This one's for you Grandma

My Grandma put in a photo request a while back. She wanted a photograph of a tree reaching up to heaven with the sun filtering through. Well Grandma, here's a whole congregation of them. I'd been trying for weeks now to get a good photograph of a single tree. I was having no luck getting one to turn out beautifully. Then when looking back through my Costa Rica photos I came across this one. Instantly I thought this was the one. This was it. It's a spiritual photograph if you spend a little time with it.

I'll never look up to trees the same way any more. And, I'll probably always be seeking that single tree that reaches up to heaven with the sun filtering through. And when I find it I hope I'll see in the tree just a little bit of me.

Pier 39 playground

Mom and I took a trip to San Francisco and the wine country last year. While in San Francisco we made all the necessary stops including Pier 39. I was completely entralled with these little guys. They were talking to each other and squealing continuously, flopping on and off their wooden decks. We probably stayed there and I shot for nearly 30 minutes.

I caught this guy as he was scratching an itch or something. I swear I think I see a little smirk on his face.

Cadillac Ranch

Sort of strange isn't it? This is an old Cadillac. In fact it's just one of about ten cadillacs plunged into the ground in Amarillo, Texas. I was out in Amarillo a couple years ago for my friend Amy's wedding. To keep ourselves busy before the ceremony we took a little trip to Cadillac Ranch, an art installation outside of town. It's on the west side of Amarillo I believe. I didn't really know what to expect once we got there. It's a bit twilighty. There is nothing there but the flat dirty plains and the Caddys.

People are allowed to spray paint the cars and luckily when we were out there we found some extra spray paint cans. So we climbed up on them and went to town. It was a blast. This photo was pre-Nikon. I think I actually took it with my old point-and-shoot Canon.

Go to wikipedia if you want to learn more about the ranch.

Kyle Bud

Meet my brother, Kyle. Kyle is 23, making him my younger brother. But that doesn't stop him from taking good care of his older sister. Sunday night Kyle had me over for dinner at his new apartment. He loves to cook and he's very good at it. We had some bacon wrapped steaks, homemade mac and cheese and shrimp scampi. It was quite the feast and he just pulled it together in no time.

I took this photo of Kyle around Christmas time after I got my camera. I love how the wall behind him matches what he is wearing. The whole photo is a bit retro. I caught Kyle with his serious face, which you don't see often. I think he knew I was trying to get candid shots, not point-and-smile shots. So, he put away his big, contagious smile for this one.

I like this photo because it reminds that Kyle is all grown up and now. I'm very proud of you, Kyle Bud.

Sushi fruit

I work on the green team at HKS. On Saturday we had the green team summer party. Everyone brought something to munch on before the guys grilled up the burgers and chicken. A handful of us were standing around in the kitchen when Norio, who is Japanese, came in the door with two white plates full of beautifully cut fruit. We all thought he had brought sushi when we saw the plates out of the corner of our eyes.

It was lovely presentation in true architect-style.

Made in USA

This photo was born around the time immigration and the border fence were such a hot topic. About then my photography class was assigned the "setup" shot. In a setup shot you have the opportunity to say something or to simply engage the viewer.

I knew generally how I wanted to the shot to play out. I purchased some metal signs from Target and some flag fabric from Hobby Lobby. My friend Erin kindly agreed to be in the photograph. We took several photos down in the photo lab at school. It was nice to work with all the lighting equipment. Finally, after shooting for about an hour, we got a good shot. I appreciate this one for several reasons; one it keeps Erin's eyes out of the photo and therefore does not make her the focus. Two, her green shirt works great in front of the flag. And lastly, if you look real close (particularly on the high resolution version of the photo) you'll see the bottom of the sign says "Made in USA". Which went perfectly with the idea of the setup, so I named the photograph that.

Presenting this photograph was the first time I felt real nervousness about my work and how people would respond. You have to remember the issue was being seriously debated around this time. But, to my surprise, everyone really enjoyed the photograph and it's relevancy.

The fish ladder

In Seattle there are two major bodies of water. The Puget Sound and Lake Union. If my memory serves me correctly, there is a 17' difference in sea level between the two. But, the Army Corps of Engineers devised a way for the two to be connected. It's called the locks. Sail boats and other smaller vessels can go to the locks, where they get locked in, then the water level changes to move the boats up and down depending on where they are headed.

Well, the salmon wanted in on this connection too. So, they built a fish ladder. The fish ladder allows the salmon to run upstream from the Puget Sound to Lake Union. There is a viewing area below for visitors to watch the salmon run up the locks. These salmon are probably 6' long. They were in a holding pattern when I took this photo. But, eventually when they are ready they leap up the ladder to the next area where they hold again. I actually caught a photo, while above the surface, of a salmon jumping out of the water. It took some patience.

I had never seen a salmon upclose. They are not the prettiest of fish. The look much better seared over a bed rice!

