2/Ivan and Alyosha in Studio

I had the pleasure of photographing Ivan and Alyosha finish up their new full length album at Avast! (think Fleet Foxes, Band of Horses, the Shins, and Soundgarden to name a few) in Ballard recently. A few of the members had been friends of mine and I had been wanting to connect with them to take some photos and get to know them a bit better. They are about to release their first full-length album. Follow their Facebook and Twitter.

1/52 Kendal Bogan

One of my resolutions this year was to shoot more personal projects. I tried a 365 project a while ago and it was great at the beginning, but I found myself going outside and taking a photo of something dumb just to have a photo for the day. It wasn’t very productive and it became more of a chore than something that I got satisfaction out of. This time around, I have decided to do a 52 Project, so a photo about every week for the year. The point is to plan ahead, make arrangements, and take the time to create something that I really like.

My wife had suggested that I take photos of our friend Kendal who is a dancer. I am also mentoring a young photographer who is also a dancer, so I thought it would be a good idea to have everyone in on the shoot. We had a great time and I learned a lot about dancing. I hope you enjoy.

Thanks to Tim Dyk for assisting/throwing stuff.
Camera: Canon 5D Mark II
Lighting: Einsteins

My Help-Portrait Story

After hearing about Help-Portrait more than a year ago, I know that I wanted to host an event. But, I didn’t just want to host an event, I wanted to team up with an organization or two that were already doing great work. I guess I wanted to help both individuals and an organization. A friend of mine from grad school, Ellie, works at an international organization called World Relief. They help refugees settle into life in the United States. World Relief helps thousands of refugees every year by helping them find jobs, teaching english, find housing, and adjust to everyday life in a place that is often times so different than what they are used to. I really respect the work that they do and the method they do it, so I was honored that they were willing to let me set-up at their Christmas party.
This year, Help-Portrait encouraged the photographer volunteers to encourage people to share their stories and photo online. But, since World Relief serves refugees of war and persecution, none of the clients wanted to share their stories. Even so, we had a wonderful time, spoke some Amharic, took a lot of pictures, and saw countless smiles. I can’t wait for my next Help-Portrait event. I respect the work and people of World Relief greatly. Keep up the good work!

Please visit the Help Portrait and World Relief websites for more information.

Andy Horst helped with the help-portrait event. Since none of the refugees wanted their photos to be displayed online, I put one of the test-shots in.

Less Stress, Please

Life, and work especially, has been stressing me out lately. Stress, my friend Mark tells me, is killing me by the minute. Also killing me by the minute is sitting down. There is not a lack of either these days. The important lesson that I am trying to learn is to hang on to what is important. My faith, family, and hope for the future.

Weddings: Andy and Julia

Andy and Julia are one of my favorite couples. Whether is be playing Nerts at our house, trivia, or just hanging out, we always have a great time. I was honored to be asked to shoot their wedding. What a wedding it was! Urban Light Studios in Greenwood is a photo/video studio that has a great environment to get hitched and take photos. The great combination made for a lot of ideas. Actually, there were more ideas than we had time for! Good luck in the future, you two. Laura and I love you guys and are so happy to be among your friends! It was obvious from all the people and words at your wedding that your influence is wide and deep.

My Family

My wife and I welcomed our new baby into the world recently. Rowan Ella was born on October 17 here in Seattle. We really love her and are all adjusting to life as a family of four! I can already tell, she is going to be a beauty! She is absolutely perfect.

My parents came our for a couple weeks as well. It was great to have them here. My dad celebrated his 83rd birthday this week, so we went out to dinner just the two of us to catch up and spend some time together. I didn’t have any expectations for our conversation, but it ended up being one of the best we have ever shared. He told me of his life, his journey, his adventure so far. We drove home, but I have been thinking about our conversation ever since. My dad has questions for many of his decisions in life, but he is also confident of who he is. He may be stubborn at times, but during our conversation, I saw his humility, his strength, and the courageousness of his choices, even if they didn’t pan out for what the world would call successful. At that moment, I knew that while my dad is rich in the areas of life that are most important. I was more proud of my dad that I had ever been, and I knew that things would be different between us from then on. All defenses down, all guards withdrawn. It was a beautiful, and memorable experience. Happy Birthday, Dad. You are an incredible man.

Wedding: Chris and Addie

I am so happy that I could be a part of Chris and Addie’s wedding. Chris and I go way back to when Laura and I met. They had been good friends and he was part of the group that welcomed me into the circle. Both of these people are quite amazing individually, and the world is now even more blessed that they are together. Thanks for everything Chris and Addie.

Photoshoot – Tory Cobrea and friends.

My wife and I met up with a few new friends recently for a photoshoot. It’s a personal project, which is important for keeping me sane. When the camera is the professional tool, it is easy to see it as that instead of an extension of vision and creativity. I brought a couple of film cameras along too. Overall shot 50mm on the Canon 5D Mark II, Pentax K1000 with Fuji Neopan 1600, and a Pentax SPII with Kodak Portra 400NC. Thanks to Tory, Shelby, and Rachel for modeling, and Kevin and Laura for helping out.

Katelyn and Andrew Wedding Preview

I met Katelyn and Andrew when I showed up at the Everett Marina to shoot their engagement photos. Instantly, I could feel the chemistry between the two of them. I was so happy that I was going to be shooting their wedding as well. They tied the knot overlooking Flowing Lake in Snohomish County. It really was the perfect day. I was honored to be there. Keep your eyes on the Captus Blog for some more previews. Good luck and many blessings Katelyn and Andrew!

Waves

Waves. This photo makes me feel at rest in a time when I feel restless.