The Book Shelf

Reviewed by The Portland Metro Photographic News
Photography News, Commentary and Events from the Pacific Northwest

Well, that's three Christmas presents I can check off my list.  With so many of our family and friends living on the East Coast, they are rarely able to take the journey to our Portland home.  But without exception, they are aware that my wife and I have settled in a very special place.  It would be easy to spend a large percentage of my time taking pictures of the local scenery just to fill the requests of our East Coast friends.

Susan Frost has solved my relatives' craving for experiencing Portland from afar.  Her collection of photographs and descriptive content in her book, Portland, Oregon - A Photographic Journey does an exceptional job of conveying the flavor, texture and visual appeal of the Portland area.

Shouldering the task of visualizing an entire city, its culture and its environment is no small undertaking.  Considering the number of locations, architectural delights, events and the extent of the natural splendor that is Portland, Oregon, the assignment is overwhelming.  Travel photography requires a compromise between pure art and documentary photography.  The images must be a product of an artist's eye while retaining a documentary component that allows the subject to be easily recognized by all types of readers.

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ASMP Book Look

PORTLAND, OREGON: A PHOTOGRAPHIC PORTRAIT

by Jessica Gordon

Opportunity can knock at the least expected times, proof of which is revealed in Susan Frost's new book Portland, Oregon: A Photographic Portrait.

Frost opened her self-taught photography business in 2001, after being laid off from a corporate marketing job. Five years later, her images were included on the ASMP Portland chapter Web site, where Twin Lights Publishers, Inc., went searching for a photographer to shoot the latest in its series of regional photography titles.

They shortlisted her images, then offered her a contract to produce both photographs and text, which took six months from start to finish. The resulting coffee-table bookshot nearly all digitally, and delivered to the publisher via e-mail-features the city's most famous and historic landmarks. From the Pioneer Courthouse Square (sometimes called Portland's Living Room), to the International Rose Test Garden (the oldest such garden in the United States), the 150 images boast rich color and true documentary style, while Frost's words give each image a background story.

"It was really a beautiful surprise and a wonderful experience," Frost says of securing the contract and making the book. "It's a photographer's dream come true to have your own coffee-table book. especially for someone who's only been [photographing] for five years."

Because Frost was a local Portland photographer, she was well-versed in all the city had to offer; Twin Lights Publishers gave her a list of the areas they wanted to include, and she brought back several options-often personal favorites she'd already shot for stock. For a true glimpse of everything this great city has to offer, Frost's Photographic Portrait makes Portland feel like home.

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