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http://www.danielrootphotography.com/blog/

Meet me over there!

Dan

"The Sky's the Limit" Exhibition at PDX

If you find yourself with some extra time at Portland International Airport (PDX), talk a walk over to Concourse A, near the boarding gates for Alaska and Horizon Airlines. I have nine matted prints on display. Six were taken with my digital SLR camera, and the three other prints are diptychs of images taken with my iPhone.

My work was selected, along with six other photographers living in Oregon and SW Washington, as part of an exhibition called "The Sky's the Limit," which is being sponsored by the Regional Arts and Culture Council based here in Portland. The exhibition is focusing on all aspects of aviation, air travel and airports.

The exhibition runs through the end of July. I don't want to give it all away, so here are a few samples of my work in the show.

Plane landing at San Francisco International Airport at dusk.

First flight of a young boy. Approach to Washington Dulles International Airport.

Leaving Denver International Airport, left. Arriving London Heathrow Airport, right. Both iPhone shots.

"Setting the Table" Exhibit

As some of you might know, myself and four other photographers joined together to form PhotoForce, a photographic collective. Last week we held an exhibition called, "Setting the Table," which was a pro bono photography project for Oregon Food Bank. Our goal was to raise awareness and support for Oregon Food Bank, by showing the cycle of food in Oregon and the impact that Oregon Food Bank has across the state. We estimated that we had about 400 people show up that night. If you did not know about it, or could not come, please check out some of the images here from the project.

So I would like to thank all of those that showed up to the event, and especially my fellow PhotoForce members, Lincoln Barbour, Brian Lee, Stuart Mullenberg, and Steven Scardina. These guys all are amazing photographers, and I feel so honored and grateful that they included me in this wonderful effort.

Here are two of my images from the show.

Caption: Nina Diouf, kitchen co-manager at Sisters of the road, stirs up the morning’s meals. Some customers pay the $1.25 the kitchen charges for a meal (25 cents more for a drink), but just as often they pitch in, emptying trash, cleaning tables, or doing whatever else is needed. For their toil, they receive $6 an hour in meal credits (just 15 minutes of sweeping, for instance, earns one credit) to either feed themselves or to donate to a family in need or someone too disabled to work.

Caption: In 2009, Montecucco farms co-owners and brothers Brian and Jason Montecucco donated 25 tons of beets, or five percent of the annual yield; here, Brian holds a few pounds’ worth of a recent harvest. “It’s simple,” says Jason. “people need food. We have it. We give away what we can’t sell. And while it may not be good enough for the market, it’s good. It’s what we eat at home.”

Here are some pictures from the night of the exhibition by another wonderful Portland, Oregon, photographer, Andrea Lorimor, who volunteered her time and effort to come up with some great images from the last Thursday night.

A Cross Country Race

Last Saturday was a very cold December day here in Portland. Really cold. Frost on the ground, ice on the windshield, three layers of clothing cold. A great day to grab the cameras and head out at 6:30 am to Portland Meadows, which is a horse racing track. No, I was not betting on the ponies. In fact, I was betting on getting some really nice images of a field of 22 seven-person clubs and an additional 45 individual competitors, both male and female, running in three cross country races sponsored by Nike. This is the second year I have shot the Nike Cross Nationals. I love this event. And my main goal both times was not to so much document the race, but bring back images that gave you, the viewer, a more personal and up close view of the competitors, the track, and the feel of the event. Did I mention it was cold?

Clowning Around for Good Causes

Shooting parties and events are not at the top of my list of things I like to shoot, but once in a while a good cause comes onto my radar screen and I toss that aside, and I sign up. Last Saturday night I had the extreme pleasure of doing some pro bono work for the Oregon Food Bank's annual Oregon Harvest Dinner fundraiser. I was joined by fellow photographer and friend Steve Scardina. We had a blast. The entertainment was great, as depicted in the picture above, and they raised a lot of money. Giving back to one's community always feels great and I want to thank Amber and Jamie from the Oregon Food Bank for following me around and carrying what I call my "strobe on a stick." It was really fun to document this great event.

And now my pitch. Right now hunger is a major problem facing many families. So please, if you can, make a donation in either time, money or food to the Oregon Food Bank. They are the hub of a statewide network of over 900 hunger-relief agencies in Oregon and SW Washington. Plus, they throw nice parties.

A River Runs Through Me

Morning light on the canyon walls as Guide Brian Silvey passes us the first day with his two clients.

When September rolls around I get a very anxious feeling, because I know it is time for my annual three-day float down the Deschutes in search of summer steelhead. I don't make it a secret that I am addicted to fly fishing for steelhead. Guilty as charged. This year I went with my good friend and guide extraordinaire Matt McCrary. Usually you can find him on the Deschutes guiding clients and teaching them the fine art of using a spey rod. This time it was just play-fishing for him and myself. We hooked five fish and landed four, in case anyone cares about fishing stats. But the best thing for me was hanging out with my good friend Matt, camping out under the stars, and standing in the river in hopes of hooking a fish while I marveled at the awesome scenery. Mr. McCray has become my steelhead fishing mentor, and this trip I really got schooled (in a good way) by him. It involved a few cold Hamm's beers, staying up too late in front of the Colemam lantern, watching copious amounts of caddis bugs commiting harakiri in the flame, and him explaining to me why it is not about how many fish you catch, but how one decides to experience fishing as an act of connection with all of the elements that determines the real results of a day on the river. I'll just leave it at that, because what is said in camp, stays in camp. But what I can say is that fishing, like life, is all about the journey traveled and the things you encounter along the way, and the not about the destination. It was a great journey!

The view from the river at sunset. This panorama was created with my iPhone. I don't wade the river with my good camera.

Boils and rapids along the way. Kinda like life.

The White River above us in Maupin decided to spew out some glacial silt, so I did some portraits of Matt McCrary while we waited for the river to clear.

The final resting place of our nocturnal camping friends. RIP.

Oh yes, we did catch some fish. Matt holds one of the four caught for my quick and dirty iPhone camera. This one was mine, but Matt caught and hooked all the others. He is da' man!

Manchester United Premier Cup 2009

I know it has been awhile since I last posted here, but I have been buried in Photoshop work after covering the 2009 Manchester United Premier Cup World Finals in Manchester, UK. Seven days of shooting, that started on August 2nd, almost 15,000 clicks of the camera, and almost 800 final images. This was an under fifteen soccer event that comprised of twenty of some of the best U-15 teams from around the world. The final game gets played at Old Trafford, which is the legendary home pitch of Manchester United. If you want to see more of my work, and read more about the tournament, here is a link:

http://www.manchesterunitedpremiercup.com/

What I have posted here are some of my favorite photos, that although they are not great action shots, these are the types of shots that enrich the my soul when I capture them. They are not always the most obvious, but to me they speak volumes about what it might feel like for the participants.

Cheers!