Photography

Who is that big dude down front?
Every performance I attend these days has someone with some photographic device capturing the moment and definitely disrupting the view and listening experience. Or, has it always been that way and I need to chill out? Taken at the Seattle Center on June 28, 2014.)

One of the hallmarks of a photographer is to be bold, and let no thing or person stand in your way of taking that great picture. Right? Or not? That depends. How important is that picture? That is a topic that I have debated many times in the past with other practitioners. The National Press Photographers Association Code of Ethics claims that professionals should “treat all subjects with respect and dignity.” Really? Anyone see a lot of that at events?

Most news videographers I have seen in practice could care less about anyone when they walk in front of live audiences, obstruct views, disrupt paid events, and generally make jerks of themselves to get the 30 seconds of film for whatever broadcast. That is their business, and that is their product. But I personally find their behavior the absolute worst. I have seen my fair share of photographers demonstrate the same winner-take-all mentality. I am not sure if professionals and especially many more amateurs care about these guidelines. Most individuals likely adhere to personal ethics and standards. How important is your need to prioritize yourself over others, just for a picture of a cultural performance, or sporting event? That seems very subjective.

These days, it seems there is always that “big dude” down front, completely destroying the moment onstage so he (or she) can take something away and leave nothing in return. Today, I saw that in full play at the Iranian Festival at the Seattle Center. There was the proverbial big dude, and also big woman, and family members and friends, and many more. Lots of people were filming and running up to the stage and leaning on the stage with their filming device, including monster zoom lenses, camcorders, smart phones, pads, and more. So, I turned the lens on them from my seat.

Hey, big dude, would you please just get out the way, just this once? Thanks.

Look around and you might find art about American Indians
This picture of a buffalo hunt decorates an electric utility box near Forest Park, in St. Louis, Mo., (Taken in May 2013.)
I took this picture depicting the treaty signed by the U.S. Government and tribes in Oregon in 1855, which decorates the side of a building in The Dalles, Ore. (Taken in June 2014.)

 

I took a drive from St. Louis to Seattle in 2013, with the goal of visiting a few places with historic significance to the story of American Indians/Native Americans. Oddly enough, the first thing I took a picture of was an electric box in St. Louis, by the light rail station, which had been painted with scenes of a buffalo hunt. I thought this must have been a locally supported art project, and I really liked these pieces. The same day I visited the Museum of Westward Expansion, under the Gateway Arch, which has a superb exhibit of the story of the West, including the loss of lands, conquest, and cultural collapse of bands who once called the American West their own.

This summer, I was passing through The Dalles, Ore., and saw the side of a local store that was painted with a mural telling the story of the treaty signed by the U.S. Government and Oregon tribes, which ceded much of the state to the United States. Large mural art by Alaskan Natives and American Indians can be found throughout the United States, but also in Canada and Mexico (by their first nations and indigenous artists). When you see something bold and creative, stop for a moment and think about the story. The art tells the tale of the land you are standing on. And the story is long, complex, and continuing.

(Please click on each photograph to see a larger picture on a separate picture page.)

Crowded bike racks are always a welcomed sight
A glut of bikes overtakes the limited number of racks provided for bike commuters at Seattle’s Fremont Fair on June 21, 2014.

Slowly, and painfully slowly at that, efforts are underway to get more folks biking shorter distances in the United States. The biggest barriers, and rationally so, are safety and poor infrastructure that makes it unsafe for anyone but hardened cyclists to share the road. And the lack of places to lock a bike can be a barrier too.

Even in supposedly bike-friendly Seattle, less than one in 10 people ride daily. A 2012 survey found the top two reasons people did not ride were because of weather (in our case, rain) and safety. In this city, quite literally, you can be seriously wounded or killed at almost any time by inattentive drivers who are texting, talking on the cell phone, or simply hostile or oblivious to bikes. So that is why I always play it safe. Research also shows that conditions also can become safer when more people ride their bikes. Safety in a pack. I will keep doing all I can to keep those numbers growing. You can also read my blog post I write on bike safety and health in the United States.

I took this snapshot at the Fremont Fair, in Seattle, on June 21. My bet is a majority of people took their cars to the fair, but this is great to see. (Please click on the photograph to see the picture in a separate picture page.)

A tribute to all of those race day volunteers
This friendly volunteer was among hundreds who supported the Mayor’s Marathon in Anchorage in 2009. Thanks volunteers for making all races a success.

I love running. I have run numerous marathons, half marathons, mountain races, and even an ultra. So I support running and races. Always.

However, I am a bit dubious about massive marathons these days and who they benefit, like the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon in Seattle today, June 21. They clog city streets by closing major arterials for hours, outside companies who do not report their earnings pocket profits using public property and disrupt local businesses, and no proceeds from the event go to support local community sports events that cater to lower-income people who can’t afford race fees that are now $75 and even more.

