It was a fine day for meeting up with Dianna and her son Joel who is now a senior. I’ve photographed all her boys since they were born so capturing his essence was easy.
Joel @ Jack Block Park
Meet Henry
I can’t remember the last time I photographed Henry but I knew it was him the minute we met. He’s got the same contagious smile as his mom! To get a serious ‘look’ was not easy but, that’s okay with me and mom.
Leigland photo day!
Since it has been a while since I last photographed the Leigland family and it was time for Olie’s senior pics we decided to photograph everybody – including the family dog. We traversed Lincoln Park and captured all sorts of groupings. Olie graduates from O’Dea High School and will attend Montana State University.
Loyola bound!
It’s that time of year when parents and high school grads trek across the country in search of the perfect college. Jack found his at Loyola University Chicago. But before he goes, mom wanted some high school graduation photos to mark the occasion. A graduate of O’Dea High School and active in sports I’m sure his future is bright. Congratulations!
Kayat’s Senior Pics
As I always say, it’s never too late for senior pics! Kayat graduates in June, THIS June! So we headed to Lincoln Park for some photos. This tall, casually dressed young man has the most disarming smile! He was easy to work with and took everything in stride as we wandered the park.
Senior Session with Sofia
I did a business headshot of mom awhile back and was pleasantly surprised to have her call and set up our time with Sofia. The family spent a lot of time exploring Fauntleroy Park as the kids grew up so this was the perfect place for us to shoot on this softly overcast day. I just love her easy smile. Sofia will graduate from Vashon High School and plans to further her education studying political science.
Keegan’s Senior Pics
I was reminded that I last photographed Keegan when he was 6 months old during a family session – look at him now! A little quiet yet he was comfortable in front of the camera as we wandered through Lincoln Park on this wonderful overcast day. He will be graduating from West Seattle Lutheran High and intends to pursue the trades where I’m sure he will find much success.
To honor Juneteenth
Educating myself about Black history in New Mexico
Cemeteries are one of my favorite places to photograph. So upon my return to New Mexico and traveling back roads I’ve come to discover some small lessor known plots. Recently my sister and I discovered the Vado Riverview Cemetery near Vado, NM. It so happens that Francis Marion Boyer, who was fleeing the Ku Klux Klan, founded the state of New Mexico’s first community of African Americans, known as Blackdom, NM. Both he and his wife Ella, were highly educated and made education a top priority in their communities. At its peak (1908) Blackdom had a ‘black’ population of 300 with local businesses, a newspaper and a church. But by 1921, many had moved on due to drought and the Great Depression. Some helped the Boyers establish Vado, New Mexico making it a mixed race community in Dona Ana County.
In case you are interested you can learn more here:
Diamond Girl
“Diamond girl, You sure do shine, Glad I found you…”
It was a dewy morning and great day for lifting off in a hot air balloon. Pilot Bud had a great crew behind him as the basket was unloaded and the envelop filled with helium. My cousin was invited to fly and the chase was on.
Diamond Girl floated gently across the sky for about an hour as I followed in my chase car. Before long Bud had put her down in an arroyo a tad off the beaten path. “You can’t get there from here” immediately came to mind. But before we knew it our lead chase car was being followed by the sheriff’s department! A local resident had called 911 thinking that a hot air ballon was in distress setting off a search by local sheriff plus fire and ambulance! Not true! The pilot and lead chase car were in constant contact so we knew there was no problem other than finding the right dirt road to reach them.
We finally arrived at the arroyo only to find three sheriffs curious about the situation. After educating them that a balloon does not have a steering wheel and that it lands wherever the winds blows, Diamond Girl was moved to a safe area where she was deflated and loaded into the trailer. I helped transport everyone back to our starting point where Pilot Bud came up with a unique distress code for the future – “We’re heading for Seattle!”
Adventure is out there. Fly safe my friends.
Happy Valentine’s Day…
from snowy?! southern New Mexico! The great southwest was not immune to the cold front that is blowing across the states. We went from 65 degrees to 24 degrees with a wind chill of 13! In my quest to capture these images in historic Old Mesilla my car ended up coated in a sheet of ice….pretty! Normally on a Sunday you’d find lots of people attending mass and shopping the plaza. Not so much today!
