The important step you aren't doing.

     Printing!  You take the time to do all you can to get that perfect shot.  You research the place, check the weather and sometimes even hike miles out to your chosen location.  Haul out the tripod, set up the composition, check focus, recheck the composition, recheck the focus and take the shot, edit it and then?  You might post it online but is that where your interaction with the photo ends? 

     Doesn't matter if you are a professional or just taking family vacation photos, printing photos reinforces the memories of the moment.  Most people see a picture on a computer or tablet and then the moment is gone as soon as they click onto something else.  How many more times would the picture be looked at if it was hanging on your wall, in an album, or in photo book sitting on your coffee table?

      For the professional photographer the printing process can be a completely separate artistic process in itself.  Sometime we agonize over the choice of papers.  What textures will compliment the photo?  What finish will bring out the light and subtle nuances of the photo?  Even what size to print.

      My prints are offered in one of three Kodak Endura papers, glossy, lustre or metallic.  Lustre has a fine grain pebble texture, it's between a matte and glossy finish and is more resistant to fingerprints.  The lustre paper is my one of my favorites and is the paper I normally print on.  Metallic paper has a glossy finish and metallic appearance that creates images with exceptional visual interest and depth.  Metallic papers work very well with black and white prints.

      As you are browsing through my website you will see that I have chosen one or sometimes two paper type choices for each print, in some instances I've allowed the choice of all three as the print works equally well on them all.  If ever you aren't sure which paper type you should choose for your print please contact me and I'll be happy to help.




    

The sky is falling

     No it's not, though sometimes it feel like it could be.  I'm working my way back from a month and a half hiatus from taking pictures, it's been raining forever and my pc took a nose dive.  I was 80GB away from completing my first online/cloud offsite backup when...ftttt!  This weekend has me inside (more rain) trying to trouble shoot the problem.  Is it Windows 8, defective RAM, or some other mystery. Not a great start to my new blog, sigh.  While all this fun stuff is happening I thought I would answer some questions I'm often asked.

 running memory test and diagnostics

How long have you been taking pictures?

     I have been shooting for way too many years to count and shooting seriously for about 15 years.

What other photographers or artist do you admire, or follow?

     I really enjoy art from painters and architects from about 3100b.c to early Impressionism, probably because I have spent some time in college studying this portion of art history.  Rembrandt, Albert Bierstadt, Giotto, Brunelleschi, Michelangelo, and seriously there are just too many more to name.

What kind of camera, tripod etc do you use?

     I shoot about 90% of my photos with a Canon 5D Mark II with either a EF 17-40mm F4 L or EF 24-105 F4 L lens on it.  These are my work horses and I am rarely without them.  There are a few other camera bodies and lens in my arsenal.  My tripod of choice is a Manfrotto 055CXPRO3 with a Gitzo bubblehead ball head.

How do you haul it from one location to the next?

     I have found over the years that there is never going to be a one bag to rule them all, there are only going to be the perfect bag for the current situation.  Currently my everyday run around town bag is a Tamrac Velocity  8x sling pack, small but can pack in quite a bit of equipment if needed.  For those bigger trips I have a Lowepro Flipside 400AW backpack.  fully loaded this bag will tip me over on my back like a turtle.  

    

Spectacular Skies & Nothing Interesting

     More often than not this is where you'll find us, stopped on the side of the road pointing our camera at some fantastic light.  This was the case one evening last June, we chased this sunset after dinner searching for a spot to pull over before the light was gone.  Eager to get the cameras out we found a good spot that would fit all our cars but the surrounding scenery wasn't a prime spot.  Even though we had Mt. Rainier off to our right, she doesn't stand out as well when you are shooting with a wide angle lens.

Lake "Ford"

     After a couple minutes of shooting I noticed Patty shooting towards the cover on the bed of her truck. Checking this out I saw the opportunity to create the landscape shot I was wishing we had when we pulled over.  I shot the opposite way into the sunset with the camera almost down on the truck cover which resulted in this photo (right).  It looked very much like I was shooting at a lake at sunset.    



     So while the circumstances of the area you are shooting in may not be ideal, sometimes with a little creative thought you can create a landscape or scene that wasn't there to begin with.  I'm glad one of my friends has a portable "lake" we can take with us!

What's the big deal?

        What's this all about?  What's going on?  Who is in charge here?  Oh right that would be me.

     This felt like the better place to talk about my photos, give you some insight into the how, where and "what in the heck was she thinking?" that takes place behind the camera.  Sometimes I'm not sure what was going on but I'll do my best to explain and tell you a bit about my adventures with the crew, my peeps that I shoot with. You know the behind the scenes stuff that you never hear about, like the time I got locked in a cemetery...seriously stuff happens.

    

I've been shooting for about 15 years, I started shooting music shows at local Seattle bars for my good friend.  After a couple years I moved over to my real passion, landscape photography.  I also can't pass up the opportunity to get an abandoned building, farm house or object that has been forgotten and left to time and the elements.

   

I've found a great group of close friends who share the same passions, weird sense of humor and penchant for going on two mile hikes that turn into 8 mile hikes before the day is done.  So stick around, ask a question or leave a comment, I'd love to hear from you.