curiosities of change

Concur for Seattle Business

2012-01-27T11:57:00.000-06:00

Job Inverviews for The Chronicle of Higher Education

2012-01-17T15:24:00.002-06:00

I had a great shoot with a new client several weeks ago. The editor at the Chronicle of Higher Education had a great last minute assignment dealing with preparing for job interviews and the Modern Language Association Convention in Seattle. It was a fun shoot following around Javier Jiménez, a Berkeley Ph.D. candidate in comparative literature, as he prepared for several job interviews over the weekend. Here are some images from the shoot.
View Article Here>>>

Neah Bay for The New York Times

2012-01-06T11:27:00.005-06:00

Neah Bay is an incredible place. It's not everyday you get an assignment to drive to a beautiful place and are tasked with creating beautiful imagery. It has been a long stretch of business portraits so I was happy to get back to some candid assignment work. Having never been to the northwest tip of the OIympic Peninsula I was not sure what to expect. I knew it would be windy and I knew it would be cold, but beyond that I had no expectations. The first day, reporter Bill Yardley and I trudged through ankle deep mud to get a look at Shi Shi Beach and watched the waves crash against incredibly jagged rocky pinnacles. It was also nice to visit the Take Home Fish Company and try out some of their amazing smoked salmon. Here are some photographs from the shoot. View Article Here>>>

Pine Ridge Work in Indian Country Today

2012-01-03T11:31:00.004-06:00

Check out the rest of the Tearsheets Here>>>
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season filled with good friends and family. Although I haven't been able to get back to Pine Ridge this year my project has kept popping up in various publications this past year including TIME, Indian Country Today, and HUCK Magazine. I plan on continuing this project in a more specific way in the coming year, but it's always nice when the phone rings and an editor tells you that your work has been licensed by another publication. This time it was the wonderful people at REDUX who licensed some of my Pine Ridge imagery to Indian Country Today that ran over 8 pages. Keep an eye out for new work from Pine Ridge in the coming year.

Decide for The New York Times

2011-12-06T18:09:00.001-06:00

I have been doing a lot of business portraits lately for various publications. This one was with Prof. Oren Etzioni, Co-Founder & CTO of Decide, who created an iPhone application that makes shopping for electronics easier by comparing prices and brands using data patterns. Here are a couple portraits from the shoot.
View Article Here>>>

30th Birthday and Engagement!

2011-12-05T22:04:00.005-06:00

It's been an amazing couple of weeks. After spending ten days working in Maine on a great project for the University of New England, and visiting with my parents, I asked my best friend and beautiful girlfriend (now fiance) to marry me. We headed out to Orcas Island for the weekend to stay at Doe Bay, a quiet little bay in the San Juan's with one of the best restaurants I have been to. It was a great little trip with Terry during the frosty winter months in the Pacific Northwest. After we returned to Seattle, we met with a group of our friends for Thanksgiving and my sister surprised me by showing up from Nashville for the Thanksgiving/Birthday extravaganza. The last couple of weeks have been amazing.

Day in the Life Project for The University of New England

2011-11-29T10:12:00.009-06:00

I had the opportunity to work with the great folks at the University of New England on a "Day in the Life" project of students in a variety of programs throughout the undergraduate and graduate programs offered at the University. It was fun to use my photojournalism skills for a more corporate style shoot, highlighting some of the interesting aspects of UNE. Here is a selection of some of my personal favorites.

Chase Bank for AARP Bulletin

2011-11-14T20:29:00.000-06:00

It's always fun, and a bit stressful, to work with new clients. I was asked to photograph a family who's accounts were frozen by Chase Bank with no explanation and for seemingly no reason. It was a simple portrait shoot, but it was a nice chance to become more familiar with my studio lighting as well as create several different compositions and lighting setups.
View Article Here>>>

Contour for Seattle Business

2011-11-09T11:48:00.004-06:00

Last month I shot a portrait of the guys who started Contour. It was a fun shoot at Gasworks Park and it was great to work with the editors at Seattle Business. They did a great job with the layout. I tried several different setups with lights as well as using natural light. Both gave the images a different feel, which was interesting to see. Lately I have been using lights more and more, but still really enjoy the challenges of making natural light portraits. They have a certain simplicity that I really enjoy.

Wind Energy for The New York Times

2011-11-06T13:36:00.003-06:00

I had the pleasure of working with Jose Lopez at the business desk of The New York Times on a story dealing with the surplus of wind energy produced in Washington and what the Bonneville Power Administration is doing about it. It was a challenging story to photograph. I photographed a couple in Port Angeles as well as wind farms in Eastern Washington. Below is a link to the story as well as some images from the shoot.
View Story Here>>>

Pine Ridge Reservation in HUCK Magazine

2011-11-01T12:34:00.004-05:00

It's so nice when an essay I care about finds a beautiful new home. It was great to collaborate with the editors at HUCK on the edit, text, and beautiful layout. Below is the layout as well as a couple of links to my galleries and the magazine. The online version of the magazine will be up on the HUCK site in a couple of weeks.

