Ground Breaking - A Short Salem Story

This was written in honor of the NEW ground breaking at Riverfront Park, for the Minto-Brown Island Bridge - I give you this first hand (slightly satirical, but true) account from viewpoint of an 8th grader of the Riverfront Park ground breaking.

Judson Middle School Concert Band, Director Shira Fadeley

It was Spring of 1994, and our middle school band was asked to play for the most important event many of us had played in our lives, up to that point -- the 1st Salem Riverfront Park ground breaking ceremony*. Now it seems adorable how excited we were, but at the time it was historic; monumental even.

Sitting in the low brass section of the Judson Middle School band, for such a central community ground-breaking ceremony, was very exciting for 13-year-old me. I remember everyone was trying to be on their best behavior. But, you know how it is with overly excited middle-schoolers. We needed a reminder every 30 seconds to settle down. What can I say? We didn't get out much? :-)

The highlight of everyone's conversation was the Boise Cascade donated acid ball. What was it going to be? Many had heard it would be an art project, and talked about how exciting that would be. Most of my band mates were a little concerned with the term "acid ball". I mean, acid + ball = what-unknown-horrors? Of course some of that confusion was cleared up on the carpool ride home by my Dad, but it caused quite a bit of controversy among us very P.C. '90s era kids.

At the moment of ground-breaking, it became too hard to keep the excitement in. This was happening, an historic moment. (Remember, thirteen years old.) So, I did what any dorky 8th grader with too big an imagination would do. I unscrewed the bell of my trombone, and waited for the precise moment of action. When the mayor struck ground with his shovel, my trombone bell also struck earth. Yes, Mom and Dad, I used my old Yamaha student model trombone as a shovel... briefly.

Me, center, playing with the Judson Concert Band at the ground-breaking ceremony, 1994

In my defense, I thought the whole act would be symbolic and "stuff". At least I had fun! Plus, it didn't do any damage, nor did anyone notice. It did make the trombone bell quite dusty. To whomever owns that little trombone now, you own a piece of Salem history.


*NOTES There was another dedication ceremony in 1996... Yeah, we felt a little less important after that, but still, it was very nice to be invited to play at such an important city event at such young ages. Thank you.

Street Photography: Construction On Skyline, and a Challenge

Street photography is difficult down in my neighborhood. It's just a nice, lazy suburb, and I don't like to bother my neighbors too much with my lens in their faces. Maybe I'm too nice or too timid, but I tend to stick to photographing nature around my home, because that is what I am comfortable with, and honestly, it's what I see when I look out the window.

Lately we've had an ongoing construction project close by. An entire street is closed to thru traffic for the Summer, and was for a good part of the Spring too. After a while, this project got me thinking more in-depth about urban photography. Street photography doesn't have to be just city dwellers on the street, living the city life, it can be snippets of still life brought about by change in the neighborhood. After all, "Art is not what you see, but what you make other's see," as the French Impressionist Edgar Degas so aptly said.

So here is my challenge to other local (and non-local) photographers. Look for art in the unexpected, and show your unique point of view through your work, whether it is a road construction project, farming or garden work, misplaced shoes, or a speed boat out on the water.... Below are some of my pieces from the construction site.

UPDATE July 4, 2015: for more street photos please visit my Flickr albums, River Front Park and Downtown Salem

Places To Take Your Own Family Portraits In Salem, Oregon

The Best Places To Take Your Own Family Portraits In Salem Oregon

or How to Avoid Bokeh Roulette

Saturday afternoon I was asked what the best places to take your own family photos in Salem were. I thought about where I would go if I were going on a photo shoot for a family portrait in early Fall and mentioned places with gorgeous trees and warm scenery. I suggested a few places; a couple that are a 15 minute drive outside of town but are gorgeous this time of year and my two go-to parks for central Salem photographic beauty, Deepwood and Bush Park. Then I went out to do some shooting myself and that's when I realized my mistake.

I drove out to Bush Park, staying on the NE corner, near Deepwood, and then crossing over into Deepwood Estate. I'm a member of Deepwood, like many other Salem photographers. It is my favorite place in Salem to take photos, hands down. The only downside is, it is everyone else's favorite spot too. When you go, a photo shoot turns into a game of "stay out of each others background." Or Bokeh Roulette, as I like to call it.

I was able to get some decent shots, but it wasn't the same as having the park to yourself, as I often do, on a weekday afternoon. However, if you are on a shoot with someone who has a 9 to 5, or even 3 to midnight M-F job, a weekday afternoon isn't an easy option. So after the stress of my favorite Salem parks, it was time to think outside the park box.

