Spokane Skyline
In which Dan remembers to look up and see the less-seen.
I used to live in Spokane. Cool town.
The town made its money in mining and logging, and that money shows in many of its buildings from that era. A gew are newer but they still do a good job of filling the skyline.
I’ll double-check but most of these buildings are on the Spokane Register of Historic Places. I’m a sucker for places on that list.
Artist Spotlight - Sarah Miller
"Frankly, I didn’t think I was good enough to do professional theater" - Sarah "Wrong!" - danscape
Since I first met Sarah in the Spring of 2013, she's portrayed folks that are English, Irish, French and German. She's been a sweet mum to a hero, a filthy pirate, a sensual/psychotic air stewardess and, um ..... well, a french prostitute. It's fair to say that she's not daunted by the task of being diverse.
I put Sarah into that category of person that, if you don't like her, there's something wrong with you. Ask anyone that's ever worked with her and they'll agree that she's more than just talented. Her positive character elements shine through. I first met her in the Spring of 2013 while working on Spokane Civic Theatre's production of Treasure Island. We were filthy pirates together but she also had additional roles that kept her running backstage to make her quick-changes and to find the mental space needed to transition from one character to another. It was impressive to see her make that leap every night of the show.
Since then, I've been pleased to maintain a friendship with her and to continue to work with her on a few occasions. She's always a peach to shoot when she's on a stage but recently, she took on the challenge of stage managing the Modern-CDA's production of The Last Five Years. It was her idea that spark perhaps my favorite image from that show. I'm grateful for the idea that provided an image that so wonderfully captured the essence of that show. Again, she proved the diversity of her talents.
From Sarah:
There was a period of time in my twenties when I was finishing up college and starting my career in finance. I worked a ton of hours per week and, in my limited free time, found myself focused on a young marriage, a church, and little group of friends. I didn’t perform. Not to any great extent. Instead, I worked really hard at my company. I worked to advance! And artistry had to become a much smaller part of my life. I did a little backup harmony for our worship team. I put on little plays for church services. Though these were small projects, they were very special. Spiritually satisfying without a doubt, this creative outlet was an artistry life-line and I was grateful.
In college, I spent a lot of time doing theater and loved it. Transitioning away from the stage wasn’t easy and my heart broke when I decided to pursue a non-theater degree. Frankly, I didn’t think I was good enough to do professional theater and, even if I was wrong or feigning humility at that time, I feared I wouldn’t have the guts to make a career out of it anyway. I worked my early finance career and spent 5 or 6 years watching my college friends shine on stage and in film instead.
I hadn't been totally out of the creative community, though. I was crazy lucky to make friendships with other artists who like to dabble on side projects: low time commitment, high reward. That is where I’ve been keeping my skills sharp while not working on official projects. I’ve “dabbled” in any theatrical or artistic avenue that scared me:
- Home acting groups to “geek out” over various acting styles and methods, finding and experimenting with different exercises, experiencing the freedom to “be bad” at things in order to get better.
- Singing 1930s and 1940s music. I was asked to lead with Six Foot Swing for a season and, because I have terrible nerves when it comes to vocal performance, I took lessons from the brilliant Kathleen Cavender to handle my nerves enough to do it afraid.
- Creating the Writer and Actor Collaborative with Emily Hiller and Rie Lee so we can play with and help develop new scripts, finding an audience (which is scary, too!) by dreaming up off-the-wall events (or participating in events like Get Lit! and Terrain).
- Hanging around with 50-Hour Slam filmmakers (Film is my next Everest!), mostly to do PA work and get inspiration for future creative experiments.
- Tons of other random stuff…all with safe and supportive artists (too many to list by name).
The process of learning and exploration for a new role is fascinating. In the decade since college, I’ve been lucky to be in a production every 2 years or so at Spokane Civic Theatre, the former Lake City Playhouse and Spokane Children’s to stay in touch, but I’m now ready for more. My work life is more balanced now and my goals as an artist are to keep dabbling on side projects while trying for larger, more eclectic roles. For example, my most recent was Gretchen in The Modern-Spokane’s Boeing Boeing. Hence, the blonde hair!
