland. I doubt this lower level of the bridge has ever seen so much traffic, thanks to the bridge being closed to the vehicles and the MAX train most of this month.

Before this, I didn't even know there WAS a lower level to the bridge--let alone that it afforded such a great, close view of the river. If you live in Portland, it's worth the stroll. Start at the Rose Quarter MAX stop, walk across the Steel Bridge, then follow the river walk down to Old Town / China Town. Great way to get our of your car and get to know the city.

Recycle

Guerilla tactics in the war on waste. A graffiti reminder on the handle of a dumpster lid to prick the conscience of anyone about to contribute unnecessarily to the landfill. Gotta love Portland.

Of Lines and Angles

Criss-crossed lines everywhere on a footbridge leading to the lower deck of the Steel Bridge across the Willamette River in Portland. Twin spires of the Convention Center in the background.

Very Portland

Another detail from a Portland fire truck.

Speaking of Portland, I had someone say that I was a "very Portland kind of person". Didn't realize that "Portland" was an adjective. But I take it as the high praise it was intended to be. If they think I'm "very Portland", they should meet my wife.

Lost Shoe - Photo Tip

Tiny shoe left on the park bench for its owner to claim.

-------------------------

A comment from a recent post asked how to get an effect like the one above where only certain parts of the photo are in color and the rest is black and white.

Answer: I painted the park bench grey.

No, it's Photoshop. There are many ways to get this effect. Here's just a couple.

PHOTOSHOP TIP
BLACK AND WHITE IMAGE WITH COLOR HIGHLIGHTS

METHOD 1: The more common , but more painstaking, work flow:

You could select the shoe using the magic wand tool or the magnetic lasso. Then feather the selection by a couple pixels. Then duplicate the shoe selection by jumping it to a new layer (Ctrl+J). Now make the layer underneath black and white. Tada!

METHOD 2: Here's a faster, easier way:

The original color of the park bench was a muted green, so the only colors in the photo are really pinks and greens. All I needed to do was create a new Hue/Saturation Layer, then desaturate all of the yellows, greens, and blues. All that's left are beautiful pinks (magentas). No selections necessary!

Even if you don't have Photoshop, most photo editing software mid-level and above will have adjustments for hue and saturation. Try it out and share your results!

[Is this tip helpful? Let me know! What else do you want to know?]

3 on Hydrant

Since yesterday's post obsessed with fire, it's only fitting to post a fire hydrant today.

"Never seen nobody take a picture of hydrant b'fore," says the middle-aged lady watching me from her driveway.

I forget how strange I must look--of course, I am a strange looking person in general--kneeling in the middle of the street to get just the right angle.

"Well, it's the ordinary stuff that makes for interesting shots," I smile back. "We get so used to it, we stop paying attention."

"Guess that's right," she nods.

Book Return

Outside the Gresham Public Library (Gresham, Oregon). Our family usually has at least 50 books out from the library at any given time. That's some serious reading going on!

Blagen Block

Much of Old Town Portland is being restored, including the "Blagen Block" building on NW 1st Avenue.

What's a "Blagen"?

Dunno.

Space Monkey

My tribute to the first coffee shop I visited after we moved to Portland. Holds a special place in my heart. And with a name like "Space Monkey Coffee", why shouldn't it?

Coin Laundry

Retro laundromat sign. Love the goofy water drop guy.

Trash Bash

It's hard enough being a trash can without having your sides bashed in. Stuck in a corner. By yourself.

Oregon Leather

Neon sign for the Oregon Leather Company in the Old Town section of Portland. Lovin' the retro.

Parking Twins

Twin parking meters along NE 7th Avenue in Portland.

Frozen Fountain 2

Cool drink on a summer's day. A public outdoor water fountain in Portland. Similar to this shot from last fall.

Sun-Dappled Sidewalk

Sidewalk scene near NW 1st Avenue and Couch (correctly pronounced "cooch") in Portland.

No Red

Traffic signal sign approaching the Steel Bridge over the Willamette River in Portland. I didn't remove the color from the red light. That's just how the sign was. Did somebody steal the little red circle?

Long Dreary Walk

Lone man walks the Steel Bridge across the Willamette River in Portland on a blustery day. (That's "wil-LAM-et", not "will-a-MET" for all non-Portlanders. Gotta stay hip with the lingo.)

Gothic Door

Gothic architecture abounds at Reed College here in Portland. We headed there last Saturday for a free concert of Beethoven's Prometheus complete with narration and multimedia show. Okay, so it was actually just the dress rehearsal, open to the public. And we were 20 minutes late. And we left after 10 minutes. But it was Culture.

This Phone Is Tapped

Bright red phone in Portland's China Town.

--SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION ALERT--

Happy birthday to Crossmark Photo Blog! Been at it pretty much daily for one whole year. Wanna send me a present? If ya like what ya see, tell a friend and invite them to subscribe.

Domed White

A skylight dome on the third floor of the Central Library in downtown Portland. Perfect setting for the free public concerts we've enjoyed there on Sunday afternoons.

One Man's Trash

Cardboard boxes pile up outside a shoe store down the street. Trash to most people, but hours of enjoyment for two little boys I know. We've been known to swipe a few boxes and build play houses, trains, or whatever their imagination makes of it at the moment. Free entertainment!

Guilded Ceiling

Painted ceiling from Renaissance Room in the Governor Hotel--a hundred year-old schmancy place in downtown Portland.

Bike Rack, Part III

Adding to my collection of bike rack photos.

Library Stitch

A stitched panorama of the Portland Central Library facade. Click the image for a larger view.

Chess on the Square

An amiable game of chess at Pioneer Square in downtown Portland this past weekend. It's scenes like this that make Portland seem like such a quaint, friendly little town.

