Snaps and Frames

I took a Sunday drive with two photographer friends of mine today and these are the snaps I found along the way. In my job as a newspaper photojournalist, I don’t get to experiment with black and white photography much. The day was gray and foggy, so the conversion to B+W seemed natural. I spent the first half of my career shooting Tri-X film and printing my photos in a darkroom. I sometimes miss those days–except for the smell of fixer on my hands and clothes.  All teses photos were shot with my new Nikon D4 and a selection of  Nikkor Lenses (24-120mm f/4, 300mm f/4, and a 60mm macro.)

I’ve been hooked on shooting fall color lately. Spokane is beautiful this time of year. I sometimes have to remind myself to slow down and appreciate the palette of colors fall brings each year. Photos Colin Mulvany/©The Spokesman-Review

American cranberry bush

Elm tree, Cannon Hill Park

        Embedded Maple leaf, Spokane, Wash.

           Wilted Zinnia bloom, Spokane Wash.

I was shooting a photo assignment in Riverfront Park Friday and looked up and saw this pattern in the Rotary Fountain. Not sure why I like this photo, but I do. The raw file was flat and uninteresting, but when I jacked the shadow slider in Photoshop’s levels to the right, this wonderful blue sky popped out. Nikon D3s Nikkor 24-120mm f/4 Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review

At the Spokane Falls Northwest Indian Pow Wow Friday in Riverfront Park, I spotted Colville Tribe member Tarah Loer,16, preparing for the grand entry. The car interior was dark and the background was backlit, so I used that to my advantage. I shot the photo wide-open with my 85 mm f/1.4 lens, which softened the background and isolated the my subject. I like the mix of warm and cool light and the intimacy the moment holds. Nikon D 700.

Coming home from a brush fire on Upriver Drive Friday evening, I spotted this huddle of goslings along the Spokane River.  It was just too cute to pass up. As I approached, the sun popped through a seam in the clouds for just a few seconds. All the other snaps I took under cloud cover had flat cool light, which killed the cuteness.  Nikon D3s, Nikkor 300 mm f/4

Goslings huddle along the Spokane River Friday, May 25, 2012, in Spokane, Wash. Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review.

I was told the all-day track and field meet would last until 4 p.m. When I arrived at the field at 1:30 p.m., I found the 16oo-meter relays were the only events remaining for the  meet. Yikes. Pressure was on to come up with a sport’s page cover from one event. I shot the baton handoffs, but this shot of the winners hugging was my favorite. Nikon D3s, Nikkor 300mm f/4

Members of the Community Colleges of Spokane woman's 1600-meter relay team, left to right Shayle Dezellem, Mikel Elliott, and Jessika Hardgrove celebrate their first place win at the NWAACC track and field championships held Tuesday, May 22, 2012 at Spokane Falls Community College. Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review

I was eating dinner  tonight at my house when I began to hear sirens a few blocks a way.  I checked my phone’s twitter feed and found that the Spokane Fire Dept had posted a tweet that a “Major Incident” had happened close by. When I arrived on the scene,  a crushed upside down motorcycle was in the intersection and paramedics were helping the rider who had been hit by a car. I shot the scene and was about to head home when I spotted these two officers looking at the wreck. I love the body language, which makes the picture far more interesting than the dozens of other accident photos I’ve taken in my career.

Spokane Police Department officers Chris Conrath, left and Micah Prim investigate a car verses motorcycle accident in the intersection of 21st Avenue and Lincoln Street Monday evening. A car driven by a man heading westbound on 21st struck the motorcycle that was headed southbound on Lincoln. The motorcyclist was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review

I love it when I’m on an assignment for one thing and I find a moment that I can be used as a stand-alone feature picture for the newspaper. I was at the Civic Theatre to shoot some preview photos for an upcoming play. As I waited for the actors to get ready, I spotted Tristan Conrad in his gator man costume sitting in the theater seats reading his cellphone. Turned out he could only see the screen through the nostrils of the mask.  He was reading “Lord of the Rings” and said he was trying to get used to wearing the gator head.  I think what drew me to take this photo was just the weirdness of the moment.

During a break dress rehearsal for of the Spokane Civic Theatre production of "Duck Hunter Shoots Angel" Tristan Conrad reads Lord of the Ring through the nostrils of his gator man costume. Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review

I think people who observed me this morning chasing the falling leaves with my camera must have thought I was crazy. Photographing  a leaf as it floats to the ground is not easy as it looks. It comes down to luck, and in this case about a hundred bad and blurry frames to get this one snap. Nikon D700, Nikkor 24-120mm f/4, Nikon SB-800 strobe 

A maple leaf floats to the ground ending its life cycle for the season Oct. 26, 2011, on the South Hill in Spokane, Wash. Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review

I was  having a conversation with my photo editor in her office when I looked out window and saw the crosses of  the Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes in Spokane, Wash. lit up with the last of the evening sunlight. I exposed for the golden light on the crosses, which made everything else go dark. Nikon D200 Nikkor 24-120mm f/4 lens 

The fading evening sunlight kisses the crosses on Our Lady of Lourdes in Spokane, Wash. Monday, Oct. 24, 2011. Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review