Pine Ridge Gallery>>>

Occupy Seattle for The New York Times

2011-10-28T13:24:00.002-05:00

I recently shot the Occupy Seattle protests for the New York Times. Although they weren't nearly as wild as the protests going on in Oakland the same day, they were visually interesting. A couple of images made it in to the slideshow. You can view them and others from the occupy protests throughout the country.

View slideshow here>>>

Salmon Anemia for The New York Times

2011-10-20T11:22:00.003-05:00

I had a quick assignment to go down to Fishermen's Terminal in Ballard and talk with some of the salmon fishermen. Unfortunately, the salmon season is pretty much winding down, but I was able to find some guys who were fishing for chum as well as an older gentlemen who was working on his boat. I'd never been down to the terminal before, but I am excited to do more work down there once there is more action with the next season.
View Article Here>>>

Occupy Seattle

2011-10-17T12:31:00.002-05:00

Mr. Buzzard for The Seattle Weekly

2011-10-11T21:13:00.000-05:00

Last week I was asked to photograph Mr. Buzzard for The Seattle Weekly cover story. Mr. Buzzard, a former gang member, now does outreach work with young people throughout Seattle. The challenge with this shoot was that I had about an hour at the Seattle Weekly offices to create an interesting portrait. I decided to set up a backdrop in one of the offices with a couple of lights, a beauty dish, and a ten degree grid. I hadn't shot a portrait like this in awhile, so it was good to play with studio lighting again. After several lighting setups and poses, I settled on a one light setup far enough away to the background to give it an interesting look. Here is what I came up with. In addition to shooting digital, I decided to shoot some black and white film through my hasselblad as well.

The Importance of Personal Work

2011-10-11T11:34:00.001-05:00

It's been over a year now that I have been full time freelance. When I first started my photographic education nearly 6 years ago, I thought that being a freelance photographer would be the life! I was correct in thinking that, but little did I know, it would be quite a struggle as well. Last year, after a pretty busy summer of assignments my phone stopped ringing for nearly 5 months. Luckily, one day it started ringing again and hasn't stopped. Throughout the slow periods I was so worried about getting work I stopped taking pictures for me. Lately, I've been getting back to what I love to do. In between assignments I have started a myriad of different projects, some that will last for years, others, maybe only a couple of months.

Two months ago I started teaching at Luminous Works and The Photographic Center Northwest. It has been an eye opening experience. Throughout these classes, one of the main questions I am asked is whether I do personal work or if I shoot everything through assignments. Well as nice as the latter would be, most of the work that I am most proud of has come through a personal dedication of time, money, and motivation to focus on projects I feel are important or would just be fun to photograph. I am currently diving into a story in the Pacific Northwest that focuses on the remnants of the logging industry. I have decided to shoot it all on film, which I haven't done in ages, so bear with me as I post images and explore a new medium and visual style throughout this project.

Recent Tearsheets

2011-10-10T13:28:00.002-05:00

This last month or two has been a whirlwind of assignments with The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, AARP Bulletin, Seattle Business, and the Seattle Weekly to name a few. The assignments have pushed me to think about things outside of the box and explore the city that I now call home. Here are a couple of tearsheets from the past months.

Smokejumpers for The New York Times

2011-10-02T21:13:00.006-05:00

I recently got a last minute assignment from The New York Times to photograph a veteran smokejumper in Winthrop, Washington, who was retiring after 896 jumps for the US Forest Service. It was great fun to watch these men prepare for a practice jump that afternoon. Although I wasn't allowed up in the plane, the visual variety of the paraloft held infinite possibilities.

View Article Here>>>

The Alcohol Experiment for The New York Times

2011-09-27T12:27:00.003-05:00

I got a call the other day to photograph a local Starbucks in Seattle that recently started offering beer and wine along with their regular coffee items. When I got there and met the PR guy, there was no one drinking wine or beer, so I had to resort to other ideas to illustrate the story until someone came in and ordered an alcoholic beverage. In the meantime, it was nice to be creative with a coffee cup and a glass of wine.
Click Here to View Article>>>

Sustain Project Part III

2011-09-27T11:15:00.001-05:00

I began working with local farmers on Vashon Island, Washington several months ago when I had spare time. At first I was just curious as to some of the inner-workings of small farms. So far I have been focusing more on the farm aspect of things, photographing both a chicken and a pig slaughter, a local cheesemaker, and a local butcher. The project is evolving into something more intimate, possibly exploring the farm to table concept, and touching on the relationship and dependency that humans have with animals and the food we eat.

Stuart Wilber for The New York Times

2011-09-25T19:54:00.003-05:00

I recently photographed Stuart Wilber for the New York Times. It was a quick portrait shoot so I wanted to get a variety of shots. Since most of my work these days is using natural light I decided to utilize a strobe and a grid for several of the shots. Here is what I came up with.
View Article Here>>>

Terry's 30th Birthday!!!

2011-09-18T12:57:00.006-05:00

Last weekend we rented a cabin up by Mt. Index and had a wonderful weekend with friends. The cabin was right on the Skykomish River, not far from the incredible Sunset Falls. It was a great weekend of sitting in the hot tub, exploring the mountains, and of course great food and beer in a wonderful birthday celebration for my one and only.