I never want to lose sight of how lucky I am. I have great artist friends and we support each other as we develop. I’m nothing without them. And there are hundreds of incredible performers in our region who can fit into any role I might get and do the role amazingly. I am one of a large community of actors and musicians and I want to pour my best work into any project I’m lucky enough to be invited.
My hope is to be a day-professional that works in financial services and a professional artist that performs at night. Ultimately, I want to try everything. If I could look back forty years from now and see myself as one of the most versatile performers in our area, I’ll be elated. Although, I have a feeling the forward thinking I apply to improving my craft, won’t give me a whole lot of time to look back.
In my role with the Modern Theater, I'm privileged with the knowledge of all the upcoming casts for the 2015-16 Season and I'm very excited to announce where Sarah (and all our other wonderful talent) will be fitting into the season. For now, suffice it to say that you WILL be seeing more of her at our theaters and with as active as she is in the local community, don't be surprised if you see plenty more of her on local stages and screens.
Lili in the Golden Hour
There exists a small window of each day in which the sun gives us perfection.
Lili in the Golden Hour
The lower the sun is on the horizon, the longer its rays must travel to reach us. Because those rays pass closer to the earth, their strength is further diminished by the denser air. Those factors give us my favorite time of the day in which to capture beauty, the Golden Hour.
You've met Lili before. She was such a pleasure with which to work, she's was so very comfortable with the work AND, as I've gotten to know her better over time, I've grown to appreciate the freedom she carries with her. I knew that I wanted to work with her again and I had the perfect spot for her.
There's a natural place just south of Spokane that I've gone to on dozens of visits. It's quiet and wild and colorful and has a great view of the sun as it sinks in the west.
That sun takes a long time to leave the land before it disappears. The golds get richer by the minute and the oranges go from a faint tangerine to a rich pumpkin color. When that mix of color is applied to already beautiful skin, the results are stunning.
“Once we are aware that our nudity makes us objects of desire, we become naked.”
― Chloe Thurlow
Once the sun sets, the bright colors quickly disappear and the "Blue Hour" begins, called so for obvious reasons. Softer shades, more diffuse light and a palpable drop in temperature. The same scene, the same look a few minutes on either side of this narrow window yield vastly different images. Nature is like that, no?
To steal and morph a phrase from Heraclitus, "No person stands in the same light twice for it's never the same light and it's never the same person." We change and grow and even if we replicate our steps, we tread those steps with more grace and wisdom than before.
Now, I know that the sun and light are only small factors that make an image pretty. It takes pride and boldness, an open mind and not just a little bit of freedom and bravery. I can't create any of those traits when shooting people. That all has to come from within. It takes a special boldness to truly show yourself to the world.
How many of us wear masks so no one really sees us? How differently do we behave when no one is looking?
“It’s the invention of clothes, not nature, that made “private parts” private.”
― Mokokoma Mokhonoana
A Walk Through the Grass
The secret to happiness is freedom ... and the secret to freedom is courage. - Thucydides
We wear masks. All of us do. In order to keep the social peace, we smile when we're supposed to. We use good manners and we keep ourselves pretty in order to be accepted. Most of the time, when we rebel against social norms, we fall into the familiar, well-used patterns of rebellion because we really don't know any other ways. Our "rebellion" looks just like those of all the other wannabe rebels.
We pretend to like the popular things ... sometimes we convince ourselves that we DO like that cool band or new movie. We don't speak our true minds. We keep ourselves so tight and wrapped up because of all the unspoken rules about how we're supposed to BE when we're in the world. So many things we have to do to conform and be "normal".
I just wondered what a thing it would be...if overnight everything you owe anything to, justice, or love, had really gone away. Free. It would be...heartless terror. Yes. Terrible, and...Very great. To shed your skin, every old skin, one by one and then walk away, unemcumbered, into the morning. - Tony Kushner
Those who do not move, do not notice their chains. ― Rosa Luxemburg
The world I held so closely, she played me like a game, I released and left her laughing to stand on my own two feet. ― Coco J. Ginger
A Trip Through Sprague, Wa
A car, a camera and a few spare hours!
The town has a seasonal creek running through it named "Negro Creek." Much debate has occurred regarding the creek's name but the name remains.
