Curious Imaginings

Ben and Kayti – Seattle Wedding Photography

Daniel — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:47:17 +0000

It was such a joy to capture Ben Heller and Kayti Krepel’s marriage! I already knew them a bit from our church in Seattle, but I felt like I got to really see them at their wedding. The service was a beautiful celebration of their relationship and their faith. I also loved all the hippy details that made their day special: outside at Parsons Gardens, barefoot, acoustic, and full of color. And did I mention that the entire wedding party decided to climb up into a tree for photos? Awesome.

James and Tiffany – Bellingham Wedding Photographer

Daniel — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 00:16:57 +0000

James McGeathey and Tiffany Turner had a small, beautiful ceremony with family and friends at Elizabeth Park in Bellingham. Throughout the day, I enjoyed James’ fun, playful attitude and Tiffany’s creative attention to all the details. There was definitely a classy, creative vibe to the celebration, and I was especially impressed by the wedding cupcakes. You are both supported by your friends and family, and I wish you the best in your new marriage!

Zach and Dannielle – North Bend Wedding Photographer

Daniel — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 17:38:06 +0000

Liz and I started off a crazy month of wedding photography by capturing Zach Wright and Dannielle Coleman’s wedding at Bybee Farms in North Bend, Washington. We were refreshed not only be the gorgeous outdoor location, but by the overwhelming support we felt for Zach and Dannielle by their friends and family. Their grounding in their faith and their heartfelt commitment to each other were a blessing to witness.

View the full gallery and order professional prints here.

Nightlife of the U.S.S. Grover

Daniel — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 00:07:37 +0000

The U.S.S. Grover

Daniel — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 18:07:42 +0000

The U.S.S. Grover is a glass bottom boat that I built for my camera. This project simply designed to be a way of capturing images underwater, particularly in shallow areas where one may not make a point of using a truly waterproof camera. Through the complexity of both fabrication and use, however, I encountered several unexpected outcomes.

In many ways, I found that the images we do see from underwater are less interesting than the fact that we can’t naturally see through water (even if we submerge ourselves, our eyes won’t focus the light). By cobbling together a contraption that interrupts this boundary, we cross into a world that is alien and uninhabitable. There is a degree of physicality to this process: wading through cold water, leaning down to block glare, and peering through your own shadow. Even the device itself breaks the surface of the water and changes its flow. Something about this feels mythical–like physically reaching into an otherworldly portal. And interestingly, this portal can send us in many directions. Without a shadow to block glare, the darkness underwater turns the glass window into a reflective mirror, revealing the world above me–at whatever distance I choose to focus. It is also possible to focus neither underwater or above, but only on the pane of glass itself.

Musing about the implications of this project, I’ve wondered how much photography has been altered by the limitations our cameras face in accessing the world? I wonder also, how building appendages that extend the reach of our cameras might redefine our relationship to image making?

What do you think?

Journey Through a Log

Daniel — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 22:07:48 +0000

View HD version of Journey Through a Log here.

As I’ve dabbled in sculpture, I’ve become particularly fascinated by interior spaces of wood. Any time a cut is made through wood, we get a snapshot of the inside, but we rarely get to see any continuity between these spaces.

This video is a journey through the interior of about 3′ of a log. For each of the 113 frames, a physical cross-section of wood was cut off (in a long, sawdusty, painful process). “Journey Through a Log” is the resulting stop motion.

Havasupai – Part 4 | Part of the Crew, Part of the Ship

Daniel — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 20:51:27 +0000

During my time in Havasupai, I frequently returned to photographing the formations of rocks. Some formations looked almost like alien worm colonies. Others looked more like lava tubes, and a few made me think of giant bird bones that had been sectioned out. After two or three days of watching how the water interacted with objects it touched, it became apparent that these formations were the result of contact with plants that had since died and rotted out. Even tender new roots from grass seemed to calcify as soon as they could grow. In a very immediate way, the shapes and textures of the canyon are determined by the lives of the plants growing in it. Knowing this, it is clear why the formations of travertine reminded me living forms.

From a more general perspective, I profoundly appreciate how my completely superficial aesthetic interest opened the door to a deeper empirical understanding–moreover, how this understanding then multiplied the depth of my wonder at the visual content.