It was another fun year of capturing moments through photography. Here are a few of my favorites and the stories behind the images of 2019.
Ava and Cassia launching a Sky Lantern to welcome in the New Year. Nikon D700 at 14 mm, 6400 ISO, 1/50, f 1.8.
Taka taking off his skis at the top of Mt. Spokane. Nikon D700 at 28 mm, 200 ISO, 1/320, f 6.3.
I couldn’t pick one. I had fun shooting the Stringdusters at the Showbox with my Canon G7 X Mark II. I shot in manual mode and adjusted settings as necessary but 640-1600 ISO, 1/250, f 2.8–3.2 makes a good place to start for shows at the Showbox.
Governor Jay Inslee at the Governor’s Mansion — at this time he was running for President but found a moment to meet with a group of us to discuss funding for conservation and recreation. I find him to be one of our easier elected officials to shoot with his eyes wide open, his head tilted upwards, and his hand raised. He always makes for a good shot. Canon G7 X Mark II at 36 mm, 1250 ISO, 1/100, f 3.2.
The catch. Taka had a great season of ultimate and he did indeed catch this disk. When he came off the field he asked, “did you get that shot?” Nikon D700 at 300 mm, 250 ISO, 1/1000, f 5.6.
I love living in Seattle and the fact that you can be in the mountains skiing with family and friends, drive home for a quick change, and be downtown for an evening concert with Donna Missal. On this day I was scrambling a bit and got to the venue a little later than usual. I had also forgotten my camera. With no chance of getting to the rail and no zoom lens I had to do some quick thinking for where I could go to catch a unique perspective with the tools I had. I went up to the balcony and found a fun spot for some shots of Donna with the crowd with my iPhone 7 at 22 mm, 80 ISO, 1/16, f 1.8.
Shooting the cherry blossoms at the University of Washington is an annual tradition. I had my wife Rie pose for a number of shots with different lens combinations and angles. This was my favorite. Nikon D700 at 66 mm, 200 ISO, 1/100, f 18.
On the Salt River earlier this past year Aki (age 14) rowed his own raft. Here he navigates his first Class IV rapid, Black Rock, requiring rowers to come in left to right, pivot the boat, and hit the angled tongue on river right avoiding the big hole on the left and the side curler on the right. I love how photographs capture a moment and this was a special one watching my son execute the line with his little brother and a friend where the consequences are real. Nikon D700 at 28 mm, 200 ISO, 1/1000, f 8.
In a slot canyon on Chalk Creek along the Salt River in Arizona we paused at the lip of a waterfall. I love Laurel’s laugh and the joy of this moment in a beautiful wild place. Nikon D700 at 14 mm, 200 ISO, 1/50, f 11.
On our spring trip to the Salt River I was looking for a place where I could capture the setting of this desert river flowing through a landscape dominated by saguaro cactus. It was more challenging than expected finding a place with the right angle to line up the shot. On the last day, on the very last bend in the river, I saw this rock outcrop above the river and scrambled up to get this view. An interesting postscript to this story is I had a conversation with Bill Cross on his challenges in finding photo to illustrate this river for their book Western Whitewater. Nikon D700 at 28 mm, 200 ISO, 1/200, f 13.
Every year we go out to Clark Island for a weekend in May. I love the view looking across the water to Mt. Baker and caught this shot of River taking the girls out for a trip to enjoy the wonder of the Salish Sea. Nikon D700 at 240 mm, 200 ISO, 1/400, f 11.
I was on a Yampa River trip this past year with my co-workers and New Belgium Brewing. Shooting with the 14mm lens only a few inches from Evan and Bethany, we had some fun taking product placement shots. Nikon D700 at 14 mm, 320 ISO, 1/60, f 13.
Shooting S Turn Rapid at the North Fork Championship gets a little tricky with the lighting. I was able to set up this shot to take advantage of the contrast between the foreground in shadow and background in full sun. Nikon D700 at 300 mm, 500 ISO, 1/1250, f 14.
