Seeing Reflections

A few years back I really got into shooting reflections.  Seeing reflections opens up a whole new realm of imaging and doubles what's available to see in any one location. Most pass by reflections looking for the obvious image.  Whats funny is that shooting reflections means aiming your camera directly into windows, car windshields or side mirrors and puddles. This perplexes people as they wonder what you're doing but in a busy National Park I get excited knowing I'm shooting something no one else sees.  These are both from Nevada around Las Vegas.

Visitor Center window, Valley of Fire, Nevada

Red Rock Rec Area, Nevada

Wacky Portraits of Sherman Alexie

In approx 2002, a photographer friend called to refer a job to me to shoot NW indian author, Sherman Alexie, for the Guardian.  It started with great black and white shoot on my Hasselblad in Seattle's Arboretum near his office.  His office liked the shots then hired me a few more times to shoot images for their own use.  Here's one of the shoots we did, I can't remember the goal but he was always doing various projects to promote his books.  Quite the character, it was a fun shoot.

Shot with a 17mm lens in my studio at the time using an umbrella and White Lightning strobe.

Open Water

This image was shot from the Big Island in Hawaii looking south.

Fall Colors in Seattle

Here's one of my favorite shots from the Arboretum in Seattle, about 2007

I Love Tunnels!

Tunnels provide a bunch of shooting options providing you're not holding up traffic.  I've been shooting through my windshield for years, first with a Nikon FM2 hand cranking the winder with one hand, then digital SLRs and now the iPhone thing.  

This is one of the three in a row tunnels en route to Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park in Washington State.  Check my Instragram page for video versions of these tunnels.  

Creative Selfies

Need a selfie?  Everyone has done the classic shot with half their arm taking up the lower corner while holding the camera.  Instead take advantage of being in cool places to get a selfie that really stands out.  Here's one of myself and my partner Christy reflected in the Bean at Millinium Park in Chicago in July.  I also have motion versions of this with all the folks around us milling around with me in one place.

Selfie @ Bean at Millinium Park

My Perspectives of the Hoh Rainforest

We hadn't been to the Hoh Rainforest in years.  It's near by some pretty good surf spots which usually get my attention.  But we did the drive in, saw tourists from every country in the world, cheesy visitor center, then found a trail to escape the massive volume of tourists on the two circular trails.  These are on the main hiking trail leading to Mt Olympic, 17 miles distant.

The Hoh has been shot millions of times. It's not my thing to shoot the standard shots of a place.  That's boring to me, so I try to find a unique perspective or one that's true to me.

Kayaker Kate Hives Surf Kayaking

Kate Hives dropping from a close-out on the Washington Coast, 2013
Image available to license from Spaces Images

Wildlife and the Tourist

While visiting Hurricane Ridge at Olympic National Park last weekend, the usual tourists were out stalking the resident deer.  I shot a bunch of humorous images of tourists following deer, some trying to pet and have a personal moment with them as well.  When not being stalked, these deer are known for licking anti-freeze from the parking lot.