The watery grave of Pier 58

I finally got out of the house on a nice crisp January Saturday, and was able to shoot some photos. I got down to the waterfront around 1:00 pm and was immediately struck by a barge with a giant crane on it, digging in the water for the wreckage of Pier 58, which collapsed in September of 2020. Judging from the large pile of debris on the neighboring barge, there must have been literally tons and tons of twisted metal, wood, and cement in the water. It was fascinating to watch. Over and over, they dipped the scoop into the water, only to come up empty. It reminded me of the claw machines I used to waste quarters on, trying to win the stuffed animals.

The cool colors of the crane complimented the yellow/orange tint on the city skyline as the sun moved further and further west. I’m really really happy with how this photo set turned out. As always, shot with my Canon T5i, along with my 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5.

It felt wonderful to be out in the sunshine and shooting again. With the pandemic, it’s been very difficult for me to practice this hobby I have fallen in love with, at least outdoors. Until vaccinations are more readily available, I will have to pick and choose when and where I go out to make photos in the city. I do miss it though.

The rest of the photos I shot can be found here.

The Tree of Life

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2020 was the year that life forgot. The global pandemic effectively shut down life as society knows it. The lockdown, the fear, the uncertainty, the deaths, all took their toll on me. So too did the slow realization that I had late last week, that I haven’t seen 99% of my friends and loved ones in person in nearly a year. As I look forward to 2021 and the hope that the vaccines will bring a fresh start, I am reminded of this photo I took in September while on a trip to the Pacific Coast, here in Washington. The trip was to celebrate the our one year wedding anniversary as well as the two year wedding anniversary of our best friends.

The Tree of Life, or the Kalaloch Tree, as our native hosts call it, is a natural wonder. It’s a Sitka Spruce tree. The cliff face below it has eroded away over time, yet the tree continues to cling to the ground around it, even with it’s roots exposed. Every year, people make the pilgrimage to the tree, expecting to see it has fallen. It remains steadfastly attached to where it seeded, so many years ago.

This photo has become a bit of a reminder for me to keep holding on, even during the troubling times we are facing. Here’s to digging our roots deeper into our own cliff faces in 2021, and in years to come.

Shooting at soccer practice

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My dream, when I picked up a camera for the first time was to be able to shoot photos at a professional sporting event, on the field, like the Sports Illustrated guys. I have always wanted to do that. I’ve shot a few rec league soccer matches, and a couple of kids soccer tournaments in the last couple of years, but I had always felt that my gear was lacking. I can make due with my Canon T5i, however I’ve always shot with a Canon 75-300mm f4/f5.6. This is fine for day time shooting, but evening and night games, its near impossible, as I just could not get enough light into my lens to take a decent photo. That changed this week. I often browse eBay for used lenses, though I could never afford what the golden ring of lenses cost. This golden ring is the Canon 70-200 f2.8 L Series. It’s a beast of a lens, but it’s buttery smooth, it is tack sharp, and with two extra stops of light available to me, it is just what I need to shoot in darker conditions. I decided to take the lens out to the local professional team’s training session on Saturday. So I packed up my kit, and headed down to Starfire Soccer Complex, home of my beloved Seattle Sounders FC, defending champions in Major League Soccer.

Right away, I noticed how quick my camera was to pick up my focus points. I caught myself chimping photos often, because I couldn’t get over how much compression my backgrounds had, and how it made the subjects pop off the screen. FIrst test run was a success. I’m very happy with the photos I took. You can catch the gallery, by clicking here

Rockets Red Glare

I’ve always been fascinated with fireworks. As a kid, I loved seeing a gigantic ball of colors in the sky followed by the boom of the explosion. The couple of moments between seeing the fireworks and the sound was a moment of anticipation I really enjoyed. Over the years, I had forgotten just how much I enjoy the science behind a well orchestrated show.

I’ve been shooting photos seriously over the past couple of years, but I’ve never taken the time to shoot photos of fireworks. That changed during the Forth of July festivities this year in Seattle. A good friend had invited my fiancee and I to spend time on their boat for the day. We went out, enjoyed the sunshine and the company of her fantastic family, waiting for the skies to darken so that the fireworks display could begin.

I shot, as usual, with my Canon t5i. Lens choice was my Tokina 11-16m Wideangle, given how close we were to the fireworks. A tripod and a remote shutter rounded off my equipment and we were ready to shoot. The actual photos took a few minutes to dial in I don’t often shoot long exposures, and it was a few minutes before I realized I needed a longer shutter. I eventually zeroed in a sweet spot with an iso of 100 at f/13 with a 6 second shutter.

You can see my gallery of fireworks here.

Not a Bucket Shot

Today, Peter McKinnon released his long awaited documentary called The Bucket Shot. It documents a nine year long obsession he’s had with getting a specific shot in Banff National Park, on Moraine Lake, in Alberta, Canada. Even if you aren’t into photography, it’s a incredibly motivating video to watch. As I sat in the 550 bus to Bellevue, heading into the office, I found myself wanting to turn around, go home, and get my camera gear to go out and shoot. We’ve been getting snow in the mountains surrounding Seattle as of late and I suddenly had the strong desire to go shoot them.

Unfortunately for my creative side, my practical side reigned me in fairly quickly, reminding me that fun photos aren’t paying my bills yet. Some day. Some day. I did however take this photo from my office window, before anyone else arrived. It’s not a Bucket Shot, but I did get to scratch my photography itch. The photo was taken on my Galaxy S9 phone and edited in Lightroom Mobile.

It’s wonderful reminder that the best camera for the job, is the one you have with you.

StreetMeet WA October 2018

In January I found a group called StreetMeetWA on Instagram. This group formed as a meet up group intended to be a no pressure way for photographers and models in the Seattle area to network and create photos together. I was nervous going to my first event in January. I stood back and observed mostly, took a few photos, and thanked people for letting me be involved.

I wasn’t able to make another meet up until October. As one might expect, many of the models that arrived to have their photos taken were in costume. I had so much fun with this shoot. You can see some of my favorites here.