Nature or nurture?

An American Flag marks the spot where a home once stood in the community of Phoenix in the aftermath of the Almeda Fire which destroyed wide swaths of the valley between Ashland and South Medford in Oregon.

Eileen Fonseca (left) gives Patrice Dotson, “The Angel of Shelter” a thank you hug for her roll in connecting Fonseca with Opportunity Village during a prophetic meeting at the Saturday Market in Eugene earlier this year.

USA’s Noah Lyles rips his shirt off in celebration of winning the men’s 200 meters at the World Athletics Championships on Thursday, July 21, 2021.

As visitors watch from a nearby overlook at right, waves crash on the rocks of Shore Acres State Park during a Thanksgiving weekend King Tide event on the Oregon Coast Nov. 25, 2022.

Queen Sativa Slugworth, aka Alyssa Buttons-Garten, center, reacts to being named the 40th Eugene S.LU.G. Queen during the competition and coronation ceremony in Eugene August 11, 2022.

Light and shadows spread across the infield as a batter for the Eugene Emeralds baseball team takes a pitch during the season opener for the local pro team at PK Park in Eugene in 2019.

A firefighter patrols a fire line as crews work to keep the Cedar Creek Fire from advancing toward the town of Oakridge, Ore. in 2022.

Eleven-year-old Boy Scout Aaron Chenoweth, from Troop 60, plays taps during a ceremony observing Veterans Day at the Veterans Memorial Building in Eugene Friday Nov. 11, 2022. Organized by VFW Post 293 and American Legion Post 3, the ceremony is traditionally held at the 11th Hour of the 11th Day of the 11th Month to mark the end of World War I.

A concert goer offers “Free Hugs or High 5s” to people as they wait in line to enter the outdoor venue near Eugene, Ore. for the Kaleidoscope Music Festival in 2012.

I was raised in a family of storytellers and artists.

My paternal grandfather was a journalist. He was an exacting writer with a passion for reporting the facts to members of his community.

My maternal grandmother was what they used to call a “hoot.” She was known far and wide for the food she prepared and her hilarious stories about growing up in the Pacific Northwest.

My mother was an artist and a teacher. My father is a writer, photographer and historian.

I hear their lessons, and those of many other mentors, in my head as I work to capture images of my community.

“Tell the truth, do it creatively, do it precisely,” but most importantly, “Don’t be boring.”

Here are the results of that journey in pictures and stories. Thanks for looking.