Zombie portraits

A few days ago in Fremont, a neighborhood near my casa, there was an attempt to secure the Guinness Book of Records largest zombie walk.

At first, I heard they didn't make the record. They were a few hundred shy. But, a friend recently posted they may have won the title.

I'll try to find out more. In the meantime, attached are a few zombie portraits.





These first ones— of Ally, 9, and Tanya, a Jem Zombie— I played around with blowing out my exposure. The next couple are shot with a fairly correct exposure against a white wall next to the registration line.



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And... the last image is a candid image from Fourth of July. I met up with a group of good friends, on Stone Way, to watch the fireworks over Gas Works Park. Before the explosions started, a group of kids tied down another with tape. It was too funny to pass.

Sports Fix

During the last month and so, I've photographed quite a few more sporting events than usual for The Seattle Times. (I'm working the evening shift these days.) It's been good to have some challenges and variety. Below, are a few selects from the Rock 'N' Roll Seattle marathon, the Seattle Mariners, the Seattle Sounders, and others.


Seattle’s Nate Jaqua (21) jumps into the crowd after scoring the second goal during the first half of game against the D.C. United.


Seattle’s Nate Jaqua(cq) (21) celebrates after scoring the second goal of the first half against the D.C. United.




Nate Jaqua(cq) (21) battles Andrew Jacobson (8) for the ball during the first half of the game against the D.C. United.


Seattle’s Sebastien Le Toux (9) drives the to the goal during the first half of Wednesday evening’s game against the D.C. United.


Sounders react to D.C United’s first goal in the first half.


Seattle’s James Riley(7) fights Chris Pontius (13) for the ball near during the first half of Wednesday evening’s game against the D.C. United


(second from right) Osvaldo Alonso (6) and teammates celebrate after he scored the first goal of Wednesday evening’s game against the D.C. United.


Jose Lopez (4) outs, then looses his balance as Baltimore’s Ty Wigginton (23) tries to make it to second base during the ninth inning Wednesday’s, July 8, 2009 game, at Safeco Field in Seattle. The Mariners lead most of the game, until the Orioles came from behind in the ninth inning and won the game 5-3.



Rhianna Clausen, 18, practices in Woodinville with Hot Dog USA, a world-renowned youth jump-roping team.


(from left) Colleen McCary, 23, Courtney McBroom, 20, and Stephanie Meece, 17, practice their double-dutch, 3-person freestyle.


Adrian Beltre (29) catches a pop fly resulting in a third-out during the San Diego Padres game Wed., June 24, 2009 at Safeco Field in Seattle.


Ichiro Suzuki (51) hits a single to left field during the second inning against the San Diego Padres Wed., June 24, 2009 at Safeco Field in Seattle.


Seattle’s Yuniesky Betancourt (7) hustles back to home plate as Adrian Gonzalez (23) catches a throw from the pitcher during the sixth inning Wed., June 24, 2009 at Safeco Field in Seattle.


Yuniesky Betancourt (7) slides into home plate and is called out during the second inning against the San Diego Padres Wed., June 24, 2009 at Safeco Field in Seattle.


UW’s Ashley Charters (11) celebrates an 11-3 win over ASU Saturday afternoon at Husky Softball Stadium. Charters is a two-time All-American, and she extended her hitting streak to 15 games.


Prairie teammates, of Battle Ground, react during Friday’s 3-A quarterfinal game against Mount Rainier in Tacoma. Mount Rainier won in nine innings 6-2.



Adam Peistrup, of Beaverton, Oregon, walks toward a long line of a portable toilets before the start of the Rock ‘N’ Roll Seattle marathon that began in Tukwila. Peistrup said the wait in line took around 10 minutes.


(from left) Jim Schaeffer and Matthieu Marescaux warm up before Saturday morning’s Rock ‘N’ Roll Seattle marathon that began in Tukwila.


Maria Rico, 28, dances with Zaphara’s Middle Eastern Belly Dancers at the starting line of Saturday morning’s Rock ‘N’ Roll Seattle marathon.


Melissa Dallman, 39, of Janesville, Wisc., takes a quick break before start of the Rock 'N' Roll Seattle marathon in Tukwila.


Runners wait in line for portable toilets before the start of the Rock ‘N’ Roll Seattle marathon that began in Tukwila.


Runners wait in line for portable toilets before the start of the Rock ‘N’ Roll Seattle marathon that began in Tukwila.


Meko Lawson(cq) dances and waves to runners during the Rock ‘N’ Roll Seattle marathon. Lawson made a Jackson tribute with pictures, dancing and music near her South Seattle home on the marathon route.


Sheila Hildebrand, 47, of Brighton, Iowa, claps her hands to a Michael Jackson song while running through South Seattle during the Rock 'N' Roll Seattle marathon.


