Fritz Photography

I have a Google Alert that lets me know any time my name or business name comes up on the web.  It’s entertaining and informative.  I’ve saved the last few, and on this snowy Portland night where nobody’s going anywhere (including my wife, stuck sleeping at the hospital where she’s working…), I thought I’d share some links with you.

Imago Theatre’s BigLittleThings

I had the pleasure of photographing Imago Theatre’s excellent performers and wonderful costumes in the studio last winter.  (See my post Anteaters, Rabbits, and Rhinos, Oh My!)  So it’s fun to see the images come up in the Oregonian, and elsewhere.  We took my nephew to see the show on Sunday, and it was hilarious and magical.  You ought to see it.

LensWork Magazine’s Alumni News

In 2006, my series Welcome to Wonderland was featured in an 18-page spread in LensWork, easily the most beautifully produced black and white photography magazine around.   They put out a monthly update on new projects by their past contributors, and mine was featured this month, along with Bruce Barnbaum and a few other photographers.

Other Photographers and Critics

A few of the other photographers and art critics that have links to my site on theirs:

• Bobby Abrahamson
• The Intrepid Art Collector
• Lindsey Beal
• Jennifer Stoots

Skeleton in the Closet

While I had a show of Skeleton in the Closet up at the art gallery at Washington State University, several articles came out that referred to the work, including this one from the Herald.

Katie Nolan

The loss of climber and friend Katie Nolan was painful for many in Portland and around the world.  You can read my tribute to her on my blog.  The Associated Press picked up some of my photos of her, and as a result, they were used all over the world, from CNN to the Washington Post to the Oregonian.  Unfortunately (and here’s my little copyright rant), the AP photo editors didn’t bother to look at either the title or the metadata of my images, find the clearly labeled copyright holder, and give the photographer credit.  I had to track them down to remind them of this little matter, and then it began showing up here and there.  Any photo you saw of Katie in the news was one I took, including the one the Oregonian’s photographer took a photo of at the memorial service.  (Yes, that’s right: he took a photo of my photo and published it in the paper.)  Not that any of this matters too much; I was only too glad to be able to give a little something back in memory of this beautiful, passionate, Christian woman.

Wedding Photography

The Wedding Window Blog has featured, at their request, a couple of my wedding stories.  See Carrie and Damon’s, and Daniel and Danielle’s.

The MyPortlandPhotographer.com Blog

Every week I have a new wedding image and story on the groundbreaking blog My Portland Photographer.  It’s pretty cool to be in this project with 20 of the finest photographers in the Portland area.

Well, I guess that’s enough self-aggrandizement for one evening.  If you’ve actually read all the way to here, you’re either one of my very best friends, or you need to get a life, or you’re snowed in, like me.  I love living in the one city in the nation where the smallest amount of snow means a free vacation for everyone.

A Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your family this holiday season, from all of us here at Fritz Photography!

If you’ve watched or read the news this past week, pretty much anywhere in the country, you will have heard the story of the 3 lost climbers on Mt Hood.  Luke Gullberg, Anthony Vietti, and Katie Nolan went missing after a climb on Mt Hood on Friday, December 11.  Luke’s body was found Saturday, having succombed to hypothermia.  In spite of heroic rescue efforts, Katie and Luke have not been found, and as of yesterday, the 17th, the search has been called off.

Katie was a friend, and her loss will be felt heavily by many. My grief is not so much for her–she loved Jesus, and is home–but for all of those left with a Katie-sized hole in their world.  And my grief is also for all those who will never have the opportunity to know her and be cared for by her.

Katie had a way of smiling that lit up her face like sunshine, and warmed everyone near her.  She was servant-hearted, and spent her life caring for those in need.  Both in her job (helping homeless women get off the street and acquire jobs) and her volunteer work (she was a faithful supporter of Transitions Global, among other things), her heart was always for those in need, the oppressed, the poor.

She also loved the outdoors (she biked the Seattle to Portland bike ride a few years ago with my wife), which led to her loss this past week on Mt Hood.

