Robin Williams

Easily the funniest man in the world...Robin Williams. He flew up to Seattle to do 3 shows at a super cool club downtown called the Showbox at the Market. The club only seats around 500 people so it was a very intimate show. Not a bad seat in the house.

I read in Steve Martin's book Born Standing Upthat when he became a huge mega star he would perform in huge arena's with tens of thousands of fans and the show lost it's appeal and wasn't as fun for him any more. If a heckler in the front was being obnoxious he couldn't respond because the people way in the back wouldn't hear the heckler and would have no idea what he was responding to. That was not the case here for Robin. There were a few people in the crowd that perhaps had over-consumed a bit and let me tell you something...Robin Williams ripped them apart! It was seriously funny! "Don't $%@# with me woman! I do this for a living!" was one of my favorite quotes of the night. Obviously, Robin Williams is one of the biggest stars in the world. He's performing in Vegas at the MGM Grand at the end of the month and I'm sure he'll get a fat paycheck for it. He performed Sunday, Monday and Tuesday this week and all the proceeds from each show went 100% to charity. How cool is that? I would imagine it must be fun for him to get back to his roots and play these smaller clubs every now and then. The show was called "Working on New Material." I don't know if it was literally for that reason, if so..he's got it down pat because I couldn't breath through most of the show I was laughing so hard. I wouldn't do any of the jokes justice by typing them here. If he puts out a DVD you should buy it!

We previously met Robin back in 2002 in Portland after his show. He came out and was greeted by a group of people hoping for an autograph or a photo. That night he didn't leave until everyone got to say hi and get a signature. At the time I told him my wife didn't really want the autograph, really she wanted a hug...He gave her the biggest hug of her life and a big wet kiss on the cheek. He was so incredibly nice, funny and generous with his time and made us so happy.

At that show, I didn't know I would get to meet him and I didn't think to bring my camera so no photo's. Last night I hoped to meet him again so I stashed my camera in the car. After the show we ran back to get it and ran back to the club. Minutes later he showed up in the back and there were about a half dozen or so of us. His car pulled past us to a different door so he could jump in and not be bothered. He clearly looked very tired yet he ignored the car and went to us to sign autographs and pose for these two photo's. I have said before and I will say it again...Robin Williams is a class act and if you get a chance to see him live...DO IT!

The Deadliest Catch

Left to right: Jake Anderson, Norman Hansen, Sig Hansen, Edgar Hansen, Matt Bradley

Tonight the crew of the Northwestern featured on the popularDiscovery Channel show "The Deadliest Catch" stopped by the restaurant for dinner. They were nice enough to sign some autographs and pose for this photo in front of the restaurant. They've got a clothing line out at Helly Hansen.

I'm not going to lie, I was pretty nervous when they were ordering King Crab for dinner. They said it was good and this group of guys don't seem like the type to BS you so I was pretty darn happy about that.

Andrea and Reid

The photo's for Reid and Andrea are finished. Here are a few of my favorites from our session together. You can view their slideshow here...

Andrea & Reid
The entire gallery is here...

gallery






Never take my word for it when I say the ground is just a "little damp." :)

Tulip Season Finale

Those of you reading this from the Seattle area know that Spring has been unusual this year to put it mildly. We went from a 70 degree Saturday to a pouring down rain Sunday shortly followed by a snow storm that left up to 8 inches of snow on the ground for a couple of days. All this happened in the heart of tulip season. Mount Vernon, WA has many fields that during the month of April come alive with vibrant colors stretching out as far as the eye can see.

Because of the freak weather, the tulips didn't bloom until much later than usual. The season was supposed to end a week and a half ago but I heard on the radio that because of the late bloom they were extending it another week. That was good news for me as I had a Mother's Day project at the restaurant that needed a good tulip photo to complete. Saturday, I hit the Freeway and drove up. Halfway there it started to rain. Not a light sprinkle, but a seriously strong downpour that had me driving 45 MPH at most on I5. I was determined to get at least one decent shot rain or shine so I pressed through.

I got up to where I knew there were tons of fields and couldn't believe my eyes when I saw that they were all gone! They topped off the fields even though the radio had said they were waiting until Monday to do so.

