Now to the meat of the post, the last few months in Washington, I’ve lived in a small suburban town called Federal Way. Not not cup of tea at all, it is hardly even considered a town by my standards. Still a beautiful area, very close to the sound, and trees more numerous to count! People in Phoenix just do not seem to understand that the majestic beauty of Washington makes Arizona look like they are literally living in a characterture of hell.

While in Washington, I’ve been all over, Seattle is a fantastic city and has a lot to offer, but I’m not sure I am ready for the expensive big city life yet. Yesterday, I was able to check out a fantastic area called Kirkland, which is right next to Redmond (the home of Microsoft), and has the cutest little downtown I’ve ever seen in my life. Took a quick trip to Marina Park and snapped a few photos. I was delighted to find out that there was a very large gazebo nearby for weddings! Then a chapel just down the street, I have to tell you. I was AM excited about my move to Kirkland!

One of the most populated little areas within Kirkland was Marina Park, just off the main downtown area of Kirkland. Basically just an area with a bunch of benches, some sand, and a dock. Maybe I have been sheltered my entire life, but I’ve never really been to an area like this where everything seemed so vibrant and full of life. Trees everywhere, HUGE lake, and people being happy all over the place!

Yesterday, the dock was very busy and there were plenty of people launching their boats!

I took a walk around the dock myself and snapped a few more shots that I found amusing.

I am absolutely jazzed about being a community like Kirkland, I do not want to settle down in my life by any means but I do enjoy the thought of being able to live the life I’ve never really experienced before. Really get involved with the community and meet lots of new people. If I can keep that kind of energy up, I feel like I will be able to start a solid wedding photography business in Kirkland and really be able to move things up!

On a slightly random note, Microsoft recently launched their bing.com search engine to compete with google and they just had this truck parked outside of Marina Park, maybe only because I am a nerd do I enjoy the silliness of the marketing?

Currently, I am spending most of my time in the Tacoma area and am looking around for a place to live. Yes, I am a little bit crazy doing the looking AFTER my arrival but I think that has just made things all that more interesting!

Speaking of interesting, as you can see, I took a trip up to Seattle yesterday for the first time! Seattle is a majestic city and downtown Seattle makes downtown Phoenix look truly immature by comparison. Phoenix, you really need to get your act together and really deliver on that culture!

Having skimped previously on my actual drive up here; (I got very few photos), I was very happy to take my camera up to Seattle to really show off my little mini adventure.

Upon arrival in the downtown-ish area, we were greeted with traffic, I truthfully hadn’t dealt with traffic for at least a few weeks since I was in Phoenix and it was almost CUTE that I got to enjoy the traffic in Seattle.

After arriving within downtown Seattle and finding a spot to park(lets not get started on THAT), we began to head off to the famous Pike Place Market, but before we got there, a homeless man befriended me and seemed to want to argue the finer points of salad dressing. He then told me I should photograph him, I did and then he sort of disappeared following that. Quite the abrupt entrance and exit into my little reality but it was interesting!

Pike Place Market is a famous market in downtown Seattle that has all kinds of super fresh produce and other great items for purchase. Here is also where I saw the fishmongers throw fish and they had a sizable crowd just watching. Since I terribly despise fish, it was sort of torture just standing there having to take in that smell.. ew… So I just turned and walked away to find more to gawk at.

Stopped by one of the restaurants that was nearby called “Steelhead Diner“, which was okay food but not all that great to be quite honest. I really did enjoy my Strawberry Lemonade however!

After lunch, we headed over to the ferry to take a trip across the water over to Bainbridge Island and the trip yielded some simply “to die for” photographs that I just love.

Something really cool about the ferry ride were the seagulls that were flying with the boat and just gliding through the air. I was able to capture a few decent shots of them after an extended period in which I considered myself basically blinded and freezing to death after standing on the front of the boat, taking the full brunt of the ice cold water wind. So after all that, I was lucky to even see the seagulls!

Something interesting that I did was pull a somewhat “creepster” move by photographing a couple while on the boat and I just like the photo so much, I really feel like I must throw it on here as well.

Then after the ferry arrived back to Seattle, we walked around for a while, I checked out a bridal store named Cicada which does custom bridal designs. I was very impressed by their store and I’m going to be contacting Elizabeth Klob & Jennifer Gay to see if we can work some kind of business arrangement out! I really feel like I was sort of guided to their store.

So that is great, following, we found an interesting message on the wall that made me laugh a little bit. But, I am guessing that an event like the end of the world would cause Twitter to overload with tweets rather than the radios being paid any attention.

Again, I founded a couple that just seemed so cute so I felt like I had to use my ninja shooting from the hip skills to capture them without arousing their suspicion that I was taking the photo. It turned out rather well, if I don’t say so myself…

As a closing note, I’d just like to invite any and all Washington brides/couples to contact me about their wedding! I’ll be willing to travel back up to Washington following my stay here in Washington during the summer. I am not entirely sure of my plans for 2010 but I more than welcome both Washington AND Arizona brides. Heck, lets throw in some California brides in there while we’re at it..

Leave me a message with all the pertinent information here!

Along with this, I am driving up to Washington and along the way, I hope to get some photos to post of my travels. I have never driven this far before, my longest drive before this was to Las Vegas and that was an annoying drive. But Tacoma, Washington is a 24 hour drive. I’m splitting the drive up into several days to make it easy to digest, but I am still pretty sure I am going to go mad driving by myself.

Oh, didn’t I mention I am going by myself? To most this seems like an insane idea and I must concur, I will be a very angry tired person upon my arrival in Washington.

Last fall I took this photograph of my friend Susie’s baby, Nathan. Looking back, even though it is radically different than the majority of the subject matter found in my other work, it has to be one of my favorite pieces ever. This was even further cemented when I got Daily Deviation over on Deviantart which can be seen here.

Amazingly enough, it was one of the simple photos I have ever taken in my life! I had only spent around 5 minutes taking around 50 shots of the baby and this one is the shining beacon out of all of them. It was probably the simplest setup of any shoot I’ve ever had in my life.

First, I took a futon mattress I had and slumped up against a wall and threw a black pillowcase pillow down. Still with me?
Then I took my Alienbees B400 with a fairly large softbox and placed it above where the infant’s head would be. It ended up creating such rich shadow and contrast to the skin that it just makes it feel like you’re looking at reality on your computer screen.

Such success with this infant photograph endears me to want to continue to photograph infants once in a while and just keep my online display of photographs a wee bit more varied. It makes me wonder if I have a parental instinct, afterall.

A few years ago, I stumbled across a strange fella by the name of Normal Bob Smith on the internet. At first, he was very strange artist that donned makeup to masquerade as Satan. After exploring his website, seeing him play around in Union Square (located in New York City) and in a section named “Amazing Strangers” which made me really discover the magic that is Normal Bob Smith’s website. He has very anti-religious views and has based his graphic artist career behind the mocking of primarily Christianity. But, his wit and creative artistry had me coming back.

In fact, NBS’s website was one of the first sites I ever felt the need to bookmark. Over the course of the next few years, I’ve explored the art, and later talked to Bob on Myspace. This lead up to Bob recently hiring me to photograph him while he flew in for ASU’s Freethought Society’s events.

I had the opportunity to use Boo’s Warehouse and really get some cool shots.

My friend Jordi offered to be the bride and she pulled it off well.

Probably my favorite of the bunch..

Then after the photo shoot was concluded, I decided to get an impromptu interview with Bob on my Mac Book Pro:

Thanks so much to Normal Bob Smith, Jordi, Levi, Amber, and Boo for all the help for making this shoot a rousing success! Until next time, this is Chaz.. poof!

There I was, laying in bed awake for hours and hours in a sweat thinking about what I should take away from this video. It got me thinking about the nature of art itself and what art I found myself liking most often. Successful art, as I see it, is more than something that is beautiful or appealing visually (though still valid), it should be something that makes a bold statement about the world and the people in it. Photography typically does not transcend the “beautiful” dynamic and usually has very little to say. Again, this is not to say it doesn’t happen, on the contrary, it does quite often but I suppose it just doesn’t seem to be what is most popular.

This leads me back to the original thoughts I first had when I picked up a camera around 5 years ago when I was an amateur photographer. It is was a very immature desire of just wanting to be unique, to be significant, with very little thought beyond that. As I grow older, I realize in order to truly feel fulfilled with my art, my photography, I have to be able to give back somehow.