Several years ago, Katie approached me while I was working on a documentary project called Skeleton in the Closet.  She volunteered to participate, and her honesty was a breath of fresh air.  Having spent a few years working on this project, I was encouraged to talk with someone who was finding hope and healing in the midst of what can be a crippling disorder.  She was also an excellent writer.  Her story is one of the most hopeful and beautiful of the series.

I also had opportunity to photograph Katie at a few Transitions Global events, at which she was present as a volunteer and supporter.  This past September, she helped coordinate volunteers at their Bike for Shelter event.  (You’ll see Katie briefly in this video of the event.) Katie’s support of Transitions, and its work to create a safe haven for young girls rescued from sexual exploitation in Portland, Cambodia, India, and elsewhere, is indicative of her care for those in need.  Her love for Jesus was evident in all she did.

If you watched the news or read the papers, you saw a photograph (the one at the top of this article) of Katie that I took at the Bike for Shelter event.  The Associated Press picked it up, and it turned up everywhere: CNN, The Washington Post, The Oregonian, etc.  (I liked this article from KGW especially, as it talked a little more about the 3 climbers as people, not just statistics in a tragedy.) 

Among many other ruminations this week, I (as have many) have had to grapple with the question: Why did such good, loving, servant-hearted people have to die so young?  Why not some evil losers?  We need more people like Katie, Luke, and Anthony in the world, not less.  There are precious few of them.

Among other answers, I am comforted by two thoughts:

It is easy to be angry with God for the loss of a beloved person at a young age.  I inherently assume that we have a right to a good 70 years with someone.  If they die at 29, as Katie did, what good does that do the world?  We’re left with a deficit of the other 40 years of Katie that God owed the world.  But then I’m reminded: what if there never was a Katie in the first place?  Shouldn’t I be grateful for the 29 years we did have her, for all the good that she did, for all the love and light she shared with us?  The glass is half full, not half empty.  No, truly, the glass is overflowing.

Second unto this, I’m reminded that my grief at the loss of young friends (and there have been several in the past few years)–that gaping hole left in their absence–really is a compliment to the quality of people I have in my life.  If I were surrounded by self-centered losers, I would not bemoan their absence.  But in reality, nearly every one of my friends and family members would leave such a gaping hole.  I am truly blessed.  And I am reminded that I want to be one of those people.  I want to live and love large, that I may leave as big a hole as possible when I go home.

For Katie Nolan

It is for the world

that I grieve the loss of you–

Not you, who rests,

slipping into sleep,
drifting silently like snow,
enfolded, home.

It is for the world

of the waiting and praying, who hope,
remembering a smile as wide as sunshine
and as warm,
who mourn, with hearts rent
like a mountain crevass
cold as ice.

It is for the world

who will not know
your eyes bright like a summer sky, open,
robbed of your daylight
in their darkness,
that I grieve.

We are

jealous as the grave.

Nicole told me she was bored with the senior portrait photographers she found in Salem, her home town, where she goes to Blanchet.  So when she and her mom started searching for more creative, artistic portrait photographers, they decided on me.

They drove up from Salem to Portland in the pouring rain, and we had an enjoyable portrait session, indoors, in central Portland.  After photographing indoors for quite a while, I asked Nicole if she was comfortable stepping outside, into the rain, for a few.  She said she was up for anything (I love high school seniors…), and the outdoor results are wonderful.  But so are the indoor shots.  You just can’t lose with someone as fun and easy to work with as Nicole….

It’s been a big month in my family.

I have three younger sisters.  The oldest of the 3 has a 7 year old son, and he and I have a lot of fun together.

In the past month, we’ve added two more children to the clan: my youngest sister, Evie, had Silas a month ago.  They live in Denver, and I was happy to be able to visit recently and photograph my new nephew.

Exactly one month after Silas was born, my middle-younger sister had a daughter, Abigail.  I got to see her today for the first time.  No photos yet, but I’m sure there will be many taken over the years.

Here’s to a lifetime of fun with my nephews and nieces!

