Nate Robinson, a guard for the NBA’s Boston Celtics and former University of Washington Husky, held his annual basketball camp at the Community Center at Mercer View on Mercer Island this week. I dropped by with Mercer Island Reporter sports writer Megan Managan to check out the scene and this is what we found… a bunch of kids having fun learning the game of hoops as Nate wandered amongst the campers laughing, showing off his dance moves to a blaring music collection of “Jock Jams” and having good time.  More photos after the jump…

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Friday night found me on assignment shooting the FSA Grand Prix races at the Veldrome at Marymoor Park in Redmond. Between the beautiful summer evening and a subject matter I had only heard about from friends in cycling circles — but had never photographed — meant I was actually happy to be working a night shift to start my weekend. More images after the jump…

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Bellevue-based race car driver Tyler Allen has his sights set on making it as a NASCAR driver. I had the opportunity to meet and photograph Tyler at his home garage recently for a feature article by Joel Willits (who even dropped a behind-the-scenes  blog post on the process of writing a feature article). Check out the two good pieces by Joel to learn more, but I wanted to take a quick moment to share the photos here on Focus Northwest. More images after the jump…

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Sgt. Leonid Milkin stands on the unfinished porch off the master bedroom overlooking Forbes Lake during the rebuild of the his home in Kirkland on July 14, 2010.  Four family members, including his wife and two sons, were murdered at the site four years ago and the house set on fire. “He thought about the memories he had of his two sons playing and swimming there during the summer months.” writes Kirkland Reporter contributor Kevin Opsahl in his article on the rebuild. More images after the jump…

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Glenn Huden, a Puget Sound Energy gas first response PI inspector, sprays a fire extinguisher during a live gas fire demonstration for emergency first responders from agencies including Overlake Hospital Medical Center, and the Bellevue and Redmond fire departments at the PSE Georgetown facility in Seattle on Monday, July 19, 2010. More images after the jump…

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“Could you get me some summer time photos from Idylwood Park?” asks my editor. Some days it’s just that easy, and I always appreciate an assignment out in the sunshine in the beautiful Pacific Northwest weather. Here are to panoramic images of the Idylwood Park swimming are that were stitched together in Photoshop. Enjoy!

Above, a Great Blue Heron takes flight at Willows Run Golf Complex in Redmond on Wdednesday, June 30, 2010. I was at the golf course for another assignment, but sometimes just being there and aware of your surroundings can lead you to a nice image. Have a fun and safe 4th of July holiday!

Here is a recent multimedia piece I produced about the Lake Washington School District’s Transition Academy Graduation on June 10. This was the final piece in an ongoing series about the program by the Redmond Reporter that started in the fall of 2009. I photographed several assignments this spring for the series including a recent graduate on his work out regimen.

I have much to learn and improve during my transition from a photojournalist to visual journalist. It is an ongoing, self-taught process gleaning knowledge from blogs and people established in the field, mixed with a bunch of trial & error. It is a bumpy road these days, but I hope that will smooth out with time invested and experience.

Kenechi Udeze, a former NFL defensive end and first-round draft pick, had his professional football career cut short by cancer, but continues to work around the game as an assistant sterngth coach for the University of Washington football team and hopes to help others with cancer. I had the privelege to photograph Kenechi last week along with the task of converting the Bellevue Reporter office into a “studio.” More images after the jump…

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Irina Akimova, of the Ukraine, practices her hoops routine on stage for the upcoming Cirque Du Soleil production, KOOZA, at Marymoor Park in Redmond on Tuesday, June 1. The images above were shot at a 1-second exposure, hand-held creating the dream-like quality of light and motion. More images and look in the Artistic Tent after the jump…

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