Giant Polaroids

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

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

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

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

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?

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

Just looking ... at this right here.

How I did I do's

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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.