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…

Crews work to repair power lines at 53rd Place SE and East Mercer Way on Mercer Island on Friday afternoon, January 20, 2012. See more photos after the jump…

Ciara Hu, of Oak Harbor High School, swims in the final heat of the 200-yard individual medley event during the WIAA 3A girls state swim and dive championship at the King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way on Saturday, November 12, 2011. I have covered state swimming for many years now at the King County Aquatic Center, and this is only the second time I have been allowed access to the underwater viewing tunnel. I tried for – and was denied – access to the catwalk above the pool for a fresh angle, but don’t worry, I’ll ask again next time… “Pretty please, with sugar on top.” More photos from the meet after the jump…

Above, bulgogi bibimbap (beef) before it is stirred prior to eating at Oma Bap in Bellevue for a Dine column in the September issue of The Scene. I have to admit when I came onboard as a staff photographer with the Reporter newspaper group six years ago I had never photographed food once in my life. Part of my work was to shoot art to accompany a monthly food column for the Mercer Island Reporter (which continues today), so I ran to the bookstore and leafed through a handfull of illustrated cookbooks to get and idea of what was out there. Since then I’ve shot a couple food assingments a month, each with their own challenges. I always strive to improve and really present the food in an interesting or appealing way. Still lots of room to grow, but my batting average is rising. More photos after the jump…

Cambodian national Tun Channareth, a co-recipient of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize, speaks to students during a visit to Seattle University, June 2, 2011. I had the opportunity to photograph and listen to a few stories from Channareth for a piece in the Mercer Island Reporter as he traveled to the States to receive on honorary graduate degree from Seattle U. Channareth was honored with a Nobel Prize for his advocacy of banning landmines with the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, the weapon that cost him his legs in 1982. A portrait and more photos after the jump…

Emmanuel Day School pre-kindergarten students Ellie Sadlier, left, Hailey Petersen, center, and Annabel Little give chase around the new labyrinth at Emmanuel Episcopal Church at 4400 86th Avenue SE on Mercer Island on Monday. I was tasked to make photos of the labyrinth to accompany a column for the Mercer Island Reporter.  Since I had no idea what to expect, I thought I’d share it here on the blog as a point of interest as well. The Emmanuel labyrinth is a “path for new growth through meditation, prayer and self-discovery,” according to columnist Jeanette Petersen. More photos after the jump…

Racers break from the starting line of the 10K race during the annual Rotary Run on Mercer Island on Sunday, March 20, 2011. Last year, I shared my assignment that focused purely on a cover photo for the Mercer Island Reporter. This year I was tasked to get broad coverage, so that meant being in the thick of things near the race start and event village at the Community Center at Mercer View. More photos after the jump…

Yesterday I got to photograph a different type of mayhem… Beer enthusiasts having their go at ‘Pliny the Younger’ from Russian River Brewing (Calif.) at the Roanoke Inn on Mercer Island. The top-rated beer is a limited release with only 50 gallons made available in the state of Washington. Tapped promptly at 4 p.m. the 1/6th barrel keg was gone in 17 minutes, yielding 60-70 glasses. More photos after the jump…

Mercer Island resident Ana Ko Glass has a role of  ”Good Fairy Attendant” in the upcoming Pacific Northwest Ballet production of Cinderella. I photographed Ana — and a few images of the production — during a full dress rehearsal at McCaw Hall in Seattle on Thursday, February 3, 2011, for the Mercer Island Reporter. More photos after the jump…

Islander forward Brian Miller drives to the basket over Sammamish Totem’s John Steinberg during a game at Mercer Island on January 18, 2011.

This week presented a photographic first  for me, as I had the opportunity to mount a remote camera to the backboard for a basketball game. I know this is old hat for some, and the technique  has been around for a while, but it’s like buying a used car — it’s new to me. Continue reading after the jump…