--11_22_2008_assignments to drool for--

--11_22_2008_assignments to drool for--

Well, no matter what the assignment is, as long as there is a cool dog present it pretty much makes for a great day.

Anyone who knows me knows how much of an animal person I am, especially dogs. So naturally whenever one is around I usually make time to become friends.

This is Rocko, he's a giant 3 year old Saint Bernard that was running around outside playing with trees, I mean sticks, and loved to drool all over the place. I left him alone though after the decided to go swimming in a pond.

Thanks for looking.

Be well,

Brad

--11_21_2008_Debit card down_bv--

--11_21_2008_Debit card down_bv--

It's never a good time to lose your debit card. A couple days ago when I was filling up for gas at the shell station on Mercer I must have been so caught off guard by the possibility of getting 88 cent gas I dropped the card and didn't even notice. (I did not actually get 88 cent gas, the display must have just been broke)

I proceeded to drive into the Cascades and shoot an assignment requiring a little mountain climb in some very muddy conditions. After finishing my shoot (see prior post) I stopped off at a gas station to grab a coffee and cheetos for the trip back. As I went to pay I couldn't find my card, luckily I took out some money just before losing the card and had enough to cover the snack. I figured my card slipped out of my pocket in my car, but as I was tearing my car apart looking for it I figured the only other place I could have lost my card was on that mud covered mountainside.

Just before heading back to the mountain to scour (most likely aimlessly even if the card was lost there) I got a call from my parents saying someone had called my bank said they found my card. My bank said thank you, please destroy the card, and then deactivated my account. After talking with the bank and making sure that my last transaction was actually mine I was finally relieved.

So, thanks kind stranger.

Here are some random photos I made that day, some while I had my debit card, one right at the point where I lost it, and one afterwards.

Thanks for looking,

Brad

--11_21_2008_The best things in life--

--11_21_2008_The best things in life--

On Friday while working on an assignment around downtown I was so hungry and tired. I was shooting some and wandering around looking for better angles and areas when I decided I would swing by Dog in the Park, a little slice of heaven hotdog stand on 4th and Pine set back into a building on Westlake park. Something just sounded so right to me about a kielbasa with a toasted bun slathered in cream cheese with hot peppers, cabbage, and seuarkraut. Ya know the works.

Well turns out not to many people have the same cravings.... at 9:30 in the morning because the shop was still closed up and lifeless, not to mention dogless. I was however greeted by something even better. Free food. There was a weird verizon publicity event in the park and Starbucks was giving away free oatmeal and coffee.

I'd never tried it, but oatmeal covered in dried cranberries with a hint of brown sugar is terrific.

Great little energy boost for the little mountain climb I did later that day. It was pretty cool going out into the mountains just as they are starting to get covered in snow. When I went out there was a very prominent snow line dancing across the higher elevations.

Thanks for looking

Brad

--11_18_2008_News in the air_bv--

--11_18_2008_News in the air_bv--

I'm sure everyone has noticed these at least a few times in your life. Maybe outside of a major sporting event, car crash, riot, or just next to your everyday kxbtv(why)y news person talking about something important about town.

I for one love them. I love covering events and knowing exactly where to park my car... oh, over there, next to the six different curling radar dishes reaching for the clouds. These little dishes give the tv stations the ability to transmit live footage over the airways and back to their headquarters to be forwarded to the world live, straight from the scene to you.

Thanks for looking,
Brad

Television.


Newspaper.

--11_16_2008_Recap of the (not so) perfect home season--

--11_16_2008_Recap of the (not so) perfect home season--

Last night was the last home game of the 2008 for the University of Washington Huskies. The Huskies have struggled a bit this season, currently they are 0-10 heading into their last two games on the road @ Washington State and @ California.

Here are a few of my favorites from the 4 Washington games I was able to cover in Husky Stadium.

Thanks for looking,

brad

--11_12_2008_Hyperhydration--

--11_12_2008_Hyperhydration--

Flooding has started to occur in many different places outside the Seattle area. On Wednesday we dispatched quite a few photographers to different areas to cover the rising flood waters. I was sent about an hour south, southeast of Seattle to a small town called Orting and the surrounding area near the Carbon River and Voights Creek.

