Most viewed photos of the year: 2009

 

With the new year I begin my third year as an aspiring photographer. It’s been a blast having my camera at my side for the last couple years, but this last year especially. I’ve been around the world twice, been published on blogs around the world, photographed weddings, families, friends, bands, and random sites and scenes at home and abroad. I am hooked. So while I toast to past photos taken, I will take this opportunity to share with you my most viewed photos of 2009 according to my personal Flickr page. http://www.flickr.com/photos/lucaswestcoat Some may surprise you, but most won’t :) 

#10 – “Archangel”

This was taken in Berlin. The sun and clouds were added in post production, but I love the feel of this photo. I created a similar image without the tower under the angel. I never did anything with it because it felt like too much; too preachy.

It’s also the only photo from this year’s travels to make the top 10 list… barely.

 

#9 - “Siren Shipwreck”

Originally an experiment with textures and photosplicing, this photo quickly rose to the top. With Ms. O as the subject I created a faux horizon and pasted in an old cropped photo of a ship wreck. Then I added the tone adjustments and textures to unify the two images. The result is an odd, vintage look at a girl appearing to cause a ship wreck (hence “Siren”).

 

 

#8 - “San Juan House of Light”

This photo received a great deal of attention this year. It placed in the top 10 for Bing’s Homepage Photo Contest last summer. It was taken on a random road trip to Friday Harbor with a friend. It’s also hanging on my very supportive Mother’s wall.

#7 – Ms. Annie Jantzer

When she’s not playing in her band “Bucket of Honey”, Annie is a Seattle actress with a great deal of talent. When she needs some fresh headshots, she typically calls me and pays with baked goods. In addition to traditional headshots, we manage to get some portraits (like this one).

#6 – Sunset at Sucia

With all of the photos of attractive women, it really means a lot to have something like this make it on the top list. This was taken over the summer on a boating trip to the San Juan Islands.

#5 – Golden Gardens w/ Ms. O

It makes sense that this would be on the list. In terms of tones, composition, and subject position, this is definitely among my favorites. For this shot, I told her to put her head back and slowly bring it forward. This allowed for the light to hit her face in a variety of ways and accentuated her neck.

#4 - “Across a Crowded Room”

This was taken at one of the MANY weddings I attended this year. The title came from a Counting Crows song, “Long December.” The lyric is “All at once you look across a crowded room to see the way that light attaches to a girl.”  Seemed fitting.

#3 - “Down to the river”

Not surprising that this photo made it on the list. Also not surprising that despite having one of the highest views, it has very few comments (unlike the others on this list). The photos from this shoot were among my favorites from the year (not this particular photo necessarily). For example, “Siren Shipwreck” also came from this session.

#2 - “Sad or Happy Tears?”

M has been among my most photographed subjects, but this one was one of the most unusual of her. The mystery has been if she’s laughing or crying. I’m prepared to reveal the secret…. neither. It was a windy day and her eyes water frequently. So I guess the title is a trick question.

 

#1 - “Up late with Kati”

A simple portrait of my friend Kati. This was taken at 3 a.m. in my apartment after some post concert Taco Bell; typical shenanigans for us. Who knew it would yield such a photo… that’s rhetorical. In fact, if you were able to see a little to the left, you’d see a table with taco sauce and a large beverage on top. In fact, that could be a good post; “Just outside the frame”. Look for that in the coming year.

 

Happy New Year!!!!

 

-Elldub

Fruit, Gum Messages, and a Girl

 

Over the weekend I was able to slip in a little trip down to the market. I brought my camera, and my buddy M. She and I had taken a similar trip to the market at the beginning of my photog journey. So we planned for a series that was meant to demonstrate (to myself) how I had changed in terms of style. and camera knowledge. While there, I took in much of the rich scenery. From produce to people to famously large wall with gum stuck to it. It’s all photo-worthy here. The trick is capturing it in a way that people don’t always see.

Right as you enter the market there are a series of produce stands. The weather was freezing so the colors of the fruit stood out in the otherwise grayish-blue setting. It felt odd to see so many tropical fruits in a “local market’ with such a wintery climate. Hmmmmmmm.

M is always to patient and willing with these impromptu photo sessions. There are almost always a dozen or so that stand out. This shoot was no exception. This particular shot appealed to me because of the lighting on her face, the colors (of the windows pane, the scarft, and the door across the alley), and the enigmatic backdrop through the window.

 

Lately I’ve been working with tilt shifts, selective blurring, etc. This was the latest experiment. Using a blurred layer with a mask, I sharpened the subject and used a gradient to fill the layer mask. This created a tapering blur from front to back. Poor M was holing herself up. She makes it look effortless, but she’s laughing at how hard it is (and the fact that there was a used/dropped ice cream cone next to her… gross. She would’ve likely reacted more dramatically if I hadn’t just exposed her to the Pike Place Gum Wall… read on for more. 
 

This is just a rare photo of me. I enjoy taking photos so much that I seldom give the honor to other people. Well, with M there and dying to try her hand, I turned the camera over for a couple clicks of the shutter. Here’s one of the results. Nice work, M.

  For a brief moment, as we walked through the market, the sun began to show through the clouds. It was streaking down along a particular wall, and as M passed the spot, I saw the opportunity for this type of shot. M is so good with facial expression, and this shot makes you want to know what she’s thinking. The placement of the subject around the corner makes you wonder what’s about to happen.

The Market is always such a great character in photos. Pair that with M, and it’s a winner. These two photos below seemed like a natural fit.

 

Behold, the infamous Pike Place Gum Wall. Positioned adjacent to the Post Alley Theater, this was the logical location for theater goers to place their ABC gum. The result is a disgusting and riveting scene. One Holiday patron decided to leave a holiday message, and I had to capture it.

This one is among my new desktop wallpapers… gross, I know.

-Elldub

Caption Contest: Part Deux

 

A few months back, I had a caption contest. Using a pre-selected photo (of mine) I asked you all to come up with a funny caption that fit the photo. As you may recall, Corey Ball won. Well, here we are again… with two photos. These were chosen at random, but I think they both lend themselves well to this. You can choose one, or both. Just make sure you label the caption so that it corresponds to the photo. Have at it, and remember… I will take points away if we cross the line of common decency.

Photo #1:

 

 

Photo #2: 

- Lucas