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…

Earlier today I was leaving an assignment in Redmond and saw a great cloud cap on Mt. Rainier, so I pointed the car towards Mercer Island and my next assignment. Due to some minor breaking news, I got to the South end of the Island after the cloud had shifted and started to break up, but still got this frame for my personal “photo of the day.”

So if you haven’t noticed, I can’t stop myself from photographing the Blue Angels as they streak across the sky… Sunday was a day with my family and we loaded up the car and headed to Mercer Island to enjoy the airshow from a perfectly situated dock of my relatives. Needless to say my two-year-old likes airplanes and cameras so he didn’t care if Daddy worked during the show. Here is a quick edit from the performance Sunday along with some boats, people and additional aircraft. Enjoy! More photos after the jump…

Another day of chasing the U.S. Navy Blue Angels across the sky had mean feeling a little deja vu, as last year’s weather was the same for the airshow — sunny Thursday, cloudy Friday. Above, the Blue Angels practice their Seafair airshow routine over Lake Washington on Friday, August 5, 2011. More photos after the jump…

The annual Seafair visit of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels kicked off today with two practice sessions under blue sky. Here are some of my favorite photos from the practice runs over Lake Washington near Interstate 90. More photos after the jump…

It’s spring time here in the Pacific Northwest and we’ve had a particularly cloudy stretch to start the seasonal change. Thought I’d take a minute to share a couple of snapshots from the last few days pausing to take in the momentary sun breaks. Above, the power line trail in Redmond on Wednesday. April 6, 2011. More photos after the jump…

Mercer Island resident Lois Jacobson, 86, holds a hand-tinted photograph of her first solo piano recitial in the eighth grade in the late 1930s. Photographed at her home on Mercer Island, March 21, 2011. Lois is a great example of why I love my work as a photographer — meeting people and hearing their stories. More photos after the jump…