We staged our photo session in two parts. The plan was to photograph him at Discovery Park in one morning, but the weather didn’t cooperate and we nearly froze and blew over the bluff into the ocean. I had to pry my hands open after that session. We did get some great shots at Discovery Park, but still had more to do, so we met the next morning at the University of Washington main campus and had a second session photographing on the grounds. I can’t complain, because I always enjoy Anthony’s company, and I got two free breakfasts at the fabulous Portage Bay Cafe. Mmm~!

I’m still new to sports photography, and it’s something I never imagined I would have an affinity for. But, as an athlete myself, I seem to be drawn to it and now that I’ve sampled a little, I’d like to do more! Particularly, I’m thinking it would be fun to do before-and-after portrait sessions with men and women who have partnered with a personal trainer. It would be promotion for their business as well as mine… and fabulous photos for our clients!

What do you think of that idea?

Here’s one of my favorites from this morning… If I’d had more forewarning, time to plan, and a shoot budget, I would probably have rented a tilt-shift lens to compensate for the foreshortening, but I still love how this series came out.

[Camera settings: Canon 24-70mm L at 24 mm, shot at ISO 100, 1/400 of a second,  f8.0, EV -2/3,  with high-speed sync flash at +2 1/3 FEC. Flash hand-held by Justin ~4ft camera left, angled from above and diffused with Gary Fong Lightsphere Collapsible.]

The main subject of this shoot was Emma, the husky pup with a beautiful smile. I was only able to get photos of her after an hour at the dog park, when she finally wore out. But it was worth it, because it meant that her cute pink tongue was hanging out. GLEE!

This fellow loved nomming some sticks. He was sweet and soft… I think he looks like a Labradoodle, but I’m not sure.

Little Miss Emma during a quiet moment, staring at one of her friends on the other side of the fence. She’s less than a year old and full of energy.

O HAI!

Oh, and hello to you, too! What do we have here? A lovely, smiling Rhodesian Ridgeback? Can you believe that Rhodies hunted lions in Africa?

See the awesome ridge on his back? All the fur there feels like it’s on backwards, arranged into a little mohawk. And those cute folded ears!

Someone tell me, is this another labradoodle? Because both this fellow and the pup in the first photo look like different kinds of that breed. He was especially soft and so anerable.

Those eyes! They slay me!! Also, we gots some pink tongues all up in heahhhh!

Little Miss Emma wags goodbye. Next time I see her, she’ll be even more grown up, but probably just as cute.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing three weddings, some boudoir, a portrait shoot, and some other photo miscellaney. It’s been a busy fall, and things are just getting started at chez Persimmon. For a peek at what’s to come, here’s an ad I just submitted to a Bellevue Catholic school newspaper…

Seattle and Bellevue Washington 2010 Senior Portrait Photography

(Oh, sweet irony… the lovely, fresh-faced model in the photograph– fellow Seattle photographer Heather Pearce– is actually older than I, and most certainly not a HS senior. But this photo was so perfect I couldn’t NOT use it!)

She has a sweet personality, like most Goldens. I think she’ll make a lovely companion for her family, who recently lost the Golden Retriever who had been with them for many years. Their house is still full of photos of him, and I can tell they will be very, very good to Bella. She’s a lucky girl!

Rain is a sweet-tempered pup who’s all smiles and, I guess, older than she looks. For those of you who haven’t seen a Samoyed before, they make great pillows.

Pet portrait sessions are a great way to honor the furry members of your family and keep detailed memories of fuzzy ears, floppy tongues, and wet noses. Plus, they’re great fun for everyone involved!

You may have noticed I added a colorful little bar with pop-up tabs to the bottom of my posts. That’s so if you see something you like, you can save it easily to a number of sites for future reference!

Mel spent most of her childhood in lower Michigan, about an hour from where I grew up. Both of our famillies decided to relocate when we were Sophomores in high school. In my case, this was 1998, in Mel’s, 2008. For both of us, the move was to a better environment— but we still lost touch with our longtime friends.  That’s a very difficult change, but Mel has stayed positive, which makes her shine from the inside out.

The last time I saw Mel, she was probably nine or ten years old. Since then, she’s grown into a beautiful lady, with style and sensibility. It’s funny how as time passes, the distance between years seems smaller— I couldn’t believe that Mel is still ten years my junior.

Here’s a few more of my favorite shots of Mel, basking on the beach. Be sure to check out the rest in the gallery below!