Ray Atkeson, considered the father of Northwest nature photography, died Friday of complications from colon cancer. He was 83 and died at his Portland home.
Atkeson's first book of photo essays, "Oregon," was published in 1968, followed over the years by books on Washington and California and "Western Images," which was published last year.Born on a farm near Grafton, Ill., Atkeson got his first Brownie box camera when he was 15. After high school, he followed the wheat harvest across the Great Plains to take photographs.
At 21, Atkeson arrived in Oregon and got his first commercial photography job. He also discovered mountain climbing and became skilled at taking mountaineering and skiing photographs.