Kathryn Elsesser Photography Blog

The Sparkling Wine Renaissance In Oregon

October 21, 2018

My recent collaboration with wine writer L.M. Archer for the October issue of Oregon Wine Press, features the burgeoning bubbly production in Oregon, that could potentially rival Oregon’s lofty Pinot Noir reputation. After having photographed the sparkling wine producers it was fascinating to read the finished article. Extremely well written, it is a wonderful narrative of the current direction that sparkling production is taking. Instead of providing a synopsis, I urge you to go and read it yourself!

Andrew Davis of Radiant Sparkling Wine Company with his mobile bottling truck

Thomas Houseman Winemaker for Anne Amie Vineyards

A group portrait of innovative sparkling wine producers at Argyle Winery

Johan Vineyards in the Van Duzer Corridor AVA in RickReall, Oregon at sunset

Dan Rinke and Morgan Hall at Johan Vineyards at sunset.

Merlot at The Pines 1852 Vineyard in The Dalles at Sunset and Mt. Hood in the background at sunset

Merlot vines at The Pines 1852 Vineyard in The Dalles at Sunset

Too often the vineyards and wineries in the Columbia Gorge do not receive as much recognition as the Willamette Valley. I personally was not that familiar with them as well. It was very rewarding to meet Lonnie and Sierra Wright and visit the vineyard site, where nearby Zinfandel vines were planted in the 1890’s!

Sierra Wright with her father Lonnie Wright owner of The Pines 1852 Vineyards

Analemma Wines

Lifestyle, Vineyards and Wineries

Natalie Estate Winery, a boutique winery in Newberg, Oregon

July 21, 2018

This past spring I photographed for Natalie Estate Winery, a small family run business located in the Chehalem Mountain AVA in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, the setting is beautiful and feels very remote. They offer an extensive range of varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sangiovese, Meritage, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Syrah, Zinfandel, Pinot Gris, Rose of Pinot Noir. In order to make these wines their fruit is sourced from the Willamette Valley and select locations in the Pacific Northwest. I was especially taken with their 100 % Petit Verdot, often used as a blending grape in red blends. This is especially welcome to those whose tastes for wine expand beyond Pinot Noir. Boyd, the winemaker and his wife Cassandra Teegarden are the owners. When guests visit they personally greet you and offer complementary small bites as they pour wine for you. Boyd and Cassandra are genuinely warm and informative allowing for a fun wine tasting experience at their winery.

Early spring morning at Natalie Estate Winery

Sunrise at Natalie Estate Winery

Boyd Teegarden winemaker and owner of Natalie Estate Winery during bloom.

Boyd Teegarden winemaker and owner of Natalie Estate Winery

Natalie Estate Winery 2015 Sangiovese

Business Portrait, Lifestyle, Travel, Vineyards and Wineries

A photoshoot for The Walls Winery in Walla Walla

April 20, 2018

Walla Walla is one of my favorite wine destinations and I was excited to photograph for The Walls Winery, a relatively new winery. Everything about this winery is done with perfection, resulting in that exquisite bottle of wine. I initially did a series of portraits of the owner Mike Martin and business partner with winemaker Ali Mayfield as well as the core winemaking staff.

The Walls Winery

Mike Martin owner and partner at The Walls Winery in Walla Walla

Mike Martin of The Walls Winery

Winemaking at The Walls Winery

Mike Martin of The Walls Winery

Grape Harvest for The Walls Winery

Curiositas

Red Hills AVA in Washington

Business Portrait

Business Portraits for the Montavilla East Tabor Business Association

March 12, 2018

Over the last 2 years I photographed over 50 businesses for the Montavilla East Tabor Business Association. While I did not photograph all the businesses on the website, I did photograph the majority. This was an especially rewarding project because I live in the Montavilla Neighborhood. It is really a great cohesive neighborhood with an increasing number of wonderful places to shop and eat. I enjoyed meeting the various business owners who are contributing to the vibrancy of my hood. As this was a grant funded project, the goal was to create images that presented a human face to their storefront in a limited amount of time. These are some of my favorites.