Besides the obvious donating my services to charity, there is more I can do and there is more that I want to do. That is being able to add real social commentary on my own terms. On my genesis to such a way of thinking, one of my favorite images was created in the spur of the moment. For me, it makes real commentary about how our mouths and minds act in opposition to one another sometimes.

This sort of direct “rebellious” imagery provokes and inspires me to create more shocking imagery, if you are not truly creating what you want with your photography, why are you doing it? Of course, being able to pay the bills with a camera is cool too. However, this led me to imagine what I could do with weddings.

I would still offer the normal wedding coverage and normal products, but, my real desire is to be able to offer a “conceptual bridal photography” service. In which my full artistic brain would be used to create shocking imagery to not only offer social commentary but be able to make a bride and groom into works of art themselves. Something that not only could be worthy of a gallery but something that could be placed in your own home as a memento of the most fabulous time in your life.

Everything inside of me tells me this is my calling to create insanely weird and unique conceptual wedding photography shots. My niche and my insanity turned to art, shared with fabulous clients.

If you have even the smallest inkling of wanting to have a weird wedding shoot, it isn’t really weird. It is normal and deserves to be explored.

Part of my realization and growth is having these ideas that I understand but have not yet implemented in my own life for whatever reason. Among these things I wrote are presented below and are a result of a very sweaty night last summer. They made me cry, made me laugh, but most of all made me think and know that there is power in being a Human Being. Never forget this. You are power incarnate.

They might seem a bit cliché, but I think they stand to be restated for you and everyone you know so they too might be able to change their way of thinking for a moment. Live a changed life, live a positive life where you give and get much in return. Giving something that I think has real value for the people that might read it and the knowledge that I truly helped the life of a stranger that I may never meet thrills me.

1. Be Confident above all else, fake it if you have to.
Over the course of your life, who are you drawn to most often? Those among us whom are strong and strength is found in your ability to be confident in situations throughout your life. You must be confident in all situations throughout your life and never give room for doubt.

Doubts serve no purpose other than leading you down a negative road. If you do not create the road, you cannot travel down it. Stay with the positive confident road. Even faking the confidence is better than nothing because it will eventually make itself a part of you.
Stay Strong and Stay Confident.

2. Be Creative in everyday and non-everyday situations.
What sets sucessful people apart from the unsuccessful? They tackle everyday challenges with unconventional solutions. Do not take any everyday situation for granted, rediscover it through creative ways to solve the problem. Are you going to give a rose to your wife or are you going to use creative thought to show her true caring? Anyone can give a flower they bought at a store, anyone can use a solution that is not creative.
Show true creative effort and receive powerful results.

3. Conquer Fears.
Self explanatory. Stop being afraid of all those little things that prevent you from living your life to the absolute best and fullest that it should be. Regardless of how bad your fear is, you must do whatever is necessary to overcome it so your life may be lived wit more ease.
More lubrication in your life means ease of use.

4. Take the time to understand and listen to your fellow human beings.
As this article no doubt demonstrates, there is valuable information to found everywhere. With your friends, family, your significant other, and on the internet. Approach every single situation and person as a chance to learn something new. Never dismiss someone or something without listening first. Even if you don’t agree with them, you should understand them.
Understanding is knowledge and we both know what knowledge is. (Power)

5. Do not be prone to inaction. The ground is hot lava, if you stand still, you die.
Put everything you want into action. Even if it is just on a small scale; after all, even an avalanche starts as one snowball. Start now, not later – the sooner that snowball is formed, the sooner it will affect a positive trend of change throughout your life and it will only exponentially expand onward from there. So why are you making an excuse to wait? Do you really want to wait to get the things you want most out of life?
Move NOW to get the things you want. No waiting. No excuses. Start TODAY

6. Write your thoughts down. Sometimes the best thoughts and revelations are fleeting.
Something that I’ve learned: whenever you have a thought that seems to dance around your head like a magical insight. Don’t let it get away. Grab onto it and write it down, now. Even if that means you have to take the first exit on the freeway so you can pull over and write this thought down. Do it. Regardless of whatever you’re doing, the important thought will always be more important and can be priceless.
Write and capture the most important moments that are inside your head, down on paper.