I was there until dark and the Carbon River had not crested over its banks. The smaller Voights Creek had inundated a Washington State fish hatchery however about 3 miles down the road from Carbon River. I went back and forth between locations until it was dark and then I had to leave to transmit back to the paper.

Here are a few of the photos I made while roaming around on damp ground and in water up to 2 1/2 feet deep or so.

Stay safe if you're in those areas.

~brad



**Rules of evacuating a flooded house.
#1. Evacuate family first, keep child dry.


#2. Evacuate hound(s) second, also keep hound dry.




Good luck lighting your cigarette.

--11_11_2008_Veterans Day--

--11_11_2008_Veterans Day--

I photographed a Veterans Day assignment at the Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Seattle.

Here are just a few shots from the day.

Thank for looking
~brad

--11_08_2008_It gives you teeth--

--11_08_2008_Leaving Forks--

Well, they give you teeth... when you order the vampire burger.

You can take the boy out of the vampire town, but you can't take the vampire town out of the boy.

It was a great two days exploring highway 101 and the small town of Forks. Definitely looking forward to making my way back out to the Olympic Peninsula and exploring even more new territory.

~cheers
-brad

If you're reading this sign... ahhhh


Currently, Forks only has a little under 6 feet of its expected 11.5-12.5 feet of annual rain.


I hear vegetarian style is the best.




Waiting for the ferry back to Edmonds.

--11_08_2008_Beautiful Lake Crescent--

--11_08_2008_Beautiful Lake Crescent--

A tip from a friend left me excited to get a chance to come across a lake named Crescent during my Olympic Peninsula excursion. Lake Crescent resides right off of Highway 101 in the Olympic National Park on the way to and from Forks, Washington. Friday morning as I was making my way towards Forks it sorta snuck up on me, the lake pretty much comes out of nowhere. You pass a sign letting you know you're entering Olympic National Park, come over a slight rise and then down the hills and all of the sudden a large majestic body of water forms pretty much out of nowhere.

Crescent is a large, deep body of water caught on the outskirts of the Olympic Mountain range. I stopped wherever I could on the narrow two lane highway and took photos. I'd really love to come back to this area during the summertime and see the lake on a partly cloudy perfectly still day.... I can just imagine how glassy and reflective the water becomes.

cheers
-brad



Very, Very clear water.... also very cold water.






From natural to natural... with a little man made in between.

--11_07-08_2008_Welcome to Forks Washington--

--11_07-08_2008_Welcome to Forks Washington--

Over the past 48 hours or so I have learned a lot about the town of Forks, and 'Twilight' the teenage love story between a vampire and human. Forks was chosen for the book because it is the darkest / most overcast place in the continental United States. While there, I did not see the sun and it rained the entire time except for maybe a total of 10-15 minutes.

During the two days in Forks I followed the Twilight tour twice. The first time I road along with three friends as they quickly toured as much of the area as possible to make sure that they could get back to Bremerton in time for the reason why they were in Washington, a friends reception for the upcoming wedding. This worked out pretty well since it was sort of the regular tour on a huge dose of caffeine. Plus it was a different way of seeing the tour instead of just the usual van ride along... which I did the following day with a group of 11 others, from a 13 year old celebrating her birthday, to a pair of women from California who made the trip just to see Forks for it's tie to Twilight.

The town has really embraced this strange influx of tourism with open arms. Talking with local shop and restaurant owners it seems that Twilight fans have pumped new life into the local economy. Forks depends on fishing tourism to fill the hotels, eat the food, and buy the merchandise during the peak fishing season. But with this new source of ever increasing tourism the times of the year when the fishing traffic dwindles down Twilight traffic keeps the town busy.

Thanks for looking
Brad









Yea, Forks is in a temperate rain forest... it rains a lot.


My camera had enough salt on it to cure a moose after shooting next to the ocean for 20 minutes in 40 mph wind gusts. Awesome time.


I had the bella burger, it was great. The burger consisted of pretty much everything on a normal burger and then a non fried pineapple on top. Sounds strange, tastes good.


