Category Archives: personal

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Vacation Pics Part One: Dorset

December 2, 2008 – 1:54 pm

I’m finally getting around to sorting through my vacation photos - I actually didn’t use my camera much, as I wanted to take a really good break from work and everything related, but I couldn’t resist taking a few pics of some of my favorite places in the world.

After London, I headed west to Dorset where I grew up.  I spent five wonderful days staying with my best Dorset buddies Alex and Jems, gorging myself on traditional British food (yay bacon butties! Yay Eccles cakes!  Yay cottage pie and stew!) and feasting my eyes on the hills and valleys and cows and sheep that are pretty much the only things I miss about England apart from my people.

Anyway, on a hungover and grizzly Saturday afternoon, I headed out for a hilltop walk on Bulbarrow with my best friends in the world, and sheep-a-plenty.  These photos make me smile …

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By Kate | Comments (3)

Hello, Strangers …

November 28, 2008 – 7:00 pm

I’m back!  I’ve been back from Europe for two long, sleepy days, in fact, but what with Thanksgiving and jet-lag I’ve been out of the office.  Don’t worry, I’ll be officially back to work on Monday, but I figured I should let you all know that I’m alive and kicking, and gearing up to post lots of vacation snaps over the next week or two.  Yay!

In the meantime, here’s a gorgeous sunset from my last night in Exmouth, Devon, where Josh and I spent a few days with my parents.  See you soon …

© 2008 Kate McElwee Photography

By Kate | Comments (2)

Branches

May 20, 2008 – 10:52 pm

I’m on a mission to post at least one non-work photo each week. It’s good for the soul! Taken at Golden Gardens on Saturday, while Katie and Bobby were parking.

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Merry Christmas … and happy new photoboothing!

December 26, 2007 – 4:01 pm

I hope you are all enjoying the holiday season. I can’t believe that we even had some snow yesterday here in Seattle - what a treat! Christmas day started out very quiet for the McElwee household, just the three of us (Josh, Porter our black lab, and me) opening presents, phoning family and listening to Christmas music. In the afternoon we headed over to Ravenna to join our Seattle family (a.k.a. our closest friends) for Christmas dinner, games, drinks-a-plenty and much merriment. Wayne cooked up the most amazing ham I’ve ever had in my life (he bought it at A&J Meats on Queen Anne) and I spent most of the evening in a post-piggy food-coma. But I had a special task to do - trialling the photobooth I’ll be using at my next two weddings.

The photos below were all taken in Wayne & Stacey’s basement, with just a black backdrop and a couple of studio lights with umbrellas. It’s a set-up which is quick and easy for weddings and parties, and I’m really excited to be using it for the first time at Kathy Jo & Matt’s wedding this coming Saturday in Everett, and KerryAnn and Kevin’s New Year wedding! As you can see, a few merry people and a willing photographer (or photographer’s assistant) can result in some very fun pictures. I’ll be offering this to all of my 2008 wedding couples where time and space allow. Let me know if you’re interested!

Forrest holding his brother Rod’s baby girl Willow

Rod and baby Willow

Michelle and Jen giggling into their wine

Wayne and Stacey, our fantastic hosts

My husband Josh (about to be attacked by Wayne)

The boys - two Jehliks and a McElwee

By Kate McElwee | Also posted in fun, news, photobooth, portraits | Comments (0)

Shooting Wide, Down South

August 22, 2007 – 1:39 pm

In the middle of a crazy busy summer, my whole family went down to Mount St Helen’s and Portland to celebrate my dad’s 60th birthday. We got super-lucky with the weather (there were severe downpours, but only while we were driving) and the area surrounding the mountain looked especially dramatic thanks to the moody storm clouds.

I used the trip to play with my newest lens - a very generous gift from my parents - and I am totally in love! It’s definitely not a boudoir lens, but it will be great fun to use at wedding receptions. Introducing the Sigma super-wide 10-20mm!

By Kate McElwee | Also posted in equipment | Comments (1)

Teeny Tiny Baby Cian

July 31, 2007 – 12:02 pm

Our good friends Tev and Riona have just had a baby boy, little Cian (pronounced KEY-an) - and on Sunday I got to meet him for the first time! He came a whole month early, and is still barely back to his birth weight of 6lbs, so I was too nervous to hold him … but I did get to take some photos. I can’t wait to go over soon with some lighting equipment and do my first proper baby portraiture session with him!

By Kate McElwee | Also posted in babies & kids, portraits | Comments (1)

Mini Vacation

July 19, 2007 – 3:49 pm

Well, I managed to get all of the boudoir girls’ photo CDs out in the mail to them nearly a week before they were due, so I rewarded myself with a mini vacation in Cannon Beach, Oregon. Josh and I took our puppy, Porter, and hung out at a beach-front apartment for a couple of days with his family and two of their friends. It was so nice to be able to just relax, play on the beach with the puppy, and even swim in the chilly northwest ocean! I took a few ‘just for fun’ photos too - and figured I should share them here. So here’s my take on a moody, unsettled, but always beautiful Oregon coast in July.

By Kate McElwee | Also posted in fun | Comments (1)

New Lens, New Color

May 12, 2007 – 9:21 am

We have an exciting new addition to the McElwee family - my new 70-200mm f/2.8 lens! It’s pretty much the best portrait lens made by anyone, anywhere, and it wears a hefty price tag. But it really is beautiful - and totally worth the price. Here are some sample shots from its first outings to Golden Gardens and Gasworks Park (as you can see it can do much more than just take nice portraits!) I also thought it was time for a little color after the last two black and white posts.

By Kate McElwee | Also posted in equipment, seattle | Comments (0)

I’m Exhibiting!

May 11, 2007 – 3:03 pm

I’m currently exhibiting three pieces from a series of 11 self-portraits at Gene Juarez, downtown Seattle. They’re black and white fiber prints, and it’s really nice that after putting in so much work they’re out there for the world to see (naked butt and all, might I add!)

The idea behind the series was to explore a woman’s time on her own - and the various moods and states that she finds herself in. I also wanted to utilize the idea of creating art through obstructions (the idea came from the movie The Five Obstructions by Lars von Trier and Jorgen Leth - which I highly recommend as a piece of art and humorous documentary rather than a straightforward movie). My five obstructions were: (1) use all manual settings; (2) obtain no help from outside (for example with focusing); (3) use only a 50mm lens; (4) shoot indoors; (5) use natural light.

Anyway, here are the three images currently on display:

By Kate McElwee | Also posted in fine art, news | Comments (1)