Love the bounty of good eating that is Portland. Roe, Catagna, Ava Gene's are all vying for most buzz in the city these days (case in point, I have photographed all of them at least twice). But there are a plethora of others out there for those of us that hate waiting in line. So many choices in fact that it is nice that Willamette Week's Restaurant Guide helps narrow things down (or maybe simply make you aware of all the possibilities). Now go forth and chew.
Portland
Farm to Table, Pop-up Restaurant with Will Priesch for Portland Monthly Magazine
With just 10 stools and a rented kitchen, Will Preisch presents a pop-up vision of high-end eating: casual, personal, and thrilling. Want to make it to one of these amazing feasts? Called holdfast dinners, Will describes them as such, "holdfast is a “pop-up” restaurant operating out of kitchencru, a commissary kitchen and culinary incubator in nw portland. holdfast is a refined dining concept - not refinement in the sense of luxury - just pared down to what we consider to be the essentials of a wonderful meal; great food and drink, with excellent and unobtrusive service in a casual atmosphere. this is our opportunity to cook and feed people outside of the trappings of a traditional restaurant. clean. thoughtful. primitive. modern." Looked pretty delightful to me, and Portland Monthly.
The Visually Impaired get hands on with a Tiger
in in print, on assignment, people, reportage
Did a fascinating and crazy story awhile back for the Wall Street Journal about the Oregon Zoo. In seems the zoo anesthetizes its tigers every few years to do check ups. Well someone had the idea to add a bunch of visually impaired children to this scenario. I can just imagine the conversation where someone pitches this idea. But somebody pitched and somebody agreed and the result was both amazing and surreal. Swarms of people touching the paws, whiskers, even the tongue, of a 235-pound Siberian named Nikki. Meanwhile the big cat is being shaved, having blood drawn, getting its temperature taken (and yes, you are correct about where the thermometer was placed). Really a once in a lifetime experience not only for the children, but for myself. Oh, and the tiger.
Snow and Science Double Dip - On Assignment for the NYT's
A funny sort of twist of fate that I ended up on two section fronts for the Sunday New York Times last week. One was the Travel Cover, which ran a story I shot last year about backcountry skiing in Oregon. This involved me learning to backcountry on the job, while attempting not to kill my cameras (this is a mission I failed). Huge thanks to Three Sisters Backcountry for ensuring I didn't die. The second was for Sunday Business, a profile of intel's director of user experience research, Dr. Genevieve Bell. Not everyday you get to a bond with a robot and roam the halls of Intel.
Two very different projects, both ones that pushed me as a photographer. Which is what I love about working for The Grey Lady. Plus, I'm not gonna lie, seeing your pictures printed huge is kinda cool too.
Nursing My Camera - A Night in the ER for Portland Monthly Magazine
in in print, on assignment, people, reportage
Spent a full 12 hours at the Legacy Emanuel ED (because it's a whole department of emergency, not just a room) for Portland Monthly's Photo Essay: Trauma Night. Having grown up on Eugene Richard's Knife and Gun Club, I had visions of what awaited me and so approached the assignment with a mix of anticipation and fear. His days of roaming the hospitals are long gone because of HIPPA, but the access I did get was almost unprecedented and a deal-with-the-devil was made that no one but the staff could be recognizable in the images. From 3pm to 3am on an atmospheric Friday evening I follow around the very pregnant and badass trauma nurse, Jennifer Parker. I scribble notes as she says things like, "Her leg might never be the same," during a three-hour surgery of a gunshot-wound victim. I stand in the corner documenting as more than 10 hospital staff dash around a patient unfortunate enough to have shot herself. "Do you want to see the bullet?" asks one of the many players, "How about a piece of her small intestine we had to remove?" I agree to both, always unsqueamish when in photographer mode.
