Winter is the one season that carries us from one year to the next, and it always seems to linger a little longer than the others—just long enough to make its presence felt. Maybe it's something about the Pacific Northwest's atmospheric rivers and icy winds this time of year that seem to warp the passage of time. At any rate, Spring is nearly upon us, which means it's time for an update.

 

I've been busy with projects, some I can talk about and some I can't. Here's a little glimpse at what I can share!

 

I teamed up with the wonderful folks at MAI to photograph portraits of their illustrious team. A big shout-out to everyone who braved the chilly outdoor shoot—it's not every day temperatures dip into the 20s in this part of the country.

I was thrilled to receive an inquiry from Kenji about updating his headshots for the busy year ahead, packed with events that blend his passion for food and music. We had a great time shooting at his boathouse with his partner, the talented violinist Tessa Larkin, and their sweet dog, Chen.

New Work for NBC News 

Max Butterfield over at the London office sent me out to Chimacum, WA in early February to meet and photograph two farmers for Alexandra Byrne's story on the difficultes new generations of farmers are facing.

In Print

One of my favorite aspects of working with an editorial team is seeing how everything comes together in the layout. For Christianity Today, I spent golden hour at a farm in Auburn last August for their Globe issue. You can read the story here.

 

I had the opportunity to photograph Olympic rower Logan Ullrich at Conibear Shellhouse for a cover story about his journey to the 2024 Paris Olympics.

✨ New Commissioned Work ✨

The assignment: photograph an up-and-coming hip-hop artist around Lake City during an atmospheric river for the Spring issue of Seattle Met. My idea: let’s do it from the back of a car to capture more of the neighborhood vibe. Let me tell you the story of how I convinced a magazine to let me expense a convertible—and how I ended up crashing another one the day before the shoot.

Two days before the shoot, Turo canceled the sweet Mercedes 380SL I had reserved for reasons unknown to me. Plan B: borrow my mom’s old Jaguar. Unbeknownst to anyone, the car’s tires were completely bald—not ideal on a rainy day. Long story short, I slid and hit a barrier on an I-5 on ramp the day before the shoot. The car was fine, I was fine—just a little rattled and resigned.

But because I’m a Scorpio, I woke up the day of the shoot and rented the only convertible available at the Seatac Avis: a white Camaro. My impossibly supportive partner, drove it up to Lake City where writer Eric Olson was wrapping up an interview with Yonny in the Dick's parking lot over burgers.

Champagne expert Kita Kang at the studio in December. 🥂

Ana Sepetovska practicing yoga at home in January. 🧘🏻‍♀️

Personal Work

I aim to shoot one personal project each season, and early winter happens to be squid season in the Puget Sound. Chef Jon Ragsdale graciously invited me aboard his boat, The Short King, along with his friends Andrew (a fisheries biologist) and Nathan (the organizer of Back Country Queers). I learned so much about the local ecosystem during this outing and even had the chance to catch a squid myself!

A self portrait made with the help of a little aloe vera gel. 

What I'm Loving

The new Panda Bear album, Sinister Grift, is packed with outrageously catchy melodies that keep me coming back for more. I just bought tickets to see the Seattle show in May—can't wait!

 

Season 2 of Severance is amazing, though it sometimes leaves me in need of a little levity. Enter the wildly underrated Showtime show Party Down, starring Adam Scott—a show I somehow missed when it originally aired. I'm really looking forward to the season finale of Severance this weekend.

 

Presence by Steven Soderbergh. The entire film is shot from the perspective of a mysterious entity. It's a bit of a slow burner but well worth the ride.

 

A few weeks ago, my friend Corrie had us over for dinner and made the most incredible chicken pot pie. Corrie runs Good Luck Bread, an amazing frozen pizza delivery subscription service based in Seattle. If you're local, I can't recommend them enough! ❤️