Garden State?

--11_08_2008_Forestry--

--11_08_2008_Forestry--

Forks, Wa was once known as the forestry capital of the United States. Like a lot of environmental businesses there was a boom era and a bust era. It's always sad to see how something people depend on can be gone in an instant. Even though Forks doesn't log nearly as much as they used to, the industry is still very evident. It's sad not to see the old growth forests anymore and the lack of biodiversity that comes with the logging of such forests. However, it is nice to see the quickness of the replanting taking place, and in some places very responsible selective cutting taking place instead of the most economical and most environmentally devastating type of cut, a clear cut.

Here are just a few photos I took of the logging in the area and how different the landscapes can be in such a lively, wet place.

reduce, reuse, recycle.... be responsible

-brad

10 year forest


35 year forest


protected forest in the Olympic National Park

--11_07_2008_Out to the OP (olympic peninsula)--

--11_07_2008_Out to the OP (Olympic Peninsula)--

The day started early on Friday. To make the most out of the daylight I left for Forks, Wa at 4:45 am in order to catch the 5:45 am Edmonds ferry. The total trip out to Forks ended up taking just under 4 or so hours including waiting for the ferry and the 20 minute or so ride from Edmonds to Kirkland on the west side of the sound.

Since I left so early a lot of the drive was in the dark and I needed to make it to Forks early to check in and start working.... So I didn't stop to take any photos on the way out, however I did snap a few through the window on the way.

If you ever have the chance, driving out and around the peninsula on highway 101 is an amazing experience and I would highly recommend it if you ever have the chance. I only did the northern part of the road, but that includes going through park of the Olympic National Park, past a beautiful lake named Crescent, and passing a few port towns along the Strait of Juan De Fuca.

For the drive be sure to have your I Pod loaded to the gills and let it run on shuffle. It seems like every song sounds better while driving through a temperate rain forest.

More to come from the weekend.

-best
brad

--11_07_2008_Vampires in the Rain--

--11_07_2008_Vampires in the Rain--

I'm heading out on a little drive out to the Olympic Peninsula in the wee hours of the morning. I am really looking forward to this trip, I haven't been farther west than Bainbridge Island since being out here in the Northwest and I am excited to wander around the OP for a couple days and make photos. To get to Forks from Seattle I am driving about 30 minutes north of the city to Edmonds and then taking a ferry across the Puget Sound. From there it is about a 2 and a half hour drive according the google.

I'm assigned to cover the small town called Forks, Washington. Forks is the featured town for the fictional series of Twilight books and the soon to be released Twilight movie. I don't know too much about the series or the movie, all I know is that it is based around vampires, a love story between a vampire and a human, and the conflict that comes with that relationship. You can read more about the books, movie, and the town here http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/twilight.html

I'll be in Forks until Saturday around noonish or so and then I am thinking of either heading just straight west out of the town to the ocean.... or going a tad out of my way to trek up to the northwestern most point of the continental United States. Any suggestions?

Then just cruising back to Seattle.

The OP gets a ton of rain and as you can see I think I'll be getting pretty wet over the next couple days. I won't let that dampen my spirits however.

4:30am is going to come quickly. I'll be on the look out for vampires offering me apples for sure.

Cheers,

-Brad

--11_04_2008_Obama_2008--

--11_04_2008_Obama_2008--

And finally last night. November 4, 2008. The end of one of the most historic campaigns in American history. The first Black American President. Seattle erupted in celebration as soon as the media called the election for Obama. It was weird seeing a Presidential Election Winner called the same night of the election let alone at 8:30 or so Pacific time. I covered election related things all day from around 3pm till around 2am. Here are just a few images of how Seattleites spent election day and how they reacted to the news of Barack Obama becoming the President Elect.

best,

-brad

Capital Hill was one of the most political neighborhoods as far as street art supporting Barack Obama's run for the Presidency. The following two images are both from Capital Hill's downtown area near Broadway.




The next three images are from downtown Seattle during the daytime of November 4, 2008 on the corner of 4th and Pine near the Macy's. While I was there a small gathering of Obama supporters and a sprinkling on McCain supporters were picketing on the corner to help support their candidates run for the Presidency.






