Welcome.
My name is Ben Coffman, and I’m a photographer living in Portland, Oregon. My photography journey has been both nonlinear and nontraditional, full of fits and restarts, with the latest chapter coinciding with my return to the Pacific Northwest in 2010.
Inspired by Oregon’s verdant beauty, its varied landscapes, and its starry skies, these photos are documents of my new reality. Stargaze with me at Crater Lake, explore Portland’s rain-washed back alleys, or watch as the clouds streak overhead in the windy Columbia River Gorge.
Much of my photography details the collision between the natural and man-made worlds. You’ll see tiny lights pulsing against the encroaching darkness of a mysterious and sometimes malignant universe. Deep shadows tug at the crumbling remains of old farmsteads and cars, shipwrecks and pilings. Popular postcard destinations take on a strange new meaning at night, when crowds ebb, shadows form, and the sky becomes sprinkled with stars.
This is my invitation to you: Take a deep breath. Let the darkness close around you. Together we can float, eyes skyward. Let’s not concern ourselves with the unknown hiding in the shadows, out of the reach of our eyes and my camera. There’s no need for a flashlight here. We’ll just calmly wait for our eyes to adjust.
-Ben
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*Publications and press*
- Bing homepage photo of the day, Feb. 9, 2021: “Starfalls II”
- Text and photos, Amateur Astrophotography magazine, issue 75, April, 2020: “Finding your night vision”
- Peerspace.com, November 2019, “The 9 Best Landscape Photographers in Portland”
- Peerspace.com, August 2019, “The 6 Best Fine Art Photographers in Portland”
- Sierra Club 2017 Engagement Calendar, December photo: “The sentries of the white city”
- PopPhoto.com photo of the day, January 23, 2017, “Two old friends”
- PopPhoto.com photo of the day, September 7, 2016: “Portals”
- PopPhoto.com photo of the day, May 16, 2016: “The things you’ll see without moving your feet”
- PopPhoto.com photo of the day, May 4, 2016: “Grace with a hint of intemperance”
- PopPhoto.com photo of the day, December 18, 2015: “A view to a dream”
- Via magazine cover photo, Siuslaw Bridge at sunset, March-April 2015 issue
- IQ by Intel, “Artists Taking Back the Night Sky, One Image at a Time,” quotes
- Weather.com, “Photographer Ben Coffman Captures Stunning Oregon Nightscapes,” December 16, 2014, multiple photos and interview
- SLR Lounge, “Stunning Ultra-Detailed Wide-Field Milky Way Astrolandscapes,” December 12, 2014, multiple photos and interview
- My Modern Met, “Starry Oregon Skies Sparkle in Breathtaking Milky Way Photo Series,” December 7, 2014, multiple photos
- Twisted Sifter, “The World at Night With Clear Skies and No Light Pollution,” December 2, 2014, multiple photos and interview
- PopPhoto.com photo of the day, November 17, 2014: “Sanctuary”
- National Geographic’s National Parks app, expanded version, summer 2014, “Endurance,” plus Photo Tips
- PopPhoto.com photo of the day, August 5, 2014: “To the stars, my love, to the sea…”
- Bing homepage photo of the day, April 26, 2014: “East bank twilight, Portland”
- PopPhoto.com photo of the day, April 16, 2014: “Another face in the crowd”
- Macrocosme, issue #6 (automne, 2013): “The light is all around you”
- Stone Path Review, July 2013, multiple photos and interview
- EarthSky photo of the day, July 10, 2013: “Arches, one delicate and one ephemeral”
- EarthSky photo of the day, June 1, 2013: “Trillium Lake aurora”
- EarthSky photo of the day, April 28, 2013: “Crater Lake panorama with Lyrids”
- EarthSky photo of the day, February 1, 2013: “Milky Way over Crater Lake”
*Awards and contests*
- Finalist, International Dark-Sky Association’s Capture the Dark Photo Contest, for “Lava glow from Mauna Kea,” June of 2020.
- Special mention, The world at Night’s (TWAN) 2017 Earth and Sky photo contest, “Crown of lights”
- Special mention, The World at Night’s (TWAN) 2016 Earth and Sky photo contest, “At the gates”
- Special mention, The World at Night’s (TWAN) 2016 Earth and Sky photo contest, “Tributaries in the river of light”
- Special mention, The World at Night’s (TWAN) 2016 Earth and Sky photo contest, “The reawakening”
- Third place, The World at Night’s (TWAN) 2015 Earth and Sky photo contest, “A raising of the hackles”
- Special mention, The World at Night’s (TWAN) 2015 Earth and Sky photo contest, “Lone figure, great rift”
- Finalist, Smithsonian 12th Annual Photo Contest, “The alpha and the omega”
- Finalist, Landscape Photography Magazine’s August (2014) Photo of the Month, “The alpha and the omega”
- Second place, The World at Night’s (TWAN) 2014 Earth and Sky photo contest, “False dusk and falls, Oregon coast”
- Notable mention, The World at Night’s (TWAN) 2014 Earth and Sky photo contest, “The signal”
- Notable mention, The World at Night’s (TWAN) 2014 Earth and Sky photo contest, “Starfalls”
- Runner up, Aluminyze.com Starry Night photo contest, March 2014, for “The smoke from distant fires”
- Notable mention, The World at Night’s (TWAN) 2013 Earth and Sky photo contest, “The light is all around you”
- Winner, Pro Photo Supply online photo contest, January 2013, for “The sentries of the white city”
- Co-winner, LensRentals “Show us your summer” photo contest, August 2012, for “Left only to dream”
*Exhibitions*
No current exhibitions.
