[ PORTFOLIO ]

Paul A. Hughes

PAUL A. HUGHES "Picnic Paradise" looks down on the dramatically beautiful Oregon coast.

Oregon’s coastal beauty

AS with many who enjoy photography as a hobby, Paul A. Hughes found out as a child about his love of being behind the lens. Hughes, who grew up "on an Oklahoma dirt farm," discovered a Brownie camera that had been packed away. He began using it and got hooked.

Years later, while serving a military stint in Germany, Hughes bought his first 35mm, and on it, gave his photographic muscles lots of exercise. "I wanted to share all my experiences with my family in Oklahoma," he says.

PAUL A. HUGHES A family bicycles along Manzanita Beach, a small, isolated town settled along a seven-mile stretch of beach.

"I guess I did OK," Hughes says modestly of his shooting in Europe. "I had an exhibit there."

Hughes's career with the U.S. Defense department had him traveling around the world, totaling some 65 countries. All the while, he kept taking pictures. (Expect to see some of those shots in future installments of "Portfolio.")

Now retired in Hawaii, Hughes says he's found the perfect place to continue his photographic exploits.

"The scenery is incredible here. I've seen places as beautiful as Hawaii, but not more beautiful," he says. "Each island is different, and with the lighting and weather conditions here, you can get five good shots in just one hour."

PAUL A. HUGHES Canon Beach, a tourist area located near Manzanita, offers a picturesque view of a locally famous spot, Haystack Rock. The area is a protected sanctuary for sea life and birds who live in the area.

Today's collection of Hughes's work captures blue skies, sunsets and gorgeous beaches. But ironically, they weren't taken here. The shots capture the beauty of the Oregon coast, where "you need a wet suit to get into the water," Hughes says. He makes an annual trek there each summer.

Wherever he goes, Hughes is the eternal shutterbug. And it seems folks enjoy Hughes's work as much as he enjoys producing them. He now sells his photographs in the form of greeting cards at several shops around town. Hughes says some customers frame the cards rather than use them.

Looks like Hughes may have another career in the making.

PAUL A. HUGHES Hughes calls this shot "serendipitous," taken at a beachside grain field early one morning this past summer. "The elks look like they're posing, and I get accused of (having gone) to a zoo to take this."