Things Are Looking Up

An image from drier days in Olympia.

Western Colors

View north from Olympia over Puget Sound as the summer sun sets behind the Olympic Mountains.

Tug Twilight

A mirror-like Budd Inlet reflects the Wallace Foss, one of many tugboats gathered in Olympia for the annual Harbor Days festival.

Antique Marina

Awoke this morning to a most enticing layer of fog. I followed it around town and down to the marina, where these flowers on Percival Landing stood in vivid contrast to the gloomy sky. For some reason, it seemed appropriate to give the photo an antique feel. A postcard image from the past?

Sneak Attack

I'm delighted to let you know that a number of new photo greeting cards -- including this image -- are now available at Childhood's End Gallery in downtown Olympia. They're at 222 West 4th Avenue -- please drop by and have a look at my photos and the rest of the work on display at this great local gallery!

Stormy skies over the capitol

State Capitol dome and Capitol Lake, Olympia WA USA.

Salish Sea Sunset

Sunset over Budd Inlet (aka the Salish Sea) in Olympia WA.
Panoramic shot stitched from several separate images.

Oly Love

Downtown mural under stormy skies. Available as a card or print here.

Budd Bay

Thick, moody fog is relatively rare in south Puget Sound. So this eerie morning was a perfect time to capture some of the pilings left from bygone shipping enterprises -- and the birds and plants that now find refuge atop their rotting remains.

Olympia Mud Race

One of the stranger photo-ops of the year, the annual Olympia Mud Race pits all clothing-optional comers in a dramatic, sloppy low-tide slog across Mud Bay's mudflats. The race is traditionally held just before The Evergreen State College's graduation. And the winner gets, well, the same thing as everyone else...muddy! See a slideshow here.

Oympia's Procession of the Species (slideshow)

Live, from far away...

It was a magical night, January 16. That was the day Tuvan group Tyva Kyzy returned to Olympia for a one-night show at the Minnaert Center for the Performing Arts. In addition to taking in a great show of traditional music from Central Asia (Tuva is nestled between Siberia and Mongolia), I also had an opportunity to do some live concert photography. And with these amazing musicians and their beautiful costumes, it was a true pleasure. More of my photos of Tyva Kyzy here.

Magic Watercolors

One of my favorite spots to catch great water reflections is at the very southern tip of Puget Sound -- the place where Budd Inlet meets the Deschutes River (well, the outflow from Capitol Lake). Depending on the weather, the time, the seasons, a whole variety watery effects can emerge. This is an afternoon reflection I caught while lots of other people were milling around the same area watching the migrating salmon take their last breaths of saltwater before heading upstream to spawn.

Sunrise on the Isthmus

Sunrise over mirror-calm Capitol Lake and Puget Sound, Olympia USA.

Carnival Love

I'm not much for the cotton candy and garlic fries, but I love the people watching that carnivals, fairs, and festivals provide. Got down to Olympia's annual Lakefair last night, and had a great time. So did this guy, apparently.

Summer Nights

Took a stroll about an hour after sunset along Olympia's Percival Landing, and the calm waters and waning light over the Olympics were simply enticing. A reminder that the night is a great time for photography.

Happy Independence Day!

Lakefair fireworks over Capitol Lake and the state capitol dome, July 2007.

Runes

Runes? Hieroglyphs? The shadows cast by an ancient tree aligned with the summer solstice? Naw... just some fascinating early-morning shadows on the steps of the magnificent state capitol building in Olympia, Washington.

Can't miss it...

Our iconic city landmark, caught in the afternoon sun.

Then and Now

Shooting hummingbirds on the deck, 1974
Self-portrait in teapot, 2008