Hara was awesome, and set up a day for us to play at the studio - 6 photographers, 6 models, rooms, lights, and snacks. It was awesome! The models were talented, with great wardrobes, the sets were awesome, and good people all around. I had a blast, and we all got some awesome work. Its my first time actually putting a collection together like I would a client gallery (though, I'd probably set that up differently, collections sorted by model), and wanted to share it! / And, a couple sample images from what I edited. I hope you all enjoy them as much as I did taking them!

So, its been busy busy times, and I haven't been able to get around to posting things. As the term winds down and I get caught up and a little space to breathe, I plan to start posting more, at least once or twice a week. These photos were done at Dream Studio, (@dreamstudionw on Insta) at a Smoke and Fog demonstration. The model is @tatyanayerxa on Insta. The demo was great, and I learned a lot about the tools and techniques to make cool photos with smoke effects, something I'll use a lot more going forward, when I'm able to.

So. I'm not a videographer. I'm not good at it, I am kinda sorta okay at the technical parts, and I definitely don't know how to edit it, at least not well. At all. But, we have this assignment, so here it is. So, this term, I haven't really gotten the chance to shoot the things I've really wanted to. Not because it wasn't possible, but largely just not feasible. This video shows at least that I will stick with and TRY to improve the creative skills I have, and some of what I'd like to do.

Daily writing prompt What positive events have taken place in your life over the past year? View all responses Well, over the course of the last year, I've been attending school. Learning, enjoying the process, and starting to explore and grow in my skill set, as well as making some pretty good friends along the way, and having some great adventures!

This was a totally random find, as I walked from one building on campus to another. I saw the water droplets, and then the color, and I decided to try to get a close up. So here you are!

NokingsDownload So, as a part of my photo track, we have to learn to make a magazine layout. Let me start by saying: I'm not a graphic designer. And, I hate InDesign. That might be because I just don't have experience with it, and everything feels odd, and foreign, and I just can't figure out some functions. But, I'm not a fan. Maybe that will change. I took the photos, I wrote the story, and here I'm sharing them with you all! I had a requirement for the photo count, word count, and specific layout requirements, so its not my plan start to finish, but the work is all mine. Enjoy!

Daily writing prompt What major historical events do you remember? View all responses I think this depends really on how you define historic, and memories themselves are built on them SEEMING historic. If we don't understand the event, I think we're less likely to remember. I was born in 1982, and remember the invasion of Baghdad, and not really understanding why. I remember the fall of the Berlin wall, but not really why the wall existed in the first place, or what it meant when it came down. I don't remember many good events, as the news cycles carried them away pretty quickly, but there were a lot of extreme events that stuck with me.

So, as I'm sure everyone in the country is aware, yesterday was the day for nationwide No Kings protests. There were a lot of protests. From all reports, all peaceful. As part of a story assignment in school, I went down and got a TON of photos. There was an interesting dynamic that I noticed though, that I wasn't expecting. As a photographer, I was expecting some kinds of conflicts and resistance to photos. I got quite the opposite! People apologized for entering the frame, some posed, some waved, some were grateful, and one even asked me if I would take a shot on their phone, so they'd have it right then!

Protest has been a part of American history since the day we were founded as a nation. Before, really. The first example I can find, at least quickly, was in 1688. Its part of us. We've seen protests over tax, slavery, civil rights, war, tragedy, and more. They've been protected under the first amendment, so long as things remain peaceful. The right to peacable assembly and the right to petition the government for redress of grievance, specifically. Similarly, the right to a free press, has been challenged, repeatedly, but is guaranteed under the first amendment.

So this weekend we're headed to a concert! We're going to see Halestorm and Lindsey Stirling, with Apocalyptica opening! I'm super excited, its going to be awesome. Now, this is the PERFECT opportunity for some event photography, but, alas, the venue doesn't allow for what I'd like to get. Their rules are pocket sized, non-detachable lens cameras, which pretty much limits me to the iPhone. Yick. But, I'll do it. So early next week, expect some photos of the concert!

So today, we went up to Mount Spokane to do a shoot. It wasn't mine, but Charlee's. You can find her work here: So we got there and got going, and I started seeing some things I liked, and started shooting, getting the angles and views I liked, while trying to stay out of her way. I got a few I liked, and wanted to share one I've processed out, which is probably my favorite of the series. The camera I used is about as far from my normal camera as you can get!

So today we got an assignment to do some portraiture work. To talk a little, to understand the subject - and I think that's the hardest part of this kind of shoot. That's not to say that shooting a portrait is easy, there's still a lot that goes into it. But the personal touch is a lot harder, especially when its someone you aren't familiar with. So we wandered campus, and eventually came back to the photography building, and ended up in the studio. We had some ideas, and we were running out of time to shoot what we needed.

So this summer, a few of us went out to go camping, and explore some ghost towns in Okonogan county. We went to Bodie first, and got some photos around some of the abandoned buildings there. From Bodie, we headed to the museum in Molson. That was a pretty awesome place, and I got a few pictures, like the windmill I'm sharing here. From there, we headed to our campsite. We went up the hill of doom, climbing a few thousand feet in a couple of miles, on a dirt logging road that GPS said we should be able to do 50mph on.

The prompt today is: What's the best piece of advice you've ever been given? I'd have to say that the best advice I've ever received is a tidbit I got when I was in juvenile bootcamp, from one of the drill instructors. I was 14 at the time. That advice was about critique, in any form. "Take what you can, and leave the rest." The idea is that you will always get feedback, welcome and otherwise, useful and not, hurtful or helpful. You can't control that. So when you get that feedback, you look at it and see if there's anything useful in it, and you decide whether or not you are going to use it.

My Photography

What would your life be like without music? So that is the daily prompt of the day. And it's a pretty easy one for me. More or less any time that I'm not engaged in a task where I can't have music, I have music. It helps me to focus, sets a pace and rhythm, and keeps me more on track and making progress. Life without it, would be a bit confused, looking a lot like squirrel running around searching for the last acorn before the Ice Age.

Spokane had a carnival sort of event the other day, and we went down to check it out. There wasn't much there at all, mostly because it was a Thursday. I did get a few shots in, and got to test out the new lens - an 18-105mm f3.6-5.6. I love the lens, it gives me access to all the focal lengths I typically use, its significantly lighter than my 80-200, and has vibration reduction. That's important because the d850 has no in body stabilization, and at lower speeds, it becomes a problem.

As June comes to a close, I realize that I haven't been able to shoot much this month. I'm hoping to, and plan to do some shooting for July 4, and am planning to get monthly projects going, at least until September, when school starts. When I get back into school, projects might get a little more sporadic. We're also working out pricing and arrangements, to be able to start doing studio shoots, and I'm pretty excited about that. For now though, I'm looking to do some portfolio building. If you'd like to model for a free shoot in exchange for some photos, let me know!

In my opinion, the single thing that stands out, that makes a teacher great, is the willingness to accept an answer that is non-conventional, but that the student can defend. An answer that makes it clear they understand the concepts, the ideas, and yet thinks outside of the box, but also brings the proof of why their answer is feasible. I think this sort of teaching encourages students to try new and different thought processes, but also to consider the logic of their answer. It encourages learning.

This is my first set of photographs in the protest category. These images were taken at the Ice protest in Spokane, on June 11, 2025. The images here are all unaltered, except for copping. The last image here is altered, in that I processed it to have the appearance of film. No other alterations were made. I felt it was a powerful image, and I wanted to use it to create a powerful end to my presentation at school. There will be more, as I attend more protests to capture these images.