point and shooter

Two icons

2011-07-12T12:59:00.000-07:00

I can never resist shooting the Space Needle or Mount Rainier. Put the two together in one view and it's a slam dunk. Kerry Park, in the city's Queen Anne neighborhood, is certainly a favorite vantage point for all types of tourists and shooters. I joined both on a sunny Sunday this week.

Look at all the images in a Google image search of the park.

Terrible loss

2011-04-20T18:11:00.000-07:00

Photographer Chris Hondros of Getty Images, above, and photographer Tim Hetherington, the Oscar-nominated director of "Restrepo," were killed April 20 in Libya. It's a horrible loss for photojournalism and filmmaking and for the families and friends of these oft-described outstanding individuals.

View the work of Hondros here.

View the work of Hetherington here. And watch the trailer for his film, below.

Traci at the Arboretum

2011-04-09T20:06:00.000-07:00

The trees are budding out; the magnolias and cherries are blooming. Shot with the iPhone 4.

Tyler Hicks in Libya

2011-03-25T07:15:00.000-07:00

Just glad the amazing New York Times photographer escaped with his life after his recent capture in the war-torn country.

Photo: John Moore / Getty images

Not phoning it in

2011-02-05T19:42:00.000-08:00

I'm still amazed almost every time I take a picture with the iPhone, how nice the quality is. The color, the sharpness and even the ability to go a little macro all make the iPhone 4 so much better than any ordinary phone camera -- and many digital point and shoots. I'm still having fun with all the various apps I've been employing and I don't apologize for having this become my go-to camera of late.

Browsing on flickr

2011-02-05T18:45:00.000-08:00

Going though other flickr users' favorites is a wonderful way to find great photographs and great photographers. I can spend hours going down the rabbit hole that is flickr, exploring images from all over the world. My own favorites section is pretty emblematic of what I like when it comes to photography: beautiful women in beautiful light, desolate landscapes, vintage cars and trucks and so forth.

If you like beautiful women, many of them nude, captured in stunning simplicity and black and white perfection, then maybe you'll enjoy the work of Jan Scholz on flickr.

Go to sleep

2010-05-19T18:32:00.000-07:00

Add discarded or "street" mattresses to the list of things I find strangely beautiful. Not in a "Man, I'd like to curl up and nap on that piss-soaked thing" kind of way. It's more simply a love of the way the assumed softness of a onetime bed juxtaposes so wonderfully against the harsh method of disposal. A mattress isn't an easy thing to move by one's self. Often when they're placed in an alley they shows signs of the struggle it took to get them there - leaning at an odd angle or dragged to an awkward spot that's not out of the way but far enough right now.

Here's a song to listen to while you think about these images and who may have slept here once.

And here's another beautiful mattress on flickr. They're everywhere.

Sleep tight.

Urban renewal

2010-03-13T12:34:00.001-08:00

I look forward to the arrival of the latest Urban Outfitters catalog every month, not because I need a new pair of ill-fitting jeans or another ironic t-shirt, but because the photography is usually so eye catching. There's a scrappy Ryan McGinley quality to the images of hipster girls and guys that I just love.

The catalog is never credited so it's a guess as to who is doing the shooting, and I never really bothered to investigate. Recently I came across some flickr pics that looked really similar to the style of some of the recent Urban catalogs and lo and behold, mystery solved.

Wai Lin Tse is the Barcelona-based photog behind the images above and in the Urban catalogs I've loved. Check out more of her stuff on her Web site and on flickr.

Fade to black and blue

2010-01-21T19:51:00.001-08:00

My favorite new thing is to capture the sky with the last available daylight still in it so that it's not yet black, but instead a deep and glowing blue. Sometimes this is easier with a brilliant moon lighting the way, or a nearby city. It happens here in the northwest winter around 5 p.m. these days.

The top image from Lake Chelan is pretty emblematic of what I'm shooting for. The bottom photo of Traci, taken here in Seattle, is from several minutes before the peak time of day. But Henry was cold and we had to walk home.

Children of war

2009-12-29T17:02:00.000-08:00

I saw this photo (above) recently as Web sites were beginning to publish their end-of-the-year and end-of-the-decade slideshows. It struck me for a moment due to its disturbing juxtaposition with a photo I took of my own son this summer (below).

I see images almost everyday of children from far off places in the world engaged in what would frankly not be considered normal activity in "civilized" societies. Playing with a toy gun certainly isn't the issue here -- I shot a lot of friends and my brother dead many times with toy guns during my childhood. What's unsettling about this image is that it's of a child in a war torn nation like Afghanistan. It's like it's all he'll ever know, or at least all he's known for much of what he can remember in his short life thus far. Playing "war" in a nation at war must happen all the time. I've certainly seen other photos from Iraq, for instance, of children acting menacingly with plastic toys.