Photo by Terry Novak

Grunge for The New York Times

2011-09-16T09:00:00.001-05:00

The assignment was to explore the remnants of Seattle grunge. It was an interesting exploration in parts of Seattle I have never explored, including an underground club in Eastlake, the Nirvana exhibit at the EMP Museum, Kurt Cobain's former residence, and The Sound Garden.

View Slideshow Here>>>
View Article Here>>>

Jigsaw Puzzles for The New York Times

2011-09-15T11:16:00.004-05:00

I had the opportunity to work with the New York Times again last week on a cute assignment on the jigsaw puzzles that are left out on the ferry boats that leave Anacortes, Wash. to take people out to the San Juan Islands. The ferry ride takes about an hour and over the days and weeks, the puzzles somehow get finished. It was fun to photograph the people who were into the puzzles throughout the journey and attempt to make an interesting image.
View Article Here>>>

Vows for The New York Times

2011-09-12T10:47:00.008-05:00

It's not everyday you get a phone call for an assignment to spend a couple days in the San Juan Islands to photograph a wedding. It's definitely work, but it's sort of like a vacation as well. The wedding was of Catherina Willard and Joseph Whinney, who is the founder of Theo Chocolate, based out of Seattle, Washington. I was tasked with photographing the wedding in a purely documentary style, which was a breath of fresh air compared to all of the portraiture work that is involved with normally shooting weddings throughout the summer. The wedding took place in Roche Harbor on San Juan Island overlooking the water where floatplanes, sailboats, and yachts come and go throughout the day. The wedding was simple, yet elegant, with lots of interesting details and of course some excellent chocolate thrown into the mix.
View Story Here>>>

Summer Adventures

2011-09-08T13:01:00.002-05:00

Between visitors, assignments, and working on personal projects I have had time to adventure into the mountains with my beautiful girlfriend and good friends here in Seattle. After months of below average weather, summer is finally making an appearance in Seattle. Tomatoes are turning red, the snow in the mountains is melting, and there isn't any rain in the forecast. Here are some pics from some recent adventures.

Longterm Unemployment for The Wall Street Journal

2011-09-01T13:28:00.000-05:00

I recently had the pleasure of spending the morning with Greg Shields at his home in Bellevue, Washington, who like many American's has found himself looking for a job. I was tasked with creating some interesting images of Greg while he was spending some time with his 3 year old daughter. What struck me most about the brief amount of time I spent with Greg was his overwhelming positivity. He is working hard to keep his skills up to date and become more marketable, even though the searching through the job market is still a tough place to be.
View Article Here>>

50th Anniversary of The Space Needle for the New York Times

2011-08-17T09:18:00.001-05:00

Mt. Rainier for The New York Times

2011-08-15T02:09:00.000-05:00

It's not often that you get a phone call to photograph an assignment that you would probably be doing anyways in some respect. So I packed up my backpack, crampons, ice ax, got some food together, and headed out to Camp Muir, which sits right above 10,000 feet on the side of Mt. Rainier. It was a fun assignment talking to rangers, climbers, and feeling my calves and lungs burn as the air slowly thinned. I decided to bivy up at Camp Muir so I could photograph the climbers leaving for the upper sections of the mountain early in the morning, so I dug out a flat spot in the snow, melted some snow chunks for water, and tried to catch a little shuteye. I woke up to a star filled sky as people began to organize gear, tie knots, and prepare for the trek up to the summit. It was fun to watch the little headlamps bouncing up the looming glaciers above camp as I crawled back into my sleeping bag to escape from the cold. I woke up at 4 AM, made some coffee, and packed up to head down the mountain as the sun was just rising over the ridge. All in all.....the perfect assignment.
View Article Here>>>

This is me trying to stay warm and occupying my time with running back and forth from the camera as it clicked down from the ten second mark on the timer setting.

Japanese Internment for The New York Times

2011-08-08T09:25:00.000-05:00

Recently I have had an influx of assignments varying greatly in scope. Some have been more conceptual, while others have tested my physical abilities as well as my abilities as a photographer. Regardless, they have all been a lot of fun. The NY Times just ran a story about the Japanese who were forcibly removed from Bainbridge Island in 1942. I was fortunate enough to be able to photograph several of the people who returned to the island as well as a wonderful woman, Ms. Hayashida, who relayed her experiences in the camps. Here is a selection of images from the shoot as well as a link to the article and slideshow.
View Article Here>>
View Slideshow Here>>

August

2011-08-04T12:59:00.009-05:00

I took my DSLR Basics class out on a field trip last week to the Olympic Sculpture Park to talk about metering and composition. While they were exploring the visual landscape I snapped a couple pics.

Sustain Project - Sea Breeze Farms Part II

2011-07-25T12:56:00.008-05:00

Every now and again I have been working with small farmers in the area on a project dealing with sustainability in food and the idea of knowing where your food is coming from. I spent the day with George and the crew over at Sea Breeze Farms while they were doing their weekly chicken slaughter as well as photographed the butcher shop and restaurant, La Boucherie. It's a fun project to work on, trying to visually explore both the simplicity and complexity of food.

