Uploads from Ar'alani, tagged washington

Winter Spirit

nobody@flickr.com (Ar'alani) — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 21:39:52 -0800

Ar'alani posted a photo:

In a rather surprisingly-short distance, this "trail" takes you down 500' to a beautiful green stream. It's slippery, ankle-turning and slow going, but totally worth the journey.

Spirit, I'm told, usually doesn't boast quite this level of water. Getting close to it was exhilarating, in only the way pouring tumbling electric water can be. I love the power of falling water, and it's mesmerizing effect on my heart.

The waterfall goes from blue on the right (shadow and shade) to a golden color from the late-morning sun starting to peek around the corner, just about to hit the rock in front of me.

Panther Creek Princess

nobody@flickr.com (Ar'alani) — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 10:56:29 -0700

Ar'alani posted a photo:

This pretty girl got engaged on the Sandy River while fishing with her now-husband. He brought champagne in the cooler and proposed to her while she was wearing her camo waders.

Can you believe it? She and her husband even signed on to climb down to the base of Panther Creek with her dress in a duffle bag to do this shot (there's a little light rock-climbing involved, if you've never been there). She looks incredible.

Seriously, I get to work with some of the best people and share in such incredible stories.

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Lightning Strikes

nobody@flickr.com (Ar'alani) — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 17:43:11 -0700

Ar'alani posted a photo:

Yesterday, I went up to the Ape Cave with Nathan and one of his friends. We had a great time hiking through the dark. I loved the walls in this particular part of the cave, and asked the boys to go around the next bend and come back with their headlamps and flashlights. I poofed my flash a few times for ambiance.

It took about ten tries until I was satisfied, and MAN was I happy. This photo is just so much fun! Plus it really shows the details on the walls--the Ape Caves are incredible, and you should go. It's a blast!

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Daydreaming on the Butte

nobody@flickr.com (Ar'alani) — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 20:01:36 -0700

Ar'alani posted a photo:

There's something magical about fields above expansive spaces. Steptoe Butte is one of those places, often shot at sunrise, but extraordinarily glorious at a stormy sunset as well. I loved the beautiful pink flowers, and wanted to curl up and read a book, hearing nothing but the silence and gentle wind through the grass.

The Palouse is incredible. If you have not been, go. You must.

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Nostalgia

nobody@flickr.com (Ar'alani) — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 23:10:06 -0800

Ar'alani posted a photo:

I love mossy fences. There's something very right about them. They feel homey. Established. Character-filled. Even nostalgic.

My dad has a little place out on the Washington coast, not far from the tiny little blip of a town where I took this picture. Like so many things up there, this reminds me of my childhood. I used to go here with my grandparents, before they passed away and left the little beach spot to be tended by the kids. I always feel at home up here, surrounded by a visual vocabulary of peace, and a little bit of longing for that simpler time in my life where I could chase driftwood around the beach for hours, laughing in the sun, and grinning at my grandma with my crooked, pre-braces teeth.

Glorious Morning at Panther Creek

nobody@flickr.com (Ar'alani) — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 21:45:10 -0800

Ar'alani posted a photo:

This morning, I took a very early trip with one of my brides from September and her husband. She's a fabulous outdoor-lover (they got engaged on the Sandy River, in a drift boat), and when I told her we could do images of her in her wedding dress at the base of a wall of water, she signed up with gusto. I did mention the bit about the climbing down a rock face. Didn't seem to phase her much.

It was a beautiful morning--27 degrees out, frosty, sunny and gorgeous. We made the descent with a heavy camera pack, a wedding dress, and another heavy pack full of stuff. She and her husband were having a great time seeing another part of the world, and Panther Creek is absolutely stunning no matter what time of year.

I took a bad step on some mossy bits and rolled side-over-backpack to the bottom of the falls. Always flattering in front of clients. ;-) They laughed. I laughed. I was muddy. Oh well.

They were wonderful--it's so amazing to see people at the base of the falls in the forest primeval. It was so much fun, and I can't say how much I enjoy creating images and experiences at places like this. The combination of the Pacific Northwest and the people who love it makes me very happy.

Sunburst

nobody@flickr.com (Ar'alani) — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 11:25:28 -0700

Ar'alani posted a photo:

Sitting on the beach in Washington with Jenna, Cheryl and little m, the warm sun in March felt fabulous. When it caught the trees up the hill in our little cove, it turned into that beautiful golden glow I usually associate with autumn. I love the rays of light shafting down onto the grass. Feels magical.

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Just the sea and me

nobody@flickr.com (Ar'alani) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 13:31:23 -0800

Ar'alani posted a photo:

When starting a new time and phase of life, where many things are different, and all but the main supporting pillars fade away, I like to return to the places that give me strength. And courage. And joy. I feel at once very small, very insignificant, very fleeting, and yet very much part of things. While my footprints will wash away, the feeling of the sand between my toes and the wind in my hair and the cold water on my legs will stay with me forever. So I carry on, better for the time of quiet and wave-chasing, feeling one with the world and happy.

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A Pretty Little Wilderness

nobody@flickr.com (Ar'alani) — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 01:11:13 -0800

Ar'alani posted a photo:

Celeste and I made a grand tour of the Gorge today and beat the rain, taking in a ton of beautiful fall color and some strange occurrences (including a car pulling up next to us as we were shooting near a road, a person leaning out without a word, and starting to shoot pictures all Paparazzi-style while about 8 feet away from us--so strange).

This pretty girl climbed trees, stood in Oneonta Gorge barefoot in the freezing water, braved waterfalls, and ran through forests and down roads. She is absolutely lovely and a joy to shoot with. I love my little fairy princess bride!