I didn't feel the same discomfort when I shot several frames of Henry on a kiddie ride at the Puyallup Fair near Seattle. I just thought it was silly and in now way reflected his reality as a small child. I guess I forget that he's a child of a nation at war. No doubt he has no understanding of that yet. But I certainly do, as his father and as his photographer.

Top photo: Anja Niedringhaus / AP

Plasticized

2009-10-22T20:11:00.000-07:00

Every now and again someone posts a link on Facebook to something that interests me. Rarely is it something that blows my mind like these images . I'll let the photographer's intro take care of all the explanation that's needed.

As seen in The New York Times

2009-07-14T11:22:00.000-07:00

As a person who grew up delivering, reading, working in and then leaving newspapers, I'm more than guilty of a certain reverance toward the paper of record -- The New York Times. But I only get the print edition on Sundays and I confess that much of what I love about the paper now is what I see of it online. And their Lens blog is among the content i love.

Recently, Lens put out a call to readers to submit their personal cell phone images for a planned gallery. I was never a big fan of cell phone photos and always sort of mocked people who I saw on the street trying to capture meaningful moments with an inferior piece of technology. A lot of that changed after I got an iPhone and started playing with some of the "cameras" available in assorted apps.

So I when I saw the Lens call-out, I looked through my iPhone set on flickr and picked out four images that I liked and sent them off to the New York Times through the wonder of the Internets. Several days later I received an email telling me that my work had been selected to run in a gallery going live online the next morning.

Friday, July 10, I couldn't wait to look at the site and see what was used. Lens received 1,500 submissions for its cell phone project, and the editors cut that crop to 350 images. Two of my photos were selected. There's some very good work in here and some very mediocre work in here. And the comments are kind of interesting because some people have a real problem with iPhones and iPhone apps, especially.

I'm just happy to have had something published by the New York Times. It would be cool to have had it be in print, but those days are gone, I imagine.

Film in the digital age

2009-07-12T17:10:00.000-07:00

I think little kids are spoiled by the digital age and are definitely not taking the time to understand what photography is -- the process, activity and art of creating still or moving pictures by recording radiation on a sensitive medium, such as a photographic film, or an electronic sensor (thanks wikipedia!). Kids look at images on the backs of cameras now and assume that's how they've always been made. Parents don't make prints or fill photo albums, they fill memory cards and flickr pages.

But Polaroid, in its last gasp on earth, is showing me that some kids still find wonder in the taking of photographs on film. And seeing those photos develop over a few minutes rather than instantaneously is a magical experience. They love to pose in a trance when they know the white piece of paper is going to shoot out of the blocky camera with all kinds of associated noise.

Dig these pictures of Henry, Ella and Calvin, mesmerized by a 40-year-old photographic process unfolding before their eyes in the digital age.

It's in their jeans

2009-06-17T14:47:00.000-07:00

There's a new billboard in New York's SoHo neighborhood causing a bit of controversy, because -- oh, heaven! -- sex is being used to sell something.

Here's an image of an image that I love because the woman in all black staring at the billboard appears to be caught in a trance. Maybe she's waiting for the light to cross the street. Maybe she remembers a time in college when she had drunken sex with three men. Maybe she just needs new pants.

Photo: Chris Hondros / Getty Images

Sticky subject

2009-06-07T09:28:00.000-07:00

Of all the anti-war bumper stickers I've seen over the last 5 or 6 years, I really appreciate the design of this Iraq/Iran one best. It's pretty simple and even gets the point across (with the odometer design) about some people's concerns about warring over oil.

David Carradine: 1936-2009

2009-06-04T16:44:00.000-07:00

Bless Quentin Tarantino, five or so years ago, for bringing back yet another forgotten actor from the brink of extinction. Having just watched "Kill Bill" again last week, and as a big fan of "Kung Fu" in the '70s, I'm saddened by David Carradine's passing today. Here's a great scene from "Vol. 2" of the Tarantino saga.

And how many TMZ videos have I watched of dipshit photogs interviewing jet-lagged celebs? Too many. And this is another. But I love Carradine's spunk at the end of this clip. And the kick to end the shot is a fitting final frame.

Tanks for the memories

2009-06-04T16:28:00.001-07:00

I'm a day late on the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square uprising. Everywhere I looked on Wednesday I saw the famous photo of "tank man," the protester who defiantly stared down the approaching Chinese military.

The next day I was interested to read a New York Times Lens posting about a never-before-published image of the same man from a different angle. Go there to check it out. It's a cool, ground-level perspective.

From Russia with love

2009-04-21T11:06:00.000-07:00

The Guardian has a wonderful little 10-picture slideshow keyed to a London gallery opening for Russian photographer Boris Savelev. I've never heard of him, but I was attracted to his images. And you should be, too, right here.

Photo: Boris Savelev; Broken Slide, 1982

Go ahead and shoot

2009-04-08T18:16:00.000-07:00

So, I think my friend Katherine Dynes has one of the best eyes for photography of anyone I know. She loves William Eggleston and Stephen Shore and other folks who I have blahgged about here. She loves my work, gives me compliments and says I inspire her to shoot more. And then she doesn't.

