samgrover.com
Distorted reflection of a person taking a selfie against a curved mirrored wall, featuring a small blue bird sculpture and a blurry city street background.

I just got back from a two week trip to Japan. It was a great trip and I’m sorting through photos and thoughts that I will share in the coming days and weeks.

Black fabric piece on a sidewalk street post with the following words written into it using thread, "more strolling, less scrolling".

Wise words.

Portland, Oregon. 8th May, 2026.

A large spherical sculpture of interwoven metal pieces in an outdoor setting.
Low-angle view of tall trees reaching toward a bright sky.
A winding dirt path through a dense, mossy forest with tall trees and lush greenery.
A person in red pants walks on a dirt path in a lush forest surrounded by tall trees and ferns.

Hiking at Hoyt Arboretum and nearby. Portland, Oregon. 25th December, 2025.

📷 Voigtländer Bessa R2A
🎞️ Kodak Kodacolor 200

Mural on an orange building depicting a muscular man lifting a circular cityscape and snow-capped mountain, flanked by red lamp posts and street signs.
Storefront of Luc Lac Vietnamese Kitchen featuring a mint green exterior and a patio with orange decorative railings.
A fluffy yellow character peeking around the corner of a brick building with historical high water mark plaques.
Green bike lane with a white bicycle symbol and a directional arrow.

Some photos from a walk around downtown. Portland, Oregon. 24th December, 2025.

📷 Voigtländer Bessa R2A
🎞️ Kodak Kodacolor 200

Some photos from the No Kings protest a couple of days ago. As always people brought wonderful energy and excellent signs.

A large crowd of people walks up the ramp to a bridge holding signs, surrounded by blooming cherry blossom trees. A number of people are also on the park next to it.
Protest scene with a crowd holding various signs, such as "End MAGA this November" and other messages about rights and political change, set against a backdrop of flowering trees.
A river with boats, one flying a Palestine flag, flows in the foreground. In the background, a cityscape with buildings and a bridge is visible. Numerous people are marching up the bridge, with cherry blossom trees lining the path.
A diverse group of people participate in a street protest, holding signs with messages such as "No War, No Genocide, No Secret Police" and "Fair Wages Now." There's a marching band in bright yellow banana costumes in the midst. The backdrop includes a mural with bold black-and-white patterns.
A crowd of protesters holding various signs and flags, including American and rainbow flags walk by at the Oregon Convention Center. Signs display messages like "No Kings" and "Fight Ignorance." A person in medical gear is visible.
A protest scene with a diverse crowd holding various signs. Notable signs include messages like "Vaccines cause adults." Rainbow and American flags are visible along with other banners. Trees and buildings are in the background.
A diverse group of people participating in a protest, holding various signs with messages related to democracy, peace, and social justice. The setting is urban with modern buildings in the background and trees lining the street.
Protesters holding signs and flags walk on a bridge above a street lined with parked cars.
People walk down a street; one carries an American flag, and another is wearing an inflatable green frog costume with a red cape. Trees line the road, and cars and bicycles are visible in the background.

Cherry Blossoms at Waterfront Park

I visited the cherry blossoms at the downtown Waterfront Park twice this year. On Saturday afternoon, everyone was there, while on Monday morning there were very few people about. Here are some photos from those visits.

The light,and vibes were quite different each time, so I’ve not intermingled the photos below, or they can look incongruous.

A large crowd gathers under blooming cherry blossom trees in a park. People are enjoying the sunny day, some with cameras and colorful umbrellas, while others chat and take photos.
People gathered under blooming cherry blossom trees on a sunny day. A boy has climed halfway up the tree.
A group of people enjoying a sunny day in a park. A woman carries a small dog with fluffy black fur. Cherry blossoms are visible in the background.
Two people, each reading a book, sit on picnic chairs facing each other amongst crowds of people relaxing and walking beneath blooming pink cherry blossom trees in a sunny park.
Person kneeling on grassy ground under cherry blossom tree, capturing a photo.
Cherry blossoms in full bloom against a clear blue sky, with trees without leaves in the background.
A bustling park scene with many people enjoying a sunny day under blooming cherry blossom trees. Some individuals are practicing yoga on the grass, while others are walking or socializing.
Cityscape featuring a river with a line of blooming cherry blossom trees along the bank, modern buildings, Union Station tower, and bridges in the background beneath a mostly cloudy sky. Golden morning sunlight is reflected on some buildings.
A person photographs two golden retrievers sitting on rocks under a blooming cherry blossom tree near a river, with a bridge and buildings in the background.
A park scene with cherry blossom trees in bloom, a curving pathway lined with large rocks, and an urban backdrop featuring a car and traffic signals.
A couple standing under a row of blooming cherry blossom trees lining a path, surrounded by green grass and a few onlookers.
A cityscape featuring a tall pink building, a "Portland Oregon" sign, and another building with "Old Town" on a water tower. Cherry blossom trees line the foreground along the waterfront.

