This sunset view in the eastern Columbia Gorge is special for many reasons.  One is that it happened on one of the first hikes I was able to do after the final surgery that finished a year of treatment for cancer.  Another is that it was taken with a very good compact digital camera, the Canon S90.  It was a camera that I did a lot of research on before buying it and I've been very impressed with the results.  It gave me the chance to always have a camera with me for unexpected moments such as this one, and it also allowed me to hike without carrying excessive weight while I was going through a brutal course of cancer treatment.  While not as detailed as photos from my other cameras, it is very nice enlarged up to 20x24.  The full detail view shows a portion of the image enlarged to that size.  

Rest assured I'll be offering many more images on film, but the changes in digital technology are finally to the point where I can produce images I'm satisfied with at smaller print sizes.  

This is a view looking east in the gorge at a point near Bingen, Washington at sunset in winter.  The colors were beautiful and some have remarked it's a very different kind of image from most of my other work.  While I strive to keep signs of development out of most of my work, this one is exceptional because the lighting enhances the landscape so well.  You will see roads, cars, buildings, and railroad tracks when inspecting it up close but these features are not prominent parts because of protections in the Columbia Gorge Scenic Area that have worked well but are under continual pressure to be weakened.  This scene is a good example of why they should not be.