01_07_2009_feeling the grasp of the northwest_bv

--01_07_2009_feeling the grasp of the northwest_bv--

Leaving Seattle was a really tough thing to do. Emotionally and literally. After packing up all my stuff in the morning and dropping off a book at a friends I started out heading west on I 90 thinking the little bit of rain wouldn't impede my travels. I was wrong. Snoqualmie pass was closed to traffic due to avalanches and heavy mud and rock slides. I figured I'd give 410 a try since it is a tad more south and less busy..... Shut down. As I was turning around on 410 I came close to becaming stranded in Enumclaw, Washington. Enumclaw is a town surrounded by rivers along with roads that were clogged with bumper to bumper traffic in every direction searching for a way out.





After a little weaseling, I squeezed out of the gridlock and over a small bridge up to it's neck in water.

With high hopes of at least getting somewhere farther than 30 minutes from Seattle after three and half hours of driving I started to head south on I 5 to Portland. From Portland interstate 84 heads directly east along the Columbian River through the mountains.



The river was about 2 feet from flowing over I 5. I assume this could have been one of the sections that ended up having to close to traffic.


I managed to make it to Portland and from there everything was smooth sailing. The route is a little out of the way, but it paid off as I worked my way west out of the rain and through the mountains. It was pretty close though. All the roads are traveled on today, are or were at some point in time, closed. Including interstate 5 which isn't even near the mountains. I took as best of photos from my car as I hurried out of the rain.

A different route than planned. But at least I am east of the first set of mountains.


I felt a little weird driving away from a huge news event. But I knew that if I didn't make it out today I may have been stuck for days in the epic floodwaters that engulfed the northwest. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/395143_stormonline08.html

Pretty glad that I was driving on the side of the road without the waterfalls and giant rock walls.


Currently I am in the border town of Ontario between Oregon and Idaho. I'm on the Oregon side. I wish I could have had more time in this state. Just the drive along the river had me itching to come back and do some hiking.

Front focused waterfall.


I tried something different here with a longer exposure to blur the road and trucks passing to bring in some lines while keeping the relative shapes of the mountains along the horizon.


A long tunnel through one of the mountains along Interstate 84.


Cheers,
Brad

Listening to: (song that popped on shuffle as I drove out of Seattle) The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts, Sufjan Stevens

Kinda excited to use these guys after a long day of driving.

--12_25_2008_Merry Christmas and happy holidays --

--12_25_2008_Merry Christmas and happy holidays --

Well, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. It was my first time away from home for this occasion and it was relatively weird. But it also sorta just didn't feel like a holiday so I wasn't affected much I suppose. After all I'll be home in just a couple weeks so I'll have plenty of time to catch up with family and celebrate, and I'm really looking forward to it.

Either way, I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday with anything that you celebrate. Be safe, have fun, and be thankful for everything.

Here are a few way random images from my walk / bus ride home from after a little potluck at work.

Thanks for looking,
Brad Vest

Listening to: Sneaker Pimps, Blue Movie

--2008_12_19-22_Seattle on Ice_bv--

--2008_12_19-22_Seattle on Ice_bv--

In the last few days Seattle has been rocked by an epic (in Seattle standards) amount of snow. This city shuts down after only a couple inches of snow. As a matter of fact, Seattle canceled all schools for this past Wednesday just at the mere threat of snow. Well, as it turned out, it didn't snow on Wednesday. It did however snow Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Accumulating a total of 8-10 inches of snow in the Seattle metro area. This is quite a bit of snow to fall at once even in Chicago standards. What makes it much worse here though is the face that Seattle has very few snow plows, no salt, and an enormous amount of very steep hills. These, along with 10 inches of snow, combined to pretty much shutdown the city.

Since I personally live on a giant hill, Queen Anne, my car has been out of action for the past 4 days and I've been hoofing it all around the city gathering photos. It's been great seeing the way most people here love the snow. Since they don't get it every winter and barely ever get this much it seems to bring out the kid in everyone.

So, the count. In the last 4 days.... I've gone through 12 pairs of socks, 8.67 gigs of hd space, plenty of coffee and tea, and around 30 miles of walking around from Queen Anne to Capital Hill and back multiple times along with some side treks. One of the many reasons I am going to intensely miss this city when I leave in about two weeks, the fact that when it snows and the biggest hill in the city shuts down it turns into a big party of sledders, skiers, and snowboarders. What an amazing place. It has really gone by way to fast.

Here are a few more of my favorite photos from the past few days building from the ones I've already posted here. Thanks for keeping me busy with your curve ball of weather Seattle.

Thanks so much for looking. If it is snowing where you're at, stay safe, go out, and have some fun.

Best,

Brad Vest

This says it all. Do not enter... my entire neighborhood. Risky.




I began to feel like one of these guys after treadging around in the snow for 4 days straight.




































Cheers to you Seattle, it was a great few days of playing in the snow.

--12_05_2008_4A State Championship--

--12_05_2008_4A State Championship--

On Friday I shot the 4A State Championship football game for Washington state high school teams in Tacoma, WA, at the Tacoma Dome. There is always something great about covering non-pro playoff or championship athletic events. The best of the best fighting it out, not for money or fame, but just for the love of the game and the passion they have for their team.



Apparently they were broadcasting the game on the moon. Viewership wasn't very high though.


I sorta struggled during this game to get great action shots. I don't know, it seemed like no matter where I was the action was either at the other end of the field or I had referees blocking my shot. I usually fair pretty well when it comes to sports but I left this game feeling a little jaded after shooting 7 gigs of shots and walking away without anything anywhere near spectacular.

I always fight with myself over how much to shoot during sports games. I consider myself a stingy shooter and usually do not over shoot games like I did with this one. After all, nothing is worse than being minutes from deadline and sitting at your computer waiting for hundreds of shots to download.

Working press only... and some random popcorn eaters.


Either way, it was nice to shoot high school football under lights that were brighter than a couple kitchen table candles.

Here are a few shots that I found away from the action, since that's where I seemed to find myself during most of the game. As always, thanks for looking.

Be well,

Brad Vest





Okay, I snuck one action shot in. Where the heck are all the other players at? I like the epic looking dive for the ball with the two players battling it out on the field, alone.

--11_28_2008_Close Call--

--11_28_2008_Close Call--

On my sisters last day in seattle we didn't have any major plans. She was going to sleep in while I cover black Friday madness at 4 in the morning. After I got home at around 10-12pm we were going to catch lunch, hang out around the city a tad, and then head out to the airport so that she could catch her 5:30pm flight back to Chicago.

Everything was going as planned until right after I got home and sent off my Black Friday photos I was called in on a bus crash that occurred on I-5. Turns out the Bellevue Football team's bus crashed on the way to the playoffs after a ladder fell off a truck in front of the bus which caused the crash.

A couple friends were able to use a Zip car and take my sister to the airport as I ended up covering the crash for quite a while. Luckily no one was seriously injured in the crash and in the end the game was just postponed. Turns out the team was actually wearing all of their football pads on the bus, that may have made the difference between an interesting story to tell their friends and a tragedy.

Thankfully I was able to meet my sister at the airport before her flight out.

As always, thanks for looking. Feedback welcome, have a great night.

Best,

Brad Vest

I had to fight through a jillion thorny bushes to get this picture. As I balanced with one foot clinging to the wet hillside and the other holding down a vicious raspberry bush I only got off about 5 frames before being herded back down the hill by Seattle's finest worried about my safety... I think it was worth it though, gotta get that overall shot somehow.

--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.