The Fortress of the bear.

Where do I begin.

 My trip to Alaska was short and sweet but I still managed to overload my computer with photographs. More pictures than I can edit in a month.

So let's start with one of my favorite trips, to the Fortress of the Bear in Sitka, Alaska.

The Fortress of the Bear is an orphanage for bear cubs. From what I was told It was started by a man who had the unfortunate job of shooting orphaned cubs so that they would not have to starve slowly.

Well now he runs a bear Orphanage.

 This bear is my favorite, her name is Toby and she is a fantastic model.

The bears have two very spacious enclosures, we were told that they included trees at one point, but the bears took care of that.

These bears can never be released back in to the wild, but for now it is a comfort that they have a beautiful place to live and a future. 

For more info on fortress of the bears check their website: http://fortressofthebear.org/

And if you ever find yourself in Sitka please visit and support this organization!

Love, 

Rachel Deehan

I woke up a little earlier than usual the other day to the first snow here this season. I get so excited when it snows that I got up and walked around the village taking pictures.

I thought this would be an appropriate day to post some wintery pictures.

Happy Christmas,

Rachel Deehan 

Lauren

Rachel and I had a wonderful opportunity to photograph our stunning friend Lauren a couple of days ago. The first two images were taken by Rachel. 

The last two were taken by myself. 

Thanks Lauren for being a fantastic model!

-Kailey

Christmas Cards for friends

Two of our friends had a great idea for a christmas card this year. Gerry made a Captain America costume for Halloween that was so awesome we needed a photograph. So Gerry and Patrick are Captain America and Red Skull in this photo shoot. Needless to say, they look bad ass.

Maybe one of you lucky folk will receive a hard copy of this in your stockings.

Happy Holidays,

Rachel Deehan

Tualatin River Nation Wildlife Refuge

 This weekend Rachel and I decided to take a look at Oregon's beautiful Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge. For the first time in awhile, we found ourselves standing in front of wide open spaces. The Tualatin Refuge is best known as a home to some 200 species of birds, 50 species of mammals, 25 species of reptiles and amphibians, and a wide variety of insects fish and plants. As we wandered the trails we found a quiet solitude, our own secret garden in which the weight of the world seemed all at once lighter. 

-Kailey

I've been wanting to do some self portraits for a while. Kailey always says it's the best thing to do when you feel directionless or out of touch with yourself. I hadn't expected this hike to be an opportunity for me to try one. The trail was not as private as I would like for a nude, but we found a secluded spot and I found myself in a lovely setting so I decided to give it a shot. I love the result, especially after I paired it with some flowers I had been attracted to at the beginning of the trail. 

-Rachel

Eagle Creek Waterfalls

Hiking in Oregon is incredible after the desert like climate of California. Eagle Creek in the Columbia River Gorge has one the highest densities of waterfalls in the world. I decided to shoot some long exposures of the waterfalls as we hiked. These are the three that really stood out for me.

 Punch Bowl Falls is one of the most photographed falls on the trail and only two miles in. It is a smaller  fall but no less beautiful.

Loowit Falls is almost twice as big as Punch Bowl and has two tiers. The first tier collects in to an almost perfectly round pool before becoming a part of the creek. The foreground of this shot is on the edge of the trail, we named these patches of grass and wild flowers on the edge of a cliff face "Vertical Meadows."

Tunnel Falls is arguably the most stunning of the falls on Eagle Creek trail. The trail cuts right through the center of the rock face and passes behind the falls through a slick tunnel, hence the name. The falls is about 7 miles in to the trail and completely worth the hike.
I wanted to add a photo of the side of the trail that Kailey took. You can just make out Tyler, Ian, Jonas and I on the far side.

I'm working on editing some of the "family vacation" shots we got for facebook. I hope you will be inspired to come up to Oregon and see the incredible forests for yourselves. It doesn't rain that much, I promise!

Love,

Rachel Deehan

InLight Images

Naturally Connected

 The beauty of nature and the human body reflect similar shape, form, energy and light. I see that we connect to this natural force; an eruption of light. I begin to question how it feels to be water falling off rock, a mushroom extending from wood. Only to realize that we are all the same. We are all a continuation, an expansion, a burst of energy that flows so majestically over the Earth.