Business portrait of Kim Kandel, owner of Gracious Goat skin care products locally made in Portland, Oregon

Portrait of Edward Esposito at New Dimension Denture

Square Deal Remodeling

Khadro Abdi of Allee Amin East African Cuisine

Todd Dennis owner of East Glisan Pizza Lounge

Baking Bread at Fressen Artisan Bakery

Staff at Lewis Rents

Business Portrait of Bret Branter owner of Mr Plywood in Montavilla Business District

Si’s Auto Body Repair

Celestrial Awakenings in the Montavilla Business District in Portland, Oregon

Uncategorized

Big Sky Landscaping

January 12, 2018

During the late fall I photographed for Big Sky Landscaping. Their designs and work are outstanding. Their attention to detail in both the plantings and the hardscapes is remarkable. With the trend, especially in the northwest to create outdoor living spaces as a larger part of the home, Big Sky does a great job.

The most important way t0 approach this type of photography is to pay attention to the light, as it is with most forms of photography. So the early morning or evening light is the most appropriate time to best showcase their designs. This particular assignment was difficult because it is extremely windy in October in the town where I photographed. So working around blowing leaves was a bit challenging.

Big Sky Landscape

Big Sky Landscaping

Lifestyle, Travel, Vineyards and Wineries

Vineyard Photography in Oregon’s Illinois Valley

August 10, 2017

This past spring, I took a road trip to take photos for a feature story for Oregon Wine Press. I had never been to the Illinois Valley before and was excited to visit a new wine growing region in Oregon. Driving down from Portland the area seemed quite remote and beautiful with stunning views of the Siskiyou Mountains. Unfortunately once I got to my destination it rained almost every day with the exception of one afternoon when I went to visit Deer Creek Vineyards. It was not until then that I was fully able to appreciate how special this area is. Because I had never stayed in a tree house before I made arrangements to spend one night at Out’n’Abut Treehouse Tresort. I loved it and it was delightful to go to sleep up in the trees.

Out ‘N’ About Tree house in the Illinois Valley, Oregon

Deer Creek, Bridgeview, Foris and Augustino Estate are all located near Cave Junction.

Bridgeview’s vines are planted along the Sucker Creek, which has recently become problematic as the vineyard is losing valuable land to the creek.

BridgeView Vineyards along Sucker Creek.

Rene Eichman 3rd generation wine maker and co-owner continues the European winemaking tradition.

Rene Eichmann winemaker and co-owne of BridgeView Vineyards in the Illinois Valley in Southern Oregon barrel tasting his Pinot Noir

Rene Eichmann winemaker and co-owner of BridgeView Vineyards in the Illinois Valley in Southern Oregon

Cellar Master, Joe Imholz at Bridgeview Winery inspecting wine

My one day of sunshine was happily spent at Deer Creek Vineyards with its breathtaking views of snow capped mountains. Owners Katherine and John Bryon restored this 1988 vineyard in 2010.

Deer Creek Winery in the Illinois Valley

Augustino Vineyard, the southern most vineyard in the valley is a relatively new comer to Oregon with it’s treehouse tasting room. Also boasting beautiful views of the Siskiyou Mountains, the porch of the tasting room is a great place to spend time enjoying their wine.

Augustino Vineyards at Rock’n’ranch

Augustino Vineyards at Rock’n’ranch on a cloudy morning

Augustino Vineyards at Rock’n’ranch

Foris Vineyards in the Illinois Valley, Oregon

The tree house tasting room Augustino Vineyards at Rock’n Ranch.

Wine and Cheese in the Tree house tasting room at Augustino Vineyards in the Illinois Valley, Oregon

Augustino Vineyard in the Illinois Valley, Oregon

Stephanie Pau recently joined Foris Vineyards as the vineyard’s new winemaker. She is the 4th, in the 30 year history of the winery. I am looking forward to trying her first vintage.