Runner Shannon Krueger jams with Dustin Shirley, of Creme Tangerine during the Rock ‘N’ Roll Seattle marathon


Cups cover the ground at a hydration station on the route of Saturday morning’s Rock ‘N’ Roll Seattle marathon that began in Tukwila.


Robert Witham, of Port Angeles, watches for his wife on Saturday morning during the Rock ‘N’ Roll Seattle marathon. Witham, waiting near Lake Washington, said he passed the time by people watching, listening to the bands and reading while his wife and daughter made it through the route.


Graciela Jones, 7, cheers on the runners who raced through her neighborhood with her mother, father and brother Saturday morning in South Seattle.


DJ Nphared jams with rapper Grynch, Rockwell Powers and 10th & Commerce Saturday morning on Lake Washington during the Rock ‘N’ Roll Seattle marathon.


DJ Nphared jams with rapper Grynch, Rockwell Powers and 10th & Commerce Saturday morning on Lake Washington during the Rock ‘N’ Roll Seattle marathon.


Joe Poole rests before Saturday morning’s Rock ‘N’ Roll Seattle marathon that began in Tukwila.

Hops

Crecencio Estrada, at Champoux Farms.



Crecencio Estrada sharpens his machete while harvesting hops at Champoux Farms outside of Toppinish, Wash. The hop harvest begins in August and closes in early October. Washington is the largest supplier of hops in the United States, with 75 percent of our nation's hop acreage located in the Yakima Valley. Washington farmers increased their hop acreage by 25 percent in 2008 to meet a shortage from the previous year.

It's been months since my afternoon with Estrada and the fields, but I revisited the images and decided to post a few. It's fascinating to learn where things come from and whose hands have touched them before the finished product is distributed to the masses.

During the harvest, workers (mostly Mexican) use machetes to cut off the base of the hop vine. By unsecuring the plant, a tractor easily plucks the vines from a web of wires, held together by a forest of poles.

Tai climbs to his bedroom with his blanket.


Volunteer Park Conservatory


Freeway Park sketch class


UW Rock Wall


Firefighters extinguish a fire at the Sno-Isle Tech Skills Center in Everett.

Video

In the last six months, I've had the opportunity to learn and produce a number of short videos for the The Seattle Times. It's been an awesome to experiment with different storytelling methods— combining video, audio, photographs, etc. I love, love, love the power of still image photography and photojournalism. That will never change.

But, it's been challenging and rewarding to shake up my world with some movement and sound. I'm still pretty new at all all of this, but, I'm starting to post several of my favorite videos. Most of the pieces are shot and produced within a day or two.




The historic Paramount Theatre presents silent movies with house organist Dennis James.




An all-female troupe of aerial performers practice in heart of Fremont.



Mak Fai Washington Kung Fu Club, led by Grand Master Hin Fai Mak, performs for the Lunar New Year celebration in the Chinatown-International District.

The Ruby Room

Volunteer Charla Pereira, 32, gazes at Krystal Baker, 17, as she walks out of the dressing room and exclaims she found the perfect prom dress Saturday afternoon at The Ruby Room. “I tried it on and looked and myself and it was perfect,” she said.

It's the peak of prom season at The Ruby Room, a Capitol Hill nonprofit boutique where low-income teens can shop for free formal dresses.

A steady stream of high-schoolers, each matched with her own personal shopper, scoured the racks of gowns, shoes, purses, wraps and jewelry for the perfect ensemble.

By the end of the season, as many as 200 gowns will be given away.

"We treat these girls as clients, and their shopping experience is like any experience they have if they are shopping at Nordstrom," said Ann Tran, a volunteer personal shopper. "Deep down, we all want to feel like a princess or a movie star."


(center) Ann Tran helps Francheska Route (right), 18, find the perfect necklace to complement the dress Route will wear for her senior prom Rainier Beach High School. Tran, a volunteer, worked Route’s personal shopper in the boutique. After trying on strings of pearls, Route finally decided on a delicate gold chain with a small diamond.


Chelsey Kimball, 17, matches necklaces to prom dresses as her daughter Trinity Humphrey, 10 months, and her foster mother Mary Aykens watch alongside Saturday afternoon at the Ruby Room. Kimball, a senior at Discovery Alternative High School in Port Orchard, visited the Ruby Room for the first time this weekend. Volunteer and personal shopper, Ann Bensley, helps Kimball with her accessories.

Folklife

Each year, the Northwest Folklife Festival draws huge crowds — this year organizers were expecting 250,000 or so. One hall is dedicated to contra, square, zydeco, etc. Attached it an image from the contra crowd swinging to the tunes of Spare Thyme.



Found this image, taken months and months back, from a car-free day at Alki Beach.



Cherry-blossom trees at the beginning of their bloom.