Motion

Motion [moh-shuh n] - the action or process of moving or of changing place or position; movement.

Last week in my photojournalism class we were asked to capture motion for our weekly assignment. It turned out to be a very fun project. I got out and shot a few different sports; skateboarding, longboarding, kendamaing and some football. Overall the shots that turned out the best were the skating shots.

I used the technique of panning to capture motion; I slowed down the shutter speed and swung the camera to follow the subject which created a blurred background and a subject that was in focus. The shots turned out better than I expected, and I re-realized a fun technique to add a feeling of motion to a photo:

Jason Major in the act of performing an ollie off a slanted stone feature at the
 corner of Champion Street and Magnolia Street in downtown Bellingham. Major was
 meeting up with some friends to skate for the first time since fall, "it sounded like
 a fun thing to do at the time, and it ended up being really fun," says Major.

Honest Emotion/Relationship

For this assignment in my photojournalism class we had to capture an image of an honest emotion or relationship. I was up at the Mt. Baker Banked Slalom and decided to take my photos there. Camaraderie and smiles were abundant which made my job easy. I would have liked to find an image that was more raw, but it eluded me.

Professional snowboarder Kael Martin shares a laugh with a fellow Mt. Baker Banked Slalom participant. “I love being in the mountains,” Martin said, “its just a cool feeling.” Martin and three other professional snowboarders are road tripping around North America in search of powder snow. The crew is filming an “all inclusive ” snowboarding movie, the only credentials to make the movie are a “positive attitude and a passion for Shred.” To join in on their adventure go to Goboardin.com.

Gwen Howat's smiling face can always be found around the start shack of the Mt. Baker Legendary Bank Slalom competition. Mt. Baker has been run by the Howat family for 42 years.

Gwen Howat, Coordinator of the Legendary Banked Slalom and director of resort operations at Mt. Baker talks with a banked slalom competitor. Gwen is the daughter of Duncan Howat, the general manager of the ski area.

Sunny Saturday

Holy beauty..... This is why I live in Washington

View of Mt. Shuksan from Mt. Herman

This last Saturday my friends and I drove up to the area surrounding the Mt. Baker ski resort for a delightful day of touring (backcountry skiing). We put in a six hour day and were touring around in our T-shirts, a rare occasion for early February in the North Cascades. In terms of views it was the most spectacular day I have been up in the mountains surrounding Mt. Baker. We explored some new areas and got to ski some untouched powder stashes that was lying hidden in the shadows of the knife-edged peaks.

Gearing up

View of Mt. Shuksan from the Herman Saddle 

Tyler Tran. Stoked.

Tim Black scoping the 20' cornice drop

 

Tyler Tran sending

Ashton Richie hucking a backflip

The gang enjoying the beautiful sunshine on top of Slate Mountain

Environmental Portrait

Another assignment for my photojournalism class. This time the topic was an environmental portrait, capturing someone in their element, whether it be their occupation, passion or hobby.

I was first going to photograph someone down at the docks of Bellingham, hoping that I would find someone who lived a life on the water. But, it just so happened that I was going to buy a bike on craigslist, and I needed someone who knew bikes to look at it with me.

My acquaintance Kristian Duft, being the genuinely nice fellow that he is, offered to cruise up to the north part of Bellingham to check out the bike with me. After we check out the bike (which I ended up buying the next day), we rode back to his house and I saw his garage/bike shop. That is when I had the bright idea of using Kristian as my environmental portrait, since he "bleeds oil" I thought that he would be a perfect fit.

He is a gnarly mountain biker but loves any type of bicycle. When he isn't in school, rock climbing or doing homework, he is downhill mountain biking, or out speeding down hills on his road bike.

My shoot didn't go spectacular, my best shots ended up being out of focus. But I had a fun time getting to know Kristian more and I did manage to get a good shot out of it all.

“If you cut me I would bleed oil,” Kristian Duft, 19, says. Biking is a lifestyle for Duft; he has his own bicycle work station in his garage, and he says he has been mountain biking, road biking and racing bikes for as long as he can remember.

Photojournalism

I have finally picked up my camera again, and damn it feels good.

I am taking a photojournalism class this quarter and so far is been awesome. I have never seriously taken portraits before so it was a nice change of pace from my regular photography. It was a fun and intimate experience, I would like to take them more often.

These are the photos from my first "Icebreaker assignment" for the class. The question was 'if money was no obligation, what would your occupation be':

Antonio Diaz, currently a Rumba dance instructor, said if money was no obligation
he would be a “dancer, a full time dancer.” Diaz said “because that is what I love.”

“I would ride my bike across the world,” Henry said, “doing good deeds for people.”
 Last summer Henry made a 10 day bicycle trip from Aberdeen, WA to Reno, NV.

If money was no obligation for Cody Erdman, he would do the thing he does already.
 “I already feel that money is no obligation,” Erdman said.

Meagan Curran is currently an Elementary Education major at WWU.
Curran said she would still be a teacher,“I am not going to get paid anything anyways.”

