Cold weather has a way of humbling you, doesn't it?

 

I took the photo above just down the block from my place at low tide in late January. I was looking for ochre sea stars and ended up spotting this lone Great Blue Heron (the official bird of Seattle!) in the beam of my new, super-bright flashlight. Incidentally, I had just watched The Boy and the Heron, a Miyazaki film about grief, and was struck by the stillness of this creature despite the chilling wind and rain. The feeling resonated. 

 

 Some winter highlights include speaking to Youth in Focus about lighting (photo below from our lighting workshop), hosting another Seattle Photobook Club at Photographic Center Northwest (follow along here for info on the next meet-up), and exploring new interests— painting and tidepooling.

 

 Looking ahead, I'll be in San Francisco for the first few days of May and would love to meet with editors, photo folks and friends while I'm in town for Catchlight.

 

 

Alki After Dark

 

For the first time since starting this newsletter, I’m leading with personal work. Throughout this past winter—or as we in the PNW call it, 'the long dark'—I looked for color wherever I could find it. I spent many nights tidepooling, perusing docks and beaches during low tide to discover anemones, nudibranchs, and other intertidal wonders. It truly feels like a treasure hunt every time! I’m planning to turn this series into a small book or zine, so keep an eye out for that in the next newsletter. Also, I am finally opening a print shop—more details soon! 

 

Hand Painted Backdrops 🎨

 

After a shoot in Portland in January for Kinfolk (look out for the summer issue!), I was inspired to try painting my own backdrops. I own two Oliphant backdrops that I love, but liked the idea of small drops I could tape up to a wall in a pinch. Armed with a couple tubs of gesso, yards of duck canvas, a staple gun, a couple pieces of plywood and gallons of flat paint, I jumped in. Over the course of winter, I've made five!

 

I'm putting it out there that I'd LOVE to create bespoke backgrounds for editorial and brand projects. I've had so much painting backdrops and think they add a gorgeous textural feeling to portrait and still life photography.

 

Arlene Wagner, co-founder of the Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum, is officially the first centenarian I've photographed. Arlene was full of energy, buzzing around the store regaling visitors. I loved working with writer Vanessa Romo, who carpooled with me from Seattle for this fun shoot. Listen to the story here.

 

I spent a breezy 15 minutes at home with Claudine Cheever, a former Amazon executive and incoming CMO at Pinterest, to mark the announcement of her joining the company.

 

I love studio visits! I visited Baso Fibonacci at his Pioneer Square studio in December to photograph him for a Seattle Met feature—read it here.

 

I have been living in West Seattle for just over two years… and I have to say, I'm glad my bizarre compulsion to run for my camera everytime I see a rainbow has paid off in dividends over the years.

 

So, what is Seattle weather even? Learn more about the polarizing topic here… and keep your eyes peeled for the Spring issue of Seattle Met!

 

For a Business Insider story on the future of capitalism, I met with William Butterton, a full time engineer with multiple side hustles that include managing atm machines, flipping Pokémon cards and labubus, 3d printing and more. And I though freelance photo was a lot! Read the story here.

 

I visited a handful of coffee shops around Seattle for an update of Seattle Met's Handy Guide to Seattle Coffee Shops. Read it here.

 

I teamed up with creative agency Invisible North and Nordstrom to cover their interactive and inventive holiday installation.

 

 

📸 I loved Peter Hujar's Day, a film based on a once-lost interview transcript by writer Linda Rosenkrantz, centered on a day in the photographer's life

 

🎥 I watched Manila in the Claws of Light on the Criterion Channel—it’s a beautiful and devastating artifact of life in the Philippines in the 1970s. I've never seen another movie like it.

 

🎷Seattle Jazz Fellowship shows! Every Monday, the organization hosts a free evening of music in Pioneer Square—it has been the perfect foil to the winter doldrums.

 

🎶 Please enjoy my star-inspired playlist, in honor of my new favorite activity: tidepooling. I'm so excited to do more of it in the spring!