Essence of Bellingham 2009

Autumn Tradition

It’s time again to share my entries in the annual Essence of Bellingham photo contest. I keep a file on my pc into which throughout the year I occasionally drop a file that I think might be a good candidate for the entry in the contest. Unfortunately this year it seems I was not quite so diligent about going out to shoot just for fun as I had just ten shots to choose from in that file. Fortunately that is the maximum number of photos one can enter in the contest, so at least I didn’t have to spend a lot of time choosing which ones got the thumbs up! Here are the photos I captured in the past year that represent my vision of the essence of the city I call home.

The above shot was taken on a November afternoon at Maritime Heritage Park. I always watch for these guys to show up on the banks of Whatcom Creek as an indicator of when it’s time to go cheer on the salmon as they fight their way up the falls.

Blissfully Unaware

Actually, I lied… when I first checked that file on my computer, there were only nine shots in it. My photographer friend Jen insisted I add this shot that I captured at the Mt. Baker Theatre on Inauguration Day to my entries. Thanks, Jen!

Good Old Fashion Fun

So far I’ve been fortunate to not have a wedding to shoot on the Fourth of July, which means I always get to participate in the fun at the Columbia Neighborhood’s annual Independence Day Celebration in Elizabeth Park. The neighborhood parade, the silly races and everyone dressed in red, white & blue make for a classic celebration of the holiday!

Homecoming

I’ve wanted for quite some time to capture a shot of the Mt. Baker Theatre with its marquis lit. What would possibly make for a better shot for the than to have Death Cab for Cutie’s name on the marquis? To me, the success of this band speaks volumes about the essence of Bellingham.

Inauguration Day

Just like this shot that I entered in last year’s competition, I knew instantly that the photo was “made” when my subject flashed the peace sign at the very last moment.

Long, Cold Winter

I took this shot through a window that looks out into the front courtyard of the little cottage that I call home. As I am sure everyone recalls, it was a very long, very cold winter and my view out this window was framed by those icicles for weeks! My favorite time of day was twilight when the snow in the distance was tinted blue by the fading light.

Lost Inside Michael’s

This is the one shot that I actually staged specifically for entry in the contest. In my mind, someone browsing the stacks of books inside one of Bellingham’s many used bookstores is a good representative of its essence. Many thanks to my friend Erin for willingly participating in bringing my vision to life!

Outspoken

I was setting up for a shoot at my friend Greg’s shop when the rider of this bike parked it across the street. Not one to let an opportunity pass, I bolted over there and captured this shot before the rider returned.

Preferred Mode of Travel

I really like this shot captured while waiting for breakfast at the Old Town Cafe. A couple on bikes with a smiling lab in tow… it doesn’t get much more “Bellingham” than that!

Quality Time

I love it when I am in the right place at the right time. I just happened to be doing a sunset engagement shoot with a couple at Larrabee State Park when this family paddled by.

I’ll be sure to post any winners once the results are announced. In the meantime, you can see my entries to previous years’ competitions here!

Inauguration Day 1.20.009

I have always loved analyzing photographs of historic events so I'd been thinking for awhile about where I wanted to be with my camera on Inauguration Day 2009. At first I thought it would be great to document the event with Asher and his 600 middle school classmates as they watched the ceremony together in the school auditorium, but after throwing this idea out to him, I thought maybe it would be better for him to have that experience without the influence of Mom. It wasn't until I was heading home after dropping him at school that morning that I realized the Mt. Baker Theatre was showing the event on the main stage. The Mt. Baker Theatre is a place of special personal significance to me and one of my favorite buildings in Bellingham, so I could not think of a better place to experience such an historical event. I raced home, exchanged glasses for contacts, grabbed my camera and headed back downtown. I arrived at the theater to a crowd on its feet, cheering as President Elect Barack Obama arrived on the balcony to watch his vice president take his own inaugural oath. The lights were dimmed so my opportunities for photos were narrow (not to mention I was quite engrossed in this event!) but I managed to get off a handful of shots that capture the essence of the experience...

I really love this picture and had to shoot several of them to get both the full face of the baby and the new president in frame. I can't help but think about how this is a defining moment in this child's life and how he is blissfully (and perhaps fortunately?) unaware.

After I left the theater, I thought it would be fun to take a walk around downtown and document signs of the day. I was simultaneously stunned and thrilled to realize that the inauguration was the talk of the town... every group of people or person on a cell phone that I passed was engrossed in conversation about our new president. Regardless of our personal political beliefs, I think we all can agree this is a strange and wonderful turn of events in the United States of America.

This is my favorite shot of the day. I was simply getting another shot of the headlines when I saw this pair crossing the street so I waited a few seconds for them to fall into perfect place- never anticipating that this guy would make the shot 100 times better by flashing me the peace sign!