You can cruise quickly through the couple hundred photos Katherine has posted on flickr. You'll see inspired trips by plane, train and automobile. You'll hitch a ride with a couple rock bands and a fun grandma and you'll be in more than one bar and more than one bar bathroom. And through it all you'll admire the composition and attention to color from someone who might share only one or two photographs a month.

I told her I would post an item with a couple of her photos, provide a link to her site and tell my vast audience to urge her to take more pictures.

So go check it all out right here ... and encourage more of the same.

Stephen Shore

2009-04-08T10:41:00.000-07:00

American made

2009-04-07T14:21:00.000-07:00

There's a beautfiul photo project by Tadd Myers linked off a site I visit regulary, A Photo Editor.

The project is A Portrait of the American Craftsman, and it's really beautifully laid out and captures the true essence of quality craftsmanship. There are portraits of a ballglove maker, a guitar maker, a cowboy boot maker and more.

It's just a nice little project to reflect on as American auto companies, spewing out inferior products for decades, continue to look for government handouts.

Eggleston and the Book Review

2009-04-02T07:28:00.000-07:00

I'm not much of a blogger, I guess, if I have to link to other blogs that are blogging about something I would like to have blogged about. But, it's my blog, so, I'll link to whatever I want.

The New York Times never ceases to amaze me with the nuggets of goodness put forth everyday online and every Sunday in print, on my doorstep. I noticed the photo on the cover of the Book Review this past week and was pretty sure I knew who took the image, but didn't bother going inside to check the credit. My friend Eric took care of that for me and forwarded this link.

I certainly count William Eggleston as one of my favorite photographers and am not shy about admitting that I try to recreate a lot of what he does when I frame my own photographs. It's nice to see that other people out there, including Eric, appreciate his eye.

Photo: William Eggleston, “Los Alamos Portfolio” (1965-74).

Helen Levitt: 1913-2009

2009-03-30T11:43:00.000-07:00

In my job as an entertainment producer for msnbc.com, I read a lot of stories about a lot of meaningless people. I don't have to name the celebrities -- you see their faces every week on the magazines staring back at you in the grocery check-out line.

But every few days I get to read about someone who was a true artist. More often than not it's in the form of an obit. Today, that person is legendary New York street photographer Helen Levitt. Read for yourself.

I chose the image above because, frankly, it reminds me of something I'd shoot myself. But for a truer sense of her legacy from the earlier part of the century, my friend Jeremy sends this link.

Eat, sleep, cry

2009-03-24T13:19:00.001-07:00

Bryan Schutmaat is a Houston photographer who I found through flickr. He shoots everything I wish I was shooting when I'm not shooting my family -- which seems to be a lot of what I shoot since the birth of Henry. Nothing wrong with that. I just like Bryan's stuff -- a lot.

If you love the vacant, often depressing beauty of the American West as much as I do, please visit his Web site and his flickr.

Museum quality framing

2009-03-23T17:47:00.000-07:00

Mary McIntyre show :: Greenwood, Seattle

Is it weird to try to make art when viewing other people's art?

I have a thing for taking pictures of people observing artwork. Or at least I like the idea of people being in the same frame as a picture in a frame (or a picture spray-painted on a wall, for that matter). Sometimes it's about scale. It's hard to get a read on the size of a sculpture, for instance, if the only thing in the photograph is the sculpture.

The problem is that museums and galleries that display art more often than not frown on you taking pictures of their art. I've been in some pretty killer museums in several different countries and I can't remember ever being encouraged to take photographs. Not that that stopped me. I wasn't being a total scofflaw and ignoring the museums' wishes, but I had a hard time not sneaking a few here and there to capture the spirit of places I thought I might never make it back to.

At art shows of a less grand scale, like those put on by your friends at coffee shops or what-not, there's a little different vibe than that projected by the scowling museum rent-a-guard. I feel like there's a tiny invasion of privacy going on when you photograph someone looking at art. Not sure it's valid, but if you're into getting lost a little in an artwork and some jerk is popping pictures, the moment may be ruined.

With all of that in mind, check out some photos that I find artworthy because they contain worthy art.

Floralis Gererieca :: Buenos Aires, Argentina

Public photo display :: Paris

Getty Museum :: Los Angeles

Developing story

2008-12-28T10:20:00.001-08:00

The Sunday New York Times is the latest to stop for a second and say, "Hey, this cool thing is about to go away, won't you miss it?" with a look at the coming end of Polaroid film. The piece contains some nice insight on Walker Evans' and Andy Warhol's use of the cameras. Read all about it, here.

Photo: Molly Jasper with balloon

Buenos Aires, 2008

2008-12-28T10:10:00.000-08:00

We spent a week in Buenos Aires before Christmas. It's hard to capture the flavor of a city with 14 million people living in it in just one week. But I concentrated on my usual suspects and subjects -- the people I was traveling with enjoying themselves, local monuments and architecture, street scenery and assorted modes of transportation. The city had a Paris/Rome/New York vibe with a little Mexico grit to hold it all together. Check out the whole big set over on flickr, as usual.