A Walk at the Smith and Bybee Wetlands

I went on a walk at the Smith and Bybee Wetlands in North Portland yesterday. Overcast skies and red duckweed covered lakes presented scenic views with scattered wildlife in pleasant weather.

A landscape featuring a reddish-brown wetlands area with sparse vegetation. In the background, there are leafless trees and distant hills under a cloudy sky. A great blue heron is visible standing on the wetlands.
A garter snake camouflaged among dry leaves and green moss on the ground.
Bare trees with moss-covered branches stand in a pond covered in red duckweed, with two ducks in the water.
A wooden walkway covered with moss leads to a small shelter surrounded by bare trees in a swampy area.
A cloudy sky with a flock of birds flying in formation above bare trees.
View from a wooden structure overlooking a body of water with red duckweed and distant trees. Power lines and pylons are visible against a cloudy sky.
A marshy area with bare trees, reddish-brown water covered in floating duckweed, and scattered dead plant stems. A log is partially submerged in the foreground.

These were taken with the recently acquired Leica M-Rokkor 90mm f/4 lens (used) on my Leica M10. This is a much longer focal length than the ones I’ve been using primarily for years, although shorter than the 135mm lens I used briefly on a walk a few years ago. It was refreshing because I’ve basically only used 35mm and 50mm for two decades 😆. We shall see if this sticks.

A Totally Silly Comparison of Photos

Spring is here, and along with all the blossoms, I’m also enjoying the No Fusion app. So much so that I wanted to try and do some side-by-side comparisons between photos taken with it and with my Leica camera. Please note this is all just for fun and I acknowledge the silliness.

All photos processed in Adobe Lightroom Classic as follows:

  • The Leica photos have an aspect ratio of 3:2, so I cropped the iPhone’s 4:3 photos to match that.
  • I cropped the iPhone photos some more to get them as close as possible to match the frame. The perspective is different because the Leica photos were taken with a 35mm f/2 lens and the iPhone ones were taken with the 17 Pro’s f/1.8 24mm equivalent lens.
  • Leica photos started as RAWs. iPhone photos started as ProRAWs, not BayerRAWs. No HEIF+ conversion is involved in these.
  • White Balance was set to Daylight for all photos.
  • Some photos had highlights or shadows adjusted. No other settings were changed.

A house partially obscured by lush green trees and bushes with red flowers. A few fallen flowers are scattered on the ground. The sky is blue and partly clouded.
Leica M10
A house partially obscured by lush green trees and bushes with red flowers. A few fallen flowers are scattered on the ground. The sky is blue and partly clouded.
iPhone 17 Pro

A residential street scene featuring a house with a porch, a large blooming pink magnolia tree, and a power pole. The sky is blue with some clouds, and there is a green lawn in the front yard.
Leica M10
A residential street scene featuring a house with a porch, a large blooming pink magnolia tree, and a power pole. The sky is blue with some clouds, and there is a green lawn in the front yard.
iPhone 17 Pro

A residential street corner with a house featuring dark siding and a large blossoming pink magnolia tree under a partly clouded blue sky. A car is parked on the street, and a utility pole is in the foreground.
Leica M10
A residential street corner with a house featuring dark siding and a large blossoming pink magnolia tree under a partly clouded blue sky. A car is parked on the street, and a utility pole is in the foreground.
iPhone 17 Pro

A white pickup truck is parked on a street under blooming cherry tree with white flowers. A light turquoise house and a yellow fence are in the background.
Leica M10
A white pickup truck is parked on a street under blooming cherry tree with white flowers. A light turquoise house and a yellow fence are in the background.
iPhone 17 Pro

A blooming magnolia tree with pink flowers stands in front of a graffiti-covered concrete wall, under a blue sky with scattered clouds.
Leica M10
A blooming magnolia tree with pink flowers stands in front of a graffiti-covered concrete wall, under a blue sky with scattered clouds.
iPhone 17 Pro

A tree without leaves stands next to a weathered brick wall with peeling paint. There’s a mailbox on a post in front of the wall, and part of a black cylindrical railcar is visible on the right side.

A weathered white brick wall with chipped paint, featuring two closed black roll-up doors and a smaller black entrance door. A large puddle in the foreground reflects the building.

A row of four closed, square windows on a plain, gray wall with overgrown vegetation and moss-covered ground in front.

A deserted parking lot with an old car, surrounded by overgrown bushes and industrial buildings. The sky is overcast.

A person taking a photo of a weathered blue corrugated metal wall with faded graffiti and rusty electrical boxes.

Branches with sparse pink leaves in the foreground, with a blurred yellow road sign and street in the background.

Shadows of two people and a tree with branches projected onto a light blue wall.

Some photos from a photo walk in North Portland a couple months ago.

Two cats resting on a window perch inside a house, with reflections of trees and the sky on the glass.

Window Cats. Portland, Oregon. 9th March, 2026.