It's already been eleven days since 2014 came to a close. Looking back on it, even with the good moments, the fun moments with friends, 2014 was one of the roughest, if not worst, years of my life. It was the year I lost a lot: I lost someone close to me, I lost my health, and certainly on less serious notes, I lost my favorite baseball player (good luck in Toronto, JD), as well as losing all of my passion and energy for photography (more on all of this later).
With all that being said, though, 2014 still proved to be a year where I was able to capture the beauty of life in the Pacific Northwest. There was rain and fog and even a snowstorm, as well as hot summer days. There were many great beers to be had, concerts to be seen, and friends to hang out with. Naturally, all of this is irrelevant, so on to the photos.
WINTER
January marked roughly the halfway point in my third year of architecture school. My studio for the next two and a half months: designing an expansion space for the Portland Art Museum. In Portland State's tried and true philosophy of embracing the theoretical aspect, each of us in the studio were instructed to become artists and produce one unique piece of artwork in a chosen media each day of the term. I chose block printing since I'd had experience working in it in high school. It quickly became expensive and frustrating, as evidenced by the night in January around 1 AM I decided to save money on blocks and do a print of my face:
By the end of the term, I was the only person who actually had a piece of art for each day. Not only that, I'd made three copies of each, and understandably, the rest of my studio detested me.
Two weeks into the term, I took the three day weekend to do a trip to Seattle. It just so happened to be the weekend of the NFC Championship between the Seahawks and the 49ers. I remember on the drive up finding myself in a massive caravan of California license plates half an hour outside of Olympia. That three day weekend was without a doubt the best weekend of 2014, and moreso than that, perhaps even one of the best trips I've ever taken.
The Warzone (18/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
By Crackey, What a View 2 (18/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Last Light on First Hill (18/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
The Streets of Seattle 6 (18/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
The Streets of Seattle 9 (18/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Above Jet City 2 (18/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
The Streets of Seattle 18 (19/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Smooth Reflections (19/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Game Day 1 (19/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Game Day 2 (19/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Game Day 3 (19/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Game Day 4 (19/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
The Streets of Seattle 26 (19/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Game Day 5 (19/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Game Day 7 (19/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
I was in West Seattle by Alki Beach when the game kicked off. I heard the roar of the crowd all the way on the other side of Elliott Bay, so as much as I hate the Seahawks, the Legion of Boom is pretty damn real. On the drive over, I passed the stadium. Every bar on 1st Avenue was packed with Seahawks fans, except for one. Apparently, several hundred Niners fans took over the sports bar nearest the stadium and put up Niners flags in the windows. What an interesting day to be in Seattle.
Across the Harbor 2 B&W (19/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Night From My Room (19/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
The Streets of Seattle 30 (20/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
I visited Steven Holl's Chapel of St. Ignatius at Seattle University. Whether you're religious or not, anyone with any interest in architecture will be left speechless by this chapel. No photos can portray the interior with a level of deserving quality, so here's the exterior.
Chapel of St. Ignatius 1 (20/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Flowers in the Window (20/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Above Jet City 10 (20/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
The sunset I saw at Kerry Park that final evening was one of the best sunsets I've ever seen in my life. It was like the sky was on fire from the brilliant orange glow of the sun sinking behind the Olympic Range. Not only that, but it was this sunset where I managed to take perhaps the best photo in my portfolio.
Race for the Shot 2 (20/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Kerry Park Sunset, One Year Later 1 (20/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Kerry Park Sunset, One Year Later 6 (20/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Kerry Park Sunset, One Year Later 8 (20/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
The rest of Winter Term was fun, exciting, and sometimes downright infuriating. On February 6th, though, Portland got an unexpected snowstorm that covered much of downtown in nearly six inches of snow. I'd never had a snow day before, and I'd never even really seen snow, so it was a perfect time to play baseball. Our hands started getting frostbit after about twenty minutes, though.
The snow left plenty of time to make study models, of course, since there's no way to escape architecture school.
Unfortunately, the fun of the snow faded fast. I woke up February 19th to a phone call that someone I cared about had passed. I flew home for a few days and returned in time to give my final studio presentation, which somehow went well since my idea wasn't very good, my model was unfinished, and most of what I had to show was 70 block prints.
SPRING
Hope springs eternal, though, and nothing felt better than spending a week at home for spring break. There ended up being a lot of basketball the next few months. However, I would have a spring term studio, something I'd never had before. I was used to spring term being easy so I could go outside and play tennis most of the day. This term, I would be designing a small church at a busy intersection. Ironically enough, in our precedent research, mine ended up being the Chapel of St. Ignatius, which meant a class trip to Seattle later in the term.
A Day at the Crocker (60/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
End of a Spring Day HDR (84/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
After the Storm Once More 2 HDR (87/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Got my picture taken with one of my childhood heroes, Vlade Divac. You're a liar if you say you found me in there.
Breaks in a Spring Rain 1 (114/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Studio Life 1 (120/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Studio Life 2 (120/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Studio Life 4 (120/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Springtime Cruise in the Hills 1 (121/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Another basketball break.
Blazers beat the Kings, because of course they did.
Back to Portland.