America the beautiful

2008-11-05T05:31:00.000-08:00

There's no understating how happy I am and how happy many of the people I call friends are today. Barack Obama is the next president of the United States. Cheers to everyone who worked their asses off for this, everyone who hoped and everyone who voted.

Photo: Michal Czerwonka / Getty Images

They get my vote

2008-10-26T09:14:00.000-07:00

I've looked at a lot of political material during this very long election season. And with just days left until the exciting climax, I wanted to point you toward a visual blog that I've come to love. Bagnewsnotes describes itself as "a progressive blog dedicated to visual politics, the analysis of news images and the support of 'concerned' photojournalism." What's not to love about that?

Photo: Callie Shell / Aurora for TIME

Teach a man to fish ...

2008-07-24T18:28:00.000-07:00

I just spent a few days up on British Columbia's Vancouver Island. We were in a town called Tahsis, to be exact, and Tahsis had the distinction of being a mill town which no longer had a mill (or many people) in it. This made for a pretty depressing little locale, but thankfully it was plopped on a gorgeous inlet of water surrounded by the breathtaking scenery of snowy, tree-lined peaks.

I went to Tahsis with friends to fish for salmon. It'd been a while since I'd gone anywhere specifically with the intent of fishing. As a kid I fished every weekend on the Finger Lakes of New York State for bass and pike and little perch and more. I'd done some salt water fishing in Ocean City, Md., during summer vacations. But spending a couple days on a boat with bait in the water nowadays wasn't something I longed to do -- until this weekend.

What does this all mean photographically? Well, I took pictures of course. Specifically I took pictures of dead fish. I didn't really think twice about it when taking the pictures on the boat and on the dock, I was just trying to document the catch, which included 8 salmon and 1 large halibut. Looking at the pictures now, I still see them as more beautiful than ... sadistic. I mean, there is the blood and guts of a living creature that I killed. But there's no waste going on here, the fish is all being happily consumed by us.

I've never hunted and I wonder whether I would do the same thing with say, a deer. There's so much luck and chance involved I imagine I would be caught up in the thrill of making a kill and would want to document it. But it feels so different in my mind, and I can watch a fishing show on TV but always change the channel when I see hunters going after big game.

Anyway, lots more pics from beautiful B.C. and the bountiful Pacific over at flickr.

Sea what i mean?

2008-07-01T20:57:00.001-07:00

I like how this photo of Traci taking a picture at the Monterey Bay Aquarium serves a couple different purposes, in my mind, photographically speaking.

First of all, those jellyfish there are easily the most photographed exhibit at the world class aquarium. It'd be hard for the biggest photo numbskull to miss in that room of glowing blue and orange. Perhaps that's why I wanted to miss, sort of. I'd already shot the jellies on a previous visit to Monterey, and on this day I watched as dozens of people moved in front of the glass to capture the same moment - suspended orange spacelike creature floats against blue background. Oooooh. Click. Click. Click. I think when Traci raised her own camera in front of me I came to the realization that capturing the moment meant capturing someone capturing the cliched moment. Especially when you take into consideration my second point.

You can't go hardly anywhere these days and find a tourist shooting film. It's done. With the rare exception of photo buffs on vacation, what you get is folks staring at LCD screens in front of monuments, mountains, vistas, jellyfish ... you name it. I'm not saying that's all horrible. Look at my stuff - it stopped being (all) captured on film several years ago. Digital is easier, cheaper, quicker, etc., so when I shoot film these days it's out of respect for the novelty and the beauty of the process. But I can't do it all the time.

I guess I just like how this pic sorta sums up this moment in our hyper-digital age. Maybe I'll make a series. It won't be hard to find the subject matter on our next trip.

Life on film

2008-06-03T18:01:00.000-07:00

I was struck this week by a couple of different Web sites pointing to the work of two photographers who did a remarkable job chronicling a subject over an extended period.

The site Very Short List shines a light on photographer Jack Radcliffe and his portfolio documenting the life of his daughter Alison, from infancy to adulthood. The black and white photos are beautiful as they capture the many phases of Alison's life. "I wanted to photograph her in all her extremes," Radcliffe writes in his introduction, “and to be part of these times in her life without judging or censoring.” See the work here.

The blog Mental Floss shares the story of Jamie Livingston, a New York man who took a Polaroid every day for 18 years, from March 31, 1979 through October 25, 1997. Livingston captures his friends, himself and his life up until his 41st birthday -- the day he died. Here's a link to the site where all the photos live. They're not remarkable images technically speaking, but it's very moving to look through all the months over all those years and see the progression, from the mundane to the monumentally sad.