My little bamboo

I miss this little fella. This was my bamboo for a good couple years. Unfortunately he is no more (back to the brown thumb thing, but I keep trying). He had the best little leaves that fell so beautifully. I used to keep him over by my bed side lamp which you see in the photograph. The lamp and bamboo were buddies for sure. They very much complimented each other. I still have the lamp; it is a rectangular shape made of fabric with a subtle asian flare. Finally one day I decided to take their photograph and get a bit of a silhouette on the bamboo in front of the lamp. It's a good thing I did too, because now I have something to remember my bamboo by.

Rug racks

On Saturday Preston and I went to The Dump to look for rugs. Preston has been in search for a 7' x 10' rug to go in his new apartment. The Dump is a good place to go because they have tons of choices on rugs (and furniture for that matter, that's where I got all mine). So, we sifted through the racks and racks of rugs for a while and finally found this one that he's standing in front of. I like how unique it is, and it will certainly go with the comtemporary style Preston has been striving for in his furnishings.

I had brought my camera with me, and when he was standing in front of this one I couldn't help but want to take his picture, especially since he practically matched it in his brown shirt.

I look forward to seeing how his rug matches his place when he finally decides to let us all see it!

Climb on

This is a photo from a rock wall at an indoor climbing gym in Seattle. Vertical World. I became a member at Vertical World when I was in Seattle. We climbed a few times there and it was great. Very cool gym. I brought my camera once to grab some pics of us while we climbed. And, on this one I played with my zoom a little bit. My lens is an 18 - 135mm zoom, so it will really crank in or out on things. I decided to slow the shutter down on this one and zoom out from the hold for this particular effect. It made for a fun photo I think.

So clearly, I love to rock climb. Unfortunately I haven't made it to the wall in quite some time though. I need to find some pals in Dallas to climb with. So, if you are game let me know.

The crooked tree

I found my coffee shop in Dallas. A friend at work told me about the Crooked Tree and I finally tried it out a couple nights ago. It was completely enjoyable. Just a little house off Routh and McKinney, you could easy zoom right past it if you weren't paying attention. The inside is full of old furniture and wooden floors that creek when you walk on them. They have a little stage for live music too.

The Crooked Tree has been open a month now and it seemed to be fairly full on a Sunday night. So I'm crossing my fingers they make it, because it was a fun little coffeehouse. And, of course, wifi is included!

Live from the backyard

I love this photograph. I took this one over the weekend down in San Antonio. Andrea's family put on a huge backyard bash, known to many of us as "Stinzfest", for July 4th. They had three different bands play throughout the night, most of which were comprised of a Stintzi or two and friends. The Stintzi's have quite the set up for this event, they've actually stone paved a stage in their backyard and it's perfect.

Andrea stepped in for the night as rhythm guitar for the her dad's band, Bad Neighbor, since one of the band members was unable to play. So before it was Bad Neighbor's turn at the stage, Andrea was in the garage studio area looking over the set. In the garage their is this wall covered in album covers. So I asked Andrea to come play a little while in front of the albums. I snapped away, while she played, and I finally got this one.

Once the sun went down it was Bad Neighbor's turn. I wasn't out there right when they started. But, all of a sudden I heard Andrea playing and singing "What's up" by 4 Non Blondes. So I ran out there and man, she really nailed that song. I just sat there on the grass and soaked it up.

Well done friend, you really do rock. (And, I think we've got your first album cover photo taken care of.)

Colorful kitchen

This photo is of an artist's kitchen in Austin. We visited this home (which was also the artist's studio) when we went on the East Austin Art Tour. I enjoy this photograph for a couple reasons. One, the color is wonderful. The division of white, green and yellow is fun. Two, the kitchen is very cool. The stove top is simple and unique. The knives on the wall are interesting. And, the artwork on the wall is well placed.

We went on the East Austin Art Tour on a Sunday. The cool thing about the tour was you were encouraged to ride your bike from studio to studio. Most studios were simply old homes on the east side. Seeing the old homes, some of which were renovated, was just as great as seeing the art in them. We probably went to 10 or 15 different studios. It was such an adventure. After one studio we'd jump on our bikes and wind our way around the streets to another studio, jump off and check it out.

I think after the tour we actually rode our bikes to our favorite east side mexican food restaurant. I guess good art and architecture inspires good food and drink!

Sailing the Sound

Last summer our friend, Jake, took us out on the Puget Sound for a day of sailing. This was Jake's first time out on his own. He did fantastic. We would sail for a bit then we'd coast for a while. We weren't really going anywhere, but it was fun to be out on the water. Naturally I took my camera with me. At one point I looked at Jeff who was just relaxing at the front of the boat and I noticed how clear his glasses were reflecting. I could see Kate, Jake and I's reflection perfectly. So, I tried for the shot. I think it turned out really cute. I love how you can see the horizon of only sea in the background and the sails.

And, Jeff you made the perfect face for this photo! Well done, buddy.