Angelo and Kim had their wedding at Greenlake Park on the last weekend of January. The park was the setting for their first date, 5 years ago! Angelo plays in a local rock band, The Empty Sky. He asked for black and white photos with a dark, moody, rock 'n' roll-feel. I captured some shots of the ceremony, and we took a few different posed shots around the park. This was a really fun, easy shoot. Congratulations!
Sasquatch! Music Festival 2014
The Sasquatch! Music Festival took place over Memorial Day weekend. Now in it's 12th year, the festival is a three-day event featuring five stages of music & comedy. This was my 9th (!) trip to the festival, and it was among the best I've seen.
Glacier Peak
I made a trip to Leavenworth last weekend with my girlfriend and some friends. A weekend away from the city felt long overdue. There was still plenty of snow on the ground the last week of April.
Graham, Chase, me
Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks @ The Neptune
While on hiatus from blogging, I finally took the plunge into the world of D-SLR video with the purchase of a Canon T3i. I thought I'd share the first video I captured using the camera.
I've been looking forward to seeing the Jicks for weeks, and the show seemed like a good chance to test out the camera's video capabilities. Like most of the Rebel cameras, the T3i is extremely lightweight and fairly compact. It offers a flip-out screen for easy viewing, which is ideal for capturing concert footage. The handheld video I captured is admittedly a bit shaky, but so is the performance of the song.
Most indie fans know Stephen Malkmus as the former leader of Pavement, but his current band, the Jicks, have now officially released more albums (six!) than Pavement. The show at the Neptune was the final stop of the tour.
The beginning of the set was plagued with technical issues. The bass kept making distorted farting noises, forcing the band to stop half way through the second song. While the road crew swapped out bass amps with opener Speedy Ortiz, Malkmus kicked into a stripped-down, piano-and-vocal-only version of "Freeze the Saints" from the 2005 release "Face the Truth."
Tom Melancon
I first met Tom in 2012, while he was playing bass with Angelo Delsenno and The Empty Sky. I photographed the band recording at London Bridge Studio a few times and at various live shows around Seattle.
This time, he contacted me about photos for his side project, Downward Facing Dude. I suggested Pioneer Square as a backdrop. The neighborhood provided us plenty of interesting surroundings, all within a three-block radius. I've always liked the exterior of Merchants Cafe, and Tom seemed like just the right person to stand in the corner of the frame. We walked through Occidental Park, and concluded the shoot on top of a 12-story parking garage on James St.
Mardi Gras @ Marcela's
Some heavy rain didn't stop Mardi Gras in Seattle. Customers and employees at Marcela's Cookery in Pioneer Square started the party early on Fat Tuesday morning. Marcela's owner and New Orleans native, Anthony McDonald, asked me to photograph the festivities.
People showed up wearing brightly colored costumes, incorporating masks, beads and hats, and even some Saints gear. A six-piece brass band was on hand to liven things up. At noon, they took to the streets, starting a parade down 1st Ave. Party-goers passed out beads and even crashed-in on a few local businesses. The parade culminated with a dance party outside the restaurant as the band played on. It was a fun, positive celebration, and I was glad to be a part of it.
Anthony & Marcela
Shawn & Meryl
Earlier this month, I photographed an engagement portrait session for Shawn & Meryl, who are getting married in July.
The wanted some fun photos of them to use on their engagement announcement Web site. Shawn is a DJ, so Meryl had the great idea to show her dancing and cheering on Shawn while he spun a few records. The shoot was laid back, super-fun and easy.
We did the shoot in and around their home in the Central District.
The Fabulous Party Boys @ Nectar
The Fabulous Party Boys are a seven-piece soul/funk band based in Seattle. The group features a tight horn section comprised of saxophone, trumpet and electric tuba. I caught the band during a recent performance at Nectar in Fremont that had everyone in the room dancing.
Vicoustic USA
Vicoustic USA is a Seattle-based company that specializes in acoustic panelling and insulation.
They recently installed panelling for two different rooms at Experience Music Project in Seattle and asked me to come take some photos of the completed rooms.
The Conference Room
The Rec Room
Angelo Delsenno @ The White Rabbit
Angelo Delsenno is a Seattle-based musician who I've taken photos for several times over the last few years. Angelo performed with his band, The Empty Sky, at The White Rabbit in Fremont on Saturday night. The show gave me a chance to test out my new Rokinon 85mm lens. With a 1.4 f-stop, the lens is perfect for shooting in low-light environments. You can view some of the shots from the concert below.
Birthday Dreams
This past Saturday, I had the opportunity to run a photo booth at a fundraiser auction for a non-profit organization called Birthday Dreams. Birthday Dreams is dedicated to providing birthday parties to homeless children and foster children living in group homes in the Puget Sound region. For more information, please visit www.birthdaydreams.org
I had a blast meeting everyone who came by the booth. Special thanks to my girlfriend, Emily Borden, for assisting me all night and to Amy Etzel for inviting me to participate in an event that supports such a great cause. I've posted some of the shots from the night below.
Fox Island
I spent last week house sitting in Fox Island. It's located 15 min west of Gig Harbor, WA. I was looking after five small dogs. I thought it would be a good opportunity to take some "pet portraits."
Lucy
Oreo
Carlos
Milo
Cooper