Sunny dispositions

2008-05-26T20:55:00.000-07:00

I liked these two photos from downtown Seattle this weekend. I've decided that if I ever get up the nerve to take portraits of strangers, I want to do it at downtown bus stops. The greatest cast of characters assemble at the bus stops. All have a unique story, I imagine, about why they were downtown and where they're headed on the bus. The lady in red was just standing there waiting with a bunch of other people. I was able to isolate her in the frame, which I like. And I think the perspective, with the grimy black wall, makes her look small and gives the photo a downtown feel.

The person with the blankets, who I think was a woman, was seated (passed out?) on a little ledge on another street downtown. It was a gorgeous day and there were lots of teenagers wandering around down there in shorts and t-shirts. This woman was wearing a hooded coat, and she had her legs covered with what appeared to be the softest of pink blankets. It seemed a perfect contrast to the harshness of being on the street.

Irish cheer

2008-04-19T10:08:00.000-07:00

I like this portrait of my friend Chris, with a Jameson in hand, at Hazlewood in Ballard. Chris is a friendly guy from Chicago and he'll be leaving Seattle later this year to move back to the Windy City and root for his beloved Bears. I'll miss giving him shit about politics, religion, the Seahawks and his consumption of too much tequilla. Here's to your future happiness, Chris.

Steve and Erin hitched

2008-03-30T11:17:00.001-07:00

Good pals Steve and Erin decided, after 8 and half years together, that getting married would be a good idea. So they gathered family and friends and an entertaining "minister" down in the Columbia City section of Seattle on March 29. You've seen this drill from me before ... a few ceremony shots and a lot of dancing. Kind and beautiful people all assembled and full of love - what the hell is better than that? More shots over here.

A year ago today

2008-03-14T09:49:00.000-07:00

Henry turns 1 today. Here he is at the hospital on March 14, 2007, moments after his arrival into this world. I guess it feels like the time flew by, but then again, it's been a pretty long year of less-than-adequate sleep. He does things every day that make us smile. And he's great fun to photograph. Here's to all the good times ahead, Henry. Happy birthday, boy!

Love of photobooths

2008-03-13T20:10:00.001-07:00

The New York Times has a story on the history of photobooths, one of my all-time favorite inventions. The story includes a video, interactive and walking tour. Check it out on the Times' site and check out some of my photobooth adventures from over the years.

March in Mexico

2008-03-12T19:26:00.000-07:00

Hola. Just spent a week down in Sayulita, Mexico, on the Pacific coast. Perfect weather made for perfect morning and afternoon color. Everything seemed to glow, it would have been impossible to turn the car around and shoot everything I saw worth shooting. Obviously there was some amazing beach scenery, but there's something very beautiful and humbling about the poverty evident in many of the things that caught my eye. So different from a day spent in glitzy downtown Seattle. Here's a small sampling and, as always, go to flickr for many more.

Giant Polaroids

2008-02-21T19:26:00.001-08:00

It's been a while since I hung any photos anywhere. That changed last Saturday when I finally put up six great big "Polaroids" at Babalouise, a barber shop (hair salon?) on 65th in Ballard over near the Tin Hat. The prints are scanned Polaroids that I shot over the years in various places - there's one from Santa Cruz, Calif., one from Tacoma, one from Las Vegas, etc. I had them printed at Kinko's on pretty nice paper and they measure about 27" wide by 30" deep. I then had them mounted on foam core at a frame place in Ballard so they have a nice rigidity to them. They look pretty sweet and by the middle of this week I'd sold 7 of them - meaning I'm making multiple prints of some. Availability will eventually be cut off. Perhaps at 25 or so. I'm willing to make one of these prints from any of the Polaroids I have, and you can view them here on flickr. Drop me a line at ktslosh@comcast.net if you have any questions. Or go get your hair done and check them out in person.

Cheers and tears

2008-01-19T17:05:00.000-08:00

Twelve hours separates these photos, both with strong ties to Seattle's historic Rainier beer. On Friday night, three cans of Rainier were raised by Paul, John and Mike for a toast at Greenwood's Baranoff tavern. The old dive bar is hardly as divey as it used to be, what with the smoking ban and fewer and fewer salty old patrons. But it was fun to drink with good friends. Cheers!

Saturday morning marked the beginning of the end for part of Rainier's historic brewery operations in Georgetown. The Rainier Cold Storage building, a huge, beautiful, brick "freezer" started to fall to make way for who knows what exactly. I heard a bystander say the bricks were made from the earth pulled down off the Denny Regrade. Hmm. That's old. Georgetowners didn't look too pleased as a huge part of their neighborhood began to crumble onto Airport Way. Another Seattle landmark bites the dust. Tears!

Deliverance

2007-12-31T20:01:00.001-08:00

Henry does his best impersonation of the classic Cosmopolitan man, Burt Reynolds. Thanks to Joann Arruda for capturing the manly little man at about 7 months.

