SEATTLE PHOTOGRAPHERS BLOG

Bill Frisell performed the music he composed for the film THE GREAT FLOOD by Bill Morrison at the Moore Theatre on March 2. Bill Morrison’s new film is about an event that happened 86 years ago. The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 was the most destructive river flood in the history of the United States. It inundated 27,000 square miles and displaced more than a million people and caused over $400 million in damages and killed 246 people in seven states.
Bill Frisell composed some quartet music for the film and was accompanied by trumpeter Ron Miles, bassist Tony Scherr and drummer Kenny Wollesen. It would be something not to miss if they ever do it again in Seattle.

Two-term Seattle City Councilman Tim Burgess was the first to announce his candidacy for Mayor last November and his campaign seems to be going well. I photographed him recently at his home and was warmly welcomed by him and his family. I wish him all the best in his bid for mayor this fall.

As a working freelance photojournalist supporting a family, I shoot a variety of photo assignments. Magazine and newspapers call with assignments as well as local corporations and non-profits. Four years ago I photographed the wedding of Kelly and Shaun. Shaun is an officer in the US Army with the 3rd Stryker Brigade out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord. In the last 36 months Shaun served his 3rd and 4th deployment in Afghanistan and was scheduled to return home last Thursday night around midnight. Kelly called me and asked if I would go to Seatac Airport to photograph him coming home for hopefully the last time. It was an request I could not refuse. We got through security with some delay and Kelly started running barefoot through the terminal to the gate Shaun’s plane was arriving at. After a brief delay he came through the door and as I began to photograph them their emotions started to overwhelm me. Tears were in my eyes as I followed them through the hallways to the baggage carousel. As they waited for his pack, a young man approached Shaun and thanked him for his service to our country. I walked with them to their car and made a few final images of them before I said goodnight.

Reverend Bernice King earlier this year visited the campus of Seattle Pacific University and I was assigned to photograph her for their Alumni Magazine. King is the daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King. As one of today’s leading speakers, King is author of Hard Questions, Heart Answers. She was on campus to speak and meet with students and faculty. She was a inspirational speaker and was gracious in meting and speaking with the students after her lecture and gave me time to step outside for a portrait.

The 2012 Earshot Jazz festival continues and last week I photographed  the amazing Jake Shimabukuro  on the  ukulele at Benaroya Hall.  There was something indescribable  at the sight of this young man all alone on the huge stage holding such a diminutive instrument and projecting out towards  a full house of  Benaroya Hall’s large auditorium.

Perhaps Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder said it best: “Jake is taking [the ukulele] to a place that I can’t see anyone else catching up with him.” It’s rare for a young musician to earn comparisons to the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Miles Davis. It’s even harder to find an artist who has entirely redefined an instrument by his early thirties. But Jake Shimabukuro (she-ma-boo-koo-row) has already accomplished these feats, and more, in a little over a decade of playing and recording music on the ukulele.

Click on the schedule here 2012 Earshot Jazz Festival 

Recently published was this photograph taken on assignment for the Lakeside School magazine of Olympic gold medal winner Ed Ferry. Ed was a graduate of Lakeside in 1959, and then went of to Stanford University. In 1964, Ed and his Stanford University crew coach Conn Findley won the gold medal in coxed pairs at the 1964 Summer Olympic games in Tokyo. It was a pleasure to meet and photograph Ed.

Matthew Shipp of  Matthew Shipp Trio. I love the reflection of the piano keyboard reflected in his eyeglasses.
The 2012 Earshot Jazz Festival is underway and I have been shooting concerts every night now since last Friday and will continue through November 4th. Just wanted to post a couple of my favorites here. When shooting a musician or an athlete for that matter, I like to get in close and capture details or something that most people at the event can not see very well from their seats like in the pictures above. Other times I like to back away and get the overview as in the image below

Trumpeter Thomas Marriott, saxophonist Mark Taylor and drummer Matt Jorgensen joined pianist Orrin Evans (Bobby Watson’s former pianist) and bassist Essiet Essiet(Art Blakey’s last bassist) for the group Human Spirit at Tulas Jazz Club.

Joe McPhee of Trio X

Evan Flory-Barnes

The 2012 Earshot Jazz Festival is starting up on Friday Oct 12th. Here is the 2012 Earshot Jazz Festival schedule.

Once again this year I was commissioned to create an original photograph for the annual Earshot Jazz Festival. I made this picture of Evan Flory-Barnes in a very dark jazz club in Fremont but thanks to the amazing quality of the Canon 5D Mark III along with the Canon 85mm f1.2 lens I got a few decent images of Evan in the near dark at an EI of 25,000. Here is how the poster came out.

Seattle’s annual Earshot Jazz Festival returns October 12th and continues through November 4th with more than 50 distinctive concert events in venues all around the city.

Known for “adventurous, spot-on programming” (Jazz Times) and praised as “one of the best festivals in America” (Seattle Times) the Earshot Jazz Festival brings jazz greats from around the world into creative collaboration with area artists and audiences. Earshot also celebrates Seattle’s place in the world of jazz, with concerts by our award-winning high-school jazz programs and our own renowned resident artists. 2012 Earshot Jazz Festival schedule.

 Once again we were invited guests aboard Michael Craft’s beautifully restored 38′ 1958 Chris Craft “Seneca” parked at a prime location for viewing the 4th of july fireworks display on the end of dock A at the Wooden Boats Festival on South Lake Union. Michael’s hospitality is unparalleled and it was a lovely evening. Here a few images from last night.