My Photography

Last Photographic Trip to Manito Park

Duncan Gardens is still the main attraction
at Manito Park

Since our weather has been so wonderful, I decided to visit Spokane's Manito Park just one more time before winter sets in.  Typically, at this time of year the colors are beautiful, the air is crisp and locals are anxious to get to the park for one more walk or lazy afternoon picnic.

The sunny afternoons attract families, lovers, school bus tours, flower and photo club members and a plethora of dogs and their owners.

The park these days is beautiful drenched in the late autumn sun.

In the last few years there has been several remodeling and upgrade projects going on in the park.  Still yet to be finished is a rehab of the duck pond and an upgrade to the landscaping surrounding the pond.

The Park Department states that the work will not be finished until next summer along with a few other projects, including a revamping of the underground sprinkler systems.

A young family strolls on one of the many non-traffic
roads within the park

The park started out in 1902 as Montrose Park under the direction of Charles Blazer, a florist and immigrant from Germany.

In 1903, the park's name was changed to Manito, believed to be

an Indian name for "Spirit of Nature." Gradually, residential homes

filled in around the park and in 1905, Blazer commenced building

a zoo within the park. In 1907, Spokane formed the Park Board and

they in turn hired the Olmstead brothers, landscape architects

who gained noteriaety from designing New York's Central Park, to review 

Spokane's park properties and make recommendations.  And in

regard to Manito Park, they thought it should be much larger, so 

the city started planning for more play fields and additional 

landscaping.  The zoo ended up closing in 1933.*

After Blazer resigned in 1909, the Park Board hired
John Duncan as Park Superintendent

A Sunday stroll

Duncan Gardens is a must see

Good weather is still predicted for the next few weeks, so if you have chance, try to visit Manito Park

The Park is full of Parents with their children

I learned to ride my bike at Manito too

Children are everywhere in the Park


*Source Material for Manito's History came from
an October 12, 2014 issue of the Spokesman Review.

The Nude Human Form

Throughout history, artists around the world have been drawn to the nude.  Photographers, like myself, have been fascinated by the subject, and many of the mediums's most enduring images have depicted the unclothed human form.  But the nude is among the most challenging of subjects to master.  The camera's gaze is indiscriminate and unforgiving, so conveying a sense of artistry and subtlety requires careful control over the posing and, crucially, the lighting of the nude.  The following images represent my foray into this art form and it goes without saying, that I think the human form is the most beautiful and inspiring of all art subjects.

THE RIGHT PLACE, THE RIGHT TIME

James is a photographer's assistant and works on the sixth floor of the American Legion Building in downtown Spokane, Washington.  He has been attending a local community college studying photography, however,  for many discovered and undisclosed reasons, he feels he doesn't fit in.
Also, last year, he lost his girlfriend to breast cancer.  Now, he has decided to quit his job and travel.  Spend some time alone and search for a new love and a different life.  He says, "Things have got to be better than this, but somewhere else."

Rose is a licensed architect and registered to practice in three states.  She works on the fifth floor of the same building where James works.  Presently, she is not in a relationship because she has been involved in several large projects that have dominated her personal and work life.  However now, those projects are coming to a close and she is looking forward to taking some time away from work and in spending quality time with friends and family.

Rose knows James's boss and has heard from her about the things that James has gone through and is still going through in the past months.  When Rose has seen James in the building's corridors, elevators and the small coffee shop on the second floor, she has always wanted to say something but has resisted because she thinks it would be awkward.

James has noticed Rose from brief encounters while going to and leaving work in the building.  He thinks she is beautiful, however, he hasn't introduced himself and most times he too reasons that it would just be too awkward.

Rose and James will never meet; like many of us, they weren't able to recognize the the right time or acknowledge when they were in the right place.

Tomorrow James leaves for Vancouver, BC and Rose is attending a small birthday party for her niece in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.  James is heading north and Rose is heading east.

As humans, I find that we continually look for happiness in places other than where we are.

Summer Work

I wanted to post some of the images and projects I've been working on over the summer.  I've rented a large studio in our downtown area and I've enjoyed the opportunity to photograph in this wonderful historic building.

Model:  Julie Suchanek

Model: Julie Suchanek

Model:  Victoria Carding

Her Coastline

I want to live by the ocean.
Women that I have loved in my life, have always been able to take me there.  In their eyes, their smile and their touch.

Her Coastline

You have always been

a path

to the ocean.

I move into your mist,

I love the taste of salt, 

the air,

your skin.

Down your smooth

cliffs--

descending porcelain stairs

and past shallow beach pools,

I travel through waves of sierra grass

and brush against drifts

of your blond hair.

One Act Play

Relationships and decisive moments in those relationships have always been of interest to me.  I've written a few one act plays that try to show those moments; the happy and good ones and the not so good ones.

In this photo, I've attempted to capture a moment in a woman's married life where she really doesn't know what to do or what to say.

I've also tried to capture this image in a poem;

One Act Play

We play opposite each other.
Try to rehearse our moves.
I stand and step two places
stage right,
turn to say I love you, but
the words fall not soft,
and now,
your silence,
cuts me open.