Oregon is California's rainy neighbor in the north. I like traveling to Oregon. The state is very diverse and full of color, even in summer when California is mostly brownish.

But Oregon has much more to offer than wet coastal regions. Eastern Oregon is also very dry, but the colorful John Day Fossil Beds and the very different landscape invite travelers seeking for the path less traveled.

The incredibly scenic views and deep rich colors Crater Lake National Park offfer a fascinating introduction into the seismic volcanic history of Oregon. Once you have aroused your curiousity for everything volcanic, check out Newberry National Volcanic Monument.

After a tour through the wonderful landscapes of southern and eastern Oregon, relax in Portland, Oregon most populous and lively cities. From here you can explore the Columbia River Gorge with its many waterfalls on a casual day trip.

I finally found the time to upload new pictures that were on my computer far too long. Enjoy!

Since I am in the process of uploading more images, I decided to add more content to my Los Angeles Galleries as well. L.A. is a giant narcissistic city ecosystem that didn't hold much of a lure for me, but it has it's beautiful sides too.

I usually visit L.A. on trips to the far south or on return trips from the far south. I took this photograph from Mulholland Drive on the way back from Anza Borrego. I usually prefer the serenity of the desert over the stress of big cities, but since stress only happens in our heads, we can chose to ignore it entirely, let it pass right through us. The less other people affect my well-being, the more attractive cities like L.A. become and the more I see, the more I want to see.

I think Los Angeles is a city that grows on you. It took me almost a decade, but slowly I am starting to appreciate what the city has to offer and simply ignore the shady neighborhoods, traffic jams and hectic and narcissistic population. Behind the shallow star cult, the boasting and the huge social differences that make up this city, there is beauty waiting. I will be back, but not during the heat of summer when everyone is just a bit nuttier than usual.

Today I have uploaded a lot new photographs and created new galleries to hold my new Bay Area pictures. Please take some time and browse through the galleries to enjoy everything the bay area has to offer.

Even I get surprised after many years of living in the Bay Area. I discovered the overview above on a hike through the Marin Headlands.

Other great views include Lands End and the views from Mt. Tamalpais. I also included some pictures of the surrounding communties of Sausalito and Tiburon.

Check out my San Francisco Bay Area Gallery and come back soon for new pictures. I have spent the entire spring photographing and have much to show in the coming weeks.

You do not have to be a magician to put the moon where you want it in your pictures.

In this article, I am going to reveal how you can use software to predict the exact moonrise time, direction, angles and phases. You can use this information, in combination with a simple Google Earth trick, to enhance your composition with a celestial display de extraordinaire.

Learn how to have more fun taking better pictures.

This article is part three of my series on the Zen photographer.

In part 1 I introduced some concepts of mindfulness and how they apply to photography and in part 2 I talked about Silence and Trust. Reading the articles in order may yield a better understanding of the subject.

The article series is part of a larger series on better photography. I hope to answer some questions on inspiration and stimulation of the brain with this series.

Letting go - non attachment

The thought of a place is not the place.

Our minds are like magnets that catch every thought passing by. We ponder what was and what will be, what we have said, what we should have said or what we will say.

Thoughts create new thoughts, which feed other thoughts. Our mind spins endlessly faster and faster until we get distracted with new thoughts.

There is no way out of this maze, but our mind will not recognize this. We often cannot solve our problems by thinking about them, but we keep thinking.

We are always preoccupied. Many thoughts do not even make sense, but we think them anyways. Can you focus completely on this article or are other thoughts going through your head RIGHT NOW?

We need to break this endless cycle and learn how to let go, how to recognize our thoughts for what they are and let them pass without clinging to them.

Learn how to take better pictures while enjoying your time more.

This article is the continuation of my series on the Zen photographer.

The benefits of mindfulness are many, I already outlined some in part one of this series. Although it is probably better to read the articles in order, you can also start here and work your way back. As a mindful writer, I realize there is no wrong way. ;)

We all strive to become better photographers. Some of us actually become outstanding photographers, while so many others become obsessed with technical jargon and camera resolution.

It has been a long time since we last drove to Death Valley National Park. The long drive and the huge park require a great investment in time, money and effort to visit. I took the chance the easter weekend gave me for another drive down. For the first time I got to practice Zen Photography. By slowing down and looking at every moment with fresh eyes, I was was able to completely unwind and relax while creating some nice images.

This photograph of wildflowers along the highway would normally have escaped me and considering that I was the only person who stopped at this place on a one of the busiest weekends of the year, I think it escaped most others too.

I didn't think much of it at the time, but this photograph turned out to be one of my favorite images of the entire trip. I love how the cloudscape mirrors the landscape and how the yellow and the blue complement each other.

Read about a secret I discovered.

When I listened to an audio book on mindfulness, I discovered new secrets to better photography. The person reading the book talked about what mindfulness means and suddenly it occurred to me how we all can benefit from this to create more beautiful photographs and to open our eyes and mind to really see things and capture them.

As a technical person, I had a very pragmatic approach to photography and while my photographs were technically correct, I found that photography is much more than capturing light with a digital camera.

A photographer must achieve a state of mind that allows him to see the world like nobody else does, cutting right through the clutter in our minds and our environment.