What if our green world looked white as fresh snow, and pale skies deepened into velvet ink? Today, we visit The O'Brien Photo Gallery on Willamette Street in Eugene for New Work & Old Favorites by veteran photographer Rich Bergeman.
Bergeman has spent decades hauling view cameras across rural landscapes, capturing ghost towns and weathered barns. But ten years ago, he converted a camera sensor to record infrared light, unlocking what he calls his "secret sauce." In infrared, green chlorophyll reflects light like polished silver, turning ordinary scenery into glowing dreamscapes.
Consider Woodland Meadow. Heavy, moss-laden oak branches arch across the frame, leading the eye along a narrow path flanked by waist-high grasses that shimmer with brilliant, moonlit luminosity.
At the coast in Quail Street Beach, Number 6, Bergeman captures a sand spit carved by outgoing tides. The water tracks radiate across the sand like feathered wings, while the shadows fall with razor-sharp, sculptural blackness.
In Pond at Playa, Summer Lake, still water acts as a mirror for dramatic altocumulus clouds. Across the pond, a line of willows stand gleaming white against dark, brooding hills, balancing stillness with expansive grandeur.
Finally, in Altocumulus Cresting, an explosive ocean wave churns into froth beneath a swirling sky. The churning sea glows intensely bright against deep, near-black waters, isolating the power of wind and swell.
By showing us light beyond human vision, Bergeman reveals hidden poetry in familiar Pacific Northwest landscapes.
New Work & Old Favorites runs through October 28th at The O'Brien Photo Gallery, located at 2833 Willamette Street, open Tuesday through Friday afternoons. Step inside and let your eyes adjust to this luminous world.