That is just a taste of what I see over the course of the evening, which also includes car crashes, stitches, vomit, cat scans, and full ensembles of blue. Jennifer is hardly phased, for her this is a typical night, and a relatively uneventful one at that. At one point she has to restrain a woman who is clearly intoxicated “NOW STOP THAT. Stop acting like a child. You want this to look pretty don’t you?” Intermediately gruff and soothing, Parker contends with the female patient who requires stitches after suffering a facial laceration from being hit by a car. “It took three of us to do a repair a 3-year-old should have been able to handle,” Parker says. In one year the hospital’s emergency department treats about 40,000 patients—around 110 per day. Only two Oregon hospitals, Emanuel and OHSU, are designated Level 1 trauma centers, equipped and staffed to provide the highest level of care to acutely sick and badly injured people. These two hospitals take in patients from across the state via ambulance and helicopter.
After 3am, I remove my scrubs and ask Jenn if I can walk to her car to document the end of her evening. She demurs, having a few more things to make right and a few more people to tend to, unable just yet to let go.
What I Learned - Portland Monthly Gets Inside Schools
There is nothing like spending a few days back in high school to make you take a little stock in your life. As I creep up on my 20 (unbelievable) year reunion, I think back to that time, fondly I guess. But I am also struck by how much cooler kids today seem. Do I blame the internet? Cable TV? Back then couldn't see and didn't know too much past my own town and these kids can access the world in their pocket. Does that make them happier? More worldly? Or more weighted down? Things definitely seem a lot more complicated now then they did back in 1993. If you are feeling the need for a little teenage angst revisited, check out a slideshow of Lincoln, Catlin Gabel and Century High Schools, which I shot last year for Portland Monthly Magazine. And you can read the whole story here.
The Traveling Cantor, Jack Falk - For the NYTs
in in print, on assignment, people
Photographed the charming Jack Falk for the New York Times for a story on traveling cantors. Congregations that are too small to have their own will bring him in for the High Holidays. Jack kept me entertained with jokes and even sang for me a bit. I was basically loving life until I was dive bombed by wasps. Clearly camera shy, they were not interested in having their picture taken. My hand blew up to about hulk size. Fortunately, Jack's wife was nice enough to give me a poultice to take the swelling down and I was able to carry on. It's rough out their sometimes, even for God's chosen people.
The Artist Known as Joe Sacco
in in print, on assignment, people
Joe Sacco let me invade his home for a recent portrait for the NYTimes.com. Pretty amazing to say that your job is a cartoonist, I mean, who actually has that job besides him and maybe Charles Schulz. Love that light cutting across his face from the blinds and it is always tickles me how many different images you can take from the same room. Joe just smiled indulgently and told me stories of his father while I circled him. Joe started in journalism, which, as a recovering newspaper photographer, is near and dear to my heart. Just recently crashed his house again for a holiday party, where Joe was DJing and making a mean hot toddy. What a renaissance man.
Happy Campers, Pickathon 2013
in lifestyle, on assignment, people
Every August for the past 15 years a magical event called Pickathon takes place just outside of Portland. Four days of music, camping, beer drinking and general good times spill out onto Pendarvis farm. Not only is there amazing music at 6 stages tucked all over the woods but it is also the only large outdoor music festival in the United States to eliminate single use dish ware, cups (thanks to Klean Kanteen) and utensils. Plastic free since 2010 they also compost and use renewable energy. I was given the official job of photographic 'roamer' which basically means wander around and shoot whatever makes the event cool. See ya there in 2014.
Shooting Bikes and Brew for Travel Oregon
I spent a sunny day chasing down bikes and brews in Portland for Travel Oregon. Not sure which this town is more obsessed about. But while contemplating this I managed to hit three breweries before the sun went down....Coalition Brewing Co., Hair of the Dog, and Apex Bar with more than 50 beers on tap. Hey, it's a tough job but someone has to do it.
NYT - Artist Chris Johanson
in in print, on assignment, people
Artist Chris Johanson posed at home for me, and the New York Times. Chris is low key but is making big waves with a monograph out this year on his work out from Phaidon. Such an interesting guy, sweet, quirky, with a knack for saying things unlike anyone I'd ever heard. Example. Instead of saying, "Should I smile?" he says, "I'm feeling happiness now, would you like me to show it?" Perfect. His home was crammed with art (a man after my own) most of which he had swapped with his fellow countrymen, all of which had a story. Spent about 45 minutes with him and then an extra 30 with that cookie cutter, figuring out the best way to shoot the damn thing (note: kitchen background most successful). When I finished and am out the door, Chris peeks his head out of his front door and says, "You have a nice way about you. I had fun."
