The other day, I joined the Wiatr family for a stroll through the Arboretum and tried to keep up with their jumping, flipping, tumbling, and all-around gymnastic boys. (Expert, steely-nerved tree-climbers, too.) Nature was cooperative—ducks touched down on the lake in formation, the late-afternoon/early-autumn light streamed through the trees—and we basically let the kids' curiosity guide us along from one spot to the next. The shoot reminded me that it's been years since I've climbed a tree; I'm going to have to do something about that soon.
Chicago on Film
Julianna had a conference for work in Chicago, so baby and I came along to keep her company at night and wander downtown during the day. I left my digital gear at home and brought instead a few film cameras: a Rolleicord twin-lens reflex, an Olympus Pen FT—a sleek piece of design from 1963 that shoots half frames and gets 72 shots from a 36-exposure roll—and a Ricoh AF-5 compact autofocus camera from the early '80s. Shooting digital for work and film for fun has been something of a trend for me, but I'd definitely like more opportunities to shoot professional work on good old light-sensitive silver halide crystals.
Christen & Jae
I really loved shooting and editing this wedding video for Christen and Jae. I tried to structure the piece as a series of musical movements that flow from one to the next, and I think it works well. Especially the last section, set to Debussy's Clair de Lune, which Christen had chosen as her down-the-aisle processional. Also, I have to say that Bedřich Smetana's Ma vlast—which I first heard in The Tree of Life—somehow, bizarrely, fits over what is clearly the dance from Psy's "Gangnam Style."
Steph & Chris
I love shooting small, intimate family gatherings, and this wedding was just that. Steph and Chris had a ceremony in the backyard of their new Capital Hill home with only their respective children—and one adorable granddaughter—in attendance. Collectively, they're something of a real-life Brady Bunch; two families coming together to form one much bigger whole. There was spontaneous dancing, a bubble machine, the unveiling of a "unity" painting—in lieu of a candle—made by the whole gang, and this was all before we hopped onto a laser-lit party bus and made our way over to the clamor and nostalgia of the Seattle Pinball Museum.
Introducing: Elin Elisabet Broadwater
It's been nearly five months, so I figure I should finally introduce our little bear, Elin, who is changing our lives in the best of ways and keeping us hugely entertained. I shot this video of her a few days ago, just trying to capture the dreamy vibe of mornings with baby girl:
It's been a strange and busy summer, so the blog posts have been slow in coming, but I have several updates in the pipeline, including shots from my trip to India, more wedding photos, and a few additional video pieces.