The Future List for City Arts

I was lucky enough to recently get the plum assignment of shooting 12 of Seattle’s top innovators for the January issue of City Arts – their Future List. The artists and innovators included Joselynn Tokashiki Engstrom, Gifted Gab, Linas Phillips, Aaron Huey, Markeith Wiley, Sharon Arnold, Justin Huertas, Sam Anderson, Olivia McCausland, Alex Osuch aka DJAO, Matthew Parker, and Jeri Ellsworth.

It was a lot of work in getting all the portraits shot but it was an amazing experience getting the opportunity to meet and work with these incredibly talented people.

We shot tons of images for this and, of course, lots of good images get left behind. I’ve included some of my favorite outtakes below. Check out the images that ran in the magazine, on newsstands now or online here!

You can follow me on Twitter or Instagram, and like me on Facebook - if you're inclined to do those things! Or you can just check out my work on hipphoto.com.

Rose Marcus, Evolutionary Astrologer

Rose Marcus is an evolutionary astrologer/teacher/clairvoyant/tarot card reader based just north of Vancouver, British Columbia. She's been practicing for over 30 years now and is focused on evolutionary astrology studies, which she describes as "the past lifetime dynamics that have brought the individual to present circumstances and level of personal development."

Rose was raised in eastern Canada in the Eastern Orthodox church and as she told me, "It is very patriarchal – I didn’t take on any of that as I child but my senses were on overload with the mystical components – the multitude of candles, the incense, the Gregorian chants and solemnity of the rituals, some quite Pagan – (i.e. praying to all 4 directions), my favourite was looking up at the cathedral’s ceiling - it was painted as the night sky, with whisps of clouds and iridescent stars."

The yellow-gold stone in her rings is the Citrine stone. Its healing properties are that of empowerment, and amplification of mental clarity, confidence, and the creative/transformative process.  It is also known as a success stone.

It was such a pleasure meeting Rose Marcus!  She is as kind as she is wise!

You can follow me on Twitter or Instagram, and like me on Facebook - if you're inclined for those things! Or you can just check out my work on hipphoto.com.

Jim Barker, Palm Reader

Continuing with my psychic series, I met with Jim Barker, palm reader in Seattle.  I was curious as to how one discovered they had talents in palm reading. Jim told me he discovered a book on how to palm read in his grandparents' attic in Ohio.  He, of course, wanted to try it on someone and his older brother was his first guinea pig.  His older brother immediately went and told their Catholic mother who was horrified of course.

Jim has come a long way from reading his brother's palm in the attic. He's studied and practiced his art for over twenty years now.  His readings tend to be on the more optimistic side and, if my impromptu reading was any indication, pretty accurate.   His mother no longer considers it evil, she now considers it a gift from the Holy Spirit.

You can follow me on Twitter or Instagram, and like me on Facebook - if you're so inclined for those things! Or you can just check out my work on hipphoto.com.

Creatives Series - Austin Kleon

I'm a little late on posting this one, I had the privilege of photographing Austin Kleon, a "writer who draws," back in March when I was in Austin, Texas.  I'm a little late on posting a bunch of the Creatives series stuff so I'll try to catch up!

I think I first saw Austin Kleon's Newspaper Blackout pieces on the 20x200 site and, ever since then, I had seen it here and again on the web.  I totally loved the random but not really random aspect of it.  Check out his book, too -- Steal Like An Artist -- a nice easy read that is awesome in how brilliant it is.  Looking forward to his new book, Show Your Work, that will be out in March 2014!

I Shot A Centerfold

I recently had the pleasure one late afternoon to photograph the comedy troupe The Habit for the local magazine City Arts.  I had known John Osebold before and I kind of knew this group would be game for anything we set out to do.  Hence, we brought in a mini trampoline and proceeded to have one of their members, Luke Thayer, throw himself into the arms of his comrades … again, and again, and again.  The facial expressions and height had to be just right, you know.  We shot a bunch of different versions of course (throwing troupe members around, putting some upside down, etc.) and in the end, all that was left was a heap of bodies.

You can follow me on Twitter or Instagram, and like me on Facebook - if you're so inclined for those things! Or you can just check out my work on hipphoto.com.