Molly, 77, and her mother Helen, 99, live together in Florida. Helen will turn 100 this July, and is mentally and physically in good shape. Helen emigrated to this country from Greece in an arranged marriage at 18 years old. I have been considering doing a photo project on people over 85/90 in excellent shape. Any comments or ideas are welcome. Is this an interesting idea?
I am really enjoying working with Seattle families to produce photographs of their infants and children in their homes. Sometimes, it’s more convenient for moms and dads with new babies to have me come to them. I also photographed this little cutie before he was born, as I created a pregnancy portrait of his mom, Karey. I am preparing for a show at Birth and Beyond in Madison Valley in Seattle which begins on May 1. Very exciting!
Special Olympics of Washington raised over $30,000 yesterday as approximately 300 people, who raised a minimum of $50/each, braved the 45 degree water of Puget Sound off Alki Beach in Seattle. This was actually my first time photographing a polar plunge and I learned a lot about where to stand and where not to stand as saltwater splashed my expensive camera gear, which thankfully appears to be fine. A couple of colleagues were apparently not as lucky as they lost their equiptment to the sea. To see more photos from the event, go to http://www.photoshelter.com/c/merylschenker . Click on the image of the woman in the water to see more images from the event.
There was poo, there was pee, there was poo, there was spit up and then there was the moment. Ok, there was a lot more pee than that, but it was a wonderful experience shooting my first newborn.
Mia Taylor of Seattle cries as she listens to President Barack Obama’s inaugural speech at The Northwest African American Museum in Seattle on Tuesday, January 20, 2009. Taylor said it’s moving to have someone that would have been turned away at a restaurant now serving as President of the United States.
Technical note- A packed room of people were sitting and standing in a dark room to watch Barack Obama be sworn in. There was a little light coming in from an open door and the light of the television screen. This photo was taken at 1/40 sec, f.2.8, 3200 ISO.
These photos were taken a year ago today while I worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer newspaper as a photojournalist. Last years MLK Day was even more poignant as we welcomed the nations first black President. Below are the captions that accompanied the photos.
Murphy Lucas of Seattle listens to Reverend Aaron Williams’ sermon at Mount Zion Baptist Church in Seattle on January 18, 2008. Williams sermon was titled “The Tipping Point of Justice.” Lucas has a son, Judge Eric Lucas of Snohomish County, that is attending the inauguration, and she thinks it will be one of the greatest experiences of his lifetime. Lucas said of Barack Obama becoming president, “This is going to make the world a better place for everybody.”
Carol Bell-Daniel holds her son Nahje Daniel, 6, during services at Mount Zion Baptist Church on January 18, 2008.
I’m happy to report that this photo was chosen for a juried exhibition with the theme Carnival. The exhibit will be next month at the Newspace for Photography in Portland. http://www.newspacephoto.org/
I took this photograph last August while working on a book project for the Northwest Washington Fair. You can see more photos from the fair on my website-http://www.merylschenker.com
I took this photo while working on a self-generated photo story for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer newspaper where I worked for over 12 years. I thought I’d post it first on my new blog because it’s a fairly unique moment. I spent a lot of time with the Governor during her first 100 days in office. After gaining her trust, I was allowed to travel on a small private plane with her as she traveled back and forth to Yakima for government business.
Technical tip- Usually, it would be very difficult to get the inside and outside exposure correct but because there was a polarizing filter on the window, Mt. Rainier can be seen clearly. There is no photo manipulation in this photo, or any of my photos. If you were in this situation and there was no filter on the window, you would expose for the outside and use flash inside the plane-preferably bounced.
Meryl Schenker Photography 