Monday, August 22, 2005
Went out to Sauvie's this weekend to meet with some friends. I took a camera along, mainly because I take a camera everywhere. I didn't have any intentions of doing any photography, even though Sauvie's is a public beach, because I understand and respect people's concerns about photography is such an area. I'm still glad I took a camera though, because once I got out on my friend's boat, I was able to photograph a lovely juxtaposition of a sailboat and a cargo ship. The bright pink sail and the mellow light on the cargo ship made for a colorful and interesting composition. I didn't have a very long lens with me, but if I had, I think I could have created a better shot - at least, I envisioned one in my mind.
Next weekend, I hope to be able to do some photography in a wide, shallow stream with a couple of different models. That should be fun.
Posted by Mark @ 07:30 AM PST [Link]
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
The first weekend of the Washington Ren and Fantasy Fair was great fun. The weather was cool in the morning due to the marine layer, but the afternoons were sunny and dry (perfect ale drinking weather). There were lots of fair participants in costume, the wenches were beautiful, and the pirates were reasonably well behaved. The Washington Ren Faire is one of the friendliest fairs in the Northwest and the participants are into the fantasy and fun of the event, rather than the historical accuracy. It certainly makes for a fun weekend.
The Ale Houses are always a great place to gather at the faires. At the Washingon Ren Faire entertainment is scheduled in the Ale Houses throughout the day. My favorite group was the Thryce Wycked Wenches who sang songs of a "dubious" nature. The first photo in this entry is of Bonnie Strangeways - one of the wenches. These three ladies are absolutely hilarious. So, should you get to the last weekend of the faire (the 20th and 21st of August), get thee to Ale House #1 and listen to these ladies sing.
The next big fair I'll attend will be the Shrewsbury Fair in King's Valley. That's more of an SCA sanctioned event, so it will be more historically accurate and less inclined to the fantasy costumes you see in Gig Harbor. It will still be quite fun, as I really enjoy shooting all the costumes. Additionally some good friends will be there as well, and it's a lot of fun to hang around with them as well. 
There are a number of other fairs in the Northwest and next year the goal is to attend a couple of new fairs. It will be fun to attend at least one Pirate Revelry and perhaps another fantasy faire. Additionally, I might try to attend some of the county and state fairs as I haven't done that since I was quite young. In any event, I always have a great time photographing the people of these fairs.
Posted by Mark @ 09:03 PM PST [Link]
Friday, August 5, 2005
I'm off to the Washington Ren Faire in Gig Harbor. It's a great place to photograph people. This is one of the best Ren Faires in the Northwest. A great many of the participants dress for the faire and that makes the event most enjoyable for everyone. I'll probably even dress up for one of the days of the fair.
This is opening weekend. I hope that means more people will be participating. I went last year, later in August, but it was a rainy weekend. I still got lots of wonderful photos though. Since this weekend is supposed to be sunny and in the mid-80's, I think the fair will have lots of revelers.
After the fair, I'll have a couple of new albums to post - the Oregon Country Fair, and the Washington Ren Faire. The next big event will be the Shrewsbury Faire in September.
Posted by Mark @ 10:54 AM PST [Link]
Tuesday, August 2, 2005
I certainly haven't been keeping up with this journal, have I? I would plead business, but actually it's more that I haven't been terribly interested in writing lately. I'm not sure that anyone is actually reading this at the moment. I've shared the website address with friends and family, but alas no one visits.
No biggie, I'll keep writing and putting up photos. Who knows, perhaps someone will visit and want to leave a comment or chat sometime. I'm patient. I can wait. :)
Anyway, I have actually been busy since my last entry. I spent two weeks visiting my family and conducting genealogy research in Georgia. I've also been to a couple of fairs and festivals, as well as making several business trips for work. In fact, the photo you see in this entry is of a young lady on her first visit to the Oregon Country Fair. I'll be posting a gallery from the fair soon.
In any case, I'm going to work on making regular entries to the journal. If you stop by, I hope you'll take time to leave me a comment or two.
