In the Park with Krisa

Cathedral Park, in northwest Portland, spans the area below the St. Johns bridge. I've shot in the park many times over the years with different models and returned there this morning with my friend and model Krisa. We had last shot on Sauvie Island during the past summer. 

The park has always been a beautiful place to shoot. Well landscaped with the magnificent bridge high above and the Columbia River flowing past, it's always provided me with wonderful settings for my lovely models. Two of my favorite locations in the park are on the stairs under the bridge and under the large willow tree between two supporting columns. Alas, the stairs and most of the area under the bridge were roped off for maintenance, and even worse, the willow was gone, cut down to a stump.

Tropical Joey

I have used the willow often. With the model posed within its fronds, it provides an almost tropical atmosphere. Put the model in a bikini and a sarong, and it completes the illusion. That illusion will no longer exist.

Despite all that, we had a productive shoot. A large mural on one of the buildings adjacent to the park made a nice backdrop for a couple of the dresses Krisa brought. A walk through the park led us to some newly landscaped areas where we also got a few shots.