These are some of the many dancers who parade through the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle every solstice. The forecast this weekend in Northwest makes me want cheer and welcome the new season. So why not have some summer worshippers show what that means to us in this region. (Photo taken June 2014.)
Click on each the photo to see a larger picture on a separate picture page.
I love watching sunsets here. They are pretty darn good as sunsets go. (Click on the photograph to see a larger picture on a separate picture page.)
I made this video in 2013, a year before GoPro came out with its own line of harnesses designed especially for dogs. Other companies were already out of the gate, but all I had at the time was a human head harness. I enlisted the help of my neighbor and her best buddy and my good friend, Balloo. Balloo was a trooper and tolerated the indignity of a loose fitting harness. We got a few good shots playing catch. I saw both owner and Balloo again at Thanksgiving, and Balloo cried when he saw me. He is such a goooooood boy!
I made a deal with a friend and former grad school classmate to do a photo shoot as a gift, and we finally connected. We had fun. Taking portraits is a really wonderful way to spend quality time with people. You share stories. You connect in meaningful ways. You laugh. You joke. Sometimes you talk about the not-so-happy things too. This was one of the first pictures I snapped, and I loved the result. (Click on the photo to see a larger picture on a separate picture page.)
One or two families of crows nest in trees in my backyard. Noisy winged neighbors indeed, and bullies. I am fairly certain they keep all other birds away too (crows raid nests of other birds, as they are efficient at finding food anywhere). Crows are not quite as stately as the raven, the granddaddy of all birds and the apex of the corvid family of birds. At times I watch the crows, likely this one, on a perch outside my kitchen window, and they cannot see me. They are wickedly smart and not afraid to tussle and compete with humans for the land we mistakenly think is “ours.” (Click on the photo to see a larger picture on a separate picture page.)
South Park is located in south Seattle, surrounded by industrial activities, the Duwamish River, and some major arterials. It is, by Seattle standards, lower income, given the physical and built environment. Still, it is home to many families and others who live here, in single family homes, subsidized housing, and apartments. More Latinos call it home than any other racial or ethnic group. A number of Latino-owned businesses can be found in the main intersection at Cloverdale and South Fourteenth Avenue. The South Park Bridge, which has been under repair for four years, cutting off a lot of potential business for the area, finally reopened this summer. The bridge now includes a lot of steel artwork, which I like. I also spied some developments along the industrial Duwamish, on land claimed by the Port of Seattle. I have no idea what is happening there. (Click on each photograph to see a larger picture on a separate picture page.)
Washington state will have two competing ballot measures on the November ballot. One would require criminal background checks for all gun purchases including unregulated gun shows and individual sales, and the other would limit those checks and have somewhat limp federal standards be the prevailing regulation in the state. From the public health perspective, we have a major problem in this country with firearms. You can read the previous link for more details. I will vote in favor of the initiative supporting basic background checks, though I believe we can and should do a lot more to promote public health and reduce harm and injury. I took this picture at a rally in January 2013 in Seattle in support of greater controls over the sale of firearms, and advocates against any new regulation came to event to show their opposition, wearing handguns openly in Westlake Plaza in downtown Seattle. (Click on the photo to see a larger picture on a separate picture page.)
This is the second of my portrait series of mothers and daughters, of F and her daughter K, but this time in black and white. I captured this just as K gets ready to leave home next month to pursue her new life at a four-year program. This is a wonderful time to capture the final moments of a full nest. All smiles here. (Click on each photo to see a larger picture on a separate picture page.)
This is the second in my series of moms and daughters pictures. I wanted to capture F and her daughter K before K left home to begin her four-year university program. Today, I will share a color photo from that set. Tomorrow, I will publish black and white photos. I really enjoyed this shoot. (Click on the photo to see a larger picture on a separate picture page.)
The once industrial area of Seattle’s lower Ballard neighborhood is changing, much like the area around it. Ship and fishing businesses, tied to Salmon Bay, are now competing with yoga and karate studios. A few creative enterprises can be found, just below and near the Ballard Bridge. Here are a few of those businesses I spotted as I took a walk with my camera on a beautiful summer evening. (Click on each photograph to see a larger photo on a separate picture page.)
What Beautiful Light 