This month, I’m pleased to announce that Skeleton in the Closet: Eating Disordered Lives is currently showing at The Art Center at Washington State University. If you’ll be in the Tri-Cities, Washington area through November 30, please stop in and see the show.

Speaking of university shows, I’m currently in the process of booking Skeleton in the Closet at University and other galleries across the nation. The reviews of this work have been overwhelmingly positive, and I’m excited about the shows that are in the works. If you, your university, or gallery would be interested in showing the series, please contact me.

To this end, I designed a new website this past year, specifically to showcase this work. At www.skeletoninthecloset.net, you can view the images and stories, leave comments on the series, and view information on showing the series, purchasing a print, or purchasing the Limited Edition Portfolio for your collection.

Please take the time to visit the site, and leave a comment on the work. I’d love to hear what you think.

Continuing with my string of posts (read the two previous posts) related to Facebook and photography, let me tell you the story of Christine Drazan.

Christine and I were friends in college, nearly 20 years ago, at George Fox.  The last time I saw her was at her wedding, in the mid-nineties.  As happens in life, our paths parted, and we lost track of each other.

This past year, while browsing through classmates at Fox on Facebook, I discovered Christine, and we reconnected.  It was great to hear how she was doing, and to know that her family of 5 is doing well.  Shortly thereafter, she invited Shannon and I to her summertime garden party, in celebration of her birthday.  It was a delightful evening of catching up with old friends, and making new ones.

Later in the summer, Christine asked if I would be willing to photograph her family for her.  The speed at which her children were growing and changing made her want to document them as they grew, and furthermore, she needed some artwork for her walls.  I told her I’d be happy to create some beautiful artwork, using her children as subjects.

The Drazans live on a couple acres outside of Portland, and it was a lot of fun to photograph her kids playing there.  We spent a few hours together, wandering their property, playing on the swings, visiting with their dogs (pointers) and pigeons.

In the end, Christine and Dan have in their hands a beautiful 10×10 book which I designed for them, as well as a set of canvas wall prints that are now gracing their living room and kitchen, along with various other prints for Dan’s office and the childrens’ bedrooms.  One of the more gratifying parts of my work is knowing that people look at my photographs every single day of the year–on their walls and in books, in their wallets and online–and smile.

While in New York for another assignment, I was commenting on Facebook about the constant downpour of rain in the city.  I’d noticed that all true New Yorkers have umbrellas–because they walk everywhere.  Even their baby strollers have rain covers and windshields.  Coming from Oregon, I figured I could handle a little rain.  But then it dawned on me: in Oregon, the most we ever walk in a severe downpour (unless we’re hiking) is from the front door to the car.  In New York, you walk most everywhere, and an umbrella is a must.  Especially when you’re wearing very fashionable, very black clothing.

To my little Facebook note about the New York rain, my friend Anna Adams commented, “It’s crazy, huh?”  I thought: How would Anna, in Portland, know about the New York rain, unless she were here?  So I jotted her a note and, sure enough, she and her husband Sam had moved to NYC several months prior, to explore their options in film and modeling.

I met Anna and Sam several years ago, while working on my project Skeleton in the Closet.  I enjoyed working with them, and the text they wrote for their piece was especially poignant.

Anna and I made plans to get together in New York, and we caught up over tea.  It was great to hear how well she and Sam were doing.

Having explored the city for several days, I was itching to photograph there.  (It’s a real pleasure to photograph in places with historic architecture and varied scenery.)  So Anna and I decided to do a little shoot, to expand her portfolio.  We headed up to the West Side, and then into Central Park, taking a lot of images and trying a variety of ideas in response to the locale.  She’s a delight to photograph, and we had a lot of fun.

Location people photography is my favorite kind of work–whether for portraits, modeling portfolios,  editorial assignments, or art projects.  Being able to work in a visually interesting city, with a fun and beautiful friend, made my time in New York that much brighter.

Facebook sure is a lot of fun, and aside from the fun of keeping up with friends and family, I have another reason to appreciate it: Julie Moon saw my ad for wedding photography, and hired me to tell the story of her wedding on Long Island, New York.

