Yes, even guys can get self-conscious about pictures

Osborne-Gowey family 2014.
Photo by Cameron Johnson Photography.

A Huffington Post article recently made the rounds, again, and caught my eye - So you're feeling too fat to be photographed (by Teresa Porter). I don't normally feel fat, but I do sometimes feel like I carry a little more weight than I'd like. Which can sometimes lead me to feel a little self-conscious when it comes time to being in pictures. I occasionally find myself with thoughts in my head like "is my face a little puffy" or "is my belly sticking out", or "is my beard all mussed up", etc.

But something a photographer friend mentioned to us last year - and something we've carried with us for most of the years of our marriage - was, "Just be present in the moment and show your kids how much you love them because they don't see what you see about yourself in the pictures - they just see you for you and the love you have for each other and them." The basis for her comments came from another Huffington Post article - this one from blogger Allison Tate - of a few years back; The mom stays in the picture. An excellent read (here are some other excellent posts of similar ilk). We've tried to stick to this mantra over the years, to just be present with each other, regardless of how we're feeling about ourselves in the moment. 

So now you know, in part, why we often don't shy away from pictures, whether you take them or we do. And why we'll continue to post pictures of our love for each other and our family and friends. 

Here's to another 20 years of being present in pictures and sharing them with friends and family.

Boating with friends, 2013.

This place is home

When we tell people in Colorado that we're moving to Boulder for a few years for a PhD program, they say we'll love it so much that we'll never move away from it. Like John Denver, it's true we've longed for more Rocky Mountain highs. And now we'll get a chance to explore there, become familiar with it, grow to love it, and embrace our time there. But I suspect most people we talk to in Colorado have never lived in Oregon - or the Pacific NorthWest for that matter. And those friends that have, now live in Oregon and the PNW. So many diverse environments. Such richness. Such solitude  Such grandeur. I'm sure we'll love Colorado and the area and the people, and for many good reasons. Of this I am certain. But here are more than just a few reasons why we call, and will continue to call, Oregon and the PNW our home. 

This place is special. 


This Place from Instrument on Vimeo.

There were a marvelous set of videos produced for Travel Oregon to bolster tourism in the state. This is a brief compilation of the seven top videos. Explore the full length videos of each of the seven, others submissions, and tons of other great Oregon material at Travel Oregon's 7 Wonders.


Perhaps the best IS saved for last. These stunning time-lapse shots taken in Oregon over several months capture a fraction of Oregon's splendor. For other incredible outdoor and living space footage, check out the other awesome stuff from Uncage the Soul Productions (see their link below this video).

Finding Oregon from Uncage the Soul Productions on Vimeo.

In short, I have no doubt we'll love Colorado, probably more than we even realize. But we also love the PNW. And we call it home. Probably always will. So have no fear, Oregon...we can't quit you.