You may have first seen Gabriela on my first post.

What follows are some of the observatories and telescopes I photographed during an early February sunset, as well as a 30-second exposure (50mm, f/1.4, and ISO 125 to minimize noise, if you care) of the clearest nighttime sky I’ll likely see during my life. That’s what shooting at over 13,000 feet will do for you.

I’ve played it a few times now. It’s like no other course I’ve played, but I won’t bore you with the details. I think it’s beautiful, and I’ve wanted to photograph it since my very first visit. This weekend I got the opportunity, as the US Amateur has rolled into town, showcasing our top young golfing talent, while also allowing the world a sneak peak at a future US Open site.

Let me just say that I’m happy to break 100 on this course (in the words of Meat Loaf, “Two out of Three Ain’t Bad”), but the USGA has made the course insane. It looked bone dry, super fast, and at least one par three (#15, “Lone Fir”) which I play from about 130 yards they had backed up to about 220 to a green that barely would hold a ball. And did I mention the 607-yard uphill par 5 (which I did see one player reach in two shots)? The lads practicing on the course were a little bit in awe, and sounded hopeful that we might get a little rain before the tournament started. Good luck with that!

Of course, you don’t need free clothes (or to be my sister) in order to treat yourself to your own fabulous photo shoot. Just call up your favorite neighborhood photographer! Let me help you decide upon a great concept for portraits that you’ll treasure. Fun or formal, indoors or out, we’ll come up with something that’s just right for you. It’s a lot easier than it sounds, so what are you waiting for?

The first photo below is the one on display at PCNW. I like it because it you’re sort of forced to take a second glance at it; the figures have some mystery to them. But while I was revisiting that photograph, I thought it would be educational to take my own second look at some other photos from last summer’s underwater shoot. Not only bodies, we tried to use different fabrics, sources of light, and the refractive properties of water to create interesting images.

If you’re interested in underwater photography with a digital SLR, I’ve found the DiCAPac WP-S10 to be very useful. It takes some getting used to from a camera controls standpoint, but with careful use, it seems to do the trick in terms of keeping your camera safe and dry.

The short version: OKCupid.com aggregated a lot of profile photos of their users, had people compare and rate the subjects for attractiveness, and then filtered all the ratings by camera EXIF data such as camera brand, depth of field, time of day. A couple obvious results are that a camera with an interchangeable lens makes for a more attractive photo, as does shooting with a shallower depth of field.



Also, photos taken with Nikons (my brand) rated lower than those taken with Panasonics or Canons.

Also, iPhone (my brand) users have more sex….

Jesse is a brilliant little boy, the son of a friend of mine from college. We took him to the park in June and tried to impart upon him a little bit of World Cup fever. His dad Joey is slowly trying to teach him golf (yes!), but for photography purposes, I think it was a little easier to just hand him a big soccer ball and run around with him for 30 minutes.

Ignoring the fact that you’re typically not supposed to use your hands in soccer (maybe Jesse will turn out to be a gifted goalie), I think we had a successful time playing. Joey found a temporary babysitter, Jesse had a playmate, and I got some great shots that I can potentially embarrass him with when he gets older.

If you’re local (Seattle or Pacific Northwest) and looking for affordable photography of your children or family, please drop me a line! I will let your kids run me ragged so you can put a great photo on your living room wall or in their childhood album.

One of her site sponsors sent her two dresses to wear, blog about, and (down the road) create a dress giveaway for, so we headed to Discovery Park to shoot in the meadow and along the cliffs. Shannon definitely knew what she wanted in terms of her styling and the types of shots she would need. My job was to get proper exposures in the harsh sunlight, and do the post-processing to match her vision. These are some of the images we came up with. How did we do?

For those wondering about Seafair, it’s a citywide collection of events and festivals that also includes hydroplane races, a marathon AND a triathlon, a visit from the Blue Angels, and also some silliness with both pirates and clowns. If that’s not something for everyone, I don’t know what is!

This week I had the opportunity to get to Sahalee Country Club in Sammamish, WA, not to golf, but to watch the world’s greatest golfers aged 50 and over compete in the U.S. Senior Open. No cameras are allowed on the tournament days of Thursday through Sunday, but during practice rounds they are, so of course I had to go snap some photos of my favorite player.

Freddie just joined the senior tour this year after turning 50, and like a lot of “new” seniors with the advantage of relative youthfulness, won three early-season tournaments. He’s the betting favorite this week on home soil, and an even-par first round has him tied for ninth with another fan favorite, Tom Watson.

[UPDATE: Couples and Watson posted their second consecutive even-par rounds to sit three shots back of the leader Bernhard Langer, who won the Senior British Open just last week in Scotland. Shaping up to be an exciting weekend...]

[UPDATE II: A smoking round of 5-under, low round of the tourney, has Couples tied with Langer at the top of the leaderboard, five strokes ahead of anyone else. The champ should come from this pairing tomorrow!]

[UPDATE III: Alas! A triple-bogey on the second hole made for a mostly unsuspenseful final round, and the two-shot deficit coming to the 18th hole was too much for Fred Couples to overcome. Congrats to Bernhard Langer for the immense feat of winning two majors in the span of two weeks (and in two such disparate time zones!). My boy Freddie will have many more chances down the road.]