WTO Riot Circle

On November 30, 1999 I journeyed into downtown Seattle to document the WTO riots in Seattle; what has become known as N30. The WTO (World Trade Organization) held meetings in Seattle and people from all over the world descended on the city. Everyone from political representatives to corporate CEO's. But the news-makers that day were the protesters.

I was excited, but unsure of what I was going to see once I got downtown. It was more intense than I had expected which made it more meaningful for me to photograph. I got some great shots and I have really enjoyed sharing them. Here is one of those photos.

Newspaper and Cigarettes

Here’s a photo I took of a homeless man in Seattle. I saw him often and he had a great pitch. He stuffed his shirt with wadded up newspaper and claimed he needed cigarettes to loose weight. Pretty funny and a bit crazy, I guess. He was a pretty nice guy, though I never caught his name.

I wanted to capture his face and I’m happy that I got an action shot as well. I like the contrast of the black and white action shot and the color portrait.  It strengthens the viewer’s connection with the subject. It’s like he’s looking right at you. I like these two shots so much I have them hanging in my entree way just like there posted.

State of the Union

These are two photos that I took during protests in Seattle in 2006.  A rally for immigration reform was organized by immigrant sympathizers and a counter protest by anti-immigration activists responded.

The photos are of an anti-immigration protester being arrested and her belongings searched. What was found in her possession was disheartening and telling. 

The recent events in Arizona and the political discussion surrounding it has reminded me of what I saw that day. Change is a long time coming.

First Photo Shoot (Junk To Funk)

The last few post I have been putting up have been from my first studio photo shoot that I did. All the garments that were in the photos were designed by Mischelle Rae Johnston and this is the last photo I snapped from the shoot and it was just a fun finale shot of the designer. All of the outfits were designed for a fashion show about junk called "Junk To Funk". I included a couple of links in this post that link to the designers Facebook page and to the website for Junk to Funk. Enjoy all the photos and I have more that I will be sharing really soon.

Back to the Photo Shoot

So I have two more photos I want to share with you from the first photo shoot I did. This one is the last model from that shoot. It is my favorite shot of this model. I will have one more photo and I think I will upload that on friday or next monday. It will give you a little more insight into what this photo shoot was all about. I hope you enjoyed all these photos. 

Trading Cards

When I was young I loved collecting trading cards. It was really exciting to get a new pack and see if you got one of those rare cards. I eventually got to a point were I didn't really enjoy them anymore and got rid of most of my cards. But quite a few years back I was walking through a mall during one of those trading card conventions and found an unopened box of "Yo MTV Raps" cards and had to have them. I ended up getting 3 full sets made of the series one set. I gave two away and kept the one for myself. I have always liked the design of the card and wanted to put myself on one and make it my own. Through the magic of Photoshop and a few self portrait shots of myself I was able to come up with two cards that I am really stocked on. Take a look and let me know what you think of them. The vertical one I have also printed out and used as my business card with all my important info on the back. I might switch it up and use both cards.