Adaptation of a River for The NY Times

2011-07-20T15:17:00.000-05:00

Several months ago I had the pleasure to head up to Mt. Rainier National Park with reporter Leslie Kaufman to photograph the Nisqually River as it flows out to the Puget Sound. It was a challenging and fun story to illustrate.
Click Here to View Story>>>
Click Here to View Slideshow>>>

Bikes, Booze, and BBQ's

2011-07-05T12:03:00.003-05:00

The Anatomy of a Story - Part II

2011-06-30T11:57:00.007-05:00

I spent a couple days with Stewart this week continuing my project on medical marijuana and working on some video and audio components as well. This is my third time spending time with Stewart and he seems to be doing much better than the last time I saw him. He has been using medicinal marijuana to combat his Parkinson's symptoms as well as manage his pain associated with his other illnesses. When I drove the four hours over the pass to see him and his wife he walked outside to greet me with a smile on his face. We spent several days talking about his life, his medicine, and his family. I recently started teaching several photography courses throughout Seattle, one dealing with the photographic narrative, so it has been fun for me to work on this story and concentrate on telling this man's story and capturing the subtle moments throughout his daily life that hopefully will work together to create a compelling narrative. I am eager to see how it evolves over the coming months and as always had a great time learning about Stewart and his life.

Shabazz Palaces for The FADER 74

2011-06-21T08:45:00.000-05:00

Last month I had the pleasure of working with the band Shabazz Palaces in Seattle, Wash. I love working with the FADER because you never know who they are going to ask you to hang out with. Some musicians have been very easy to spend hours upon hours with, while others give you an hour or two. While they both present challenges, the images are always a little off beat and very unexpected. Check out the article in the newly published issue of the FADER.

Views from the Window

2011-06-20T12:06:00.002-05:00

I have been busy working on several different projects and commissioned assignments recently, but got to hang out with Terry and the PCNW crew she has been working with for the Long Shot. Here are a couple of shots I took through the window.

Weekend Snaps

2011-05-29T13:20:00.001-05:00

Kucinich for The New York Times

2011-05-22T11:25:00.005-05:00

Last weekend I spent the day with Representative Dennis Kucinich who is essentially losing his district in Ohio and is shopping around for a new district in Washington State. It was fun to photograph him at several different events. Shooting politics is always a challenge to try and make an interesting frame, but it's a fun challenge. View the Article Here>>>

The Anatomy of a Story

2011-05-17T16:12:00.015-05:00

Recently I was given the opportunity to develop a class called The Photographic Story at Luminous Works, a certified Adobe training center in Seattle, Washington. It gave me a chance to think about how stories on a single person can impact people's lives in ways we never intended. In addition it has given me the chance to reexamine the process of photographing a successful picture story on one person's life. I have been talking a lot about the importance of building trust with your subjects throughout my classes. It has always amazed and humbled me, as a photographer and as a human, that people will often times invite you into their lives at some of their most vulnerable moments. Mike Davis recently said this in one of his blog posts and I try to keep this in mind every time I approach a subject.

"Honesty, accuracy, truthfulness and other terms are sides of a dice that we roll every time we approach a subject. What might be honest to one person won’t be to another."

Throughout my photographic journey I have always tried to tell an honest story, but sometimes those stories aren't perceived as being honest or deemed as the "right story" by the people that see them. Regardless, I hope that the stories I approach are seen with open minds by the people that stumble across them.

After teaching three classes at Luminous Works I decided to pursue a story I have been thinking about over the past few weeks. I recently met a wonderful man who is suffering from Parkinson's and Hepatitis-C. He was on a barrage of prescription drugs to combat these illnesses and recently switched over to using medical marijuana, which has worked more effectively to control his symptoms. Living in Eastern Washington, a much more conservative area than Seattle, he doesn't have regular access to dispensaries so he grows his own medication. Since spending several days with this man and his wife they have become dear friends to me, who I hope to spend countless days with in the future, talking about life and how he is dealing with his illnesses. I plan on posting a larger edit after the story progresses so please check back in the coming weeks.

Kentucky Derby for The Seattle Weekly

2011-05-09T13:21:00.004-05:00

I did a quick shoot at the Bottleneck Lounge of people watching the Kentucky Derby. It was fun to play with colors and layers for awhile. The colorful hats didn't hurt either.

Osama bin Laden's death for The New York Times

2011-05-03T22:13:00.005-05:00

I went out to Fort Lewis for the day to photograph the reactions of soldiers the day after Osama bin Laden was pronounced dead. It was an interesting place to be, with lots of different opinions and emotions on the topic. Overall, there was a feeling of relief, but a question as to whether this would change anything. Many of the veterans who had served two or three deployments in the Middle East had more at stake in Osama's death than the younger solders, who would have been 9 or 10 years old during the 9/11 attacks. Here are a couple of images from the day>>

Sea Gals Tryouts for The Seattle Weekly

2011-04-25T15:02:00.003-05:00

Cask of Dreams for Glenfiddich

2011-04-13T12:55:00.006-05:00

I had the pleasure of working with the great people at Fine Young Man Productions and Momentum over the past couple of days shooting the "Cask of Dreams" events in Seattle. I shot both video and stills, which gave me a chance to practice running and gunning with a dslr rig. It was a really fun shoot and I had a great time. The excellent glass of scotch at the end of the day was an added bonus as well.