Here are the places that thinking outside of the box took me, plus some other potential family portrait ideas:

1. State St. - On one side is Willamette University's beautiful campus, on the other side is Wilson Park and the Capitol. There can be a few people here, but the good news is there are so many trees, plants, statues, brick walls, and waterways that you are sure to find a backdrop that is people free.
And if the university or government buildings look too foreboding for a family photo, aim for a fluffy sequoia tree or Mill Stream with its adorable ducks as the background. Or, wait until spring for the flowers to bloom. There is never a bad season (except maybe Winter) to take photos here because of the varied plants and trees and with two campuses to choose from you will not run out of backdrops for your photos.

2. Pringle Park - If you are at Deepwood and Bush Park and having no luck, head on over to Pringle Park for some peace and quiet (as long as a Frisbee game is not on). This little green space is near the hospital and it is conveniently situated by a trail that goes into downtown for further exploration. The park itself, is filled with lush greenery and is inset by lovely concrete bridge work from an earlier decade and Pringle Creek gently flows from downtown to the side of the park and eventually to Deepwood Estate.

3. Downtown Murals - There are beautiful green spaces in Salem & Keizer everywhere if you just know where to look. But what if you want color and a city feel to your photos? My second favorite place in Salem to photograph is downtown, and not just for street photography. Each alley-way has new and old art formally and informally installed as well as beautiful vines creeping up the sides of vintage brick walls. I remember using the vines in high school for practicing portrait photography. Find an alley-way you like, be aware of service vehicles, and shoot away. Each alley is unique. Pick one that best expresses your family's style.

honorable mentions.... Ankeny NWR View Point - Take Liberty all the way out South until you reach Ankeny Hill Rd (stay left for hill view, straight for wetlands) HILL VIEW: There is a view point just up the hill, with a giant Oak tree  (boo! it died) , (still) beautiful views and light. WETLANDS: There are several spots on Liberty and nearby roads with access to the wetlands area. On the left, coming from Salem, is the main wetlands lot.
I highly recommend timing your photo shoot for an hour to two hours before sunset on a day with low haze/dust and a couple clouds in the sky. You will not be disappointed.
Joryville County Park - is a beautiful nature hike, with many scenic areas to take small group photos both at the bottom of the hill and at the top. Directions: 14 miles out Liberty Road, then two miles to Jory Road, then one mile west to park entrance
Willamette Mission State Park - Is an expansive, but beautiful park out past Keizer on the Willamette River. It costs $5 for the day, but if you bring a picnic lunch and spend sometime exploring, it is well worth the cost. There are many beautiful areas to take photos. My favorites are the tree groves.

Related articles...

Salem, Oregon's Places To Photograph

Bush's Pasture Park, Salem, Oregon - photo by Lisa Miller

Drawing EatSalem: Local Food Inspired Doodles

This is a piece I wrote back in 2014.

--I'm going to let you all in on a little secret, the person who runs the EatSalem.com twitter & facebook accounts was on vacation recently. Normally when that happens, another contributor will help out...my sister and myself did this time around.

Within the first few minutes my artistic side was inspired by the wonderfully composed images of food and beverages coming through the Eat Salem feed. In between posts, I started drawing...doodles mostly. I usually only draw for myself, so I wouldn't expect anything too...well, I had fun! Let's leave it at that!

More food inspired drawings...

Photography in Minto-Brown Island City Park, Salem, OR

Like many other people who grew up in Salem, Oregon, I've spent countless hours at Minto-Brown Island city park. As a kid I road my bike there, I had my senior pictures taken among the long gone fields of sunflowers, and as an adult the park has turned into the perfect place  for me to relax, exercise, and work on my photography.

At 899 acres, Minto-Brown Island Park is about 50 acres larger than Central Park in New York, and soon to be bigger with the expansion and the bridge work. Most of the land was comprised of two working farms up until the 1970s and parts of the park have since been a working city farm and tree groves owned by paper companies. Today, the park is protected by federal grants that protect and restore flood plains and wetlands. With so much history, and many hidden artifacts telling each story, there is so much to discover at this beautiful, expansive park.

The park is so complex, so beautiful and ever-changing that one day, as my boyfriend and I were taking photos of the park, I realized we can't be the only ones. There were others, just like us, roaming the park with cameras in hand, taking photos of green things, birds, and pretty sunsets. That night I searched Flickr, an online photo sharing site, and found I was right. There WERE others taking gorgeous shots of the very same park. So I started a group and invited everyone I could find to join. and what resulted is this. It is an ever-changing collection of how nature and art photographers see the park. My favorite part about the group is how the images change with the seasons. You can see with the archived photos, how the park changes through the year, and it is beautiful.

Minto-Brown Island Flickr Group

New members always welcome! 

(Signup with Flickr is easy, specially if you have a Yahoo account of any kind.)

