Summer in Portland - Together Under the Oregon Sun
Ultramarine Photo is very proud of present Summer in Portland .. dynamic scenes of connection, diverse urban life, and festive events amidst the city's distinctive neighborhoods.
This collection pairs images by the founder, Eliana Mendez, of street fairs, bustling community markets, and sun-drenched outdoor gatherings, with the artful words of Kayla Kennett.
We hope that you enjoy it.
In broad daylight, when the stage directions say black out, do we shut our eyes
or leave them open?
Or linger after the ceremony,
following the color at the edges of our sight—
a trail of breadcrumbs to no end
The Big Museum is still closed for renovation. No estimate for when
it will reopen. No matter, we're out here:
Studying the typography of sidewalk stamps, pressing our palms into wet
pavement, wrapping utility poles in hot relief prints.
Notice how we don’t tear them down; we just paper over.
It’s only natural to make a container for your particular ways of being, to settle
into a holding pattern, considering the eternal question: wood versus vinyl.
Until one day, you notice the creeping phlox has filled in all the gaps around
your roses, finally—and you like it.
We owe it to each other to remember that no form holds when roots decide
to soften the shape of our property lines.
I tried to follow a template to justify my travel—birth, death, miscellaneous
celebration of life—but no one asked
what business I had
So I landed more into my pleasure, following the city's curves to an unassuming
corner
where roses grew
outside the scope of any itinerary.
Want to Settle for a Nice View
We settled a classic disagreement over
which hill had the best garden view
with a 4.8 versus 4.7-star review.
But, because I am a strategic lover,
I let you choose the lesser one,
if you promised me my own cappuccino
en route to the Grotto.
Turns out, the detour was more fun.
Hands down,
the best donor gift I’ve received:
a coffee mug with B A D S L U T !
black on canary yellow,
something flashy to sip from
while swiping through
the kind of stories that stick to you—
an exposé on street racers
a retrospective on the 2021 heat dome.
Utterly transported, but safe
in my Eames chair,
the blue light makes me
wince here and there
but nothing compared
to the real burnout ahead.
In places known for speedboats,
it’s best to stay clear
of the river
before and during National holidays.
But don’t avoid it
because you think you need the right gear—
Fold up the stock image of what a swimmer should look like:
Arms cut,
slicing against the current of the Willamette,
each stroke powered by a finely-tuned engine;
and fly it.
Your body is suited to navigate and claim space in the city,
while also transforming it through quiet confidence.
Like the dragonfly, you dip your toes on the water's skin,
a master of surface tension and grace.
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Check out the complete collection of 28 photos, now available for licensing.