Grid Light

Lines of light and shadow down the back wall of Woodstock Library on a sunny afternoon.

Gates of Knowledge

Doorway of the Central Library in downtown Portland. The library hosts FREE concerts on Sundays--and I do love FREE. This time it was a top-notch instrumental trio and a vocalist performing flamenco / mariachi / latin music.

Pipe Shadow

A rainwater drain pipe casts a long shadow at high noon.

Gotta Key?

I don't know where it leads, but you're not gettin' through. Nice of them to let you know though.

Misty Morning

Sidewalks shimmer from a morning drizzle along Holladay Street in Portland.

Crystal Spire

One of the twin glass spires of the Portland Convention Center in a winter sunset.

Spiral Rack

Another loopy bike rack. This one's in front of one of the dozen or so Target stores around town.

[And how do I know that there's so many Target stores? Because I called EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM this last Christmas to see if they had a specific toy for a little boy I know. They didn't.]

Courthouse Facade

Facade of the courthouse in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Arches and Ovals

Another view of the Central Library foyer in downtown Portland. (Parorama shot stitched from three separate photos. Click the photo to view a larger version.)

Loopy Pipe

A loopy pipe for storing bikes. Kinda looks like three giant prongs of a fork sticking up out of the ground. But then again, I'm weird.

Portland is a big bicycle town. I heard recently that they're converting an area of the car lane just before certain intersections to be reserved for bikes. At a red light, automobiles will have to stop several feet back from the light so that the bikes can be in front. The hope is that this will prevent cyclists from being hit by cars who don't see them coming alongside in the bike lane when the automobile turns right.

Fixturated

Guess I'm fixated on lighting fixtures.

This one comes from the ceiling of the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in downtown Portland. Thanks to the Portland Library and the Oregon Symphony, we won FREE tickets to a children's concert there this afternoon. Had fantastic seats too! The concert was very well done and a delight we couldn't have afforded otherwise.

Let's hear it for FREE stuff!

End of the Line

For two little boys I know, there's a huge thrill in riding the city train. The best adventure yet? Discovering what happens when the train gets to the end of the line. Does it turn around? Is there a loop somewhere? A giant turntable? How do they get it going the other direction?

So we rode the train all they way to the mysterious not-so-distant suburb of Gresham just to find out. This is the legendary "Gresham" that the boys hear every time they board the train (Automatic voice recording: "This is a blue line train to Gresham. In the priority seating area, you are required to move for seniors and people with disabilities. The doors are closing." The boys have this MEMORIZED and quote it randomly around the house.). Going to Gresham for them was like going to Disneyland.

And what happened at the end of the line?

I wouldn't want to rob you of the adventure. =)

Come Sit With Me

A park bench down the street.

When I'm in public places, I sometimes wonder just how many other people have sat right where I'm sitting, or have stood and looked at the very thing I'm looking at. What were they doing there? What troublesome and happy thoughts were rumbling through their head?

I'll never know them, but for a moment we've shared a connection.

Pachyderm Portrait

What do roses, elephants and the world have in common?

Beats me. This odd mural on the building at Burnside and 1st Avenue in Portland is being painted over, so I consider it my duty to archive it for future generations to puzzle over.

And if you can decipher its meaning--please, enlighten the rest of us.

Brick and Blue

My entry into photography opened my eyes to so much visual interest around me, even around the back door of this school near Grant Park in Portland. Contrasts of color, light, shape, and texture--just waiting for someone to notice.

Dry Statues

It seems only appropriate that Portland yard statues would have umbrellas.

Actually, it hasn't rained here nearly as much as I was led to believe. A good drizzle now and then, but hardly ever enough for an umbrella. In fact, you can usually tell the tourists by their umbrellas. Real Portlanders just pull their hood up.

Iron Curls

Curly Q's from an iron door near Burnside and 1st Avenue in Portland.

When I'm out and about with my camera, I'll snap a picture of almost anything. It's not uncommon for me to return with 200-300 shots from just a brief outing. Then as I'm sorting back through photos weeks later, I'll re-discover a nice shot that I had forgotten about. This is one example.

Sidewalk Cafe

Two chairs waiting for friends to meet for an afternoon coffee.

Just noticed that I'm stuck on this "crop the picture into a square" routine. Can't help myself.

Iron Glyphs

Detail from a cast iron column at Ankeny Square near Skidmore Fountain in downtown Portland. The square displays ornamental pieces taken from historic buildings that no longer exist.

Street Closed

Just a street sign.

By the way, thanks to those who've stopped by lately and left comments! It's always great to hear from fellow shutterbugs.

Patina Gate

The ubiquitous pale turquois metal guarding the public transit system in Portland.

Pigeon Fountain

Thirsty pigeons grab a drink from a water fountain, unfazed by the rush of a city train passing by.

Striped Shadows

Afternoon shadows cast from a railing at the mall.

Cement is Forever

If you're ever going to write in cement, make sure you check the spelling first.

Push Button for Free Giveaway!

Last week's contest has me in a give away mood. And there's no guessing this time! Just take some time to browse around and then leave a comment on this post. At the end of the week, I'll choose a random winner to receive a FREE set of 12 custom notecards featuring any Crossmark photo from my archives--YOUR CHOICE OF ANY PHOTO!

(NOTE: If you want a better chance at winning, say something thoughtful--like which photos you like, your own interest in photography, etc.)

If you're a photo enthusiast, weigh in with some ideas for my Photo Tips series coming up. (Not a requirement for winning the above give away.) NOTE: Your own photography tips are fine, but I'm more interested in your questions about photography.

For a more ways to win a lot of other things, visit the Bloggy Giveaway Carnival going on all week!