The hike up Rattlesnake Ridge

Last weekend meant a break in the recent wave of Saturday photo shoots, so I was able to do a lot of the random fun stuff around the house and around town. So when Heather suggested that we go on a Sunday hike, it sounded like a great idea. The weather has been fantastic lately, and lord knows exercise is always good. So Heather, our little dog Tokey, and I joined up with my buddies to ascend the 4 mile (mostly vertical) Rattlesnake Ridge trail just east of North Bend, WA. The photo to the left was taken at the trail head and looks up at the peaked destination.

The pace we established during our ascension wasn’t exactly that of a nature walk. My buddies were subconsciously going for time, and I wasn’t the only one who thought so. Poor Tokey, who likes to spend hours smelling every little object, was having a hard time keeping up. Even though I began the hike keeping pace with the dudes, about 80% of the way up I started feeling reeeeally tired. Turns out, a knit hat and sweat shirt can add to fatigue when hiking on a warm day. So I removed them and continued the remaining distance. Heather and Tokey stopped on occasion to meet the dogs going the opposite direction, which was a nice reason for us all to eventually slow down a bit.

We made it to the top in good time, and took a seat to enjoy some lunch, WATER, and the pretty amazing view.  We were also able to snap a few fun photos (mostly to document this experience). The day was amazing. Not too hot, not too cool. There was some light cloud cover that made a much more dynamic photo subject, and cast shadows on the expansive landscape beneath us. Such a sight.

If I had camping gear, I might’ve suggested an overnighter in order to avoid the return trip, but alas we were ready to get a move on.

Bummer of it, was that Tokey was so exhausted from the trip up, that he was determined not to take another step until he was good and ready. He’s still pretty much a puppy, so we didn’t have the heart to force him down. Although, if he were a larger breed of dog, I’m not sure we’d have any other choice. Thankfully, Tokay weighs 12 lbs. and conveniently fits in my backpack (he’s very much not a purse dog, so this was something we learned on this trip).

He did surprisingly well in the back pack. I guess it beat walking. I only had one loss of footing on the way down. I started to fall backwards, but dropped a knee instead. Tokey’s alright and he wasn’t all that concerned, but my knee got chipped up, and Heather showed some motherly protectiveness (which, in retrospect, was kinda cute).

 

The rest of the way down was a breeze and Heather and I were both able to pause and capture some photos along the way. I typically photograph people, so scenic shots present a challenge. To me, it’s hard to take a unique and interesting scenic shot. That said, here’s a few from the trip. Enjoy!!!

 

 

 

 

 

3 shoots in one day: The other Seattle marathon.

One in the morning, one studio shoot in the afternoon, and a third in the evening at sunset. Wah wah we wah… that’s a lot of photos in one day.

A couple weeks back, I overbooked myself. My ambition got the better of me, and I accepted three shoots in the Seattle area on a weekend during which all main streets were closed due to Seattle’s Rock n’ Roll marathon. Needless to say, it turned a challenging day, in to an almost impossible one.

Don’t get me wrong, the results were very much to my liking, and to my knowledge all clients were pleased with the outcomes. That being said, it was definitely a challenge to meet my standards, and my promised timeframe for delivering final images (one week)… but I did it. Please, please, no applause.

The first shoot was my second with this family. The Pinters recently brought little Jimmy in to the world, and since then he’s grown so much. For this shoot we ventured out to West Seattle  and incorporated the family and some props a bit more. Jimmy Jr. is always so expressive. He looks around with such curiosity, which makes for some great shots. Toward the end of the hour, he started growing impatient which allowed me to capture the obligatory “crying” shot. There’s a photo of me as a crying baby, and it still lives on in infamy.

The next photo shoot at Maya Whole Health is below the break. 

The second Shoot of the day took place inside Maya Whole Health. This establishment is a yoga studio and health spa. In addition to yoga classes, they offer massage, facials, hair removal, and more. They recently decided to undergo a website re-design, and needed images for this project that showcased the feel of the studio and their fun, low-key, and friendly culture. In addition to two large studio spaces, a hand full of service rooms (for massage, facials, etc.), and changing rooms, they also have a large retail floor that’s full of yoga supplies, books, clothing, and knick knacks. I did my best to capture it all.

Final photo shoot below the break.

