Two Days. Two Beaches.

Today marks two months since we first moved to Seattle and as the days pass, we find ourselves adding things to our checklist faster than we’re able to cross them off. As we’ve gone from changing our address to getting our Washington state drivers licenses and plates, registered to vote and picked up our library cards. We’ve taken time to explore Seattle and take road trips throughout Washington. We’ve found a couple of spots for Vietnamese food and even Pizza. Explored different neighborhoods and brunch spots while attending open houses to look at real estate. In all honestly, the transition has felt effortless.

This past weekend, we skipped the open house schedule to visit a couple of beaches and parks. Being that we currently live a short walking distance from one of the many lakes and waterways. We never find ourselves feeling any sense of being land locked. Still, being at the beach had a good effect on booth my wife and my always unsettled self. Below I posted one image from Alki Beach (I was sure that at least one of those kids was going to fall in.) and Brackett’s Landing. (There was a car ferry just off to the left.)

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A Long Day of Firsts.

I was so exhausted last night. I couldn’t find the time or energy to post any of the images I took during a day of many firsts that included, but were not limited to my first Seattle bus ride, my first trip to Easy Street Records and my first visits to my building’s roof deck. With much of my day spent on a bus or with a bundle of records in tow. I wasn’t given many opportunities to take out my camera, However, when the chance presented itself. I did my best to make it worthwhile.

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Good Morning, Seattle!

Being that I still haven’t adjusted to Seattle’s time zone. Waking up at 5:00 am each day leaves a couple of hours to get out for some fresh morning air. So, on this first Monday morning of my time here. I did just that. Of all the things that welcomed us to the area. It was this micro record / skate shop Here. The tiny shack whose size make me think it once served as a Fotomat or a hot dog stand. So small, I’ve yet to muster the courage to drop in for a look. Finding out that my temporary digs offer more than just a corporate enclave of cold buildings and kiosks has been reassuring to me. As the days pass. I’m hoping my curiosity will take me further. As I hope to get more acquainted with the city’s transit system.

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Graduation Day

04-30-17 Montoya7729AMAfter Sunday’s nude session I was both eager and anxious about sharing the results with my friend and mentor down the hall. He’s been a great teacher who has made it a habit to share his positive thoughts before sprinkling in any much appreciated criticism. I say “appreciated” because if it were not for those much feared critiques. I would have never grown or learned to improve on the things that have been holding me back. Imagine the combination of relief and glee I felt when he remarked how good the pictures from that session were and why. Going as far as saying that this was the best work I’ve done to date. Declaring that, as I move forward. This should be my portfolio. That school was out and I had graduated. The End.

Key Ingredients

02-06-17_Nicole7182I recently had the opportunity to work with three incredibly talented  and gifted professionals (Two of which live on just down the hall of my condo.) With the help of model / actress Nicole M. Carroll Word Press, makeup artist Stephanie Perez Website and studio manager / technician Kevin Link Website . I (Or should I say, we.) captured some amazing shots. Having worked together with Nicole in 2016. Her amazing personality and stunning features helped me mark a turning point in my studio work. Inviting her back with fresh ideas and an amazing team was even more rewarding than our first meeting. I just thought it might be a good time to thank everyone involved while I share the fruits of our labor..

Second Time Around

Angel (1 of 1).jpgLess than midway through our first session. Angel leaned in and asked “Do you like working with me?” “Of course I do” I quickly replied. Truth be told. Working with her had been the most stress free session I had worked on in recent memory. Secretly, I was glowing inside. Knowing we had laid the foundation for future collaborations. So when the need to work on something new presented itself just months later. I knew I had an ace in my deck with Angel.  It’s quite rare when I am so eager to work with someone again so quickly. However, the chemistry and the results of our first session created the desire to work on new ideas and themes together. We’ve already set up a third and final shoot that I’m hoping will give us something useful for both of our portfolios.

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Making Time for Art

While I haven’t quite quit the habit of bringing my camera to shows. I’ve made it a priority to capture less images. Instead of capturing a series of ones I feel best capture the bands live performance. I’ve focused on getting one or two that I feel capture the essence  the music, it’s sound and how it resonates with me. In the case of New Jersey’s TRU. I felt their mix of dream pop and shoegaze warranted more of an artsy, conceptualized approach than that of the Punk and Metal bands I’ve used to seeing.

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Roads Less Traveled

For years now, our weekends have included road trips that have taken us to many cities, states, farms and out of the way eating destinations. Some of my favorite have been out to the countryside where we get to enjoy things that us city folk don’t get to enjoy during the work week. And with all the roadside attractions and calls to “Stop the car. I’m getting out.” It’s a near miracle we ever get to our final destination. With all the recent verbal onslaghts of “People live here, you know.” and “You’re on private property.” I have learned to choose the ground I tread  on lithely. In this case, with a 50 mm lens. I was able to keep a safe distance. Though no one showed up or emerged from the collapsing structure. I definitely felt a presence and history as I walked among the ruins.

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Adventures in Lighting

While many portfolio sessions require weeks of planning and idea sharing. Others can be brokered with minimal planning  and just a few key exchanges. Such was the case with Lauren. New images to show off a new look and style that adds an artsy edge to an already fetching body of work. During the two hours we worked together. My goal of recreating a look that was based on my love of black and white Hollywood Film Noir. By moving the main light around I was able to create the shadow and depth that once went missing in my studio work. With little to no instruction, I followed Lauren’s movement and changes to capture a number of looks and moods. In the end, the results had me recalling what drew me to my earliest experiemnts with photography and black & white film. Below are a very small sampling of what we captured.

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Ending the Year on a Positive

Below are a couple of  favorites from my final studio session of 2016. My two hour shoot with Angel was without a doubt, my favorite of the year. While Angel may be somewhat new to modeling, her beauty, grace and ability to change gears effortlessly should go a long way to insure her success. A second shoot is already in the works. One that we are both eager to bring to fruition. Stay tuned.