Yeah! An interesting town, for sure.
Hey! Which way do I .... Oh, I see. thanks!
For this trip, I took the GoPro Hero 4 that I've borrowed from the good folks at Huppin's. Using the Hero 4 for the type of photography I do is certainly a stretch. It has great features but I don't think that it was designed for landscapes or cityscapes and stuff. Despite that, I think that I've found an interesting mix of photo taking and processing that ends up with a pretty cool final product. I capture the images at about 14 MB so there's plenty of detail with which to work.
The area around Sprague, Wa has such wonderful views of the horizon. I intend to return again this summer and try a few new things with this camera. The time-lapse and video features will be great tools with which to capture the shifting skies. Stay tuned for that. Even in its basic modes, the expanses captured are impressive.
Hey, Buddy?! Why the long .... Oh, you've heard that one before?
I'm pretty certain that some of these images will end up on my print gallery. I really do like how the nuances of the GoPro seem to add more cool elements than they take away.
And look! I DID return to Sprague!
2016 Lilac City ComiCon
Come for the comics. Stay for the information on eCommerce, order fulfillment and drop shipping!
My disclaimer ... I am not a fan of comics. I like the superhero movies and I used to collect the books when I was younger but I lack the fervor for them that the attendees of the 2016 Lilac City Comicon have. I come to these (and it's only my 2nd such 'con) because I'm a fan of devotees, artists and entrepreneurs that put so much effort and vigor into making this culture fun and vibrant!
Rebecca Cook was here to chat up the super cool web-series of which she's a part. Music of the Spheres, a live-action Virtual Reality series.
Several of my friends and acquaintances either had booths here or participated in the various discussion events. It's always cool to see friends engaged in the furthering of their art and passion!
Karl Schafer, the top guy from Z Nation made a fun announcement during the discussion. He said that in addition to the show still being filmed in Spokane, Season 3 will actually show the characters in Spokane in the show.
Shaun Springer leads a discussion with folks from Z Nation. Russell Hodgkinson (Doc), Karl Schafer (Z Nation Show Runner) and Kevin Cook (Z Nation Gaffer)
My dear friend, Jeremy Whittington, was here showing off both his cool originals and the Fan Art that has his distinct look and feel. Additionally, as he's the creator of all the season artwork for The Modern Theater's 2016-17 Season, he had all those posters displayed and he did a fine job of telling folks about all the upcoming shows.
Jeremy works on a piece of commissioned art for a Comicon patron.
In addition to the artists that I already knew and follow, I found a few new ones that I really liked.
Travis Bundy from Creator's Edge
Antonio J.B. Dela Cruz
Noah Kroese
These guys and their art leapt out at me. In a sea of great comic art and design, their work had a simpleness and cleanliness to it that I found appealing, Noah's especially. I was only able to chat with them for a few minutes but it's cool to see folks get animated when they talk about what they love doing.
Plus, Adam the Woo was there. That was unexpected! He has such cool videos and is a super successful YouTuber!
My inner nerd did make an appearance, after all. It wasn't for all the cosplay girls or cool costumes or characters. It was, oddly enough, in finding out all the different ways that artists are monetizing their work. All of them sold items at the convention. That's expected. What impressed me, though, was all the various ways that they sold their goods online. There are many different ways to do it ... and some of the folks seem to do it quite poorly, but others had their stuff together.
I found a few with sites that handled all the ordering, printing and shipping. All the artists had to do was set up the initial printing and sales parameters and all the rest was handled by a third party. I admit that that's a silly thing to geek out about but it's a topic that near and dear to me because of the changing landscape of photography and how to succeed in that world. A very illuminating day!
Anyways ... I'm a dork! Thank you very much to Nathan OBrien, the Founder of the event, for being such a cool host.
Art and Nature Under I-90
From Division street over to Latah Creek, exists a special part of Spokane. Under I-90!
I have a long gestating project, my Under I-90 project, to which I keep returning. There's a stretch of Spokane that runs from Division St west to Latah Creek and under/along a stretch of Federal highway. In this stretch, I've found a unique ecosystem. Not all good and beautiful, mind you, but a unique space unlike anything else in Spokane.
