CP+ 2016: Japan in my rare free time

I was told in mid February that I'd be traveling to Yokohama for work at the end of February. It ended up being four days of 12-14 hours of work each, but occasionally, I had some time to break away from the chaos of the show.

But, disappointingly, I never did manage to find the elusive beer vending machines. Next time.

All photos taken on a Fujifilm X100.


Full Frame in Austin

I had a grand total of two evenings in Austin without the use of the camera I was specifically there to use, the PEN-F. So, I did the unthinkable and carried around a full-size DSLR.

New job. Weird pictures.

One of my favorite parts of the new gig involves sample galleries. Go out with a piece of new gear. See what it does. Try to make interesting pictures while showing its virtues and shortcomings. Sounds fun. Is fun.

Not works of art. Not advertising, really. Not planned, either.

Just fun.

Engagement: Abbey & Steve

Here's one that'll stay with me a while. During my time at PSE, social media magician Abbey was a consistent source of friendship, camaraderie, and overall goofiness. Her fiancee Steve, whom I've met on a number of occasions, is basically just one hell of a guy. These two will go far. Their date is set for 2016 and I couldn't be happier for them.

For the gear-minded, everything was shot on a D700 with a variety of ancient AF-D lenses attached.

Retrospective: 192 Brewing

Because I am a masochist, I've actually been thoroughly enjoying our deluge here in Seattle. But I will confess that I've been guilty of a few sun-soaked daydreams over the past couple days. My last shoot for Puget Sound Energy took place on a September afternoon at 192 Brewing in Kenmore, a wonderful combination of hot weather, cold beer and good company. So while ultimately it's these sorts days that we all go through the long, dark winter for, I do still try to enjoy the long, dark winter anyway.

All photos copyright Puget Sound Energy.

It's gon' get wet.

Not much really to say here. Utilizing a Pentax because it's supposed to be rainy as hell for the next few days / weeks / months, and this thing is supposed to be weatherproof enough to be run under a faucet. I didn't try that, but I did have a run in with the International Fountain. More TK.

I camped alone in a National Forest.

Alright, you have a few days off between leaving your old job for a new one. What do you do? Play non-stop video games? Take off for a couple of nights at an ocean-side resort? Finally tackle that big project you've been meaning to start? Those are all great ideas.

I didn't do any of those, because I'm weird. I went camping alone in Olympic National Park. Phone off. Sleeping in the back of my truck. Trying to camp.

Although I mainly did this for self-reflection (success) and hoping for an epiphany about the meaning of life (fail), in reality, it was mostly a reminder of what  a terrible outdoorsman I am. Here are some of the more frivolous notions that came to me over the course of my trip.

  • I do not know how to start a fire. 
  • I did not realize sleeping bags are rated for a reason.
  • I did not realize that the new 0-degree rated sleeping bag I purchased was only 64" long. I am not 5'4".
  • I did not take into account camping at 5,400' will be colder than sea level.
  • Camping 45 minutes off the main road in the absolute wilderness, a wilderness full of cougars and bears and aggressive raccoons, does, in fact, make me afraid of the dark. And, therefore, also afraid of peeing in the night.
  • Most restaurants in Forks have a "Twilight" menu. One hotel had a "Twilight" room. I saw photo proof.
  • I felt really rugged in my truck, going 16 miles on a rough, rutted logging road to the campsite. My neighbor had a 90's Civic. I didn't feel very rugged after that.
  • Bees can sting you in the middle of the night. They'll find you. And sting you.
  • A rubber mallet and a screwdriver make an adequate substitute for a hatchet.
  • And of course, I encountered some of the most beautiful scenery I've ever seen.

So, no, I didn't have an epiphany about the meaning of life. But it was a little adventure. And, truth be told, I re-learned some things about myself I had forgotten. So that was worth it.

Sasquatch! 2015

Today marks the end of my third Sasquatch! experience, and as usual, ish was weird. But there were also some constants from previous years that carried over: I shot almost no music, it's visually overwhelming, and I had an absolute blast. The colors are ludicrous and the light is almost always good.

Until next year.

(All images shot in JPEG on Fuji X100).

Retrospective: Alex & Sami Wedding

October, 2014 - I'm a groomsman in a wedding at DeLille Cellars.

December, 2014 - I'm photographing a wedding at DeLille Cellars.

Needless to say, the experiences differed a bit, though I can never help but dance when I'm photographing a reception. I'm sure it looks goofy, jamming to a beat with ten pounds of camera gear sailing about, but I never let the idea of looking goofy get in the way of having a great time.

Alex and Sami are going to make great partners in this thing we call life, and being a part of their most special of days was an honor. Enjoy the gallery!

Wandering.

Sometimes, you need a perspective check. Or a vacation. Or a walk through Greenwood with a good buddy.

Being a photographer in this day and age is a privilege. I endeavor to treat my profession as such, but sometimes, we also just need to goof off.

If you're a photographer, do this ish.

Bring your camera with you all the time. At some point, leave it at home.

Be bored.

Embrace wonder. Live with realism.

This is the best time in the history of humanity to be alive. Own it.

Some Music - Tün Shoot

And then there's that time that your buddy masters all things Guitar and asks if you would shoot his show in Fremont. Good deal.

Not the first time I've seen 'em, and certainly not the last. Man, they kill it. 

Check 'em out at http://tun.us.com/.

All images shot with Nikon D700, 35/2, 50/1.4, 85/1.4, 80-200/2.8.