Hunter Sheppard Photography

St. Paul / Twin Cities update. 🚆📸

I made it through the overnight stretch of the Empire Builder, but the return leg has officially turned into another travel curveball.

The train fell about two hours behind overnight, and that delay changes the final part of this leg. The original plan was to try to use commuter rail after getting off in Glenview, but with the delay, the gear I’m carrying, and how exhausted I’m going to be by the time I reach Illinois, that option is no longer realistic.

That means I’m likely looking at a direct rideshare from Glenview to Naperville just to get to my overnight stop, shower, sleep, recharge, and reset before the next leg begins.

That ride alone could be around $75–$110.

That was not part of the original plan, and it cuts into the buffer I still need for Wichita/Andover this week.

Wichita is the next major piece of this trip. I still need to fully lock in lodging, local rides, food, hot meals, and enough breathing room to actually function while I’m there photographing the I-35 Showcase.

The support so far is the reason this trip has kept moving. Portland happened. Hillsboro happened. The return leg is still moving. Illinois is almost in reach.

Now I need help making sure Wichita does not become a “barely survived it” situation.

If you’ve been following this trip and planned to help later, this is the moment where it would make a real difference. Even $10, $20, or $25 helps cover an actual piece of this next stretch — rides, meals, lodging, or the unexpected Glenview-to-Naperville cost.

CashApp: $huntersheppard123
Venmo: -Sheppard-9
GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-me-take-on-my-biggest-photography-project-yet

And if you can’t donate, sharing this with a quick note helps too. This trip is still active, Wichita is still ahead, and every boost helps put it in front of someone who may be able to help.

One stop at a time. Still rolling east. 🚆📸

Whitefish, Montana fresh air stop. 🚆🏔️

Woke up just in time for one of the best stops on the Empire Builder route. Seattle section was late into Spokane, but somehow we’re moving close to schedule again through Montana.

The return leg is still rolling east.

Illinois overnight stay is secured thanks to everyone who helped yesterday. Next major piece is still Wichita/Andover lodging and local transportation for the I-35 Showcase.

One stop at a time. 🥎📸🚆

CashApp: $huntersheppard123
Venmo: -Sheppard-9
GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-me-take-on-my-biggest-photography-project-yet

Return leg is officially underway. 🚆📸

Made it out of Portland, caught sunset on the Empire Builder, and just hit the Pasco fresh air stop.

Last night and today’s support helped me lock down the Illinois overnight stay, which is a huge step. Thank you all so much for that.

The trip still is not finished yet. Wichita/Andover lodging, local transportation, food, and the final push back to Oklahoma are still the next pieces I have to secure.

But we are moving.

Oklahoma → Chicago → Saint Paul → Portland → Hillsboro → now heading east again.

One stop at a time. 🥎📸🚆

CashApp: $huntersheppard123
Venmo: -Sheppard-9
GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-me-take-on-my-biggest-photography-project-yet

HARD STOP: last night helped, and I am genuinely grateful.

Every donation, share, comment, and message helped keep this trip moving. But I need to be very clear before I get back on the train:

This is not finished yet.

I am at Portland Union Station now. My Empire Builder train leaves at 4:45 PM Pacific, and I still have not secured my Illinois overnight lodging or my Wichita lodging for the I-35 Showcase.

That is the urgent part.

This trip has already taken me from Oklahoma to Chicago, Saint Paul, Portland, and Hillsboro while carrying camera gear, editing galleries, covering AUSL softball, and documenting one of the biggest photography projects I have ever attempted.

Now I have to finish the return leg, get through Illinois, make the Wichita/Andover coverage work, and get back to Oklahoma safely.

I still need direct support for:

• Illinois overnight lodging
• Wichita lodging
• hot meals while traveling
• rideshares/local transportation
• the Wichita/Andover coverage weekend
• enough buffer to get back home safely while monthly expenses hit right after I return

Please do not assume someone else has it covered.

If 20 people sent $25 today, that would immediately change the next 48 hours.

If 10 people sent $50, that would give me real breathing room to lock in lodging instead of gambling with the return leg.

Even $10 or $20 helps right now.

CashApp: $huntersheppard123
Venmo: @ Hunter-Sheppard-9
GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-me-take-on-my-biggest-photography-project-yet

If my photography, galleries, softball coverage, or this journey have meant anything to you, I really need direct support today.

Please donate if you can. Please share if you cannot.

Thank you for helping me get this far. I’m trying to finish this trip the right way. 🥎📸🚆

Final night in Hillsboro and another electric atmosphere for AUSL softball in the Pacific Northwest. 📸🥎

After dropping game one earlier in the series, the OKC Spark responded by taking the final two games and securing the series win over the Portland Cascade.

From packed crowds to late-night edits, long travel days, and nonstop action on the field, this series turned into one of the highlights of the trip.

Still learning.
Still traveling.
Still documenting every step of it. 🧸🥎

📸 Full gallery:
https://huntersheppardphotography.pixieset.com/portlandcascadevsokcsparkgamethree/

HARD STOP: I need immediate help tonight.

I am about to get back on the train out of Portland tomorrow, and I need to be very clear:

I have NOT secured my Illinois overnight lodging yet.
I have NOT secured my Wichita lodging yet.
I am dangerously close to being in the red before the return/Wichita leg even starts.