Foris Winery's winemaker Stephanie Pao barrel tasting.

Wine maker Stephanie Pa0

Food Photography

Product photography for One Fork Farm Caramels

March 20, 2017

David Herzog sprinkling Oregon’s Jacobsen salt over freshly made One Fork Farm Caramels in Mcminnville, Oregon

4 packages of One Fork Farm caramels

David Herzog owner of, as well as caramel maker for One Fork Farm Caramels, makes an outstanding and delicious product. So of course I was more than happy to photograph for his company. We decided to go with a “rustic” approach with the images that would complement their branding and packaging. It was also fun to style the caramels with the ingredients used in the various flavors. David wanted to create a product that used locally sourced ingredients such as Woodblock Chocolate, Jacobsen Salt and Portland’s Eastside Distilling. I would be hard pressed to choose a favorite.

David Herzog cuttling his One Fork Farm Caramels for packaging.

Vanilla Bean One Fork Farm Caramels

One Fork Farm Below Deck Coffee Rum Horchata Caramels

Wild Honey One Fork Farm Caramels

Velvet Chocolate One Fork Farm Caramels

Food Photography, Lifestyle, Vineyards and Wineries

Photographing the 2017 Oregon Truffle Festival

March 14, 2017

From truffle inspired dinners to participation in actual truffle foraging with trained dogs there are many events associated with the Oregon Truffle Festival. It is a truly a unique event in the United States and draws people from across the country. The Truffle Festival expresses a sense of place like no other event. Against a backdrop of Oregon Wine Country and covering a span of 10 days it celebrates the rich bounty of Oregon wine, culinary delights and of course Oregon Truffles.

Woman’s hand holding a foraged truffle at the Oregon Truffle Festival

Truffle hunting in the winery at the Oregon Truffle Festival

Cooking with portable wood oven at Alexana Winery for the Oregon Truffle Festival

Culinary experience at Alexana Winery at Oregon Truffle festival 2017

Pinot Noir and Oregon Truffles at the Oregon Truffle festival 2017

Lunch at Alexana Winery for the Oregon Truffle Festival 2017 Oregon Truffle festival 2017

Slow cooked short ribs with Oregon White Truffles prepared by Sara Schafer of Irving Street Kitchen

Celebrating the Oregon Wine at Lady Hill Winery for the Oregon Truffle Festival

Celebrating Oregon Wine at Lady Hill Winery for the Oregon Truffle Festival

At Lady Hill Winery for the Oregon Truffle Festival Lunch

Lady Hill Winery luncheon for the Oregon Wine Festival

Black Truffle and chocolate cheesecake prepared by Sara Schafer of Irving Street Kitchen at Lady Hill Winery

Sara Schafer of Irving Street Kitchen at Lady Hill Winery

Farro and Truffle Risotto prepared by chef Jesse Kincheloe of Village Commissary Restaurant

Truffle infused lamb at Nick’s Cafe

Thistle Restaurant

Oregon Truffle

Appetizers at The Barberry

Fine Art Portrait, Vineyards and Wineries

Celebrating the Walla Walla Women of Wine Calendar for 2017

February 16, 2017

Last year I partnered with talented winery owner and winemaker Mary Derby of DAMA Wines to produce a fine art black and white portrait of the notable women of wine in Walla Walla. At first we thought it would be fun to feature naked women. We actually collaborated on a lovely portrait of Mary just wearing her muck boots while holding a glass of wine and sitting on a wine barrel. While quite a lovely photo, not all of the women were receptive to the idea of posing nude! I could not exactly blame them.