Mayor Mike McGinn for The New York Times

2011-04-08T14:59:00.006-05:00

Sometimes assignments don't turn out the way you had hoped. Originally I was planning on heading to Neah Bay for a shoot that didn't pan out. Fortunately the great editors at The New York Times filled my day with another interesting shoot, although, not nearly as exciting. I was tasked with photographing the viaduct in Seattle for a story about the proposed tunnel that would replace the existing elevated highway. Mayor Mike Mcginn adamantly opposes the proposed tunnel, which would be a very costly endeavor. Here are a couple of shots from the afternoon. View the Story Here>>

Pine Ridge Piece in FOTO8.com

2011-03-28T17:51:00.006-05:00

FOTO8 recently published a selection of images from my Pine Ridge Project. Click Here to View>>>

Climbing at Vantage, WA

2011-03-23T13:09:00.005-05:00

This weekend my girlfriend Terry and I headed out of the city for a day of sunshine, climbing, and hiking among the amazing basalt cliffs near Vantage, Washington. It was great to just get out of Seattle for awhile and take a deep breathe of fresh desert air. Typical of Seattle area weather forecasts, we only got one day of sunshine instead of the forecasted two days, but I'll take it. Thanks to Terry for snapping these two pictures of me.

Sustain Project - Sea Breeze Farm

2011-03-01T20:40:00.002-06:00

Today I made another venture over to Vashon Island to visit La Boucherie, part of Sea Breeze Farm, to photograph a class on butchery and charcuterie. It truly is an amazing place where you can see basically your food in raw form and then in the form of pork chops, ground beef, sausages, and the items you are so used to finding at the grocery store, without really understanding how they are made. The only difference is that the cuts of meet and sausage links that adorn the coolers at La Boucherie taste a whole lot better than anything you can find at your local Safeway. It was fascinating to see how nearly every part of a pig was used for something. Keep an eye out for more images from Sea Breeze Farms as this project continues to develop.

Medical Marijuana Farmer's Market for The Seattle Weekly

2011-02-28T13:08:00.001-06:00

Pine Ridge Reservation on TIME.com

2011-02-20T15:43:00.001-06:00

I recently had the great pleasure of working with Mark Rykoff, a photo editor at TIME on editing a selection of images from my Pine Ridge project. The Pine Ridge Reservation has always had a pull for me in many ways even before I picked up a camera. It's great to see this project find a new home. Please check out the gallery at the following link.
View TIME.com Gallery Here>>>

Sustain Project - Kurtwood Farms

2011-02-12T12:19:00.008-06:00

I have been thinking a lot about where my resources come from. Of course, you can go to Safeway and pick up a block of cheese or a steak without seeing the cow, turn on the light without any regard to where this power is coming from, or drive to work without seeing the oil rigs working to get you there. I wanted to start out by looking at what small farmers are doing around Seattle to create more of a "Farm to Table" experience. Yesterday I rode my bike onto the Vashon Island Ferry and headed over to Kurtwood Farms. Firstly, something happens to you when you step onto a ferry. A sense of relaxation takes over, especially when you are on foot or on a bike. The ride to Kurtwood Farms is a 6 mile trek from the ferry with views of the Olympics and the occasional glimpse of Mt. Rainier.

When I got to the farm I was warmly greeted by Kurt Timmermeister and given a quick tour of the pasture, creamery, house, and barn, before he started tending to his cheeses. Kurt, who has dabbled in many activities on his farm, while trying to figure out which one will be most successful, seems to have settled on making cheese with the milk from his Jersey Cows. Kurt sells the cheese to local vendors throughout the Seattle area, while working to perfect his creations. In thinking about this project I wanted to give it a certain feel of timelessness, which is why I chose to shoot the majority of the images in medium format film with my Hasselblad. Shooting in this format is both challenging for me as well as very exciting. I hope to continue working with Kurt and other local farmers in the future as the weather warms up in the coming months. If you haven't already, please check out Kurt's new book Growing a Farmer.

The Beginnings of a New Essay

2011-02-07T18:16:00.004-06:00

I have been contemplating an essay dealing with the loss that suicide brings to family and friends. I started doing research months ago, not really knowing where to start. The project is still in very early research phases, but I decided to take a walk along the Aurora Bridge last week and see what I saw. This bridge is the second most deadly suicide bridge in the United States.

Pine Ridge Hasselblad Portraits

2011-01-21T19:04:00.000-06:00

The Beauty of Film

2011-01-21T18:58:00.002-06:00

I had a blast scanning some of the images I shot while driving across the country for the holidays. Obviously while I was driving it was difficult to take pictures, but these are a few that I especially enjoyed.

