My Happy Place

I have seen countless images of the beautiful bonsai located at the Portland Japanese Garden in Oregon.  Most images look the same, while some look too “artistic” to my taste.  Don’t get me wrong, there are a few unusual good photos, but it was my turn to show the world what the tree looks like.

As I walked around the garden looking specifically for that tree, I’ve seen one small bonsai that kind of looked like the photos but not exactly.  I was thinking to myself “this can’t be it!” and kept on looking.  When I finally found it I had a big smile on my face, staring at one of the most beautiful trees in the United States of America.

I joined another photographer who was already there photographing the tree for several hours. Very nice guy and a great photographer, Kane Engelbert.  He was using a tripod (it says “no tripods” on their website) while I left mine in the car.  Suddenly one of the garden’s staff passed bye, a nice guy, who looked at us and smiled. He said “you’re exactly where you supposed to be. You make my heart warm”.  When he left I was surprised he didn’t comment about [Kane’s] tripod so [Kane] told me it costs $5 to bring in a tripod.

$5?? Hell yeah!!!! He was kind enough to let me use his tripod for a couple shots and then I ran to the car to grab my awesome Dolica tripod.  What a difference! So many  more creative opportunities!

We set there for a while, talking and photographing. At some point it started to rain so we were forced to take a short break. Shortly after that the shooting continued.  After dozens of photos from different angles and exposures it was about time to leave the garden and get the adventure going.

That stop was definitely worth the time and money. The garden is beautiful so you should visit there if you get the chance.

My Happy Place

My Happy Place description