This is not extra spending. This is not a normal trip update. This is basic survival logistics for a trip I am already in the middle of.

I need direct support tonight for lodging, hot meals, rideshares/local transportation, and enough buffer to safely get through Illinois, Wichita/Andover, and back to Oklahoma.

CashApp: $huntersheppard123
Venmo: @ Hunter-Sheppard-9
GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-me-take-on-my-biggest-photography-project-yet

I just finished the Portland leg of this AUSL photography trip after making it from Oklahoma to Chicago, Saint Paul, Portland, and Hillsboro while carrying camera gear, editing galleries, covering games, and documenting one of the biggest photography projects I have ever attempted.

But the trip is not finished.

This weekend is the I-35 Showcase in the Wichita/Andover area, and I still need to secure lodging, food, and transportation to make that leg work. After that, I still have to get back to Oklahoma, and my monthly expenses are coming due almost immediately once I return.

That is why tonight matters so much.

I still have to cover:

• Illinois overnight lodging while waiting on the next train
• Wichita lodging for the I-35 Showcase
• hot meals while traveling
• rideshares/local transportation
• getting through the Wichita/Andover weekend
• getting back to Oklahoma afterward
• monthly expenses coming due ASAP after I get home
• enough buffer to plan what may be another major coverage project next month

I may have another opportunity coming up next month, but I need time and financial breathing room to plan that logistically. I cannot even get to that next step if I am scrambling just to secure a bed and hot meals for Illinois and Wichita.

Please do not assume someone else has it covered. That is the biggest thing I need people to understand tonight.

If 20 people sent $25 tonight, that would immediately change the next 48 hours.

If 10 people sent $50, that would give me real breathing room to start securing lodging instead of gambling with the return leg.

Even $10 or $20 helps right now.

Encouragement means a lot, but direct support is what actually helps me book a place to sleep, get hot meals, cover rides, finish the I-35 Showcase weekend, and get back home without everything collapsing financially.

If my photography, galleries, softball coverage, or this journey have meant anything to you, I really need help tonight.

CashApp: $huntersheppard123
Venmo: -Sheppard-9
GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-me-take-on-my-biggest-photography-project-yet

Please donate if you can. Please share if you cannot. But tonight, I badly need this to reach people who are able to help directly.

Thank you to everyone who has helped me get this far. I am trying to finish this trip the right way, cover the I-35 Showcase this weekend, and get back home safely with enough room to keep planning what comes next.

Game three in Portland. 🌲🥎📸

Final morning at Hillsboro Ballpark before the trip turns back east.

The atmosphere out here has been unreal all weekend — packed crowds, loud innings, and a city that has fully embraced professional softball from the first pitch.

Back at the park early this morning for a 9:30 AM matchup between the Portland Cascade and OKC Spark as the series wraps up. Another sold-out crowd. Another morning under the Pacific Northwest skies. Another chance to document a league that keeps getting bigger every stop I make.

This trip has now taken me from Oklahoma City… to Chicago… to Saint Paul… to Portland by train — and this weekend has been one more reminder of why all of it has been worth it.

One more game in Hillsboro before the cameras get packed back onto Amtrak. 🥺🧸

AUSL Journey Reflection: The Road to Portland” is officially live. 🥎📸🚆

What started as a plan to cover softball across multiple cities turned into one of the biggest photography projects I’ve ever attempted.

From the OKC Spark opening series, to Chicago, Saint Paul Union Depot, the Empire Builder, and finally Hillsboro for the Portland Cascade series — this article tells the story behind the galleries, the travel, the chaos, the adjustments, and the moments that made the trip worth it.

Thank you to everybody who has followed along, shared the work, supported the travel, and helped keep this journey moving. 🧸🫶

AUSL Journey Reflection: The Road to Portland When this trip first started coming together, it was not just about getting from one city to another. It was about seeing how far this photography journey could actually go. Chicago, Portland, trai…

Another night in Hillsboro and another packed atmosphere for AUSL softball in the Pacific Northwest. 📸🥎

After dropping game one, the OKC Spark answered back in a big way behind home runs from Maya Brady and Sydney Romero as they evened the series against the Portland Cascade.

This series has already turned into one of the highlights of the trip.

Different city.
Different atmosphere.
Different challenges behind the camera every inning.

Still building.
Still traveling.
Still documenting every step of it. 🧸🥎

📸 Full gallery:
https://huntersheppardphotography.pixieset.com/portlandcascadevsokcsparkgametwo/

Game two in Portland. 🌲🥎📸

Back at Hillsboro Ballpark tonight for another matchup between the Portland Cascade and OKC Spark — and after the atmosphere from game one, this series already feels bigger than just another regular season stop.

Last night was packed concourses, loud innings, nonstop energy, and one of the best softball environments I’ve covered in a long time.

Now we run it back.

Another sold-out crowd.
Another night under the lights.
Another chance to document professional softball continuing to grow in a brand new market.

This trip has already taken me from Oklahoma City… to Chicago… to Saint Paul… to Portland by train — and tonight is another reminder of why all of it has been worth it.

Cascade vs. Spark.
AUSL in Hillsboro. 🌲📸🥎 First pitch coming in about two hours