I was hung up at a election party for a couple propositions on the Washington Ballot while Barack Obama was predicted to win the Presidency. Right as that happened I took off as quick as possible and tried to find areas where people were celebrating the news.




As I was leaving work for the night I talked with a couple of my friends that live on Capital Hill saying that the place was going crazy and that everyone was on the corner of Broadway and Pike celebrating Obama's victory in the intersection. With that news I headed over there as fast as I could and hung out with the crowd till it dissipated in the wee hours of Wednesday morning.

--02_08_2007_Obama_2007--

--02_08_2007_Obama_2007--

In February of 2007 I had the opportunity to shoot Barack Obama's announcement for his candidacy for President of the United States of America for UPI, United Press International.

This almost became a very regretful day for me. I was supposed to catch a ride with a fellow Daily Illini photographer but after I woke up at 6 in the morning and after repeated calls with getting nothing but her voicemail. I was sitting in my apartment, all my gear packed, all my hand warmers in the pockets, without a car, started to have get extremely nervous that I was about to screw up a huge opportunity. I made a few calls and annoyingly I'm sure woke up the then photo editor at the Daily Illini Beck Diefenbach and nabbed his car and booked it over to Springfield. I was 2 hours later than I was supposed to be (still 3 hours before Barack was scheduled to speak, gotta get there really early for these types of things.) I made my way through the thousands of people that arrived there before me only to get to the gated off section with no pass and not much hope. I waved down some officers told them my dilemma and amazingly was escorted to the media area. My friend Mark who was also shooting the event had a spot taped off for me on the risers and everything worked out as far as getting to the spot.
The 8th was one of the coldest days in February and there I was huddling with other media nursing a grande americano hoping my toes didn't develop a nice case of frost bite before Obama comes out to speak.

How things changed in less than a year from being in Danville. Thousands of spectators, more secret service and media than there were spectators in Danville, and an atmosphere that I haven't seen at a political event in my entire life.... all while in sub freezing temperatures.

Have a fantastic day,
-Brad





This really illustrates how cold it really was there. All those heat waves were from the crowd huddling waiting for Barack Obama. One usually sees heat waves behind airplanes or maybe coming off of hot pavement in the summertime... not just rising from a crowd. That only happens when it's pretty much 0 degrees outside and there are thousands of people. Great memories.

--10_05_2006_Obama_2006--

--10_05_2006_Obama_2006--

It's been amazing watching this Presidential Election over the past couple of years as it has evolved and changed. I did not cover much of the GOP side of things but I had the luck to cover a couple Barack Obama events over the past 20 months or so. From a small town gathering of no more than 200 or so people, to a crowd of ~10-15 thousand when he gave his speech stating that he was running for the President of the United States of America.

I feel so lucky to have covered the most amazing run for the Presidency in modern history. Either way, here is a short look back at a few images from Danville, Illinois in 2006 when Barack came to town helping a local politician's run for office.

While Obama visited Danville he was barely known. The access was unlimited and he spent a long time talking with the crowd and shaking hands. This was early on in my photojournalism days and I missed one of those shots that everyone in the business looks back on and it always misses not capturing the moment. For me this moment came as Barack was leaving the event. I was at the side of his suv, right at the front door leaning over the hood shooting as he got into the front seat 2 feet away. As he opened the door and started to sit down I put my camera down and was about to back away to let his car drive on. Just as I set down my camera he stands back up leans through the V of open space between the open door and car pointed, smiled, and gave me a look I'll never forget, I didn't even think of grabbing my camera I just shared the moment, smiled, and pointed right back at him. He laughed gave a wave and got into the car and moved on to become the soon to be 44th President of the United States of America.

Thanks for looking,

-Brad

Maybe I did something funny? Or I look funny? haha




Here Barack Obama fakes me out and acts like he is getting into his suv. Right after I took this picture is when I put my camera down to move out of the way.

--11_01_08_Action Sports--

--11_01_08_Action Sports--

Just a few photos from a LG action sports tour I covered on Saturday for a gallery.

-best
brad