I kept driving and saw a small sign that said the word "tulips" with a small arrow. Just then, the rain stopped. I took a right and couldn't believe my luck. With dramatic clouds in the sky, nice even light there were acres of tulips brighter than ever!

The strong rain had created dramatic color saturation with the flowers and the raindrops were a great added element to the close up shots.

Another fun part of the storm was the thick, oozy mud everywhere! People were slipping and sliding. Many a rump was covered in muck! I saw a woman walking in bare feet after she lost her shoes to the goop. I didn't even hesitate for a second to ask her if she would let me take a picture of her feet! I wonder if she thought I was some sort of a weirdo :)

The tulips are gone until next year but I've got some good photo's. The Lavender fields bloom in June up here. I've never seen them before but hopefully I'll get some shots.





This is the lady that lost her shoes.

This guy was driving people that didn't want to brave the mud.
I wasn't the only one taking advantage of the photo op. I love the umbrella in the field.
They almost don't look real.
This is all that's left of the tulip fields today.
I don't know if these were the most practical shoes, but they sure made for a cool picture.

Sneak Preview..Reid and Andrea

Reid and Andrea drove out from Wenatchee, WA today for a fun Engagement Portrait session at Alki Beach. I met Reid at Alex and Trina's wedding last fall and I met Andrea quite earlier than that as she worked at the Vancouver restaurant with me. It was great to run into her then and even greater when I learned they are getting married September 5 at one of my favorite wedding locations...the Newcastle Golf Course Andrea and Reid are golfers and they hinted that one of the deciding factors in choosing this location is the fact that getting married there qualifies them for a free round of golf. The first time I went to Newcastle was for a dinner hosted by the Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck along with a bunch of other players. Something that struck me funny was even the starters for the Seahawks thought it was an expensive place to play a round of golf! It is a beautiful place to get married and I can't wait to photograph their wedding. They were full of laughs and truly enjoyed each other today, I can only imagine how much fun it will be September 5!

I just got done uploading their photo's. Here is a photo I really liked quite a bit. It was a very sunny day and the overhead sun presented some challenges and some great opportunities such as this one. Shouldn't be too hard to guess where the sun was by looking at their shadow.

I'll post more when they are done.

Year of the Frog

Check out this link for the Year of the Frog

Those of you that have been to my house may recognize my pet Tanzanian Big Eyed, Yellow Spotted Tree Frog. All the photo's on this page are of my little guy.

Jen and Tyson

Here are a few of my favorite photographs of Jen and Tyson from last Sunday. We started out at the Tulip Festival. Normally there is a field of Tulips I visit yearly that is a sea of colors. There are hundreds, if not thousands of people typically wandering around and a small army of Tulip Protectors yelling at people to stay out of the flower paths. I was a little disappointed to see there wasn't much color. We paid the fee to get in the official Tulip Festival and got some shots inside. I loved shooting Jen and Tyson because they were pretty much up for anything. At one point, Jen and Tyson climbed up into a tree in the middle of the festival. Shortly after, I joined them in the tree for a better angle! I'm sure we looked like quite a site, but I love the pics so it was well worth it!

On our way out to the car, I wanted to check around the corner behind a building. Most of the flowers in the field we say were discolored and dying. Not a great photo op. There was one patch of flowers that were filled with yellow and went on forever. Because we weren't at the popular Tulip Fields (which we later learned were only about a half mile away) there wasn't anyone around. We had the place to ourselves and were able to get some really great photo's because of it.

After that, we drove up Hwy 20 to find an old abandoned building for some moodier shots. I was like a kid in the candy store at this place. We had only 20 minutes or so to shoot there so unfortunately we didn't get to explore what I am sure are many more incredibly great spots. If anyone reading this is looking for some grungy/moody portraits...I know where we can go!

Thanks Jen and Tyson for your sense of adventure. I can't wait for your wedding in August!

You can view a slideshow of the E-Session here...Jen and Tyson

The gallery with all of the images from the day is here...Photo Gallery



Very romantic
Too much fun!
Sometimes to get the shot, you've got to do some climbing.
All alone in the field of flowers.
I love this photo!
Is this place cool or what?

It was risky hanging out in this attic as there were holes everywhere! The risk paid off though..I love this shot.

What a cool wall! The Paintballers made it even better!
I love the mood of this shot.