In February, I documented the General Administration Building on the Capitol Campus in Olympia with my 4×5 view camera. The negatives and proof prints have now been approved for inclusion in the Historic American Building Survey (HABS), part of the … Read More
I recently photographed the State General Administration Building in Olympia, on the Capital Campus, to the standards of the Historic American Building Survey. To meet those standards, I used a 4×5 view camera with sheet film. This is part of … Read More
This beautiful harpsichord was made by Carl Fudge of Boston. He asked me to do this photography when it was back in his shop for a tune-up. This was in 1975 or 1976. I came out to his studio with … Read More
This fall, I had the opportunity to document the Newhalem Creek Hydro Project in the upper Skagit Valley. Completed in 1921, this was the first hydro-electric project on the Skagit river, and it provided power for the construction of the … Read More
I recently finished a book for the Hayashida family of Bainbridge Island, Washington, about their old family farmhouse on High School Road NE. The house will continue with new owners, who have renovated it. Some members of the Hayashida clan … Read More
Here I am using a 19th Century technology with my 21st Century digital camera: the dark cloth. When I do careful adjustments to my digital camera, while using a tilt-shift lens for perspective correction, I put on my close-up glasses … Read More
The original Tyee High School in SeaTac, part of the Highline School District, is being replaced with a new building. I am part of the team put together by BOLA Architecture + Planning to document the old building. Our documentation … Read More
I’m selling a friend’s Explorer 8×10 view camera, by R H Phillips. It is designed to be lightweight, and fold into a compact package. But still, compared to the 4×5 inch camera I’m used to, everything is big. The film … Read More
My photos of Crane 30 at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard have been approved for public distribution by the Navy. These 4×5 negatives are intended for the Historic American Engineering Record at the Library of Congress. Dating from 1933, it … Read More
The documentation of the Wayne Apartments in Belltown, Seattle has been completed by BOLA Architecture & Planning. My large format negatives are going with a detailed report by David Peterson and copies of historic plans to the Historic American Building … Read More
The combination of COVID-19 precautions and forest fire smoke really limited my photo projects earlier in September, but now things are looking better. Local architectural documentation projects are now possible, especially outdoor work and empty buildings. I am not doing … Read More
This duplex was one of the Junior Officer’s Quarters built just before WWII at the Sitka Naval Operating Base on Japonski Island, Sitka, Alaska. After the war, the military transferred the base to the Bureau of Indian Affairs. In 1954, … Read More
I had the fun opportunity to do some careful interior photographs for a new “Airbnb” that is available on the north shore of Lake Union in Seattle. The unit is nicely furnished with mid century modern designs, and the styling … Read More
My photographs of the Mission San Antonio de Valero (the Alamo) in Texas are now available from the Library of Congress, as part of the Historic American Building Survey. I was honored to be the photographer in 2016 to supplement … Read More
I’m always pleased to document historic buildings that are going to be stabilized and restored, rather than demolished. Working in 2009 for BOLA Architecture and Planning, I did the top “before” photograph of two fancy automobile showrooms in Seattle that … Read More
While finishing up my documentation of the Alamo for the Historic American Buildings Survey, I had the chance to correspond with Mary McPartland, PhD, the Collections Manager of the Heritage Documentation Programs of the National Park Service. She is the … Read More
In May of 2016, I spent 6 days photographing the Mission San Antonio de Valero (The Alamo) for the State of Texas. My 4×5 film negatives and proof prints will be submitted to the Library of Congress Historic American Building … Read More
The Online Catalog of the Library of Congress now lists the documentation for this 1910 Union Pacific Railroad Bridge that was near Sunnyside, Washington in the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER). I did the view camera photography for this project … Read More
HABS/HAER documentation projects still need to be photographed with large format film, but the National Park Service has made a step towards digital methods. (The formal name of this method of documentation is Historic American Building Survey/Historic American Engineering Record/Historic … Read More
The Library of Congress has included my photo documentation of Boeing Plant 2 in the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER). The photography is located under “HAER WA 189”. This huge building, which was between Boeing Field and the Duwamish River, … Read More
Here are two photos of the same building, the old Federal Reserve Bank in Seattle, taken from almost the same place. The top photo, by Greg Gilbert of the Seattle Times, was taken from a point a little bit closer … Read More