From the Archive - Pine Ridge

2011-01-13T13:48:00.003-06:00

I first went to Pine Ridge over six years ago and will never stop going back. The people there are some of the most welcoming people with some of the most heartbreaking stories I have ever heard. Last year I was fortunate enough to spend several days on the reservation for The New York Times. It was my fourth trip to the reservation and the relationships that were cultivated there have developed into friendships. This image came about after a long day of walking around the reservation with my friends Rich and his younger brother. The two went back to their house to meet friends and suddenly their friend Leston Moran shows me his scars. He tried to kill himself when he was in prison because he couldn't attend his grandmother's funeral services. The image was easy to take, but reminds me of the importance of listening and being open to situations of all types when working closely with people on a long term project. I look forward to going back in a couple of months and continue to build friendships and tell the stories of the Lakota. Thanks to everyone who has let me into their lives out on the reservation.

John Williams Demonstration

2011-01-10T15:59:00.003-06:00

Demonstrators gathered outside the courthouse after Native American Carver John T. Williams was fatally shot by Seattle Police Officer Ian Birk last August while crossing the street. Williams was shot numerous times by the police officer while carving a piece of wood.

The Best of 2010

2011-01-05T12:45:00.006-06:00

2010 has been a whirlwind of moving to Seattle, building my editorial clients, building my wedding business, trying not to go broke, exploring Seattle and the Cascades and meeting new and wonderful people. These are some of my favorite images from 2010. I hope you enjoy.

The Epic Holiday Road Trip

2011-01-04T20:16:00.003-06:00

The past three weeks have been a crazy trip through Wyoming, Tennessee, Chicago, back to Washington and through all of the places in between with my beautiful girlfriend and my dog (no that's not her curled up in a ball). It's good to be home, but it was fun to see everyone and catch up with family and friends. Driving through the country is truly a humbling and amazing experience in the winter. We drove through some of the most beautiful snowy landscapes I have ever seen. Here are a couple images from the trip. I shot more film than digital so more to come later when I get around to getting them developed.

Pinball for The Seattle Weekly

2010-12-07T15:20:00.002-06:00

I had the pleasure of working with my friend and Seattle Weekly writer Caleb Hannan on a cover story for this week's paper. The story was about pinball, with the main character being Robert Gagno, a pinball master, who happens to be autistic. It was a challenging shoot. Portraits of Robert seemed to turn out horribly awkward with him being very aware of the camera throughout the shoot, so I switched to a more journalistic approach, trying to capture him in a meaningful way while he was occupied by the pinball machine.
View the Story Here>>>

Bikini Baristas for The Seattle Weekly

2010-12-02T15:58:00.001-06:00

I recently did a quick shoot for the Seattle Weekly concerning the disappearance of the owner of the controversial "Bikini Barista" Stands located in Everett, Washington. I can't say this is the way I'd want to get my coffee in the morning, but it was an interesting shoot.
View the Story Here>>

What a wonderful weekend...

2010-11-30T13:42:00.001-06:00

Thanks for everything baby!

Walking out the Front Door

2010-11-18T12:12:00.007-06:00

Sometimes taking pictures is less about the final product and more about the people you meet and the glimpses of life that you are allowed to witness. Taking pictures has never been easy for me. I am not the most vocal person and talking to people, especially strangers, is something that I have definitely had to work on over the years. I actually really like this about myself. It forces me to watch and be calculated about things. This picture isn't particularly great or moving, but I like it. I like their faces and the textures. I sat and talked with these two for about a half an hour and it really made my day. I guess what I am trying to say is that I need to get out there everyday and just talk with people. I just started freelancing full time last year and somehow managed to steer clear from the full time newspaper job that offers a false sense of security. Instead I am competing with an incredibly talented group of photographers who are both intimidating and inspiring, working my ass off to diversify my client base, and working on things that I actually care about. Although frustrating at times, I am grateful to be where I am and for all of the talented editors and photographers that I have worked with over this past year. Stay tuned for an update on a couple of projects I have in the works.

2010 Purpose Prize Winners for Talking Eyes Media

2010-11-15T11:43:00.003-06:00

Several months ago I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to work with Talking Eyes Media on a project they were working on for the 2010 Purpose Prize Winners given out by Civic Ventures. It was an exciting shoot for me because I shot both video and still photographs with the 5d Mark II, which I hadn't done a ton of, especially without doing my own editing. The shoot was 2 days in Portland and 2 days in Oakland with Julie Winokur and Marshall Leaman who were great to collaborate and work with while trying to tell these two stories. Both the subjects, Barry Childs and Margaret Gordon were a pleasure to work with and hear their stories. Check out the videos below...

Rio work featured on zReportage.com

2010-11-09T11:58:00.003-06:00

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The Music Man of Starbucks for The New York Times

2010-11-06T10:09:00.000-05:00

Last week I spent an hour with Timothy Jones, of Starbucks Coffee. I dragged some lights, stands, and my camera gear in there and ended up liking the one that I didn't light. Jones, along with his team of employees, are in charge of selecting the music that thousands of people hear and purchase at their stores throughout the country. I wanted to capture him in a unique way, without using obvious props such as piles of CD's and other things that he had at his desk.
Working with publications is always interesting because you never know how much space they have or which image they will want to run. In this particular instance, they only had space to run a very small picture so they chose one of the images that wasn't my favorite. You can view the story here, but I think this image that is bathed in yellow light is very telling of Jones' personality and what he does for a living.
Click Here to View the Story>>>

Ingalls Peak Attempt

2010-11-06T10:00:00.000-05:00

Climbing Ingall's Peak by either the South Face or the East Ridge is fairly easy rock climbing, but didn't pan out yesterday. It was a late start, well, left seattle by seven, more snow than expected, and possibility of weather.