Top 10 of 2007

2007-12-26T19:15:00.000-08:00

According to my iPhoto, i took about 4,400 digital photos in 2007. Factor in another few dozen Polaroids and Holgas and a few hundred more digitized pics that were deleted, and you get the picture ... literally. So, narrowing it down to my favorite 10 is kind of a bogus exercise, but one that I'm attempting anyway because you can't go online these days without running into someone's goofy 10 best something list. Thanks for visiting and commenting here and on flickr all year, and thanks for appreciating my photographic pursuits. Cheers to you in 2008. (ps: Click on images to view bigger)

10 :: Crow over Wake - Olympic Sculpture Park, Seattle

9 :: Shay - Wedgwood birthday party

8 :: Molly - Alibi Room, Seattle

7 :: Beach walker - Golden Gardens, Seattle

6 :: Snow fear - University District, Seattle

5 :: Sunrise fog - Ballard, Seattle

4 :: Phuong and Andy - Belltown, Seattle

3 :: Gull cranes - Pike Place Market, Seattle

2 :: Traci - Methow Valley, Wa.

1 :: Henry - Northwest Hospital, Seattle

She's got legs

2007-11-14T05:15:00.000-08:00

Another shot from my world of shop windows and inanimate objects. I wonder if I'll always photograph this stuff. Certainly some made a career of it. Walker Evans wasn't so bad. The light on these legs ... I just couldn't walk away.

Where are you going?

2007-10-30T05:00:00.000-07:00

Something about getting up from a perfectly comfortable position to recognize a certain moment worth photographing always seems to elicit that question. It happened on Saturday morning around 6:30 when I noticed an orange glow in the bedroom. "I'm going to get my camera." I didn't expect to see this amazing foggy sunrise when I pulled back the curtain.

And again Sunday, I was questioned as I left our table at Linda's. "I'm going to shoot the men's room door." I couldn't resist the late afternoon sunlight that was moving across various signage in the back patio area of the Capitol Hill bar.

Capturing fleeting moments of perfect, natural light always seems worth it to me.

Hmmmm

2007-10-05T17:50:00.000-07:00

Just looking ... at this right here.

How I did I do's

2007-09-05T05:15:00.000-07:00

Two great sets of friends became two great sets of married friends this summer. One wedding was in the city, one wedding was in the country. Both were a lot of fun, and fun to shoot. I wouldn't want to be a wedding photographer, relied on to catch every critical moment. But I do like to capture a few more shots than the standard wedding party lineup over the hired photog's shoulder. Check out this gallery from John and Holly marrying in Seattle, and this gallery from Phuong and Andy marrying in the Methow Valley. And cheers to both.

Painted black

2007-08-05T10:17:00.001-07:00

I'm loving these recent silhouetted shots of some good pals. Phuong and Andy are faceless on a Belltown rooftop with the creepy Space Needle in the background looking like something out of War of the Worlds. And Shay was one of many people I caught beneath the party lights in Wedgwood. What's prettier than lights on a string? Almost nothing.

Oceanographic

2007-07-22T17:53:00.001-07:00

Everytime I'm near the ocean, I wonder why I don't live closer to it, like within steps rather than miles and miles. What could be better? The woods? Nope. Mountains? Not always. We just spent a couple weeks back east, with half of that time on Cape Hatteras, N.C. It's not completely desolate by any stretch, but it's certainly nice to visit a spot on the Atlantic seaboard that still isn't completely developed. Some day a monster hurricane may very well cut off the thin stretch of sand for good. So enjoy more shots from the Outer Banks right here and now.

Holga en colour

2007-06-17T08:54:00.000-07:00

Standing outside the little French cafe Le Pichet in Belltown, Seattle, I watched as the waitress leaned against the window and talked to people seated at a front table. It still surprises me that this little plastic camera can do so much with what could have been a difficult lighting and focus situation. Everything is sharp and bright ... and the mood reminds me of a foreign city. The blast of leaked light on the right side of the image gives it a nice old-timey feel.

Ladies of the light

2007-05-27T10:36:00.000-07:00

No flash required! Three different friends in three different available light siutations. Katherine at dusk near the party fire; Rhea in the Crocodile Cafe; and Jesse in her living room. Thanks to these ladies - and all my friends - for putting up with my picture taking. You're all beautiful subjects.

Fruit of my labor

2007-05-23T18:26:00.000-07:00

What is it about this image? I've had more positive feedback about this Polaroid than many I have taken. I wonder why. It's not particularly exciting to me. It even seems a little out of focus. But for some reason it registers with people. Do people like lemons? Lemonade? I took it in Palm Springs, Calif., in March 2006. I don't know why. Probably because I had already filled my quota on palm tree photos. Anyway, here's your lemon again, all you people who like it. Suck on it some more.

Sit up ... take notice

2007-05-05T09:31:00.000-07:00

This little foam seat thing holding my son was a big hit, photographically for me, and posteriorly for him. He seems to have a very strong neck at 7 weeks of age. A few shots of him sitting up in this thing for the first time elicited some good feedback from friends and family. For all things Henry, check out this gallery. You'll want to come back - just like his hair.