Yes, there are homeless folks and a bit of squalor but I can't help but see the beauty in all the angles and texture and slivers of light. I took a walk earlier today and I found bits of green that were absent only a few days back. Plus, the crisp skies seemed to make the urban art and their colors POP a bit more.
I won't pretend that a few bits of green will turn the place is a Shangri La. It's still quite the opposite but I do take it as a sign that if man disappeared from the Earth, nature would affix itself in all of the abandoned corners ... and would do quite well for itself. How would we do if nature disappeared from the Earth? I don't think we'd do nearly as well.
I intend to spend more time here in the next few weeks and I'll do my best to highlight the hidden (in plain sight) architectural beauty that is part of this concrete behemoth!
Bing by iPhone
Spokane is lucky to have such a spectacular gem in the heart of its Entertainment District! Every corner of it is stunning!
The Bing Crosby Theater in Spokane, Wa has a spectacular history. Though it’s previous owner allowed it to get run down a bit, the current owner, Jery Dicker, has spared no expense to bring the place back to its full glory. In addition to just upgrading infrastructure, the new team has added so many flourishes of art and color and style. I dare say that The Bing is more glorious now than it has ever been. I’m lucky to have been allowed the chance to visit the place during off hours in order to capture these images.
It seems that you can’t go anywhere in the building without finding a beautiful angle or color or shape. A walk around the exterior of the building will show you plenty of texture and detail of the bygone days. Lamps, stairways and even walls seem to capture light and shed color in return. Oh, and they have concerts, too.
Do yourself a favor. Go to their event page, find a show you’d like to see and arrive early. Take a walking tour of the place and look for more hidden gems.
The Doors and Windows of Railroad Alley
Broken, boarded up, bricked over, replaced and some even still in use! Take a walk along Railroad Alley and you'll see all manner of portals into Spokane's history
Behind, you guessed it, Scratch.
Railroad Alley is actually 2 different alleyways, one north and the other south. It's the northern one that has more access to it, more daily use. The southern one has many areas that are blocked off or are now private areas. That's OK, there is still plenty of territory to cover. With the exception of one block, the portion between Howard and Wall Streets, one has a straight walk from Washington St westward to Adams St.
Along that path, you'll find bits of our mining and logging history in the form of offices and building that formerly housed those offices, stylish new condos and lofts, modernly renovated offices and ones that look as if they're still from the early part of the previous century. You'll also find countless portals that go between the open alleyway and the inside of the buildings
Many of the doors and windows have been replaced yet many seem to be the originals from their era. Many others have been covered in one way or another. Where the paint is chipping, you can see the numerous layers and the different colors attempted over the many years. On the bare brick, the scars of graffiti and its removal ... and RE-vandalism show. How many taggers have "owned" part of the alley at one point or another?
This isn't some quiet back alley, though. It's an active thoroughfare for folks getting from the street to the business to make deliveries and for the many tenants that make their homes in the cool lofts and condos that dot the path.
Every color and texture imaginable is on the walls. Brick, wood, stucco, concrete all have their space in this gallery. Though the newer designs are present, the bulk of the doors and windows harken to older days. There doesn't seem much point in replacing the old ones with newer designs. They're still quite functional and have lasted this long. Thank goodness because, like many things from past eras, they're much more interesting to look at than a solid collection of new steel and glass.
Go on! Go take a walk and what you can see!
Next to Normal at The Bing Crosby Theater
'Next to Normal' is just wrapping up at The Bing Crosby Theater. If you miss this one, you're missing a true gem!
One of our best shows of the years wraps up today (the "our" is The Modern Theater, for whom I work and create images)! We partnered with Coeur d'Alene Summer Theater to present this Pulitzer Prize-winning musical. I've listened to the soundtrack on a number of occasions and while I was always pleased, there was always something lacking. That "lack" was the personal connection of knowing the voices and stories behind the music.
I've known the folks in this cast for a while! I know some of their families, their personal struggles and victories, their stories. Hearing MY people sing these powerful tunes made the music much more deep and meaningful. I mean, the play is all about mental illness and family tragedies ... and how we move past these issues. Heavy stuff and these folks handled the weight of it so very well.
