Journal
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Self Doubt as a Creative
The journey through the creative desert The blessing and curse of creativity might seem to those on the outside a form of insanity. Why be driven to capture images at one instance, and suffer from creative block the next? It’s a internal discussion I’ve had with myself for years, especially since the pandemic lockdowns when…
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The Russian Princess
Street Photography came to me late in my over 35+ years as a documentary & street photographer and photojournalist. I initially started in newspaper photojournalism as a self taught photographer. My transition to working as a documentary photographer was inspired by the Day In The Life Of photo book projects in the 80’s and the…
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I’m back on social media after a break
“Social media use has been linked to depression, anxiety and loneliness. Recent studies referenced by The Child Mind Institute and The National Center for Health Research suggest people who frequently use social media feel more depressed and less happy with life than those who spend more time on non-screen-related activities.” Today marks the one year anniversary of an experiment…
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Abandoned Car Repair Shop Sign
While driving back from a shoot out of town, I decided to drive down old highway 99 which parallels Interstate 5. Passing through the small farm town of Halsey, Oregon, I stopped and walked around a little to capture what I saw with my camera I came across an abandoned auto repair shop and from…
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A boy and his wagon
Digging through my archives I came across this image from my half day family documentary photo session for Alyssa Rogers in 2018 and remembered that I had originally made it a black and white image but as I looked at it more, I realized that it was better suited in color. It was in autumn…
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Painted Hills: Where Nature is Art
I’ve lived in Oregon since 1970 and had never seen this part of the state. While on an extended vacation with my sweetie where we set up our teardrop trailer in Sisters, Oregon as home base for our planned day trips, we made the drive to the Painted Hills National Monument just outside of the…
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![A Colorful Start Fine Art Print - Photo by Cliff Etzel]()
A Colorful Start
Recently I made a drastic shift in the camera gear I shoot with and after running an errand, I went about 5th Street Public Market area in Eugene, Oregon to test out a couple of my newly acquired lenses. There was a display of a bright yellow pickup truck and a sculpture and thought this…
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A Quiet Lunch
While walking back to my car after shooting a paid project in Albany, Oregon, I happened upon this moment – what struck me was the contrast of blue and red, and that the person sitting was wearing all blue as well which accented the blue in the dining area. Adding to the moment was the…
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When being patient pays off
I’ve driven by this spot so many times without giving it a second thought. Recently I drove by and saw the potential for an image and knew I needed to come back and wait for that decisive moment. In a spur of the moment decision, I went back on a day when it had stopped…
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Reaching to the sky
When you see what appears to be a perfect image and being ready to capture it. There is an explosion of construction occurring in my home town of Eugene Oregon. The amount of multilevel buildings being built is pretty astonishing considering Eugene has stayed relatively quiet on that front but it seems there are those…
