Rudy Owens Photography

Eastern Turkey, crossroads of civilization
This fortress, on the Silk Road, in northeast Turkey in the border city of Doğubeyazıt, also has a very distinct and Armenian looking structure that likely predates the later fortress, seen to the left of the structure (taken in 2001). Other and more historic ruins are on the hillside, not seen, include an old Urartu complex that predates the Byzantine Empire.
The Payas Madrassa, one of several historic structures in the coast town of Payas, in Turkey’s Hatay Province (taken 2001).

I travelled throughout all of Turkey in 2001 (see some more of my photographs on my Turkey gallery). It was an unforgettable trip. These are some black and white shots I took. I quickly converted these prints to digital images, and I probably could have been smarter about by using a tripod. But I actually like the look of these now. My actual work prints, and final prints, are a lot sharper. The palace is located in Doğubeyazıt, reportedly near the spot where the Bible’s fabled Noah’s Ark landed after the great flood. This is in far east Turkey, a mostly Kurdish region, near the Iran border. A major military base is here, obviously, and stocked with American made heavy armor, from what I remember seeing. I remember seeing goats walking down the main street, outside the Internet cafe where I passed the time.The shot from Payas, of a somewhat infamous madrassa, is along the coastal area, near Iskenderun. It sits next to a famous caravansary and kalesi (castle). This building dates from the Middle Ages. (Click on each photograph to see a larger picture on a separate picture page.)

Emotions captured in black and white, in Denmark

 

I took this shot on the island of Zealand in Denmark in 2003, with my friends L&T posing, I think with little effort.

I miss the chemical darkroom. For years I used Tri-X, ASA 400 film, and had figured out everything I wanted with that film, and how I liked to shoot it. Most of all, I loved and still love what you create with the silver-halide crystals that leave a type of graininess I have not duplicated precisely with the digital lab.

Here is a shot I took using Tri-X, ASA 400 film of some friends in Denmark, L & T. They agreed to be my subjects for a few shots during a quick trip I took to my favorite country in Europe back in the spring of 2004. This was taken on the island of Zealand, where we took a road trip to see some very old Danish things (cathedrals, pre-Gothic burial mounds, Viking museum exhibits), and to visit a beach house. I like the Danes, and I very much like my Danish friends. We have a lot to learn from them back over here. (Click on the photo to see a larger picture on a separate picture page.)

Micro-houses and controversy in growing Seattle
Taken June 2014.
Taken June 2014.
Taken June 2014.
Taken in June 2014.

In the United States, our version of a micro-house is likely considered a castle in most developing nations. But some used to the single family home in this country view these new buildings with suspicion and even fear.

Because of growing pains in popular West Coast cities like Seattle, developers are now developing former single-family units into developments with three-story tall, slender homes. The advocates of this trend, developers who are meeting the markets demands and who are making good money, dub their efforts Smart Growth Seattle. They call these new four- or six-per lot developments micro-houses. Proponents of high-density urban growth, like Sightline Institute of Seattle, also support higher density developments.

Neighbors in single-family-zoned neighborhoods have other words for them. Some opponents also have voiced concerns on relationships between developers and city officials and rules for notifying neighbors of developments. Foes of these new homes have called them monstrosities because of how they have been erected uncomfortably close to homes that used to have more buffers, and now those neighbors are dealing with building shadows and obstructed views.

The emotions have run very high because of how the city’s bureaucracy managing new developments was handling the change that is still transforming Seattle into a city with many younger and wealthier tech workers who like these homes and who have no kids. Eventually, the fights spilled into the Seattle City Council, which in May 2014 took action on what kinds of developments can occur on lot sizes smaller than 2,500 square feet. The council voted to lower the height limits for these slender homes on single-family lots. The Times reported that under new rules, no development is allowed on lot sizes smaller than 2,500 square feet.

It is remarkable to witness this growth. I have lived next door to these developments. I have looked out my kitchen window and watched my neighbor sit in his chair watching TV, and I could practically whisper to him, he was that close. I cannot walk one block in Seattle’s bustling Ballard neighborhood and not see these developments springing up. These homes fetch at least $300,000, depending on the area, and likely more in desirable neighborhoods like mine (I am not wealthy, and rent). Here is the new Seattle, in its new form, and more will be coming–many more actually.

 

 

Two multi-billionaires’ visions in concrete, stone, and steel
Taken in June 2014.
Taken in June 2014.

The two principal co-founders of Microsoft Corp., Paul Allen and Bill Gates, have both left a huge mark on the region and the world because of the concentration of personal massive wealth and their willingness to use that wealth to express their passions, quirks, and visions. Allen is reportedly just the 26th richest man in America at 61 years of age. He has spread his cash, and a lot of it, in things beyond his mega-yacht, two professional sports franchises (the Blazers and Seahawks), University of Washington buildings, spaceships, foundations, and lots of prime real-estate in the Seattle area. A guitar enthusiast, he helped to fund and build the Experience Music Project (EMP) Museum. Located next to the Seattle Center, this wildly shaped interactive museum, designed by Frank Gehry, pays homage in its name to Seattle’s favorite native-son guitar legend, Jimi Hendrix, as well as Allen’s love of all things science and science fiction.

Gates, at 58, has a net worth of about $76 billion, according to press reports. He remains atop the list of the United States’ mega-billionaires. As many know from countless sponsorship promos, he launched his vaunted and sometimes criticized Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 1997, in no small part due to his very savvy wife’s influence. The Foundation reportedly has assets now valued at nearly $39 billion. It remains focussed on global health initiatives, technological innovations to improve global and maternal health, poverty reduction, information technology access, and education. The Foundation’s world headquarters literally sits across the street from the EMP.

For us normal and not-so-wealthy folks in Seattle, we are in the shadow of these very rich and influential super-rich billionaires many times over. I recommend any Seattle visitor check out both facilities. In a short walk, you can gaze upon the manifestations of these two mens’ very large egos that continue to shape not only Seattle, but in the Foundation’s case, quite literally direct the global health agenda. Now that is true power beyond the software running on my desktop and laptops.

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.)