No problem, I told her.  I photographed a wedding in New York City a couple years ago, have photographed there numerous times, and love working there.

I spent a few days in the city prior to the wedding, seeing Broadway shows and a Carnegie Hall concert (I actually performed there, but that’s another story…).  Spent some time with friends, and a couple afternoons perusing the astounding Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Guggenheim.  It was, in fact, the most fun I’ve ever had in New York.

Julie and David’s wedding was on Halloween–though not for the holiday, but for other scheduling reasons.  My second photographer Rich and I headed out to Long Island on a day with a forecast for rain, yet the light was lovely, and the weather turned unseasonably warm.  In fact, it was an astonishingly beautiful day in a colorful fall landscape, on the Northport Bay.

After photographing people getting ready at the historic Carr Bed and Breakfast, we headed to the church in Northport for the ceremony.  Having said their vows, we headed past all the little trick-or-treaters in downtown Northport, down to the waterfront for portraits.

I really wanted to take David and Julie and their families out on the pier in this picture-perfect harbor.  But as we stepped out onto the pier, we discovered that the wind was beyond breezy–it was downright powerful.  Gale force.  Epic.

So I took the family back to the park, off the water, where the wind wasn’t quite so strong.  Once we‘d finished the group portraits, I asked Julie and David if they were up for heading back to the pier for some portraits.  Julie looked at me and said, “I can tell you want to!  And if you’re up for it, I want to!”  So we braved the wind, walked to the end of the pier, and took some gorgeous portraits.  I love working with subjects with moxie.

Their wedding reception was held at the nearby Northport Yacht Club, and included a couple of solo performances by Julie (a vocalist by vocation), and lots of dancing.  We had a good time, and left with a load of great photographs.  (You can view my Trailer of their wedding photo favorites.)

It’s always a delight to travel and photograph destination weddings.  Most people assume that they’re stuck with local photographers for their wedding or assignment.  But in this age of relatively inexpensive travel, it’s easy to import a quality photographer to cover your story, anywhere in the world.  And when the time comes that you need a quality professional photographer, anywhere in the world, you’ll know where to find him.

University campuses are wonderful places for photography.  They’re well-manicured, spacious, beautiful, and include plenty of solid old buildings.  I was pretty happy to have the opportunity to photograph Christi and Vicente’s wedding ceremony and portraits at University of Portland‘s Chapel of Christ the Teacher.

Christi is an alum of UP, and we had a wonderful time walking the campus and photographing her and Vicente, and their family and wedding party.  In fact, Vicente is from Venezuela, and he must have had 20 family members at his wedding, directly from Venezuela.  Impressive.  And a beautiful family at that.

After the wedding ceremony, the bride and groom were whisked away to The Aerie at Eagle Landing for their wedding reception.  The bride’s father told me later that this car is owned by a car collecter/builder friend of his (a friendly older gentleman), and it is worth $500,000.   We took some beautiful photographs with that car in the fading October sunlight.I eat a lot of wedding food, and to be quite honest, most of it is overpriced bland, mass-produced blahness.  I can’t believe how much couples spend on food that is generally so uninteresting.  And don’t ever try to serve me salmon; I’m over it.

So it’s a real treat to be at a wedding reception where the food is both beautifully arranged and tastes fantastic.  In fact, the cook told me afterwards, when I complimented him on the amazing beef he’d cooked up, that he takes the opinions of wedding photographers very seriously, because we taste a lot of wedding food.  I’d say he cooked up some of the tastiest wedding grub I’ve had yet, and made a nice show of it as well.

As you can imagine, with a good mix of American and Venezuelans, the dance floor was a happening place.  Thanks to the tunes of DJ Bart Hafeman (one of my favorites) there was a lot of fun action to photograph.

The wedding day was made complete by a send-off of the bride and groom with sparklers.  You just can’t beat that.  Especially when there were about a hundred leftover sparklers, and all the boys (young and old) present went berserk with them.  Good times.

You can see a slideshow of my favorites of Christi and Vicente’s wedding photographs.  I think you’ll enjoy it.