I was transfixed by the architecture of this museum in Aomori as this man in white pants and hat walked by. Something about the moment made me feel I was experiencing a scene from a Murakami novel — the interface of reality and fantasy. Nikon D700 at 98 mm, 200 ISO, 1/250, f 10.
In the mountains near my wife’s home we love visiting the trout fishing pond. Your catch is grilled under the warm glow of a charcoal fire. Nikon D700 at 50 mm, 400 ISO, 1/50, f 3.5.
My nieces were visiting from the east coast so we went out to the San Juan Islands where we were able to observe the transient killer whales (aka orcas). Without warning one of these giant creatures launched into the air close to our boat. I was able to fire off a couple shots. The focus was not perfect but it was an incredible moment. Nikon D700 at 300 mm, 200 ISO, 1/1250, f 5.6.
In the past year we lost Tom Gibbs (in July) and Jim Ellis (October) who were both instrumental in the cleanup of Lake Washington. Tommy Edmondson — my academic grandfather — passed away in 2000. These three individuals — the engineer, civic leader, and scientist — identified the sources of pollution to Washington and devised a plan to clean it up. I love capturing moments of people — in this case my friend John launching off the diving board and showing the teenagers how it’s done — enjoying our urban lake. Nikon D700 at 60 mm, 200 ISO, 1/1000, f 6.3.
Shooting the Blue Angels is always a fun challenge especially with the 300 mm lens. They are in the frame for only a brief moment and I always spend the first 15 minutes just trying to get the timing right. By the end of their show I have it down and this is one of the last shots I captured. Nikon D700 at 300 mm, 250 ISO, 1/2000, f 5.6.
Watching my 10 year old son paddle the Rogue River this past summer was one of my favorite memories. I love this shot of him swallowed by the whitewater intensely focused on making it through the rapid. Nikon D700 at 190 mm, 1250 ISO, 1/250, f 5.6.
Anything can happen at a Seattle concert like when Eddie Vedder emerged from the audience to join Exene Cervanka and X at the Showbox. It was a reminder of what a special place this venue is for the community. Canon G7 X Mark II at 32 mm, 2000 ISO, 1/160, f 2.8.
I’ve enjoyed The Waterboys since I picked up a vinyl record of the Fishermen’s Blues as a teenager. They played a great set of old and new material just a few minutes from my house and this was my favorite shot of the night. Canon G7 X Mark II at 19 mm, 1250 ISO, 1/250, f 2.5.
When I arrived at the venue, two enormous security guards warned me it was going to be intense down in the front for the Dropkick Murphy’s show. It was but it was also a ton of fun. Ken Casey does such a great job of interacting with the audience. Canon G7 X Mark II at 19 mm, 1250 ISO, 1/250, f 2.5.
Aki has been playing soccer with the same community team for several years. In this moment a ball came flying in and Aki managed to get it under control. Nikon D700 at 190 mm, 1000 ISO, 1/500, f 4.5.
A memorable evening in Mazama. I shot portraits of the guys with the 50 mm prime lens. I got some great shots as we gathered in the kitchen, not bothering to set the table and sharing food straight out of the cooking dishes. I like this one of Chris. Nikon D700 at 50 mm, 500 ISO, 1/100, f1.4.
I love living in a city where world-class artists like Macklemore are part of the community. A co-owner of the Seattle Sounders, he put on a free concert in the park as part of the morning rally for the MLS Cup that the Sounders would go on to win later that day. Macklemore played a short four song set and I was not ideally positioned (in the second row and off to the side). Just as he ended his last song I found a moment as a narrow gap opened in the crowd; Macklemore extended his arms with the Sounders banner establishing the setting. Canon G7 X Mark II at 37 mm, 500 ISO, 1/640, f 2.8.
Taka’s soccer team, the Red Dragons, had a great run in the city tournament. I spent a few minutes at the back of the goal and a love the expression of jubilation for Taka’s teammate Owen after scoring a key goal. Nikon D700 at 70 mm, 3200 ISO, 1/1250, f 5.6.
Past years: Favorites of 2018, Favorites of 2017.
