Bellingham Pride Parade 2009

Downtown Bellingham was quite a colorful place to be this morning as the 2009 Pride Parade took over Cornwall Avenue!   The parade and subsequent festival at Market Depot Square drew to a close five days of celebration for Bellingham’s gay & lesbian community. I love capturing social commentary with my camera, so I marked the event on my calendar weeks ago. I arrived early with the idea that I’d buzz around the staging area for a bit before the parade started then head home to get some work done. I should have known better… with so many happy, friendly people around me  (not to mention the blaring disco music) I ended up having so much fun I  followed the parade through its entire route  - someone even tossed me some flashy beads  of my own to wear : ) Here are some of my favorite shots, with the full catalog of photos in an online album here. 

The man in the mirror was very clearly unhappy to be impeded by this parade. He glared, he scowled, he repeatedly shook his head in disgust  - such a contrast to all the smiling people participating in the parade!  I made sure to give him a big smile of my own before I moved along : )

     

I purposefully positioned myself where  I could capture the American flag and the rainbow flags  in as many shots as possible. To me, this parade is a symbol of everything that my country stands for.

  

Downtown traffic was backed up a bit… both in the street and on the sidewalk.

A pride parade isn’t complete without at least a couple of noisy Christian protestors- although it didn’t take a very big crowd of  cheering supporters to drown their rants! I got a kick out of the ladies on the left, locked in their own form of counter-protest : )

 

Even Mayor Pike was on hand to offer words of support for the local gay & lesbian community.

 

Bare butts in downtown Bellingham… must be a pride celebration!

Winning Is Fun!

 Blissfully Unaware : First Place, Best of Show

Results of the 2009 Essence of Bellingham Photo Competition are in and I’m excited to report that  little old me took this year’s top prize with my photo Blissfully Unaware, a shot I captured  on Inauguration Day at Bellingham’s Mt. Baker Theatre. Said the jury:

This photograph, rich with imagery, is anything but “unaware.” The baby’s dynamic face, uplifted eyebrows and other vivid expressions speak volumes about hope. This child has expectations! The photographer captured an amazing moment of expression on the faces of both the baby and our President; the new-to-the-world softness of the child juxtaposed against the serious, determined look of newly-inaugurated President Obama. We’re relying on both President and baby to chart our future. The other figures in the photograph are fully engaged in rapt attention to this historic moment. This is Bellingham, in celebration, in our cherished Mount Baker Theatre on Inaugural Day 2009.

It’s always nice to know that the message I am trying to convey in a photo is well received by the viewer. I was definitely struck by the juxtaposition of images and the idea that this tiny little person would never know life the way it was before this historical event… hence the title, Blissfully Unaware. This was not an easy shot to frame as the soundboard I was standing next to limited my movement while both the baby and  the images on the big screen were constantly in motion. I also did not want to draw the attention of the baby’s mother because once there is awareness of a camera, everything changes! So I slyly and carefully fired off as many shots as I could and crossed my fingers that one would turn out. Apparently I succeeded!

It’s also interesting and a bit comedic to note that I had not considered entering this photo in the contest until my friend Jen of Jen Martin Studios put up a fuss about it. Since I had space for one more entry, I willingly obliged. I’m so happy I listened to her voice of reason : ) I’m also happy to report that Jen’s son Eli, entering in the K-4th Grade category, won Second Place, Best of Show with this shot titled CHOMP!  Looks like Eli and I will be meeting Mayor Pike together at the end of the month : )

Here are the rest of my entries which received recognition…

Outspoken : Best of Subject, Signs

Autumn Tradition : Best of Subject, Activities

Quality Time : Honorable Mention

Good Old Fashion Fun : Honorable Mention

Inauguration Day : Honorable Mention

Preferred Mode of Travel : Honorable Mention

All of  this year’s entries will be showcased at  Whatcom Museum Friday, 5 June 2009 through Sunday, 7 June 2009 from 12:00 to 5:00. Maybe I’ll see you there!

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!