The middle peak in the image is the one that either is climbed on the left ridge (south face) or the right ridge (east ridge). Once we made it up to this point, we decided to try another day with proper snow equipment and more sunlight.

We did however get to catch a view of Mt. Stuart, which I like to describe as a damn sexy mountain and would love to climb one of these days.

Christmas Print Sale 2010

2010-10-29T17:14:00.000-05:00

A selection of prints are available for purchase before Christmas this year. The prints are 11x17 prints, printed on a 13x19 inch archival paper. Each image sells for $115.00 and can be ordered directly through my Photoshelter Archive. If there are additional images that aren't in this gallery please contact me for availability and ordering details.

Thanks for your support!

From the Archive: Fireflies

2010-10-29T14:37:00.002-05:00

This image has always stuck with me throughout the years. Not as something that I feel has a lot of editorial value, but serves to remind me of how important creativity is when trying to capture even the most simple things. This picture was taken while sitting on a farm in Indiana or Illinois (can't remember at the moment), and the fireflies were just going crazy. After numerous attempts of trying capture them in a single frame without much luck, I decided to just pan the camera with a low shutter speed. I really like the one or two streaks of yellow that streak across the frame. Is it art? Is it journalism? Not sure, but I like it.

Mountains before Winter

2010-10-22T17:00:00.002-05:00

The last week has been a little crazy with researching new photo stories, starting marketing campaigns, and spending a lot of time in the mountains before the winter sets in. Earlier in the week a friend and I hiked up to Robin Lakes in a 14 mile loop and yesterday Terry and I got up before the sunrise and drove to Washington Pass to climb the South Arete of South Early Winter Spire. We made it to the top and had a beautiful day of climbing in the high peaks of Washington.

Pine Ridge Reservation, South Dakota-10.9.10

2010-10-09T22:18:00.002-05:00

Pine Ridge Reservation, South Dakota-10.5.10

2010-10-05T10:02:00.004-05:00

I am back on the reservation working on several projects in different formats. Driving into Pine Ridge the other day, I was struck by the starkness of the place, but instantly welcomed by the people I have come to call my friends. We are camping out at the Wilson Ranch with "Junior" and "Lil' Rich". Last night we sat around, shared some tacos and watched the football game talking about life on the reservation and some of the struggles that young people are faced with growing up here. Being in this place is always humbling, difficult, yet beautiful in it's own way.

Holga Pics from Rio

2010-09-20T13:09:00.002-05:00

I recently developed a couple of rolls of black and white film from my trip to Brazil with Terry last year. These are a couple of images from a pile of undeveloped rolls sitting on me dresser.

Late Season Backpacking

2010-09-18T13:20:00.003-05:00

Terry and I took a three day trip into the Alpine Lakes Wilderness with amazing views of the mountains. It was so great to get away from the hustle and bustle of Seattle and only worry about the immediate. We hiked a total of 22 miles with a pretty brutal 12 mile day in the middle that took us through the high country and a wonderful burnt out forest that was making way for new vegetation.

Grizzly Bears for the NY Times

2010-09-17T11:26:00.000-05:00

I had the chance to go on a 15 mile hike in the beautiful Pasayten Wilderness with reporter Bill Yardley and Wildlife Biologist William Gaines. Gaines is working to verify if there is a Grizzly Bear population in the North Cascades using the DNA from hair follicles that are snagged by barbed wire.
View Article Here>>
View Multimedia Piece Here>>

Grizzly Bear Multimedia for The NY Times

2010-09-16T18:19:00.000-05:00

NY Times Tearsheet, Seattle Jazz

2010-08-29T18:46:00.000-05:00

Seattle Jazz for The NY Times

2010-08-28T10:00:00.002-05:00

I recently worked on a story for the NY Times on the jazz scene in Seattle. It was fun to explore some of these venues as well as try and photograph music in a creative way. My favorite part about shooting music is not actually the music, but the in between moments that portray something about the musicians and fans. Here is a link to the article and the slideshow. Be sure to check it out in this Sunday's paper.
View Article>>
View Slideshow>>

Recent Tearsheets

2010-08-23T13:25:00.001-05:00

Hempfest for The Seattle Weekly

2010-08-22T19:36:00.005-05:00

After Iraq, Troops Fill Base Towns for The NY Times

2010-08-21T13:20:00.004-05:00

Yesterday morning I got a last minute assignment to head down to Fort Lewis near Tacoma to shoot a story on the town and the constant stream of homecomings. I had about two hours to shoot and edit this assignment for the next day's paper so I spent some time at the local cleaners where a constant stream of soldiers were bringing in their uniforms to either be mended or cleaned. I also spent some time at the local diner, where everywhere you looked, there was a reminder about the men and women serving overseas. Click Here to View Article>>>

