Pacific Northwest Roadtrip

In the summer of 2023, me and three other photographer friends embarked on a roadtrip together from Portland up to Vancouver Island and Seattle. It was my first time in the Pacific Northwest and it was my first time on the road with this group of people. We did not even know each other very well. We had met a couple of times at photography events and sort of felt like we got along well, but going from this relatively vague feeling to spending 10 days in a car and small motel rooms together was certainly a risk.

The first stop of our journey was the famous Cannon Beach. A car full of photographers –– we knew we were not allowed to come back from this trip without at least one photo of the iconic Cannon Beach rock.

It is one of those places, you kind of dread going to, because you know you’ll just take the exact same photo as everyone else but you also know you’ll be standing there, looking through your viewfinder and understand why.

When we arrived, I took off my shoes, stepped onto the sand and started walking towards the ocean. We got there just in time for sunset, after leaving Portland in the morning and I felt like I was taking a breath for the first time in months. Instantly, with the first step, I felt my body getting overwhelmed with emotions and I could smell the salty ocean in front of me and feel a salty tear rising up to my eyes, looking at the scene. I ended up taking not just one obligatory rock photo but tons of different shots of the scene. It really is a special place and it was the perfect kick-off for our 10 day roadtrip through the Pacific Northwest.

A Block of Black and White

When I choose to shoot in Black and White it can be due to several  different reasons. Firstly, the sun may be really strong, casting intense shadows, drawing my eyes to the contrasts of the scene. A second reason could be that it is the textures of the scene that catch my eye, which I am able to highlight much better with a black and white film. And finally, it is possible that it has nothing to do with the scene at all, but I am simply feeling a little moody and melancholic internally, urging me to express the emotion through black and white photography. I am pretty sure that on this very afternoon, on the shore of the Pacific, all of the above played into the choice of shooting on Black and White film – Potsdam Kino film, to be precise. I remember, all four of us broke apart and started wandering around this beach on our own, not talking to each other, just exploring this place for ourselves, with our respective cameras. I thought it was a lovely moment because no one needed to announce needing some alone time, it somehow was an unspoken understanding, we were all on the same page, yet individually in our own respective stories.

Cape Disappointment

The hike to this spot was breathtaking every step of the way. The bays, the woods, the views, the sparkling water. Every scene screamed at us to take pictures. Once we arrived at the Cape Disappointment with it’s beautiful old lighthouse, we knew we had found the spot we needed to come back to for sunset. And so we did, captured some of my favorite photos of the entire trip. The walk back through the pitch black forrest was a slightly different, less romantic story.

Oh, and for he record:

Cape Disappointment not so disappointing, really.

There’s something about ferries.

McDreamy was on to something in the early 20s Grey’s Anatomy when he confessed to his obsession with ferry boats. I sort of got it then, seeing it on TV and I definitely get it now, having taken several ferries throughout our trip in the Pacific Northwest. They’re a special place, somehow even more so in this particular climate and landscape, creating a very unique feeling, I started obsessing over trying to capture in my photos. There’s something about the fact that you’re taking ferries as a means of transportation, a necessity to get from A to B and yet it feels like a little mini-vacation. Ferries feel much slower than our usual methods of transportation, and in turn they slow you down just as much. You’re not seeing the world race by through the window. Instead, you’re right there in the world, feeling the wind in your hair, looking out into the nothingness of the infinite ocean. You put down your luggage, close your computer and wait.

Random Small Towns

The best thing about roadtrips is stopping in random small towns you would have never planned to visit, park the car and just walk around.

After taking a hike in the woods, we passed this beat up car on the side of the road. Naturally, we felt the need to stop and check it out up close. At the same time I felt a little spooked by the gun shot holes on the side of the car. Sometimes small towns feel even scarier than big cities, especially when finding abandoned scenes like this one. It was probably just a memorabilia of a youthful drunk night. Or so I told myself in order to dare to walk up close and take this shot.

Some reds along the way

Cars and Cokes and Roses and Rides.

Thank you David, Jason and Caleb for an unforgettable roadtrip. One of the best risks I’ve taken.