Aw schucks.
Bad Habit Room - Saraveza - Portland Event Space Photography
A good friend of mine Mickey, who is the party planner guru at Saraveza in North Portland asked me to photograph their fabulous event space, Bad Habit, for their new website. My partner in crime, Christopher Onstott and I photographed the space empty and then again for an engagement party. And since we ended up falling in love with the place, stay tuned for our upcoming party there! Maybe we'll put you on the list...
Cheap Eats, Not Cheap People
I love shooting for the Willamette Week Cheap Eats Guide every year. Perhaps because it is so in line with my sensibilities. Those who know me, know I have a reputation for being a bit....thrifty (I find that word has a bit more dignity than cheap). And here I have a whole guide that says, "Hey Leah, it's ok you drink pabst. We get you." Some of the tasty highlights include Boke Bowl, Baowry, Helser's, the mini-food world that is Ocean and the new, but very popular kid on the block, Bar Dobre. Plus, I got to shoot the cover, which I always love. Can't beat that poppy yellow background (also known as poster board). Thanks to Lela's Bistro for providing the local and the slurpable noodles. 
Farm to Table at Noble Rot
Hung out at Noble Rot, the restaurant above the city and their kick ass rooftop garden, which was totally amazing, as was the weather. Chef and owner of not only the restaurant but the best rock star name ever, Leather Storrs, gave me a tour. Then he picked our lunch from the roof, got to cooking and I fought writer Lynne Curry for the spoils of our labor. Or rather of his. But whatever.
Eat and Drink - OX - Portland Monthly
I had the pleasure of photographing Argentine-inspired Ox, One of Portland's newest and hottest restaurants for Portland Monthly's Eat and Drink section. Anytime I can shoot a portrait when someone is holding an ax, I'm pretty stoked. Luckily, Ox husband and wife owners Gabrielle Quinonez Denton and Greg Denton seemed to share my sentiment.
Bob Moore, baddest 82-year-old ever.
God bless us, each and every one.
in on assignment, people
So for the last two years I have been volunteering my services at the Downtown Chapel. They do lots of great stuff for the most marginalized members of society, i.e. the homeless, including the Portrait Project which started in 2007. It goes like this, over the course of four days in December their guests and volunteers are invited to get a portrait taken by moi or another fabulous shooter like Jason Kaplan who also organizes the whole thing. Then, a week before Christmas, the folks come back and get to pick up two 5"x7" color prints that they can give as gifts or keep for themselves. The Downtown Chapel even provides Christmas cards, stationary and postage for mailing portraits to family and friends. Cool right? Wanna feel even more warm and fuzzy? Check out their slideshow from last year. I have to say, this has become one of my favorite parts of the holiday season. I always go in there thinking, ok, here I am, doing my volunteer work, giving back, aren't I so virtuous, blah, blah, blah. But man if I don't feel like I got the gift at the end of it. I get to connect, make people laugh and hopefully give them a few minutes to feel seen and heard.
Cuz' everybody likes a little attention.
Especially around the holidays.
Olympic Provisions | A well-lit haven of meat.
Recently photographed Olympic Provisions in the SE industrial area of Portland for the Finder section of Willamette Week. They have bequeathed themselves with the title "American Charcuterie." Oh, I love the hipsters of Portland, never taking themselves too seriously. I will say that it is a beautiful space, the food is quite fancy and tasty and owner/Salumist Elias Cairo is a doll. He let me into the super secret and protected back area to check out the shiny and pungent meat. The only requirement was that I had to wear a white jacket and a rakish sailor style white paper cap (that I got to keep for my very own). Who knew sausage could look so fabulous, plus OP is Oregon’s first USDA certified meat-curing facility, so that's pretty cool too.