Park it here

2007-05-05T09:22:00.000-07:00

So, yeah, the Olympic Sculpture Park is easy pickins for what I like to shoot. It's especially nice down there when it's not overly crowded. That's how it was yesterday, late afternoon. I'd like to get down there at first light someday, too. I haven't posted much here lately. Sorry. Busy.

Party people

2007-04-08T10:52:00.000-07:00

The backyard bbq season began in earnest on Saturday at my brother's place in Ballard. These parties are always my favorite parties because the food is great, the people are relaxed and friendly and no one ever gets hurt. This particular celebration marked Michelle's birthday and was also a bon voyage for Phil and Jesse as they head to Europe for 5 weeks of musical goodness. Happy almost summer.

Flower power

2007-03-30T18:10:00.000-07:00

You can kind of pass yourself off as some kind of Ansel Adams naturalist wannabe if you have a good lens and an appreciation for getting close to plants. I planted this magnolia tree in the front yard last fall and didn't have much hope for it, but it's putting on a great show these past couple weeks as the huge buds open up. Can't wait for the dogwood to go crazy that I planted last week. Get real close to more plants I've noticed right here .

oh henry!

2007-03-16T16:04:00.000-07:00

My son, Henry Ryan Schlosser, born on March 14, 2007. This isn't a baby blog, so I won't wax about how amazing fatherhood is after just 2 days. But please expect to see more photos of Henry doing various things that little babies do to make people with cameras take notice. It's gonna be a lot of fun. And for now, go here to smile.

The future is plastics

2007-03-10T09:04:00.000-08:00

The boring gray skies can only be countered by one thing as I walk the neighborhood these days -- bright, colored plastic! It doesn't hurt that the grass and moss are really, really green right now thanks to a wet winter. By mid-summer the grass will be brown and the light will be too bright to get the same effect that these photos possess. Guess it's time for a road trip so I don't keep walking upon the same yard junk.

Seasonally affected

2007-03-06T19:06:00.000-08:00

So, Spring is springing. It seems a little early, but it sure looks like Spring. And judging by how many times I sneezed yesterday and today, it feels like Spring. What better time to switch to the macro setting and steady my shaking hand in front of some unsuspecting flower? And the light. The light is changing rapidly and sticking around longer into the evening. Strange how that happens.

Fave of the week

2007-03-02T19:15:00.000-08:00

It's Friday. I've covered some sufficient ground this week by car, by bicycle and on foot. This is my favorite photo of the week. Maybe because I cropped it into a square so it looked "less digital." Maybe because it's depressing to walk down a back alley in a shitty March drizzle and come across a plastic Santa on top of someone's junk pile. I like depressing. Maybe because the only other real contenders this week were shot from the car and you've seen enough clouds ... and lightpoles (I haven't, yet, obviously). Merry Christmas.

Sun up, sun down

2007-02-27T18:12:00.000-08:00

It's fun to stare out the window at work. At my old job in an office on Seattle's waterfront, my desk faced west and I had unmatched views of the sun setting behind the Olympic Mountains every evening. I worked a second shift, and the sunset was the highlight of the night. At my new job I work much earlier, and my desk faces east. Today was the first day since being there that I realized I may have some nice sunrise shows over the Cascade Mountains each morning. We'll see how it goes visually -- those sunsets were often pretty spectacular. But there's something nice about just being awake for the start of a new day.

Joy of Holga

2007-02-21T19:19:00.000-08:00

Finally got my first roll back from the experiment that is Holga. I got this camera two years ago and had never loaded film in it. I had heard about all kinds of taping needed to keep light leaks to a minimum. Other than the gigantic light leak that I caused myself by popping the back off before the roll was finished, I had no real light issues with the prints I got back. I like the blurry black corners -- and it's surprisingly sharp for a piece of plastic. A few more right here and more to come, I'm sure.

Ride and park

2007-02-20T18:20:00.000-08:00

I got a new bike that gets me off my ass and out from in front of a computer when I get home from work. The exercise is nice, and the chance to take some photos during some of the best light of the day is nice, too. I've been going through Golden Gardens park and past Shilshole Marina as part of my rides. Quite a quiet scene there compared to a weekend day in the middle of the summer.

Up above it all

2007-02-13T18:17:00.000-08:00

A couple constants that I love about Seattle: The Aurora Bridge and floatplanes. I like bridges. They're marvels of engineering and the Aurora Bridge just happens to be cool to look at from the neighborhood below, and when you're driving on it (i hate the sketchy center lane) it affords wonderful views of mountains to the east and west. The floatplanes are great because they always seem to be buzzing overhead, taking off from and landing on Lake Union. It's a cool reminder that we live around a lot of water. So here's today's ode to both. Oh, and read my friend Mike's piece on the P-I's Web site about Aurora jumpers. Sad.