7 . Write down and verbalize your desires everyday.
Start everyday with a mental drill sergeant of all the desires you want from that day, that week, month, year, and beyond. The best way to do this is to commit to short term and long term desires. Read them out loud after you finish writing them. This builds up pressure inside to make these things happen. Doing it daily happens you to stay excited and shed things that may not make sense on the long term. Speaking them commits them to memory and will go around your head all day long.
SCREAM your desires and throw your pencil at the paper!

8. Be Active Psychically: Motion makes emotion and creates positive effects within your life.
If you lay around all day and don’t do anything. You will be miserable. If you get up, run, do jumping jacks and just generally find firely blood in your veins constantly. Your brain will have a much harder time letting itself be depressed. Be constantly moving: you might appear to be nutty to your friends and other people around you but your positive attitude will be far more endearing to a negative glower.
Get off your ass and use some energy to find some energy! Jump on your bed if you have to.

9. Value problems and the unexpected; for these are what keep life interesting.
This may be the most difficult one out of the entire lot because it relates greatly to #3 (the fear of the unknown). People are terrified of “what may happen”, mistakes, problems or anything unexpected that may crop up in life. But you MUST value these things as they give you the opportunity to grow by overcoming them. The most strong people in the world are those generally those who’ve had to overcome the ultimate of pains in life.
Broken camera lens? Fear not. It is an opportunity. I promise.

10. Try to learn at least 10 new things everyday.
Depending on your age, this might be a bigger challenge than it would be for someone younger than you. Obviously, as you get older you generally learn more but I think people should focus on specifically learning as often as possible.
Use it or you’ll lose it.

11. Perform one selfless act a day.
Now this, I think, should be the capital goal of everyone alive. If everyone was playing the selfless act game, could you imagine our world? More people would be happy as a rule because people constantly be helping others on a daily basis without want or reason.
Just to create by action. I think if nothing else, you should take this thing to heart and live by the selfless motto. If you have nothing to give, you can never receive and nor do you deserve to.
Buy a bouquet of flowers for that girl in the office who seems lonely and sad. Have the note simply say “Someone cares about you” without stating it is from you.

BONUS: 12. Have fun with it.

Oh and.. don’t forget #5, start all of these NOW if you don’t do them already. The sooner you can input a few of these things into your life, the sooner your life will improve, the sooner that you can create the world and life that you want.

The End!

He stated that he was really nervous but I didn’t let that hold me back. Most people that don’t “model” or appear in front of the camera often think they cannot be photographed. But this isn’t true, everyone has a good side, everyone has real emotions that are worth being captured. This is the joy of being able to make this a job, having fun while pulling some emotion that might be otherwise hidden away and putting it into a photograph.

While taking the photographs, I offered to make a short video of him painting and he went for it.. it turned out really well, he is really animated and fun! It should be noted too, that the background in both are entirely his paintings!

Barry Sparkman Paints from Chaz Carlson on Vimeo.

For all of your bridal needs:

Heather, who runs Eventfully Yours, Heather was the fabulous event coordinator and totally made sure things went smoothly. Very nice and very laid back/friendly.

Floral arrangements were provided by Terrace Floral Design Group in Scottsdale.

Brian with Ambiance Catering not only provided great food, he was very friendly and very delightful to work with!

Richard Steele was a great magician and was very entertaining for all the guests. Totally recommended for a fun way to spice up an event!

Some great wine/champagne was provided by Barefoot Wines! I, myself, had the Pinot Grigio and it was fantastic!

Something that EVERYONE seemed to love was the photo booth; provided by Foto Cabina! It was used almost 100% of the time! A great way to get instant gratification and provide added fun for guests!

Espresso Subito provided the espresso catering service, I enjoyed a lovely Caramel Macchiato(though someone cleaned it up while I was pulled to photograph some people.. I really wanted to finish! Argh!)

Last but not least: Let Them Eat Cake, Inc provided the delicious cupcakes!

To conclude: I’d like to wish Meghan and Jenny great luck with their bridal store! I very much appreciate them inviting me out to photograph, have a cupcake and use the photobooth 3 times in a row! They’re badass! :) Until next time.. this is Chaz signing off…

We went out to an area near Luke Air force base and just “went with it.”