From The Spokesman-Review :
It’s an edgy, occasionally bracing rock opera about one woman’s struggle with bipolar disorder and how her manic episodes send ripples through her household. That description might make the show sound like some kind of postmodern goof – you may wonder how such sensitive material could ever benefit from flashy theatricality – but the Pulitzer Prize-winning show is as stylistically risky as it is emotionally bruising.
This was only the second time that I've shot a full show here. The Bing is an incredible space but it wasn't designed for ease of photography. I had a couple ladders available and, yes, I did monkey-scramble across the chairs a bit. Those armrests aren't always perfectly sturdy.
Using some audio captured by our sound guy, Jesse Worley, we made a short promo video that, I hope, captures the beauty of the cast. you'll hear, in order, Alyssa Day, Daniel McKeever and Cody bray singing bis from their numbers.
Again, Doc Heggem did a fantastic job of not merely lighting the set, but in making the lighting a character in the play. The brilliant ambers, blues and magentas made the story come alive even more! The square footage on the stage is rather minimal so the team designed a multi-level set that fit perfectly and provided ample room in which to perform.
I'll confess that I'd be a horrible set designer ... but I sure know functional beauty when I see it. On my end, it may have been tough to shoot, but it sure provided angles and vistas not normally found in my other theaters.
Next up .... A Bright New Boise!
#Hoopfest2015 from atop The Liberty Building
Spokane's Liberty Building has a front row seat to Hoopfests! I was lucky enough to be allowed on top this year.
I've visited The Liberty Building a couple times before, each time finding more gems held within this treasure. With its prime location at Washington and Main, the building has seen more than its share of Spokane history. Plus, they are in the middle of Hoopfest every year! This year, I was lucky enough to be allowed atop the Liberty Building to get a bird's-eye view of #Hoopfest2015. Escorted by the owner, Shannon Ahern, I went during the peak of the day, with the baking sun directly overhead. On any day, it's one of the best views in town but on this, Day One of Hoopfest, with the games in full swing, there was no better spot in town to catch this special glimpse of Spokane's premiere event!
With 7,000 teams, 3,000 volunteers, 225,000 fans and 450 courts spanning 42 city blocks, it seems that one could see it all from up here. Truly it was the highlight of my day!
Shannon was very kind to enjoy his aerie and I was very grateful to be able to catch this rare glimpse into Spokane and its richness. I hope that you enjoy the view as much as I did.
Next to Normal - Rehearsals
Rehearsals for any show can be a hectic times ... but they're always exciting!
The Modern Theater will be presenting Next to Normal as a co-production with Coeur d'Alene Summer Theatre in just a couple weeks! Tonight, I got to visit their rehearsal space and capture the images that I'll be using for their character portraits. Naturally, as I always do, I managed to create a number of extras.
I appear in one or two shows a year. I do well enough that I'm not booed offstage and I always have fun performing ... but I wouldn't call me an "actor" and certainly not a professional. These folks, most of whom are far younger than me, are champs and all seem to have more experience than I do. So much hard work and dedication, so many years getting to this point and so many hours creating the character they plan to portray onstage. They've got a lot of work to do in a compressed time period but a good stage manager will keep a brisk pace at each rehearsal. These folks are up to the task.
I've listened to the soundtrack for 'Next to Normal' numerous times and I certainly enjoy its beauty and the depth of its topic but when I heard the songs sung by those that I know, love and respect, my appreciation for the both music and my friends increased tremendously. Though an already fantastic soundtrack, hearing it performed by folks that I know and respect gives it an entirely new level of wonder.
There are just two more weeks of rehearsal. LOTS of work to do in a short amount of time but, as these folks have done many times before, they're gonna create something magical!
Nuclear Waste - Shooting Day or, For Your Consideration ...
Behind the Scenes of the Behind the Scenes work for this really cool short film!
Shooting day for 'Nuclear Waste' from JJH Productions went along perfectly! More rehearsals and run-throughs and more opportunities to fix small weaknesses and strengthen the choreography of the shoot.
I'm very glad that Jesse James brought me along as I hadn't worked on this type of project before. Many of the elements were familiar to me but the tight timeframe of the project AND the longer term social media needs were a different kind of mix. In my many theater projects, we have a longer time period in which to capture imagery but my focus was a bit different here.