To finish off this three-headed dragon of a day, I drove back in to Seattle for an evening shoot at Kerry Park. This patch of green is positioned half way up Queen Anne, and looks directly out at the space needle, Puget Sound, and the rest of the Seattle skyline. The happy couple requested some quick and basic shots in honor of their engagement, and wanted to complete them prior to the groom-to-be shipping out to Afghanistan. I was happy to oblige, and believe the results demonstrate just how beautiful the couple and the setting were on this particular day. Out of respect for the couple’s wishes, I will only be posting a few of their photos.

Still booking appointments for this summer, so if you’re interested in photos for you/your loved ones/your business/your family, you can email me from my website www.elldubphoto.com.

-Elldub

Taking on the world of Fashion Photogrpahy

For those of you who have spoken with me about photography over the last few months, you’ll know that I’ve been eager to try my hand at fashion photography, or even something more professional (studio with model + hair/makeup). The goal in mind was to try for something that looks at least semi-professional. To date, I’ve focused on lifestyle portraiture and haven’t really connected people and dots to book something more commercial. This changed a few weeks back after talking to an acquaintance of mine who sells vintage clothing through an online story called “Lady Go Lightly Vintage.”

Mostly taking photos of friends wearing the clothes in her back yard, the online vintage clothing site needed something a little more flashy to showcase the brand while also highlighting a few of the seasonal pieces currently for sale. We agreed to set the goal of building a look-book for her spring and summer pieces. A formidable challenge, indeed.

A friend of mine, Miguel Vigil owns FoxyCut Salon and CleanCut Barber shop in Seattle. He offered his salon as a backdrop and staff for our hair/makeup needs. With clothing, hair/makeup, and a location, we were on our way. The missing piece was models, but that turned out to be the easy part. Turns out between everyone involved, we had to trim our list of eligible models.

     

 

I spent the time leading up to the shoot studying various lighting techniques and reading up on a variety of methods and styles. I soon realized that I needed some better lighting equipment if I was to pull this off in a way that met my expectations. So a trip to Glazer’s Camera Rental was in order.

I ended up getting two strobes, a large soft box, and a soft box strip. I knew the basic techniques to lighting but have only used lighting kits on a handful of occasions. I needed to test this out to get the feel. Fortunately, Miguel also offered up his house and a role of butcher paper for a makeshift studio, and made a call to a model looking for portfolio photos. So we ended up putting together a full-fledged studio shoot in only a couple of hours.

Our model, Allison, arrived within the 30 minute time span in took us to set up. Hair and make-up began and soon enough, the experiment was underway.

Allison had done runway modeling, and this type of shoot was relatively  new for her as well. This made her a perfect choice for my first attempt at a studio shoot.

Overall, I soon found a rhythm which allowed for the direction and shooting to flow. Allison had a lot of personality, which made the shoot a lot of fun. We went for a couple different looks, which added a little depth, and benefited everyone involved. I could direct a bit differently, Miguel could vary hair and makeup slightly, and Allison could demonstrate a little bit of range.  Below is a taste (click the thumbnail for a larger image).

       

The lighting equipment was obviously critical for the studio shots. As we geared up for our main shoot for Lady Go Lightly, I expected this to hold true. However, I was surprised that I ended up liking the outdoor shots the best. All I needed for those was a simple diffuser, something I already had (and every photog should have). Silly me.

The big day arrived, and we all met at the salon to begin hair/makeup and setup for the shoot. Being a vintage women’s clothing brand, the salon was also perfect as our backdrop. With a few vintage props, we set out to create a contemporary spin on this vintage brand.

With four models, the prep work was a little more elaborate then we had planned. Each model spent roughly an hour have hair and makeup done, but the results were pretty solid. I went with a clean, bright, and slightly warm look for the photos. Something that conveyed a mood but also looked quazi-catalogue. I feel pretty good about the results. Below is only a taste. With over 1000 photos taken since Friday, I’ve got quite a few more to go through. Love it.

   

  

   

It was a fun weekend.

Special thanks to:

• Miyoko Kogita and Miguel Vigil at Foxycut Salon.
• Our models: Erin, Alexis, Darci, and Margeau. And to Allison for being our guinea pig.
• Lastly, thanks to my friend and photo assistant Corey Ball.

Stay tuned for a sneak peek of the look book!!!

-Elldub