I think cities need to support healthy events, like races. However, they can and should establish memoranda of understanding with companies, like the organizers of the Rock n Roll Marathon Series, and require that these companies share some of the earnings made from public resources to support sports activities for the general public. Perhaps there can be a fund to support trail development and safer streets in areas that do not have nice parks for people of all ages. That way those inconvenienced by for-profit events can get future health benefits and the city can show its residents that the public inconvenience contributes to a public good.

Always these for-profit events have volunteers. These are the unsung heroes of any race. Anyone who has hit the last water stands loves those smiley faces, oranges, and water. The Mayor’s Marathon in Anchorage, which is almost entirely off-road and on trails and dirt roads at Joint Base Elmendorf-Fort Richardson, is my model of a great marathon. It is locally run (albeit supported by large corporate benefactors), supported by fund-raising groups like Team in Training, and well supported by local volunteers. Go Mayor’s. Here is a photo I snapped while running at about mile 9 as I ran the half marathon at Mayor’s in 2009, when I had a nasty pulled muscle and had to pull the plug on the full distance. I loved those cheery volunteers who lined the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail to make my race day a memorable experience. Thanks volunteers!

(Click on the photo to see a larger picture on a separate picture page.)

 

Rural King County, Auburn to Enumclaw

 

Taken June 2014.
Taken June 2014.
Taken June 2014.
Taken June 2014

I live in King County, the most populous in Washington state, home to Microsoft, Amazon, Boeing, and other major global corporations. Billionaires by the bushel live here, and private wealth abounds. But there is also another King County, just outside those urban areas and in semi-rural communities that are unincorporated. The bustle of Seattle is not found here. In fact in some places, it is quite the opposite. Here are a few scenes on Highway 164, on a drive from the city of Auburn to the city of Enumclaw.

Open water swimming, sweeping the world
I took this at the Friday Night Swim race at Kent, Wash.’s Meridian Lake in August 2012.

 

If you have not noticed people swimming in lakes, rivers, and oceans, there is a significant global movement embracing this really old sport. Open water swimming as a competitive sport is taking place everywhere, it seems, and you can find a race and plan a trip just about anywhere to time your travels with a race. I took this race shot in Kent, Wash., at a half, mile, and two-mile contest in August 2012 (the Friday Night Swims at Meridian Lake). Where I live, in Seattle, certain areas of lakes are even protected as swimming areas from boat traffic (smart idea). My only regrets about this great sport are the cost to get wetsuits if the water is too cold, meaning mostly higher-income athletes pursue this sport, and the culture of swimming has yet to penetrate a more diverse group of Americans. The key is to get all kids in the pool as early as possible and show them how great this activity is. I love it. (Click on the photo to see a larger picture on a separate picture page.)

 

 

The St. Louis Arch, inside looking out
I stood under the Arch in May 2013 and snapped this shot during a fast-arriving spring storm (2014).

The Gateway Arch, in St. Louis, Mo., is one of the world’s greatest monuments. I grew up in its shadow, always in awe. The 630-foot steel structure, designed by genius architect Eero Saarinen, stands on the banks of the Mississippi River, as a monument to the country’s historic expansion into the West. Beneath the museum one can explore that story, including the impacts on Native Americans, at the National Park Service-run Museum of Westward Expansion. If you do not take a long elevator trip to the top, you can stand underneath it and gaze at is beautiful form. Surprisingly, I have yet to see this great structure destroyed in a Hollywood blockbuster by marauding aliens, large monsters, or natural disasters. One day the Arch will get a starring role, I know.

I published a black and white version of this photo on my black and white photo gallery.

Port of Seattle icon
A former cement kiln stands guard near the Port of Seattle (2014).

The Port of Seattle is surrounded by light and heavy industrial facilities, including a former cement kiln seen here. There are endless forms, shapes, and typologies to photograph and document in this area. I could spend days in these spaces and still never tell their story.

Cemetery, Vik, Iceland
You can see how Icelanders’ naming traditions are expressed on these headstones (son of and daughter of). I snapped this in June 1998 during my first trip to Iceland.

I stayed in Vik for a night way back in 1998, and I enjoyed the location on the windswept North Atlantic, facing the sea. Lots of great opportunities for photographic moments in such a small place. (Click on the photograph to see a larger picture on a separate picture page.)

You never forget the first time you step foot in Greenland

 

I took this shot in June 1998, on a beautiful Greenland morning.

Yesterday I discovered some nice photos taken of east Greenland, in fjords near the air hub of Kulusuk. This is the sparsely inhabited region of Greenland, a home rule territory still within the Kingdom of Denmark. I landed in Kulusuk in June 1998. I will never forget this flight, from Reykjavik, Iceland. I flew on the very tough Bombardier Dash-8 prop plane, and my captain was a wonderful Greenlander who I then hired to charter a boat trip up a fjord near Nuuk, the capital, to find Viking archaeological ruins. The air when I stepped off for the refueling stop was crisp. Those arctic low hanging fog clouds shrouded the mountains. My fellow passengers were all delighted to be back home. I was in heaven. This trip changed my life.

You can see more of my photos shot in 1998, 1999, and 2000 on my Greenland picture gallery. (Click on photograph to open a larger picture on a separate picture page.)