This summer, I had the honor of creating senior portraits for my littlest sister, Elly, to commemorate her graduation from Newport High School. Her graduation announcement recently came in the mail and I was so happy to see one of these images in wallet size tucked inside. She’s on her way to Western Washington University to study art in just a few weeks, and I couldn’t be more proud. Way to go, sister!
The remainder of my days healing and resting on Orcas, I played with the rest of my lenses a day at a time. I didn’t push myself too much– no going into town or crouching for hours waiting for the perfect sunset shot (it mostly rained anyway). Instead, I puttered around the house and photographed the kitsch collected after decades of Island living, much of it antique and some of it belonging to the Moran Brothers, ancestors to Justin’s step-father and once-residents of Rosario. A few of the everyday objects in the Orcas house used to be a part of Rosario, like the Butler Bar door (below) and all the silverware (not pictured), which is stamped with “Rosario” on the back. I laugh because it makes me feel like I’m eating with stolen silver.
Justin was only up on the Island with me for a few days, before he went home to work a shift at the hospital. I stayed on, with Corwin for company. He enjoyed plenty of outdoor time when it wasn’t raining, and our daily trips to the sheltered ocean inlets, where he could swim if the water was calm. My little guy has developed quite the water affinity– if there is fetching involved.
Enjoy this snapshot of life in the San Juan Islands, and don’t forget to visit yesterday’s collection of Orcas Island macro and abstract nature photographs.
In early March, I spent a solitary week on Orcas Island healing from a long illness, taking things slow, and searching for inspiration and guidance. Each day, I made it my goal to take out one camera and one lens to make some photographs. I photograph with prime (fixed-length) lenses, because I love the image quality and light each lens lets in. I’m always challenged to choose the right lens for a shot and move my body to the ideal location, rather than just zooming in or out. Choosing just one lens each day and playing with the features and limitations of each taught me a lot about the qualities of each lens and will definitely help me with being mindful about my lens choices in the future. You’ve already seen some of my 85mm Hassleblad and 50mm Leica film photographs (both Zeiss lenses) that include images from the trip. Today, I’ve picked a handful of photographs from my playtime with our Canon 100mm 2.8L macro lens and 135mm 2.0L lens. Enjoy the delicious texture and detail!
Meet Randy and Sharon! We’ll be photographing their engagement on Capitol Hill this spring… and we’re really excited for their September wedding at Sleeping Lady in Leavenworth. (The North Cascades in Autumn are unbeatable!)
Here’s a frame I took of them sharing a sweet moment in our backyard. Made with my Hassleblad and some Kodak 400 T/X B&W film:
