If you liked my Rhody slideshows, capturing images on the fly, imagine if I photographed your family session this summer at Fort Worden or Chezemoka Park.

I have had the best time the last couple of weeks going through hundreds of Rhody Parade photos going back to 2003. I put together several slideshow/videos here on my Blog including this year's 2023 Rhody Grand Parade. I only had a few seconds to capture floats or parade participants as they quickly passed. If you liked the work you saw in the slideshows, imagine the kind of lovely images I could capture of your family during a portrait session.

Despite the cool weather, we will eventually see summer here on the Olympic Peninsula. With school out soon you may be looking at your calendar and figuring out when your out-of-town guests may be coming for a visit. Consider having photos taken while your family is here in Port Townsend. Fort Worden is a lovely spot as is Chetzemoka Park or even Point Hudson where this family portrait was taken. Give me a call today to chat about having Deja View Photography photograph that anniversary party or a family reunion or a special gathering sometime this summer.  (360) 385-2662

Memorial Day Wedding 1950

Today would have been my parent's 73rd wedding anniversary. I treasure this and other family photos I have collected over time. Years ago my Dad passed boxes of old family photos on to me saying, "no one but you will appreciate these when we are gone." My passion for photography and preserving memories for my clients is influenced by having photos like this one of my family.

In 1950 my Dad was in the Army, just back from Japan and I think stationed at Camp McCoy in Wisconsin when they were married. Those bow ties are something else, that seems a bit wild for my Dad. I love that I have a print of this image which has held up amazingly well. I have several other photos from their wedding day too. I have only worked with a digital camera, so I'm really impressed with the ability of the film Photographer from the Montgomery Studio in Harvard, Illinois.

My Dad passed a couple of months before their 70th anniversary and my Mom passed six months later. After Mom died, my cousin, Andy shared a news clipping from the Beloit Daily News “Especially for Women” section from June 1, 1950. I knew they were married at the Christ Lutheran Church in Sharon, Wisconsin but I was surprised to learn it was a candlelight service on a Tuesday at 3 pm. It was a single-ring service before 100 friends and relatives. Sharon was a small community then with only about 1200 residents. I marvel that 100 people were there at the church on a workday afternoon. I wonder if in the early 1950’s was a mid-week, afternoon candlelight, single ring ceremony with sweet peas bouquets popular?

The newspaper wrote an incredibly detailed description of Mom’s dress. “The bride wore a gown of white marquisette, fashioned with a double ruffle of lace styling the decollete neckline, fitted bodice with tiny buttons up the back and a fully gathered skirt draped aside to reveal row upon row of ruffled lace, and terminating in a swirl of trains. Her fingertip veil of the gossamer white net with an edge of lace was held by a crown of lace and scrolled satin. She carried a bouquet of white roses and pale blue sweet peas, centered by pink roses.” She/he went on to describe the three-tiered cake, the song, I Love You Truly was song by Dorothy Lee, details of the clothes my Grandmother’s wore, even the tan suit with white accessories Mom was to wear on their honeymoon. I can almost picture all of this without a photograph but how precious it is to have one.

It is amazing all the questions you find unanswered after losing your parents. Learning the details of their wedding day is something I wished I had asked about when they were alive. How wonderful they had each other for almost 70 years. They made quite a team. 

Let me help you by capturing photo memories of your family. You can't hang a thumb drive. Let me show you beautiful luster prints, wall art and other print products that will be treasured for generations by your family too. Give me a call today to schedule a free consultation. (360) 385-2662

If you're not in the parade, you watch the parade. That's life. Mike Ditka

Port Townsend 2023 Rhody Parade

"I'm still passionately interested in what my fellow humans are up to. For me, a day spent monitoring the passing parade is a day well-spent." Garry Trudeau 

Another video of one of our Port Townsend Rhody Parades from the past. This is from 2018. I have so many photos that I have wanted to share and this year's parade starts at 1 today. 

20018 Rhody Parade

Never let the guy with the broom decide how many elephants can be in the parade. Merlin Mann 

I'm having so much fun going through hundreds of Rhody Festival photos, some going back to 2004. I really wanted to create these little slideshow/videos of stills so my photos were out there not just sitting on some old computer. For me recognizing kids from nearly 20 years ago now bringing their own kids to this wonderful event is wonderful to see as this community tradition continue. The Rhody Festival began during WWII so it really is a long-time community event. Thanks to all the volunteers who work so hard to make this happen, to all who participate in the parade and to those that already have their lawn chairs lining the streets ready for the Grand Parade this weekend. 

Everybody loves a parade, especially in Port Townsend. 

A little video/slideshow I put together of some of my favorite photos from last year's Rhody Grand Parade. I have hundreds, maybe thousands of photos that I have taken over the years so I had trouble narrowing this video down to just over 100 images. Putting the images together, by year, as a slideshow feels like an easier way to finally share them. I think this video represents the uniqueness of our community and shows the amount of effort and hours of hard work from volunteers to make this parade such a fun yearly event.

I've added a couple of silly parade quotes just for fun. I love a good quote or two. 

And when it rains on your parade, look up rather than down. Without the rain, there would be no rainbow. Gilbert K. Chesterton 

Style is when they're running you out of town and you make it look like you're leading the parade. William Battie 

Parades are man's attempt to make traffic exciting. Demetri Martin 

Never let the guy with the broom decide how many elephants can be in the parade. Merlin Mann 

It is wonderful seeing photos of Moms that people are starting to share on social media as Mother's Day approaches. My friend Skip Cohen wrote a great Blog post last Mother's Day and I asked his permission to share part of his post. 

"So, to all of you who are moms, Happy Mother's Day. And to everyone who still has their mother around, don't waste a second. Cherish your time together, and as photographers, set up a camera and shoot a little video. Plop Mom down in front of the camera and ask her to tell you a few backstories: how she met your father, places she grew up, favorite memories - anything you can watch and smile about years from now."

While many of Skip's followers are professional Photographers anyone can capture special memories of their Mom whether with a fancy Nikon camera or a cell phone. Today would be a perfect day to videotape her responses to the questions Skip mentioned above. I never did that with my Mom and now that she is gone I wish I had. Treasure family while they are here. 

This is the last photo I have of my Mom. It was taken when I went back to Wisconsin to attend my Dad's funeral. My young niece was having fun learning to use my D80 and captured this photo of my Mom. Six months after Dad passed my Mom died. Life can change in an instant. Don't delay photographing/videotaping your family with your own camera or working with a professional Photographer. 

Colorful Port Townsend Video/Slideshow

Throwback Thursday has me going back through some early slideshow/videos I made several years ago. I love the musical beat as the colorful photos move and pulsate on the screen. This Spring I hope to upload new videos to share. Right now I'm working on one from photos I took at last year's Rhody Festival. 

The last couple of weeks I've been working with Clarity Marketing Services located here in Port Townsend. Thanks to Sahrah and Alyah I'm getting lots of great advice on marketing and SEO. So I've been putting that info to use by updating my website, by adding keywords, text to my gallery pages and trying to reduce the number of photos per page. I probably should limit the number of images in my Event Photography Gallery, but I just can't seem to cull any of my images. If you haven't been to my website before check out this Event Gallery with lots of fun photos from events here in Port Townsend. 

Port Townsend Main Street Parade

Find the seed at the bottom of your heart and bring forth a flower. Shigenori Kaneoka

I was unable to attend the Port Townsend Women & Film Festival in April. Being at home had me at my computer going back over hundreds of photos I have taken over the years. I have volunteered for many years taking photos at both the Women & Film Festival in the Spring and the larger Port Townsend Film Festival in September.

This year I really missed the opportunity to take great photos of the Festival attendees and the filmmakers. It is really such a fun event with wonderful unique films and the opportunity to meet and interact with actors and filmmakers from all over the world. Most of the films are shown at locations close to the downtown Rose Theatre so it is easy to get to all the films, take a break for a delicious meal at one of the restaurants in downtown Port Townsend and even do a bit of shopping. This video was from photos I took a couple of years ago and was fun putting together. I'm hoping to add more photos and videos from other years here on my Blog. I'm looking forward to the Port Townsend Film Festival in September. 

I have several deer that bed down daily in my yard only a few feet from my front door. They usually arrive at night and seem to enjoy laying on top of a yard of dirt that was delivered years ago for a garden project that never happened. I think the mound holds the heat from the sun even late into the day so it must be comfy to lay on at night.

I still remember the day this handsome and rather worldly-looking buck walked into my yard and laid down only a few feet from my front door. I recognized him by the scars on his face and realized I had seen him just up the street before only a couple of weeks before. I stopped to just absorb his majestic presence before deciding to grab my camera and before he lay down. The late afternoon light here in the Spring in the Pacific Northwest is lovely for portraits of all kinds including people and animals. The light reflected on him and showed off the texture of his antlers. Counting the points of his antlers led me to believe he was perhaps fairly young. Viewing the variety of scars on his face made me ponder on how tough his life had been and how hard it must be to survive with so many coyotes in our area, stray dogs, and traffic. To stop and take a few moments just to watch him so close to my house was magical. 

Port Townsend Photographer

Jefferson Healthcare made a Facebook post today celebrating Doctors' Day using these photos of headshots I have taken of their providers.  I love photographing professional headshots and working with the staff at JHC. I'm really proud of all these photos I have taken over the last seven years. I appreciate all the providers at JHC and was reminded of this with my recent visit to both the Express Clinic and ER here in Port Townsend. You can use the link below to send a thank you to one of these Doctors' below. It seems like a nice way to thank them, especially after the last three years of their service dealing with Covid. 

From JHC:

Thursday, March 30, is Doctors’ Day, an annual observance to appreciate physicians who help save lives everywhere. To show appreciation, Jefferson Healthcare is asking the community to send a brief note to a doctor to let them know how much their dedication and commitment to healing and helping others means to all of us. Notes can be submitted through this link https://jeffersonhealthcare.org/leave-us-a-note