Note: The embedded links in the following text might not be visible or active in the Flickr iOS or Android apps, but they should be in a web browser.

 

7/1/2025 - Portland Metro Visitors Guide: I’m creating this large album of past and present photos for family and friends visiting Portland.

 

6/1/2025 - 50 Plus Magazine article: I was honored to be featured in this Wandering Spirit story. Thanks, Jennifer and Brian. I enjoyed our time together!

 

5/17/2025 - Portland Metro collages, Limiting Engagement: Although I’ve closed my photoblog, I’m still exploring the Portland metro area on foot. When I photograph my walks now, I’ll be posting 4x4 collages here instead of individual images, since many of the scenes are ones I’ve shared before. I’m also limiting my engagement through the summer. See Social Media below for more information.

 

2/18/2025 - WalksInPortland Photoblog: After 14 years, thousands of miles, and ~40K photos, I’ve decided to close my photoblog. See the PDXToday story below for more details. It feels like the right time for new adventures: spending more time with family and friends, traveling in the U.S. and abroad, cycling, woodworking, and exploring new photography genres.

 

7/31/2024 - PDXToday article: In this article Q+A: Take a walk in a Portland photoblogger’s shoes, I shared what inspired me to start photoblogging and the message I hoped to convey to those outside the Portland metro area. Simply put, I wanted to challenge the “Portland is dying!” narrative.

 

My Flickr Timeline: I've been an enthusiastic amateur photographer since 1978 and a Flickr Pro member since 2009. I rebooted my public Flickr account in 2019 and have been slowly rebuilding my collections since then. I also have a private Flickr account for family-related photos.

 

More About: I was born in Anchorage, Alaska, and spent my youth and years as a young adult living in rural and urban areas in Alaska. Alaska was and will always be a special place to me. I enjoy returning to visit family and friends. Aside from a one-year job assignment in Louisiana, I’ve now lived in Oregon for over 40 years. In my bio pages on my website, I share some of my memoirs so far.

 

Photography Genres: As an introvert, I’ve found that photography is one way for me to communicate what I "see" and think. I haven't specialized in a particular genre, but I'd like to learn about a few in depth. Nature, macro, B&W, abstract, and still-life photography are all interesting to me.

 

Photography Themes: Family, travel, outdoor adventures, Portland, quirky (Portlandia), architecture, housing, urban planning, and active and public transportation have been my favorite themes since 1978. You can find more details about my themes on this webpage.

 

Flickr Following: I appreciate sincere engagement in life, and I like to follow people on Flickr of like mind. I don’t follow people if I learn they’re using scripts or bots to generate engagement through automated favorites or comments. I think this practice is disingenuous and cheapens our experience on Flickr.

 

Flickr Groups: In June 2024, I removed myself and my photos from the Flickr groups I was posting to. Unfortunately, I think many groups have outlived their original purpose. After I started rebuilding my collections in 2019, I found groups are frequently not moderated, there are very few discussions, and it seems many “award” groups exist to primarily support automated engagement. At a later date, it's possible that I'll join some groups again if they’re active and moderated.

 

Flickr Favorites & Explore: My favorites span many photography genres, from traditional fine art to human interest subjects. Beyond Explore, I hope Flickr never employs social media engagement algorithms.

 

Social Media: In 2019, I decided to limit my engagement on most social media platforms. My decision was informed by my career in information technology and my graduate studies in applied information management. My social media timeline and my perspective on social media today can be found on this webpage.

 

Privacy Matters: I strive to respect people’s privacy. In my public photos, I rarely tag individuals or use precise geotags. For general orientation, I tag Portland metro photos as ‘metro eastside’ or ‘metro westside’ to indicate which side of the Willamette River I was on. Finally, if you see a photo here or on my site that you’d like me to remove, please let me know.

 

Donations, Downloads: I don't sell my photos, but I'm happy to donate them to organizations, individuals, and companies upon request. If you see any images you'd like to use, I offer them free of charge with a simple credit. If you're interested in a photo that only appears in a collage, just let me know, and I can provide temporary access to the Lightroom album. The original files will likely be in either a 4:3 or 3:2 aspect ratio.

 

DCMA Takedowns, CC Licensing, Generative AI: I use Pixy to monitor inappropriate usage and issue DCMA takedowns. From 2009 to 2022, I applied a Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND license to my photos on Flickr and my site. However, with the advent of generative artificial intelligence (AI) applications and lack of copyright enforcement, in mid-2022 I decided to apply an “All Rights Reserved” copyright to a large portion of my photos. Although it was likely too late, I wanted to discourage for-profit companies from using my content to train their AI models. I’ve been following AI since I completed my first AI computer science course in the early 1980s.

 

Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, Stock Images: I frequently reference Wikipedia entries in my photos. I strip the internal references from the verbiage I copy and paste, so I include a link back to the original entry. Unfortunately, the URL references to many of my photos in earlier years were converted from HTML to plain text, so I need to find and fix those. At a later date, I might contribute many of my Portland photos to Wikimedia Commons.

 

Links to Public Collections,

1980-1992: Alaska, Montana, Oregon, Washington Outdoor Adventures

2010-2025: Portland Metro Themes & Districts

2010-2025: Combined Walks & Hikes

2019-2025: Individual Walks & Hikes

 

Contact: You can contact me via Flickr Mail, mark [at] pnwphotowalks [dot] com or mark [at] walksinportland [dot] com.

 

Thanks, Mark McClure

 

Last updated: 6/17/2025