In brief, my goal was to capture as much imagery of the shoot as possible (imagery that doesn't give away too many details) and to get those images in into the Social Media (SM) stream as quickly as possible and in high enough quality as possible.
The plan that I went with was pretty simple but it worked out well. Research the organizers, competitors and Nuclear Waste team members and find out the SM platforms that they use, find other participants, capture loads of imagery on scene with the iPhone, post a few as we go through the day, tag as many folks as possible, edit the best of the images and schedule them out onto the various SM platforms throughout the following days and weeks. Additionally, a few of the short films I created on-scene will be sent to the event organizers to give them a look at what went into the making of the film. Here's a super quick look at some of it!
I won't go into boring detail about all the apps and bits of software that I use (various Google stuff, Snapseed. Lightroom, DropBox to name a few) but it can get to be an involved process.
While I'm certainly having fun doing all this, it's an important piece of the creative puzzle. A film, a play or a piece of art that doesn't get scene may still be wonderful but there will be no one to appreciate all the effort and creativity that go into the creation of it. The world is littered with artwork and events that never see the light of the public's eye because no effort is made to broadcast that art. The fact that we're trying to attract attention for all this effort doesn't make the art less valuable. It just increases the odds that the event's judges see the build-up to the work and have a positive mental association with it all.
The Geometry of Snow
The Geometry of Snow
We live in a beautiful portion of the country. From any part of Spokane, you're just a few minutes in any direction to being in the wilderness, the prairie or the rolling farmlands. Mountain streams and the hidden valleys abound. With this heavy snow, even a walk through the South Hill becomes an escape into nature.
The Wild Party - Character Portraits
Directed by Troy Nickerson, Andrew Lippa's 'The Wild Party' was the wildest thing to hit Spokane in a long, long time!
I normally wait until after a show has finished its run before I post the images on my site ... but this show is so awesome, I couldn't wait. The Wild Party was the coolest thing that I've seen come through Spokane in quite a while. Based on a book-length poem by Joseph Moncure March, the story of the musical comes directly off the page and onto the stage. We shot these images at The Baby Bar, the same place I shot the cool Halloween images for their staff. It's a great location (and a great bar) that suited our needs perfectly; dark, a bit well-worn and the rich, red was perfect. Our idea was to capture the cast of characters as they'd be on an evening on the town.
How'd we do?
Plus a few other promo images we created...
Halloween at The Baby Bar
Halloween at The Baby Bar - 2015
You may have noticed that it's getting quite Halloween-ish around town. My friend, Dan Anderson, asked me to help capture the ghoulish faces of the Baby Bar staff for their Halloween season festivities. He liked the work that I did for he and his mates in Glengarry Glen Ross a few months back and I was flattered that he called on me to help with this project.
He did an awesome job of gathering all the parts needed: hair, make-up, subjects .... all the legwork needed to make a shoot like this go smoothly. Smoothest shoot ever. Fun, too. I think I mentioned all the artists in each picture but to be sure, a shout out to Nirvana Marie, Amy Calkins from Wild Angel FX Make-UP, Dani Wiyrich from Thunder Kiss Makeup and Art, and Elizabeth from Strata Salon Spokane for their excellent artistry.
All these images are up on the walls of the Baby Bar through October. Go see them in all their gory glory!
The Trade Winds Motel
What was once an ultra-cool travel lodge is now, well ..... a sh#thole!
From the Spokesman-Review:
Once a fashionable motel, built when the country loved Tiki-style architecture, the Trade Winds in recent years became a rent-by-the-month apartment complex for Spokane’s hard-luck crowd.
Well, yes. It has become, how should I say this ...... a shithole ..... but it's a shithole with amazing textures and colors to it. In a different world, it should be brought back to its motor-lodge glory and made a hub of hipster coolness. I suspect that's not going to happen, though. Too many strikes against it. Shame. It's cool to look at so I'll enjoy it while I can.
Break Dancers at Huntington Park
With the chill in the air, Summer is but a memory. But what a fine memory!
The Little Captains
Another Hoopfest image that I'll treasure. Team Miami Baller, keeping the streets ..... and 'Merica, free!