Here are some of the other shots I took, on the blog.

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Marry Me

nobody@flickr.com (Ar'alani) — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 21:17:46 -0700

Ar'alani posted a photo:

Today, I had the pleasure of shooting a splendid little wedding up near the Olympia Peninsula. The bride is gorgeous, sassy, and oh-so-sexy in her mermaid-style dress. She and her new husband made a stunning pair, and were obviously so crazy-in-love.

I love my job.

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Life isn't always so straightforward

nobody@flickr.com (Ar'alani) — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 11:37:49 -0700

Ar'alani posted a photo:

I initially wrote this shot off since it wasn't the classic double-yellow line that's crisp and straight. But I keep coming back to it. It's a fun metaphor of life--crooked, spotty, unknown, mysterious and beautiful.

This was a gorgeous evening in the Palouse--clouds dark and threatening but light shining through. I love the unpredictability of the place, stormy one minute and sunny the next.

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One of a Million Reasons

nobody@flickr.com (Ar'alani) — Wed, 26 May 2010 08:20:08 -0700

Ar'alani posted a photo:

..why I'm a photographer.

Picture this. I'm in a car with two other photographers, and we're driving through an ever-darkening, ever-purpling storm. Out of the corner of my eye, I see this tree with a rainbow building behind it. I start to inarticulately flap, then screech, "Stop, Gary, stop! Turn around!" Gary (who was in Yellowstone with me and is now at least prepared for my antics) pulls an illegal u-turn, pulls over, and I erupt from the car, jump the ditch and drop into this field. A few breaths later, the quickly-flying clouds opened up and a tiny sunbreak hit the hills and my tree lit up. It lasted about 10 seconds. I emerged from the ditch, muddy and giddy out of my mind.

This, my friends, is one of my favorite shots ever. This is what photography is all about. Capturing those precious moments that will never come again, just as they are. This fleeting moment will now last longer than 10 seconds for me because I had a camera. Photographers are such a blessed bunch.

My photography mentor, Scott Bourne, invited me out to join him and Gary Hamburgh for their Palouse workshop last weekend. Bambi Cantrell, one of the top wedding photographers in the world, was also there stretching her landscape muscles. It was a fantastic weekend for visiting the Palouse (Kevin McNeal and friends were hosting a workshop as well). I learned a lot, met some incredible people, saw one jaw-dropping landscape after another and was able to really sink into the experience.

Scott has a great blog post on Photofocus about the workshop, along with some beautiful images (the horses are my favorite--damn him and his 400mm lens when I had a 70mm on! ;-))

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Before the Sun

nobody@flickr.com (Ar'alani) — Wed, 05 May 2010 14:08:10 -0700

Ar'alani posted a photo:

Second Beach easily takes the cake for my favorite beach--something I never thought I'd say. The last few times I've visited, it started to feel like home. The signature towering seastack makes me so happy.

This particular morning, my mom and I were staying in Forks and we crawled out onto the frosty roads with the fishermen. I more beautiful morning I've never seen--crisp, cold and perfect. After the short hike down to the beach, we were greeted with a salmon-colored glow and low tide. Amazing light, even without clouds.

If you're interested in what I've been up to (since I obviously haven't been posting much), take a look here. My new business cards are up there for a gander. I'm quite proud of them!

Gypsy Rose

nobody@flickr.com (Ar'alani) — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 19:26:36 -0800

Ar'alani posted a photo:

I love these two. Not only are they incredibly talented fire dancers and performers (with some drop-dead fantastic costumes), they are some of the sweetest and most generous people I've ever met. I had a wonderful time at this shoot, out in the wilds east of Seattle on a really, really cold winter day. The atmosphere couldn't have been more perfect.

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One of Twenty

nobody@flickr.com (Ar'alani) — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 10:52:47 -0800

Ar'alani posted a photo:

I set out on a mission to find twenty images I hadn't previously shown from last year, and I had a blast doing it. This is one of them, from a trip I took in March up to the Olympic Peninsula--an INCREDIBLE morning out on Second Beach after a frosty drive from Forks.

To see the other 19 images, check out the blog.

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Irony

nobody@flickr.com (Ar'alani) — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 13:32:22 -0800

Ar'alani posted a photo:

What can I say--the irony here just makes me happy. :-)

From my last trip to the Palouse in May. A couple friends were shooting the Wheel Barn, and I wandered off for a bit to explore the field. This parking sign just kept making me laugh.

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Endless

nobody@flickr.com (Ar'alani) — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:13:08 -0700

Ar'alani posted a photo:

The Palouse is a visual fairytale. The raw perfection of nature around every bend is jaw-dropping. I wish I could spend more time there. I'll never forget this magical summer afternoon.

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Ruby Slippers

nobody@flickr.com (Ar'alani) — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 17:21:11 -0700

Ar'alani posted a photo:

The Palouse whipped out some crazy and beautiful storms during my visit. This cloud looked like a tornado ready to scoop up the little red barn and eventually bury a witch somewhere along the Yellow Brick Road. Makes me happy.

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Wonderland

nobody@flickr.com (Ar'alani) — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 17:14:13 -0700

Ar'alani posted a photo:

I love this view of tulips--there's something utterly magic about a blue sky with a flower growing toward it. It's rather dusty down here, though. ;-)

Lensbaby Composer - fisheye optic

The Magic Carpet

nobody@flickr.com (Ar'alani) — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 17:26:22 -0700

Ar'alani posted a photo:

Woodburn is beautiful. Skagit Valley is staggering.

A couple of other shots from my visit yesterday are here in my blog.