Reader's Gallery: Stefani Brown

We’re proud to present our first reader’s gallery featuring Stefani Brown of Albany. You’ll find her on Instagram as @pnw.wonderness. If you’d like to be featured as the photographer in our monthly reader’s gallery, share your photos with us on Instagram at @1859Oregon.

Oregon Photography 1859 — Mt. Jefferson—”While trying to find Round Lake (and getting horribly lost long among all of the forest roads), my husband and I emerged though the trees to stare into the beautiful southern face of Mt. Jefferson. All around us was regrowth from an old forest fire, which made the view all the more breathtaking.”

1859 Oregon Photography — The Summit of Marys Peak— “I went to Oregon State University, so Marys Peak wasn’t a new place to visit. Now, as an adult, I appreciate her beauty so much more. On perfectly clear days (which is rare), you can actually see all the way to the coast! With binoculars you can see the waves out in the ocean.”

Opal Pool Oregon Photography 1859 — Opal Creek— “My husband and I were blown away by the beauty of this area. The hike itself is an easy 6.25 miles round-trip, but within that you hike past waterfalls, an old logging town and a stunning blue pool called Opal Pool.”

live oregon boyd cave 1859 — Boyd Ice Cave —”What’s unique and incredible about Oregon is its lava tubes. Pure darkness is all there was while hiking more a mile through rubble and sharp corners. I’ve hiked plenty of lava tubes, but this one was the most fun. Be sure to wear a helmet on this adventure!”

1859 Oregon Photographers — The Wallowa Mountains of Eastern Oregon— “This picture was taken in the middle of nowhere after I told my husband to stop the car! There is beauty on the east side of our state that is unlike anything you’ve ever seen. The mountains go on forever, which is always good for us photographers.”

About Stefani

“I am a born-and-raised Oregonian who will never leave. I’ve always lived on the west side of the Cascade Range, but my husband Jason and I are dreaming of moving over to Bend within the next few years. I have never taken a formal photography class, but have had a camera in my hand since I was a child. My husband bought me a Canon Rebel T3i for Christmas in 2013 and I haven’t put it down since. I now have a T5i and am learning new tricks and techniques every time I go outside. I’m starting to do portrait photography as well, but my heart is in landscape.

When I’m not daydreaming about my next adventure, I’m an elementary school counselor. The community I work in has limited resources and doesn’t have a lot of extra-curricular activities for the children, so last year I started an after-school photography club. It was a dream come true to teach my students the fundamentals and basics of photography and to see them blossom. A couple kids begged me, at the end of the year, to let them take their cameras home over the summer so they could keep taking pictures. Photography is more than a hobby—it is a passion. I hope that my students will grow up into amazing adults that have the same love for taking photographs as I do.”

-Stefani Brown