Disney’s California Adventure

On a morning that my wife Allison and my mother in law Robin were taking time to enjoy the finer points of the hotel spa, I decided to get to the gates early and take some shot before anyone else had a chance to arrive. I was in luck until I was summarily booted from the square by an usher on a power trip. Before leaving however I was able to snag a few shots. Here are my favorites.

I really liked the drama of the early morning clouds in this photo and couldn’t resist keeping the overall feel dark.

Parachute - January 23, 2010

The US Figure Skating Championships Fan Fest continued with another free concert by Parachute.  Unlike Ingrid (see below) the whole band showed leaving a bit more to shoot.  Stage lighting is definately tricky and I need to go back and read the Scott Kelby blogs on Concert Photography or maybe sign up for one of the workshops.  Here are my favorite shots.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration - January 18, 2010

I decided to head out to the local Martin Luther King Day Celebration here in Spokane.  I didn't really know what to expect or what I would find when I got there, but I had visions of fantastic signs and black and white images in my head.  What is so intriguing to me is that in celebration of unity of many colors I have chosen to make most of my images from this event in black and white for dramatic impact.  I was quite impressed with the organization and the turnout for the event.  Here are some of my selected favorites from the morning.

Ingrid Michaelson - Spokane, WA - January 17, 2010

Spokane is hosting the 2010 US Figure Skating Championships in preparation of selecting the Olympic Team.  A part of this event includes free concerts including one with Ingrid Michaelson.  Everyone has heard the sweater song (The Way I Am) and her new song Everybody has been getting some play as of late.  I couldn't help but drag my wife down to the festival and see if I could get any shots.  I think I found some success.  As an aside, Ingrid seemed pretty cool and down to earth even commenting on the anatomical incorrectness of the giant horse statue outside of P.F. Changs. At the very least I will be singing her songs in my head for the next couple of weeks... "Taco... Burrito... Chimichonga... and Marg-a-rita".

Cody Stubbs - December 26, 2009

Grandma Stubbs just added a new member to her family - "Gremlin".  Now Gremlin is actually what I call her dog Cody.  I have my reasons.  Cody is cute (Maltese / Peakingese mix) and Grandma seems very happy to have another companion to spoil.  One last time Grandma, please no M&Ms.  Here are some quick snap shots taken over Christmas.

Family Christmas Card - December 12, 2009

It's that time of year for the Family Christmas Card photo.  This year I was really inspired by Ellen Degeneres's photo in the Opera Magazine (no, I do not subscribe) and the photo on the cover of Reader's Digest.  I just had to give it a shot.  Kudos are in order for my wife for playing photographer while I was "lit" up. 

Peace, Hope, and Joy to you and your family this Christmas.

Coronado Island, California - October 11, 2009

Coranado Island is just across a small body of water looking out onto the city of San Diego.  There are several unique elements about Coranado such as the Del Coranado Hotel and the bridge connecting Coranado to the main land.  Here are my favorite shots on the island.

San Diego, California - Gas Lamp - October 9, 2009

I was recently attending a Continuing Legal Education in San Diego, California and couldn't pass up the opportunity to take some down town photos.  The only problem was that the only time that I wasn't in a session was at night, so I decided to concentrate on the pub scene.  The neat thing about the San Diego Gas Lamp district is the committment of all of the pubs to interesting signs.  Below are a couple of my favorites.

A unique element of the gas lamp district is that every corner has the lamp posts seen in the left of this picture.  These put off quite a bit of omni-directional light and made for some challenges in composing shots.

I love Irish quotes.  I believe it is because I always find them clever.  I wonder if the quantity of beer consumed has led to an entire culture of creative orators?

Ok, so this next shot is not of a pub, but I thought the way it was lit made it powerful and note-worthy.

Sno Cones - September 20, 2009

Our good friends and neighbors Leo and Merril have a sno cone business and decided to bring their machine along for some tasty treats at our annual neighborhood picnic.  I am generally not a fan of ice in my mouth, but I couldn't pass on the opportunity to photograph them.

Spokane Interstate Fair - September 19, 2009

One of my favorite events of the year is the Spokane Interstate Fair.  Honestly this fair is fairly weak on the exhibits, but what it lacks delicious fair scones, it makes up with people watching.  Much better than a Walmart on Sunday.  Always bring your camera to the fair - you never know what you might see.

This next shot was of an event called Mutton Bustin'.  For $8 you can put you 7 year old son or daughter on the back of a sheep.  After a few seconds you a guaranteed to see your child face plant in the soft dirt.  Have the camera ready parents, becuase these are memories!

Cornish Game Hen Delight - September 15, 2009

My wife Allison went all out tonight and prepared a fantastic dinner of Cornish Game Hen and potatos.  Before settling in to what could only be described as the best food comma in years, I decided to take a few shots.  Editing these photos has made me hungry all over again. 

Robb & Carmen Wasser Wedding - September 12, 2009

My good buddy and college roommate Robb decided to settle down with his dream girl Carmen, so there was nothing left to do but to have a wedding.  Here are some snapshots that I took from the wedding and reception.  I also want to thank them and their paid photographer for letting me tag along down to the street level to grab a couple of unexpected urban shots.  More shots can be found on my flickr site.

About this time in the ceremony you could hear the band in the previous blog post blasting Celtic Grunge Music. Every wedding has a different unique memory.

Paint with light.  This is a brief comment in do as I say and not as I do, because I didn't have the opportunity to pull this shot off as I would have liked.  The key ingredient to this shot is to hold the camera still - i.e. get a tripod.  Second ingredient it to get the subject to hold as still as possible (except for the movement necessary to paint with the flashlight).  The reason for this is that you are going to be leaving your shutter open in bulb mode until the painting is done.  I also recommend throwing a rear curtin sync flash in there to sharpen your subject.  Because I was tandem shooting this shot, I didn't have much control, but I am still fairly happy with the result.

I have always been a fan of trash the dress shots (shots taken of a bride in an unexpected environment or in situations that often result in destruction of the wedding dress).  Admittedly this shot is not destroying Carmen's dress (thankfully), it is unexpected - and I love the scene.

Thanks again Carmen and Robb for letting me bring my camera.  Enjoy the married life.  We will see you soon.  Again - Click Here for my flickr set. Click here to see my flickr photostream.