Springtime Cruise in the Hills 5 (121/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Springtime Cruise in the Hills 9 (121/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Springtime Cruise in the Hills 13 (121/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Springtime Cruise in the Hills 18 (121/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Studio Life 5 (126/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
As I mentioned earlier, we went back to Seattle in the middle of May as a class. I had some friends in that studio and also some people I just really can't stand (one of them being such a prick they put their cigarette out on the side of the chapel we were there to study). But hey, I made it another fun weekend in one of my favorite cities!
Olympia(n) Power 1 (129/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Surrounded By Skyscrapers 5 (129/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Mariners Baseball 2 (129/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Mariners Baseball 10 (129/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Mariners Baseball 15 (129/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Mariners Baseball 16 (129/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Lakeview Blvd Views 3 (130/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Threading the Sky 1 (130/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Gas Works Afternoon 7 (130/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
At the Bay's Edge 4 (130/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Sunset From Alki 3 (130/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Always Editing (130/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
First Avenue Northbound (131/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
I returned to Portland and had quite the interesting couple of weeks. I turned 21, saw one of my favorite musicians in concert (Hugh Laurie & the Copper Bottom Band), and had my final third year studio presentation.
My favorite part of spring, though, is Portland's Starlight Parade. It's this huge class parade with floats that goes through downtown the weekend after Memorial Day. I always find my way to a parking garage and camp out on the roof, watching the floats go by from above.
Sunset Before Starlight 1 (151/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Sunset Before Starlight 8 (151/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Sunset Before Starlight 17 (151/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Sunset Before Starlight 19 (151/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Sunset Before Starlight 21 (151/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Starlight 2014 2 (151/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Starlight 2014 5 (151/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Starlight 2014 9 (151/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Starlight 2014 12 (151/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Starlight 2014 14 (151/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
SUMMER
I spent most of summer in Portland taking summer classes. Usually, I'd spend the summer at home, taking the three months to relax in my natural habitat. I found Portland to be a lot more enjoyable without studio interfering, and there was a lot of fun that happened, like the World Cup and concerts. You'll start noticing that the amount of photos trails off here. This is when I started to not feel like taking photos, and a lot of that has to do with motivation. I became motivated to push myself into photography because when I started for fun, everyone told me I was shit. I kept at it to prove a point, and now, I don't feel like I have anything left to prove. It's a long story, just look at what photos did get taken during summer.
Light From Beyond the Hills 2 (169/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Light From Beyond the Hills 8 (170/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Warm Days of Summer 1 (219/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Warm Days of Summer 2 (219/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Warm Days of Summer 3 (219/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Warm Days of Summer 4 (219/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Warm Days of Summer 5 (219/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Portland Super Moon (222/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
I spent a lot of time drinking and watching the World Cup with friends, as well as the rest of the city.
I did get some time at home, which was great. I got to see Paul McCartney shut down Candlestick Park in San Francisco, I got to spend some time at the beach, and more than that, I got to finish summer seeing my Oakland A's . . . get killed by the Phillies.
Sunset Walk (251/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Sunset Bird (251/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
FALL
Guess where fall started? Yep, Seattle. I got a friend tickets to the last game of the season where he could see his Angels play (they lost. Sorry, Chris).
Westlake Avenue Redux (271/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Varying Heights (271/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Fall term marked the start of my final year of college. My studio that term was a neighborhood revitalization project . . . in Sacramento. Suddenly, I became the know-it-all, and gradually became detested by peers and professors alike. However, the fun was not to last.
Not even a week into the term, I ended up in the hospital with some serious symptoms. The doctors said based on the test they were doing, I had 50/50 odds of either walking out of there fine or getting prepped for emergency surgery. I hate hospitals, and after doing the testing, I was forgotten in a side exam room for three hours. I ended up spending the rest of the term in different doctors' offices, freaking out about my health and what could be going wrong. My grades tanked. I lost friends since I became increasingly unpleasant to be around. Every day became a nightmare of what could go wrong next.
Hey, on the bright side, I got to take my buddy to his first Jimmy Buffett concert!
The fall colors throughout Portland were also beautiful, and helped lighten my mood. I never made a thread with these fall photos, so this is all new material.
Looking Toward Portland 2 (299/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Central City Fall Colors 1 (299/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Central City Fall Colors 2 (299/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Central City Fall Colors 3 (299/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Central City Fall Colors 6 (299/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Guardian of the Hills (299/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Fall Shrubs (299/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Doom & Gloom Sunrise 1 (300/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Sunshine on an Autumn Morning (310/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Autumn Downtown Walk 1 (314/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Autumn Downtown Walk 2 (314/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Autumn Downtown Walk 3 (314/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Autumn Downtown Walk 6 (314/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Autumn Downtown Walk 7 (314/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Autumn Downtown Walk 9 (314/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Portland Hills, Fall 1 (315/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Portland Hills, Fall 2 (315/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Portland Hills, Fall 4 (315/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Portland Hills, Fall 6 (315/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Portland Hills, Fall 7 (315/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Portland Hills, Fall 8 (315/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Portland Hills, Fall 11 (315/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Portland Hills, Fall 12 (315/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Portland Hills, Fall 14 (315/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Portland Hills, Fall 15 (315/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
Portland Hills, Fall 16 (315/365) by
C.M. Keiner, on Flickr
That's my 2014. I'm hoping like hell 2015 is a better year, and I hope it's a better year for all of you as well. I hope you enjoyed this long winded photographic rant. Until next time.
Linear Mode