I was then inspired by Annie Leibovitz’s work on the 2016 Pirelli Calendar. I wanted to focus on the women’s strength and character, by having the images all in black and white in the same location. Ali Mayfield generously donated the production space at The Walls Winery before it opened to serve as a “studio.” To further the Leibovitz aesthetic, I painted my own canvas backdrops to emulate her photographic style. The calendar itself was beautifully defined by graphic designer Whit Gurley of Angled End Identities.

It was also important to the women that a portion of the sales, once printing expenses were covered, would be donated to the Enology and Viticulture scholarship program at Walla Walla Community College. At first Mary and I were concerned that there would not be enough women to include in a 12 month calendar. We ended up with 16 – not all winemakers, but all who have an influential role in the local industry.

Amy Alverez Wampfler wine maker for Abeja Winery

Darcey Fugman-Small of Woodward Canyon

Ashley Trout of Vital and March Cellars

A portrait of Anna and Kathleen Schafer of aMaurice Cellers for the Walla Walla women winemaker calendar

A portrait of Anna and Kathleen Schafer of aMaurice Cellars for the Walla Walla women winemaker calendar

Holly Turner winemaker for Three Rivers Winery

Elizabeth Bourcier, assistant wine maker and Cecile of Cayuse Vineyards

Mary Derby owner and winemaker for DAMA Wines.

Mary Derby owner and winemaker of DAMA Wines

Denise of Eisenhower Cellars

Marie-Eve Gilla, winemaker for Forgeron Cellars

Annette Bergevin general manager and co-founder of Bergevin Lane Vineyards

Annette Bergevin of Bergevin Lane Vineyards

Ali Mayfield of The Walls Vineyard.

A portrait of Nina Buty, founder and president of Buty Winery in Walla Walla, for the women and wine calendar

Nina Buty of Buty Winery

Julia Russell owner of Mansion Creek in Walla Walla, Washington

Julia Russell of Mansion Creek Cellars

Vineyards and Wineries

Mellen Meyer Winery

January 13, 2017

Back in November I had met Robert Mellen Rowett at a wine tasting industry event. I immediately fell in love with his sparkling wines. I was thrilled when shortly after, his business partner and wife Julie, contacted me to take some images to update their website for Mellen Meyer Winery. The first project was to collaborate on “winemaker” portraits. We had a vision of doing something that had a very northwest environmental winter feel to it. I definitely did not want a bright sunny day, and was hoping for a foggy morning. I was lucky and the weather was cloudy and misty and my subject photogenic!

Winemaker Rober Mellen Rowett and owner of Mellen Meyer WineryWinemaker Rober Mellen Rowett and owner of Mellen Meyer Winery

Robert Mellen Rowett of Mellen Meyer Winery

Winemaker Rober Mellen Rowett and owner of Mellen Meyer Winery

Robert Mellen Rowett owner and winemaker for Mellen Meyer Winery, inspecting winter vines in the Willamette Valley, Oregon

Robert Mellen Rowett winemaker and owner of Mellen Meyer Winery in the vineyard.

Winemaker Robert Mellen Rowett and owner of Mellen Meyer Winery.

Robert Mellen Rowett of Mellen Meyer Winery

Winemaker Rober Mellen Rowett and owner of Mellen Meyer Winery inspecting winter vines

Robert Mellen Rowett of Mellen Meyer Winery inspecting winter vines.

Robert Mellen Rowett of Mellen Meyer Winery

The next project was to photograph their bottles of sparkling wine, as well as his Pinot Noir. Mellen Myer Winery’s primary focus is 0n Methode Champenoise. They are a small or boutique producer creating high quality and delicious sparkling wine. For me it was especially fun to edit because the labels are so beautiful! Photographing wine bottles is tricky because they are glass their surfaces are highly reflective. It is important that the label is beautifully lit, because I recognize that vineyards put much thought and expense into producing those labels.

Mellen Meyer Rose de Saignee

Mellen Meyer Carey Creek Vineyard Sparkling 2015 Reisling

Mellen Meyer Pinot Noir

Older Posts

Instagram Slider