Auto drive

2007-02-12T17:36:00.000-08:00

I hate people who use their cell phones while driving. Kinda cliche, I guess. Everyone fucking does it. But ya know, everyone sucks at it, too. I wonder how people feel when they drive by me and catch me pointing my camera out the windshield. They better just keep driving. Because if I catch 'em looking at me I'll take their picture. And I'll post it on some nasty porn site. Check out this here flickr set dedicated to driving distracted.

Kodak's lost moments

2007-02-07T19:09:00.000-08:00

Honestly I'm bored with certain aspects of the digital lifestyle. The immediacy is nice. The cost is nice. But I just dug through a few packs of prints from last summer, and scanned this shot from up near Banff, B.C., and it felt like old times. When it would take me all day to scan and clean up a mess of vacation prints. I haven't filled a photo album in 2 years. Everything is on the computer or some disc in a drawer. Oh well. At least you can't get your greasy fingerprints on my flickr photos.

Downtown weekend

2007-02-04T13:49:00.000-08:00

Somehow if you pack a suitcase, take a bus downtown and check into a hotel it feels like you've taken a little vacation. Staying above the Public Market, eating at a couple of our favorite places, walking the streets and taking lots of pictures was our idea of a good time on a drizzly Saturday in February. Please enjoy many more images right here.

It's fun to 'miss'

2007-02-01T16:34:00.000-08:00

Posing people at parties is all fine and good for photo albums and such. But the joy of pointing and shooting without composing is once in a while you get something interesting. I just like this backyard bbq shot of Denise and Tanya and their beer cups because it's not obvious. And there was lots of talk that day with new homeowner Jill about her fruit trees.

Art with a view

2007-01-31T18:41:00.000-08:00

Seattle Art Museum's new public art park opened on the waterfront last week. Needless to say, everybody and their brother and their brother's brother (with his brother's camera) was down there during our recent run of sunny weather -- including me ... and my brother. Anyway, I like the Alexander Calder Eagle. It's big and red and pops nicely with the water and mountains behind it to the west. And Richard Serra's Wake is just the coolest piece. I look forward to visiting again -- when the vegetation comes to life and the crowds die back.

Straight outta Nashville

2007-01-26T18:51:00.000-08:00

Robin, formerly of Jackson, Miss, and formerly of Seattle and formerly of New Orleans and now of the country music capital of the world. Back in town and enjoying NW beer and NW laughs. Both are unique.

Zooooom, not boom

2007-01-25T15:28:00.000-08:00

This was taken with my Leica digital point and shoot from the corner of 24th Ave NW and 80th Street in north Ballard. Mount Rainier is about 2 1/2 hours south of where I was standing. For another shot of the mountain, from a little closer last summer, look at this and to see the devastation inside the park from our very wet fall and winter, go here.

Polaroid King of Chicago

2007-01-22T18:45:00.000-08:00

Somewhere along the way, A. Skwish won the lottery. No other way to explain his ability to afford so much Polaroid film. When other people reach for the digital and knock off 10 lousy frames, he's the guy with 10 lovely prints developing on the table in front of him. Go right here for tons, and then go here for tons more.

Beer and sunshine

2007-01-21T17:49:00.000-08:00

Looks like there may be hope for an end to winter. Saturday, late afternoon, we actually sat outside and had a beer - in the sun. It didn't last long and we were cold, but a week ago it looked like this.

Dog days

2007-01-20T11:21:00.000-08:00

Testing two images in the same post. One yappy dog that no longer lives in Ballard next to Kevin's place. One shoulder dog in The Viking one Friday night. What the hell?

Kevin's stuff

2007-01-20T09:22:00.000-08:00

My brother has been taking pictures longer than me, mostly because he's older and mostly because he didn't get distracted by sports. I'm trying to catch up and it seemed like that was going to happen a couple years ago. But now he's finally caught the flickr bug and he's taking lots of pictures and I'm worried that he'll run away from me again with his superior technical advantages. I must distract him ... with a new PlayStation or something. Anyway, go here and be impressed.

Film

2007-01-19T18:24:00.000-08:00

Lots of pictures from the late '90s and early '00s were shot with a Leica Minilux. Road trips up and down the West coast, across the U.S. and back made for plenty of good images. Look for them here. And many more currently live right here

How do Polaroids look?

2007-01-19T18:17:00.000-08:00

Just wondering. This was shot from a small, grassy spot above I-5 on Capitol Hill. I love this building, and its twin. I don't think anything special takes place inside. It's just an office building. But it sure does a fine job of catching light and making the most of it. Look for it the next time you're headed east on Denny on your way up to the Hill. It'll be on your right. That thing on the left is the Space Needle, btw. It's ok, too.

Testing. Blogging.

2007-01-19T18:01:00.000-08:00

Is this thing on? Should it be? I'm not sure what I'm doing and now I guess I need some help. I'll look around for some. Thanks.