Stories behind The Seattle Times’ best photos of 2010
One of the greatest parts of working at The Seattle Times is the talented people I get to work with. I have so much respect for the staffers and am honored to be able to work alongside and learn from them. Here is a piece I put together featuring a few members of the photography staff – Fred Nelson, Erika Schultz, Mike Siegel, Jim Bates and Alan Berner. Be sure to check out the staff’s 2010 Year in Pictures gallery.
Members of The Seattle Times photography staff tell the stories behind the photographs selected for the Year in Pictures 2010.
Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge’s new boardwalk
Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge is an incredibly beautiful and peaceful place. I was able to spend a day photographing birds with Alan Berner (check out his photo gallery here) while reporting on the opening of a new boardwalk. As a part of a plan to restore the Nisqually River’s estuary waters, the boardwalk replaces a dike that separated the tidal area from Puget Sound. The water can now move freely. And the boardwalk is an amazing place to watch it from. There’s something about that added height that makes a lot of difference. I really enjoyed it there and can’t wait until it officially opens so I can return and share it with friends.
Construction is being completed on an elevated boardwalk at Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge that will lead visitors for a mile walk over the Nisqually’s estuary waters. The trail is set to open on February 1.
Spreading Hanukkah light
In celebration of Hanukkah, members of the Jewish community pass out glow sticks in downtown Seattle while offering happy holiday wishes on December 7, 2010.
Washington State high school football championship in slow-motion
In shooting the WIAA 4A state championships this year, I decided to try playing around with slow-motion. This is my first attempt at taking video shot at 60 frames per second and slowing it down to 24 frames per second. It was fun and I like the effect, but I think I’ll play more with switching between real time and slow motion on my next project.
Ferris defeated Skyline, 24-16, in the 2010 4A state football championship game at the Tacoma Dome on December 4, 2010. This video includes game highlights in slow motion.
Changing course: Melvin Jones
According to Melvin Jones, his life before meeting Jennifer Annable and Kasey Porrier was on a “downhill slope.” A sophomore at Chief Sealth High School with zero credits, he was on a path to dropping out. With help, Jones was able to change course and is now planning on graduating from Portland State University in June. For more on Melvin Jones, read “Unexpected son, unexpected mother” by Seattle Times sports columnist Jerry Brewer and view the photo gallery by Seattle Times photographer Erika Schultz.
Seattle’s snow storm
The past few days have been pretty action-packed. I’ve been shooting video, stopping in coffee shops to edit, transmit and manage other content, then running back out to do it all over again. It’s been a lot of making do with what I had, moving quickly and working remotely. My iPhone and my wireless card have been my best friends (snow tires would have made that list too, if I had them).
Anyway, here’s a couple of the videos I produced Monday and Tuesday while covering the November 2010 snowstorm in Seattle – a small snowstorm in comparison to many I’ve covered in other cities, but enough snow to really affect Seattle.
Through email and Facebook announcements, children gathered at Columbia Park for a snowball fight on Monday, November 22, 2010.
Following Monday’s snowfall, West Seattle residents talk about their commutes home as they head back out to work on Tuesday morning, November 23, 2010.
Scenes of snow fall in West Seattle on the morning of November 22, 2010.
Tour of Allen Shoup’s personal wine cellar
Allen Shoup, founder of Long Shadows Vintners, offers a tour of the wine cellar he designed and had built in his Seattle home.
Mariners remember Dave Niehaus
Dave Niehaus is a Seattle legend. He was the voice of the Seattle Mariners since the team was created in 1977. Even though I didn’t grow up here, I still know about his famous “My oh my!” and “grand salami” calls. Niehaus died on Wednesday. On Thursday, Mariners gathered at Safeco Field to talk about his life.
Seattle Mariners staff and former players talk about the life of Dave Niehaus, the broadcast voice of the Mariners since 1977, who died on November 10, 2010.
President Obama campaigns for Sen. Patty Murray in Seattle
What would you ask President Obama? | While waiting outside of Hec Edmundson Pavilion for the Barack Obama rally to begin, people talk about what they would say to the president if they had the chance.
