L scape photographer Stuart L Gordon will be showcasing an exhibit of his prints of the Columbia River Gorge at Bellatazza, 869 NW Wall St., in downtown Bend through February.
Gordon will be available to discuss his work at an artist’s reception to be held on First Friday Art Walk, Febuary 3 from 6-8:30pm. The eight to 10 images included in the exhibit are part of a larger collection of photographs made during a trip to the gorge in May 2011.
“My goal was to visit a dozen waterfalls in four days. As it turns out, that’s a lot of hiking!” Gordon said. “I made it to only 11 beautiful waterfalls, mostly because it rained heavily two of those days that slowed me down.”
Among the waterfalls featured in the exhibit are Triple Falls, Punchbowl Falls, Wahclella Falls, Wahkeena Falls, Ponytail Falls Latourell Falls. A print from Gordon’s visit to the nearby Roweena Plateau, renowned for its abundant display of spring wildflowers, also will be on display.
A photographic excursion to the gorge wouldn’t be complete without paying your respects to one of the most-photographed waterfalls in America, said Gordon.
“I got to Multnomah Falls about 6am in the hope of being the first there. Luckily, it was raining I got my wish. I didn’t have to battle any other photographers or tourists for a space to park my tripod,” he said.
The result was an eight-image vertical panorama of the 620-foot high Multnomah Falls.
“It took that many shots to capture the entire falls from the precipice to the splash pool from where I was st ing on the observation deck,” he said. “The results are stunning.”
All the matted framed prints in the exhibit are made with archival inks paper by the photographer, with the exception of the Multnomah falls panorama, which was printed by a lab. The prints also are available in a variety of sizes, both framed unframed. Purchase one of the framed prints anytime during First Friday Art Walk weekend receive a 15 percent discount.
Gordon said he sees the camera as a tool to express his personal vision of emotional response to the beauty of the natural world. When not photographing the l scapes of Central Oregon, he is traveling to other parts of the state, the country the planet in search of images that reflect his appreciation of reverence for nature’s inspiring beauty.
“Through photography, I feel that I become part of the magic of nature,” he said. “It’s about being a participant, rather than merely an observer, in a singular unrepeatable moment when light, weather, location subject combine to produce a magical scene; a spark of eternity.”
Gordon has had several exhibits of his images in Bend, his photographs have been selected for display at Redmond-Bend Airport in several juried exhibits. He has self-published two books — Middle Earth: Magical Images of Central Oregon, Back to Brighton: A Collection of Images of a NYC Icon.
He has studied photography with nature photographers Art Wolfe William Neill.
Info: www.chasingthelight.zenfolio.com, 541-306-8711, aikistu@bendcable.com.