“Live everyday abundantly, and pay it forward,” said Young.
Young said if money was no obligation she would help people who are in need. 

Shirley Osterhaus is a teacher/activist in the Fairhaven College at WWU. Osterhaus said
 she has found her place, “I feel I get to do what I love doing and get paid for it.”

Action

Lately I've been slacking, but I have decided to swing things around and pick myself up. Slacking doesn't make for happiness, at least for me.

I have now been trying much harder in school, and life in general. It feels good to do well. Progressing...

What I have been slacking on the most is my photography, which really breaks my balls. I seem to get stagnant sometimes and have trouble finding the motivation to shoot. I am trying to change that. I am deciding that I will start pushing myself to become a better photographer.

The Act of Action

Yesterday I joined up with Andrew Eckels, Tim Black, Patrick Longley, and local Baker legend 'Woods' to do some backcountry skiing.

We left Bellingham at 6:15 a.m. and drove as close as we could to Hadley Glacier. Hiking four miles through the snow, in a the forest which was transitioning beautifully between fall and winter, was an amazing way to start of the day.

Snow!

White Powda

The Crew from left to right: Patrick Longley, Andrew Ackles, Tim Black, Woods, I'm not pictured

Approaching

The ski bum, the legend

Contrast

Transitions

Eckels

Tim and Patrick scoping the zone

Hadley Glacier, where we ended up skiing, was covered with a foot to two feet of snow depending on wind direction. The snow made for some amazing skiing, but intensive hiking. We got two laps in and the skiing was incredible. We never even touched the hardpack of the glacier, just fresh white powder!

Woods getting his shred on

Tim lapping that white powda!

I am pretty out of shape, so the hiking took a toll on me. By the time we started heading back to the car I was already exhausted. The four mile trek proved to be rigorous, but a good wake up call for what is to come. We got to the car just as it got dark, completing our 10 hour, nine mile day in the beautiful Mt. Baker Wilderness. The adventure was the hardest, but most accomplishing thing I have done in months. It was refreshing to get out and shoot again, hopefully this will be the beginning of the end of my stagnation.

It was inspiring to get out into the land that I live so near to, and to do it with such energetic backcountrymen made the experience very influential. I have a feeling that this will be the first of many incredible backcountry adventures this year.

Escape

Escape [ih-skeyp] - To slip or get away, as from confinement or restraint; gain or regain liberty


Everyone needs to escape, and I feel we don't do it enough.

Escaping from the confines of daily life is beneficial for the mind, body, and soul. It gives you time to step back and reflect, to reform or change perspectives on events and actions within our lives, and to set our sites on goals that are important to us. We have to set aside time for our escape.

Escape sometimes involves spending time alone. Being alone can be good, let your mind wander and it will begin to think freely. Our thoughts are constantly controlled by our external environment, giving us little time to think independently. Escaping allows time to reconnect with yourself. It allows you to tweak or twist the paths in life path to follow the one that you deem correct. It gives you the chance to reflect on the past and grow from your experiences. I enjoy my escape time, it tends to keep me grounded.

Life, for me, has been incredibly hectic for the past month. School came to a close, right after my last final I packed up everything from my dorm room to head for home. The monotonous I-90 drive across Washington provided some much needed alone time to decompress from my chaotic freshman year of college. It gave me time to reflect on the unforgettable times and life lessons learned throughout the year. I made friendships that will last a lifetime and learned more about myself than any year prior.

My time at home came and went in a blink of an eye. I only had a few days to reconnect with my family and friends, but I made them count. I was able to spend some quality time with my Grandparents in Spokane, which helped me place a few missing pieces to my life:

Grandma, Diana Moberly

Grandpa, Merle Moberly

Rufus

While I was in Spokane I also broke away from my usual style of photography by taking some abstracts around downtown:

Parkade creature

I left home refreshed and open minded

Six days after my arrival in Sandpoint, I set off for Ashland, Oregon, where I will be working this summer as a wildland firefighter. Ashland has been liberating. It is the most eclectic place I have ever been. The people here are unique and they all have something to offer. My new friends have been incredibly open and accepting, I feel as if I have known them for years. When I wasn't in my wildfire certification course I was hiking around and getting to know my new home and friends:

Pilot Rock, Ashland, Oregon

Mt. Shasta from Pilot Rock

The gang on Pilot Rock

Mt. Shasta

On Thursday I made the trip up to central Washington by my lonesome to pick up my car and attend to some business. The trip turned out to be a great escape for me. I was finally alone, lost in my thoughts and the music pumping through my speakers....


Central Washington and Oregon have some spectacular scenery. The drive reminded me why I live in the Northwest, it is home to the most beautiful places I have ever seen:

Columbia River, Cape Horn

US Highway 14

The Gorge

Mt. Adams

Mt. Hood

Mt. Adams

North central Oregon

Mt. Hood, Or

Mt. Hood, Or

Mt. Hood, Or

Crater Lake, Or