What a Year
Saturday, January 16, 2010 at 04:50PM strange to think it is the beginning of a new decade, I think that me, and many others my age went through some of the most dramatic changes of our lives in the last ten years, froms the ages of 13-23.
but deep soulful thinking aside... these are some of my favorite shots from the year, and maybe some not many people have seen,
heres to another great year
rhys
My second year at Mt Baker was a blast and me and Mark continue to hit the same spots when its good out there. GIVE ME SNOWBOARDING GEAR.
Bellingham will alway be one of my favorite places to shoot, especially because of the harsh weather of the PNW. This cold day in March went from sunny, to rainy drizzle, and finished with snow flurries.
The only thing better than the Bellingham area? the people who live there. This epic spring 'Friendly Friday' hosted by DB Skimboards Isaac Thomas (belly boarding) and Tony Saddler (back) was a weekly get together for all skimboarders to meet up and enjoy the bay.
A young boy sits on a tricked out trike at the annual Low Rider Show on the campus of WWU. The May festival hosts dozens of low riders new and old, music, food and a great hydraulics hop contest to finish.
The Deming Speedway, a 1/5 mile clay track outside the small western Washington city of Deming, was one of the most unique places I went this year. Holding sprint car races every Friday during the summer, drivers as young as 7 roar around a dangerous track in what seems little more than an engine and a roll cage. The technology, skill and lifestyle of sprint car racing however, is as one driver put it, "Much more than rednecks turning left." I got this shot of driver Derek Roberts' car erupting in flames seconds after crossing the finish line, and seconds before nearly hitting me...
One of the most fun assignments (in hindsight) I ever received was covering a group of guys who hosted party bus caravans to Seattle Sounders games. The particular ride I participated in involved 2 hours in the bar pre-busride, 3 kegs on the bus, 1 hour in the beer garden pre-match, 20 minutes in the bathroom stall at Qwest field, and 2 cases of beer for the busride back. Needless to say, I am still working on remembering the story to post on this site...
No matter where you go, home is always home. The wide open spaces of the Waterville and the surrounding plateau will forever be that place for me.
I asked my friend Phil to get this shot of me and Sarah, at Silver Falls up the Entiat River Valley, about 1.5 hours from my home. Backpacking is one my favorite things to do in the summer, especially in the Pacific Northwest.
The families who race horses in the local fairs and rodeos of the Northwest provide some of the most electric entertainment you can see there. Here, a racer flies by in one of the Maiden races at the NCW District Fair Rodeo. Getting this shot and some of my other racing shots takes some courage with little more than a pvc pipe for a rail between my shooting position and 6-8 bareback amatuer racers thundering down a dirt track.
shooting for friends is something I love to do, especially because they are usually willing to cater to my creative whims. The girls of the 'Walrus' (what they named their house) however, had all there own plans for this fall afternoon and I just got to enjoy watching them goof around in the fall colors and snap away.
Bellingham's seasons are especially great in the spring and fall. My attitude improved as soon as I really looked at what I was walking over during a cold, dreary and drizzly day.
Spending so much time on the campus of WWU I enjoy the challenge of taking a variety of shots of the same things. If you live in Bellingham you can probably gues what those 'same things' are...rain, umbrellas, boots, rain, beautiful landscapes, rain, people and rain.
Wandering through the labyrinth underneath the Performing Arts Center on the WWU campus I came across this guitarist practicing in a large empty amphitheatre, I didnt want to disturb him but did stand and listen for at least 10 minutes, he was awesome.