Street Art In Salem

Update, 1/26/2014
Adorable bits of art are everywhere in Salem, I just didn't know where to look. I have photo photo on film, but I need to get a good scan before I can post it. So more on that later. :) I found this scary wall monster yesterday while checking out the old apartment window mural.

Original Article, 12/2/2013
There isn't a lot of impromptu street art in Salem. I'm not condoning vandalism* , but unexpected beauty is still beauty and its fun to capture it when it happens.This post will be dedicated to photos of art that is a part of the city. Statues and sculptures are beautiful works of art, I'm not dismissing them. I just want to highlight the more creative ways art is integrated into the city. These are more fleeting moments of art, because many are taken down or made of materials that can't stand up to the elements. As fleeting as they might be, they are still marks of humanity and imagination; maybe even a peek into another world, and deserve to be admired as art.

*Vandalism is the act of deliberately destroying or damaging property as per the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. In some cases it is up to each individual person to decide what "damage" means to them and also what "beauty" or "art" means to them. Just some food for thought.

Update, 12/6/2013: Looks like I need to get downtown again! Someone is yarn bombing downtown light posts*. :) If anyone knows more of these projects please let me know so I can get out there and photograph them.

*See below for the photos I took of the yarn bombing on the block of Liberty downtown.

Salem, Oregon's Places To Photograph

**Please practice safe social distancing and wear masks as well as sanitize hands if going out.**

This list is a work in progress  I'd been thinking lately that I need a physical list of places in Salem (Oregon) I want to photograph. Salem has many beautiful landscapes and landmarks, but I keep forgetting the cool little places I mean to go back to, especially the once a year or seasonal events I miss for various reasons.

Places To Photograph Around The Salem Area

Places I Want To Photograph

• Abandoned "bean bus" on Fairview Industrial Dr (morning light only)
• Abbey at Mt Angel 
• City of Dallas, and surrounding farms
• Couch Races at Davenport Days (summer)
• Fairview Hospital (this one is iffy, can you legally photograph it?)
• Farm land around Cordon Rd (magic hour)
• Frank Lloyd Wright house at the Oregon Gardens (Summer/fall)
• Great Oregon Steam Up, In Brooks (summer)
• Mission Mill (museum and grounds, winter for best light before closing)
• Oak Grove Church, West Salem (different seasons, not sure of best light)
• Oktober Fest in Mt Angel (early fall/late summer)
• Oregon Gardens (spring/summer)
• Silverton - dowtown (spring/summer or fall)
• Spring Valley Community Center (morning or before the sun goes over the hill, 5pm late summer)
• Spring Valley State Park (mid spring & for birding)
• World Beat Festival (River Front Park, summer)

In addition, I've found these helpful websites of historic places to check out.

http://www.salemoregon.com/historichomes/
http://salem-heritage-network.blogspot.com/

The pioneers, Oregon State Capitol - photo by Lisa Miller

Places Around Salem I Have Photographed

• Ankeny NWR (great for short hikes! or birding)
• Baskett Slough NWR (more difficult, but great hike)
• Bush House and gardens
• Bush Park - Camas Field (spring)
• Campus at the Department of Forestry (Spring - camas, Summer - ? not done, Fall - forest & creek)
• Capitol Building and Golden Pioneer
• Church St & State St (fall color)
• Croisan Meadow Loop hiking trail
• Darrow Bar, cute hike (winter for snow on branches, birding; I've done Fall, it's beautiful!) 
• Deepwood Estate (Both inside and Out, Love, love, love this place)
• Downtown Salem alleyways (art/vines/old murals)
• Elsinore mural & Elsinore Theater
• Joryville County Park (beautiful hiking!, spring)
• McDonald Forest (near Corvallis, but still close, great hikes, old growth)
• Minto-Brown Island City Park & The old car wrecks at Minto-Brown Park (3 total)
• Oregon State Fair, rides at night, animals, street photography (late summer)
• Pringle Creek area
• Salem Sunday Streets (late summer)
• Silvercreek Falls State Park (fave for hikes, Spring, Summer & Fall - best!, Winter)
• Soap Box Derby (Bush Park, late summer)
• State Capitol Mall Cherry Trees (late march)
• Storm clouds & fir trees from Bryan Johnston Park 
• Sunset & view from Crestview Dr 
• US Bank Building, downtown  (great for black & white architecture)
• West Salem orchards & wineries in the hills - (beautiful landscapes)
• Willamette Mission State Park (the ghost mission, hikes)
• Willamette University Campus (fall for foliage, summer!)

Antique car wreck, Minto Island - photo by Lisa Miller

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Places To Take Your Own Family Portraits In Salem, Oregon