Weekend Wedding Marathon

2010-08-17T12:47:00.003-05:00

This last weekend was a blur of weddings. Terry and I started our adventure in the San Juan Islands where we stayed on a beautiful old sail boat that was converted to a bed and breakfast. Our hosts were an older Austrian man and his son, who were a wealth of knowledge and extremely hospitable hosts. The next day we met up with the bride and groom, Heidi and Jacob, and photographed their wedding overlooking Friday Harbor and their reception, which was on a whale watching boat. After the reception Terry and I ran on to the last ferry heading back to Seattle where we slept for 3 hours before I had to catch a flight to Sacramento for Nathan and Sarah's wedding in Grass Valley. The wedding was in a beautiful state park surrounded by towering trees and lots of old buildings to use as backdrops. A preview of both of these weddings can be viewed at the Two Peas Wedding Photography Blog. Special thanks to my wonderful girlfriend for helping me photograph these events and missing out on countless hours of sleep to get me to the airport in the morning.

Copper Lake

2010-08-09T19:02:00.002-05:00

Marmot Lake and Deception Pass Loop

2010-08-01T16:30:00.005-05:00

Terry and I decided to explore the other side of Snoqualmie Pass and hike into the Alpine Lakes Wilderness for another 3 day adventure. We ended up hiking to Marmot Lake, which is a beautiful lake nestled in a remote valley 8 miles in from the trailhead. The bugs weren't as bad this time and we ended up hiking about 22 miles. Here are some pics from the trip...

Heavy Metal Enthusiast Nickel Pierce for The Seattle Weekly

2010-08-01T16:15:00.001-05:00

Random Images from Seattle Weekly Assignments

2010-07-24T13:22:00.002-05:00

The Necklace Valley - 3 Day Backpacking Trip

2010-07-22T14:46:00.009-05:00

The Necklace Valley is nestled in the North Cascades in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Terry, a first time backpacker, and myself, a backpacker long removed, and my 8 year old chocolate lab decided that climbing into this valley and up to the Tank Lakes would be a relaxing three day trip. Turns out, it was brutal - with over 4,000 ft. in elevation gain in about four miles, which is at the end of the first 5 mile trail. All in all, it was a spectacular introduction into backpacking in this amazing place. We forgot about our troubles, bills, things to do for three days and instead focused on when the uphill would end, the annoying mosquitos, and the snowy peaks. We ended up camping at Emerald Lake and day hiking up to Tank Lakes, which was more a trudge through the scree fields and snow, but well worth it. Now we're back in Seattle nursing our wounds and planning our next adventure. Thanks to Terry for the wonderful photo of my dog Nora and me.

Immigration Raids for the NY Times

2010-07-10T17:57:00.006-05:00

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similar but different

2010-07-02T16:39:00.002-05:00

I find myself in a wonderful new period in my life. One where I can focus on the things that I love to do and explore the places around me. I am now working for myself doing editorial assignments, commercial video jobs, and weddings, which has both freed up a lot of time and energy to focus on longer term projects and exploring the mountains and rivers of Washington.

Brewfest for The Seattle Weekly

2010-06-21T13:10:00.001-05:00

Our Nation's Capital

2010-06-10T17:46:00.001-05:00

SAM Remix for The Seattle Weekly

2010-06-09T00:21:00.000-05:00

Tents are Cool

2010-06-04T12:34:00.003-05:00

Seattle Independent Film Festival for The Seattle Weekly

2010-05-21T00:41:00.001-05:00

NW Porn Convention for the Seattle Weekly

2010-05-17T12:04:00.002-05:00

My Sister on NPR.com

2010-05-14T15:11:00.003-05:00

My sister Jenna's story is on NPR.com and wanted to say how proud I am of her. The story, Deviants can be viewed here. Click to View>>

the best way to watch softball

2010-05-09T00:14:00.000-05:00

The Edmonds-Kingston Ferry

2010-05-06T12:09:00.003-05:00

Ferries are something that have never been a part of my life until recently. I absolutely love them. It's a momentary escape from everything while someone else does the driving.

Mailbox Peak

2010-05-01T11:19:00.003-05:00

The other day I got up before work and decided to climb up Mailbox Peak. I knew the hike was going to be steep, muddy, and strenuous so I wanted to get an early start. Nora and I made the 30 mile drive and began the 2.5 mile hike to the top. The trail gains 4000 ft in elevation and ends on a rocky summit with an old mailbox on top. I wasn't expecting the last mile to have waist deep snow, but it was really fun to bring the ice ax out and climb a snowfield up to the summit. All in all, the hike was brutally steep and would have had incredible views if it weren't foggy.

Robe Canyon Race 2010

2010-04-26T09:30:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I hiked down to Robe Canyon outside of Granite Falls and photographed one of the most incredible stretches of Class V whitewater I have seen. There were over 20 boaters who raced down the canyon in teams of two. I parked myself near a rapid called Last Sunshine and watched the show. Here are a couple pics from the day. Maybe next year I'll be in a kayak instead of with a camera. :)

peaceful

2010-04-23T20:34:00.002-05:00