Excerpts from Obama’s campaign speech at UW | As a part of a four-day West Coast campaign tour to support Democratic candidates, President Obama visited Seattle on Thursday, October 21, 2010 in support of Sen. Patty Murray. Obama spoke to a crowd of 10,000 at Hec Edmundson Pavilion. Read more.
Audience members react to Bill Clinton speech at Patty Murray rally
Audience members at a campaign event for Patty Murray that featured Bill Clinton react to the former president’s speech at The Flying Heritage Collection Everett on Monday, October 18, 2010. Read the story by Jonathan Martin.
The Head and the Heart
As they prepare for an opening act show at the Paramount, members of Seattle-based the Head and the Heart talk about being an independent band on the edge of something bigger. Read the story by Jonathan Zwickel.
Creating the first Torah scribed by women
In Seattle, participants assemble the first Torah known to be made by women. Completed after eight years of work, the Torah was scribed collectively by a group of women scattered across the globe. Read more.
Ike Ditzenberger’s touchdown
This is a great story that shows some of the good that can happen when schools and communities commit to inclusion. A few years ago, Ike Ditzenberger, a Snohomish High School student who has Down syndrome, was beginning to disengage from others. He then joined the football team. Meeting Ike, it was great to see how much he interacts with his classmates. He’s a part of the team. The video below is the story of how Ike scored a touchdown. Seattle Times sports columnist Steve Kelley did a great job with this column. And Seattle Times photographer Mark Harrison captured great moments in this photo gallery.
With the cooperation of the Lake Stevens football team, Ike Ditzenberger, who has Down syndrome and plays for the Snohomish High School football team, scored a 51-yard touchdown during a September 24 game at Snohomish.
Firefighters battle Sodo fire
120 Seattle firefighters battle a fire at the former Sunny Jim peanut butter plant at South Industrial Way and Airport Way South on Monday, Sept. 20, 2010. Read more.
“Halo: Reach” Seattle Launch Event
“Halo” creators and fans celebrated the launch of the series’ latest video game during an event at the Experience Music Project.
Flying radio-controlled seaplanes
On every Thursday with good weather for flying, the Lake Sawyer Hawks club meets at the Ferdinand boat launch site on Lake Washington to fly R/C seaplanes.
Community news site partnership
The Seattle Times has forged partnerships with 27 of the best neighborhood and niche-topic blogs in the metro area.
Inside the 787 flight simulator
On a media tour of the new flight simulator for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, I was amazed at how realistic the simulation was. As the plane “took off” and I could see the horizon shifting outside the windows, I felt my stomach drop. Looking behind me through, I could see the rest of the room through an open door – we had not moved an inch. My body had been completely fooled by the visual cues. Such a strange sensation.
Here’s a look inside the simulator, which will be used to teach pilots to fly the Dreamliner.
Boeing instructor pilot Gregg Pointon demonstrates the new Dreamliner flight simulator. The simulator will be used to train new pilots to fly the 787.
Recycling a coffee cup
Waste Management’s Rita Smith explains what happens to your coffee cup after you toss it in a recycling bin. Read more.
Stryker soldiers in Afghanistan
Seattle Times reporter Hal Bernton recently returned from Afghanistan with Flip video of his time spent with Stryker soldiers from Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Read his story here.
A battalion of Stryker soldiers return to Joint Base Lewis-McChord after a year in southern Afghanistan.
Speed climbing attempt on Everest
Especially after reading Jon Krakkauer’s book, “Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster,” it was pretty amazing to see helmet camera video from Chad Kellogg and hear his account of an attempted summit. I’ve certainly never met anyone before who has referred to summiting Everest by standard means as “admirable, but … not pushing my limits.” Good luck on all your future climbs, Chad. Be safe.
Seattle-based climber Chad Kellogg, who holds a variety of climbing records, attempted to set the fastest time to climb Mt. Everest in May 2010. Though he failed to summit, Kellogg is training for another attempt in 2011. Read more.
Senior voters
Several senior citizens from Auburn and Enumclaw explain what issues will influence their votes in the upcoming election. Read more.
A house is moved to its new home
Scheduled to be demolished, a 1924-vintage house in West Seattle was instead purchased by Beth Koutsky and Jacques White. They had it moved across West Seattle in the early hours of Sunday, to a lot that Koutsky and White own.