Just Breathe

Family Hiking: Saddle Mountain

Isaac Lane Koval — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 19:19:27 +0000

Back in May both my brothers came home for my dad’s birthday. One of the days they were home we headed out to hike Saddle Mountain in the Oregon coastal range. This was my fourth time doing the hike and it is still one of my favorites in Oregon. From the top you can see both the ocean and a few mountains in the Cascade range.

Change only happens when forced

Isaac Lane Koval — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 11:37:51 +0000

“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” – Albert Einstein

My life is pretty great. I am doing what I love for a living, photography and movies, and I’m only 24. I have an amazing family that supports me in everything I do. I’m well liked, am in pretty good shape, practice the “leave the campsite cleaner than you found it” philosophy (essentially leaving people better off for having known you), etc.

And yet I know that there is so much more potential for who I can be. I am constantly having this nagging voice in my head to push myself to become the idealized version of me. The one in my head that doesn’t skip a gym workout, is an avid outdoorsmen, reads constantly, has a thirst for knowledge, treats everyone around him with respect and kindness, volunteers for the less fortunate and above all is mindful about every action I take.

I feel Einstein’s quote pertains really well to my sentiment right now. I know the person I want to become but I keep living my life the same way expecting that I will suddenly be able to become this person. Occasionally I’ll have weeks/months where I change my habits and see myself starting to scratch the surface of the person I want to become but without fail I always go back to my “same way”.

I know the life I’m living right now will not lead to greatness. Is it still insanity if you know what you are doing will not lead you where you want to go and yet you continue to trudge down that path?

“A general rule in creating stories is that characters don’t want to change. They must be forced to change. Nobody wakes up and starts chasing a bad guy or dismantling a bomb unless something forces them to do so. The bad guys just robbed your house and are running off with your last roll of toilet paper, or the bomb is strapped to your favorite cat. It’s that sort of thing that gets a character moving.” – Donald Miller’s “A Million Miles in A Thousand Years”

I need to find that something that will force me to change and head towards that idealized version of me. Need to start dismantling that bomb, haha. The question now becomes what will be that force.

Book: A Million Miles in A Thousand Years

Isaac Lane Koval — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 07:54:40 +0000

I feel A Million Miles in A Thousand Years, by local Portland author, Donald Miller, gives a great philosophy towards living your life. The biggest takeaway I took from the story is that in our lives the most memorable and greatest moments almost always come from pushing ourselves out of our comfort zone, experiencing pain, and taking the harder path. When we finally reach the joyous part it becomes that much more rewarding because of all the hard work it took to get there. Now whenever I’m feeling down and not wanting to go to the gym, edit photos, or go out with friends I just think to myself “how can I make a better life story” and that usually motivates me to get out.

I definitely recommend picking up a copy of the book. And it’s now in paperback.

Nature: Cape Kiwanda

Isaac Lane Koval — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 06:06:13 +0000

Promises of 60 degree weather beckoned me to the coast last Thursday. Sure enough when I stepped out of my car in Pacific City I felt transported to summer (at least what the best days of summer are like on the Oregon Coast). To the left of the Pacific City beach lies Cape Kiwanda which is one of my favorite places on the coast. Beyond a massive sand dune lies beautiful rock formations colored in orange and red. I could easily sit there all day watching the waves hit the rocks.

The weather was really nice again over the weekend so I headed back there with a friend. We came across an area on the cape where, when the waves hit the rocks, they shot 50+ feet up into the air. Reminded me of Old Faithful at Yellowstone, except this happened much more frequently (every two minutes or so). There are two photos from that day mixed in.

Hiking: Eagle Creek in Winter

Isaac Lane Koval — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 00:02:17 +0000

It rains a lot in the winter but the occasional sunny 50 degree day definitely makes it worth it. I think Eagle Creek is even more breathtaking in the winter with dozens of waterfalls cascading over the cliffs onto the trails, water overflowing, the fog and mist and the moss that seems greener than it is in the summer. Unlike most places in winter Oregon is still a very colorful place.

Camping: Crater Lake

Isaac Lane Koval — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 22:42:13 +0000

At the beginning of August I headed to Crater lake to go camping with my brother and cousin. Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States.

Portland Sunset

Isaac Lane Koval — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 22:21:57 +0000

After two very hot days clouds made their way into Portland last Tuesday. By around 6pm I knew it was going to be a great sunset so I headed down to the Portland waterfront with my friend Lauren. I love nights like these in Portland.

Night Sky: Mt. Hood

Isaac Lane Koval — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 05:28:35 +0000

My friend Ben Canales’ star photos have been really inspiring me lately so I decided it was time for me to get out there and take some of my own. I headed up to Mt. Hood with my brother Nathan yesterday afternoon. The plan was to head to Trillium lake and scout it out in the late afternoon for a future lifestyle shoot and then stick around to get some photos of the lake, mountain and stars all together. The photo I had in my mind didn’t come together because the conditions weren’t cooperating. The moon was out and fog had rolled in over the lake so the stars weren’t as visible so our plans had to change a bit. I was however able to get off a couple shots before the clouds completely came in.

We then headed up to Timberline lodge and hiked a little ways up the mountain so we could get some shots looking down into the valley.When the moon was about to set it became very orange and looked strangely similar to a sunset. This ended up creating a very surreal photo of a “sunset” with the stars and milky way in the sky. I’m pretty happy with how my photos turned out and I’m excited to get out there again.

Travel: Vancouver B.C.

Isaac Lane Koval — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 02:58:43 +0000

At the beginning of July I went up to Vancouver B.C. to visit my friend Ben.

The photos below are along the route up to Whistler. The photos can be purchased on istockphoto.com

Travel: San Francisco

Isaac Lane Koval — Wed, 26 May 2010 23:55:57 +0000

Last week I headed down to Northern California to shoot a graduation at Humbolt State University. Afterwards I visited my friend Lauren in San Francisco. The weather was dreary most of the week but it managed to be nice a couple days for me to wander around the city.