Good News
Thank you for participating in Gail Ann’s Holiday Pop-Up at the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse. While Santa may not have been there in person his ‘spirit’ and the spirit of giving certainly was! Together we raised $250 for FSCA to distribute to the needy in our community. And, you donated over 100 pounds of food, baby supplies, and pet food! Thank you for helping to make it a brighter holiday for others.
Graduation time for James
I love it when past clients call me up to capture special times; even if the last time we got together was about 10 years ago! But the first time we met was when Cat brought James home from the hospital in her 2002 Subaru – which he is now driving today-time flies!
James will graduate from Chief Sealth where he is in the full International Baccalaureate program. He is also a member of the National Honor society and serves in a leadership role in the school’s Link Crew, mentoring underclassmen.
He’s looking forward to studying Engineering Mechanical and Materials; he’s received merit scholarships to Western Washington University and Washington State University and is still waiting to hear from UW and Oregon State!
In his spare time he enjoys photography, modifying his car, paint ball and Golf (2 year letterman). The future looks bright for this handsome young man.
Hidden Gems
I’m on the hunt for yard art and stopped in at Casa Bonita. I just had to capture the interesting “lines” of sculptures as I roamed the grounds. Next stop was the San Albino Cemetery just a few blocks off the square in Old Mesilla. Like most southwest cemeteries simple wooden and adobe crosses dot the landscape not to mention a few brightly painted headstones.
On Sunday a friend and I headed toward El Paso. From the Murchison Park overview off of Rim Drive you can get a view of sprawling El Paso and Juarez, Mexico. You can see a giant “X” that sits at Plaza a la Mexicanidad. Created by sculptor Sebastian, it represents Mexico’s indigenous people and the cultures of Spanish colonists. Some say it represents the letter X of Mexico as Benito Juarez changed the name from Mejico to Mexico.
We drove ‘Paseo de las Luces’ where the infamous Billy the Kid and Pancho Villa once walked. Now a major source of shopping for those crossing over from Mexico.
A hidden gem in El Paso is the Keystone Heritage Park and Botanical Gardens. Considered an archeologic site it was discovered in the 1970s by the Corps of Engineers while working flood control. They found an ancient pitch house dating back 4000+ years and may be one of the largest and oldest villages in the US even if most of it is unearthed. The gardens feature walking paths, sculptures, an amphitheater and of course desert flora.
Lunch at Sparky’s
As I left Las Cruces, NM I noticed there was quite the line at a local Starbucks but I must say it wasn’t as long as the line at Sparky’s in Hatch, NM about 30 miles down the road! Even tho it was hot and dusty with social distancing and masks enforced the adventure was fun. The green chile cheeseburger was the best around and well worth the drive. I am always delighted with their growing collection of memorabilia – several of which I bet came from Las Cruces hangouts like the old Big Boy and Dutch’s Market. Thank you for the great food and your collector’s eye. I will return!
Snohomish
Took a little drive thru Snohomish, Washington today. The beautiful weather had people strolling the village streets and filling up the bars and restaurants. Upscale clothing stores, antique and home decor shops were bustling with activity. My favorite of course, is always the funky antique shop further down the road and the winding backroads dotted with old barns and small aircraft flying overhead.
Senior Pics with Max
I love the Clark family. Dianna was one of my first clients and we’ve been doing family sessions for the past 15-16 years! Imagine my surprise when she called to say it was time for Max’s senior pics – time does fly. So off we went to capture images on the beach. Max is a senior at Chief Sealth International H.S. He enjoys Biology and aspires working towards a profession in that subject. Max also enjoys playing baseball at the High school level as well as playing for West Seattle baseball club over the years. Wishing much success to this talented senior!
Enjoy the silence
When I saw a rather strange formation from the road I found my way into the Russian Orthodox Brotherly Cemetery of Saint Nicholas; just inside Evergreen-Washelli Cemetery. (Washelli is a Makah word meaning west wind)
Further down, the serene road led to the Veterans Memorial Cemetery where Chimes Tower looks over rows and rows of military headstones. We happened upon one woman WWII Army vet 1915-2007.
We also drove through other sections for religious communities and ethnic groups such as Greek Orthodox and Lutheran.
The cemetery was founded in 1884 by David Denny and his wife Louisa who are all buried here. Originally called Oak Lake Cemetery many mergers led to its current status as Evergreen-Washelli Cemetery.
Angels are all around us, all the time, in the very air we breathe. ~ Eileen Elias Freeman
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