Fashion designer Lisa Vian Hunter, of Mercer Island, at her shop, Vian Hunter House of Fashion, in the Madison Valley neighborhood of Seattle on Wednesday, February 1, 2012. Vian Hunter is a design competitor on NBC’s new reality series ‘Fashion Star.’  More photos after the jump…

Well 2012 is starting to roll along and I’ve had the pleasure of making portraits of some interesting people to start the year. Above, outgoing Bellevue council member Grant Degginger at the Lane Powell offices in Seattle. The portrait was assigned to accompany a Q&A piece about his tenure on the council and as mayor for the Bellevue Reporter. More photos after the jump…

Just to get you into the late October mood, here is a series of portraits with cast members from the Nightmare at Beaver Lake for the current issue of The Scene. More photos after the jump…

As a staff photojournalist for a news group, I am called upon to photograph a wide variety subjects and this is my turn as a fashion photographer. The fashion piece for The Scene featuring styles that give a nod to the past was brought together visually in a collaboration two lovely ladies Jaymee Espinueva, above, and Mollie Ruiz-Hopper, below. To say the shoot was fun is an understatement, and I do believe we were nearly waist deep in wardrobe! Thanks Mollie and Jaymee for bringing a great attitude to the project!

Beer. Just looking at this photo makes me want to go hoist a pint. As a photographer for a news publishing group, I am called upon to shoot many assignments that I may not feel are my strong suit. These are the moments that make me a better photographer… taking deficiencies in my skills and working to improve. I learn something every time I pick up a camera, no matter how many times I’ve had a similar subject. No two photo assignments are exactly alike. Below, you get a peek behind the scenes of the beer photo shoot for The Scene that clearly demonstrates a good image can be made almost anywhere… like my messy garage with an old diaper box, some copy paper, a mirror and duct tape. Cheers!

I had no idea what a taiko drum was before this assignment for The Scene, but now I’m in the know. Above, taiko drummer Jaymi Matsudaira plays during a multiple-exposure  photograph made in camera at the Japanese Community and Cultural Center in Seattle. The sound was big, the motion graceful and the photos fun. More photos after the jump…

Making portraits on location is always about thinking on your feet, and recent photo assignments for The Scene magazine of a princess and a novelist had me jumping due to rain. Above, Isabella Figueroa, a member of the Miss Hisapanic Seafair Royal Court, was photographed at the Bellevue Arts Museum (BAM) in front of artist Lacey Jane Roberts installation We Couldn’t Get In. We Couldn’t Get out. The original plan was to be outside at the Bellevue Botanical Gardens. More photos after the jump…

Allen Velasco bares his ink for a feature story on tattoos in the professional workplace I photographed in the current issue of The Scene magazine. Not my first rodeo shooting inked art, but fun to meet new people as always! More photos of inked professionals after the jump…

Los Gentlemen, above, put on a winning performance during the Rockathon finale at the Old Fire House Teen Center in Redmond on Friday, May 6, 2011. It was my second year to cover the music event for the Redmond Reporter, which was an 80′s theme with each of the four band finalists performing Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” during their set. Photos of each group including Pave the Earth, Stuck on a Bus and D-Frost after the jump…

Two models sport formal looks during the Silhouettes of Style runway fashion show at the Westin in Bellevue, April 29, 2011. Continuing my recent informal blog post theme – fashion – I had two assignments on Friday that fit the bill. Started my day at the Bellevue Goodwill to watch people scramble and jostle for clothing and items during the annual designer label sale, followed by a fundraising runway fashion show. More photos from the catwalk after the jump…