Axel Strakeljahn: Port Commissioner Candidate

  I've always been interested in politics, and having befriended a few candidates in the local elections, it was high time that I photograph a political event.  Because it was held inside, it required some prep on my part. The morning of the event, I took a ferry to Seattle, where I visited Glazer's Camera Shop for the first time, and rented a Canon f/2.8 24-70mm lens. I could get lost in there. Did you know it's actually two locations? There's a rental side (where I rented the lens) and a store location, where I bought my new camera bag!

Of course, my mom and I took the ferry back, too, which naturally, meant a lot of seagulls! What better way to test out the rented lens?

Whale Watching!

I bet you thought I disappeared, huh?  I kinda fell off the face of the earth after my trip to North Dakota, and just realized that I never posted my photography from my camping trip up at the northern border!

Without further ado, here they are!

Before leaving, we all met at Purdy, near Bridgeway Market.

Rob McKenna for Governor! (And Axel Strakeljahn for Port Commissioner)

On Wednesday, I attended an invite only party, in honor of Rob McKenna entering the governor's race.
It was amazing! I made a lot of connections with many different people, got to meet Rob McKenna, and also met Axel Strakeljahn. I enjoyed delicious catering by Essence of Thyme, and explored Cedar Cove Inn, the lovely bed and breakfast where the fundraiser was held. If you're ever looking for a place to stay in Port Orchard, I highly recommend checking them out!

North Dakota! :D

I love North Dakota. A lot.
It's definitely my favorite state, and not just because I have a ton of relatives there. 
To start with, I love the restaurants. I love The Woodhouse, which has "frenchies." For all you curious Washingtonians, a frenchie is a deep-fried, grilled cheese sandwich. The cheese melts in your mouth, along with the bread. It's absolutely delicious. In addition, the Woodhouse has the BEST onion rings you will ever taste in your entire life. They're perfectly deep-fried in a house batter that is simply AMAZING. 
I love Taco Johns, which is the equivalent of a Taco Time, here on the west coast. It's odd, because we have more Mexicans here, but nobody does Mexican like Taco Johns.
Finally, I love A&B Pizza. It's like Chuckie Cheese's, except with totally scrumptious thin-crust pizza. The flavor is awesome!
Unfortunately, since I have no pictures of food (I ate it too quickly), I shall present you with other photography, demonstrating most of the other reasons I adore North Dakota and its populace.

On the way to my mom's farm, we passed many hay bales. I just had to take a picture of this one, with the hawk relaxing on top.

Kitsap Saddle Club: Part III!

By 1am last night, I was too tired to think of captions, and my dad needed the bandwidth more than I did. I still got them all edited and posted to Facebook, but here goes! Prepare for the final twenty-six images!

Sidepass down the L...

WEDDING: Aidan&Alexis

My laptop finally came back to me this morning, and I've gotten straight to work.  KSC images come first, but I couldn't resist at least posting a teaser from the wedding I shot over the weekend. I've known the couple from church for a long time now. I'm so excited to see them begin their new life together!

After the reception ended, I took the bride and groom for a few shots of them together.

Arrival...

My laptop comes back tomorrow! :D

Look forward to pictures from:
 - Kitsap Saddle Club
 - Whale Watching and Camping
 - CGYG Slip n' Slide
 - Aidan and Lexi Seamon's wedding reception!

Check back often... images will come quickly!

Stuck

   Without my computer, I am stuck. My laptop is returning Tuesday, according to an e-mail received from Toshiba earlier tonight. Between the time I sent in my laptop and Tuesday, I've shot at youth group, at a slip n' slide party, at whale watching, a camping trip, and numerous beaches. Sunday, I get to shoot a wedding reception! How exciting!
Unfortunately, that means that as soon as I get my computer back up and running on Tuesday, I'm going to be slaving away on Photoshop. I'll start by posting the final installment of shots from the Kitsap Saddle Club show, and continue posting in chronological order from there.
Look out, watchers, more photography will be posted soon!

Kitsap Saddle Club: Part II

Continuing from yesterday's post, I'm trying to add the last of my photography from yesterday. You'll have to forgive me if I don't quite get everything uploaded tonight-- a camping trip is in store for the next few days, and my computer is having some work done while I'm gone. Don't worry though, your images will be posted as soon as possible. :)

Back it up!

Kitsap Saddle Club! :D

This afternoon, after I hung out with Cisco at my barn, I headed up to Kitsap Saddle Club in downtown Port Orchard. Unfortunately, I got out of the house late (blame the chick I had to hand-feed), so I only arrived in time for the trail classes and gaming. That didn't stop me from having a blast, and getting a ton of awesome shots! I look forward to working with them again in the future!
Note to KSC members, or photography subjects: If you would like a picture removed, a print, or a CD of multiple pictures for prints, please e-mail/call me, or leave a comment!

I loved the way her shirt perfectly matched her horse's wraps.

Portrait: Emily!

Emily is my neighbor. She is also one of my best friends, my barn buddy, and now, my model.

She's 12 years old, and she agreed to every pose I asked of her. She's a great Christian, and she sends wonderful updates on the barn when I'm out of commission from having wisdom teeth pulled.

Murder Mystery Weekend! Part VII. Seagulls!

Somehow, I forgot to add these HDR shots in earlier, so I'm doing it now. :)

Murder Mystery Weekend! Part VI. Seagull Calling!

After a few weeks, I've rolled out the final installment in the Seagull Calling Contest. :)  It's broken into two parts, the seagull callers, and the gulls themselves.  This post also includes B.O.O.M Pirates as they shoot off cannons and hand pistols!

Lovely Days.

Yesterday and today, I've enjoyed the lovely outdoors. It's been so beautiful!

Mary Bar B.... a glowing Quarter Horse at my barn.

Murder Mystery Weekend! Part V.

The fifth installment of the series contains images from the Wings Contest portion of the weekend. My dad, Barry Doll, was one of the judges.  This competition was broken into two portions, amateur and professional.

Pow-wow before chow. 

Chowing down on the first wings!

Murder Mystery Weekend! Part IV.

To help you solve the mystery, a coroner's report explained the cause of death, the circumstances surrounding it, and the suspects. A skit was acted out in the aisles of booths, as well.

A rowdy song, heralded by the B.O.O.M. pirates.

Murder Mystery Weekend! Part II.

Part II... This begins day two, although I still have some from Day 1 as well.

1. I was lucky enough to have spare time on my hands at low tide, so I wandered out on the beach and caught a seagull attempting to catch a crab.

2. this police boat was speeding along.  I later saw it towing in a smaller vessel, which appeared to have run out of gas.

Murder Mystery Weekend! Part III: Dinghy Derby Race!

   In addition to hunting for clues, the town holds a "Dinghy Derby Race," broken into corporate and amateur divisions.  

This is J.B. the Elf, and his shoe dinghy.  His group races around the Sound, raising funds for the Arthritis Foundation.  This particular Dinghy was sponsored by Barry Doll Agency, of American Family Insurance.

Murder Mystery Weekend! Part I.

   I spent this weekend hanging out in downtown Port Orchard, where my small town planned a mystery, with townspeople as detectives.  A pirate captain had escaped from jail, where she was being held for last year's murder.  Upon her escape, a search party was created, and her dead body was found soon after. We were tasked with solving this crime.

1. The crime scenes were well thought out, and nearly all the local businesses participated.  This was a crime scene in the Puget Sound Wine Cellar....