The Outlet: a photoblog by Ingrid Barrentine

NW Guardian BOP Ceremonies

2010-03-29T14:37:00.000-07:00

NW Guardian BOP Features

2010-03-29T13:57:00.000-07:00

Here are some favorite "feature" photos from assignments here on JBLM.

In addition to working full-time, I've nearly completed my undergraduate studies at the University of Washington Tacoma. I walk in June.

NW Guardian BOP Sports

2010-03-29T13:08:00.000-07:00

Last September, I started working as a full-time photojournalist at the Joint Base Lewis-McChord publication, the Northwest Guardian.

Not a great excuse for the lack of posts, but it is the only one I've got.

I will try to catch this blog up with some of my favorite images from the new job.

Below are some from the many sports assignments I've covered:

Seahawks vs. Cardinals

2009-10-23T18:06:00.000-07:00

Shot my first NFL game on Sunday and was pleased with the photos but not the final outcome. Unfortunately for Seattle fans, the Seahawks are not having a stellar season. For me, the best part of the game was being able to use a 500 f4 for the very first time and getting to see my nephew be the tee-hawk (see first photo).

first football game of the year...

2009-10-11T09:43:00.000-07:00

...and I'm rusty.

Kate & Christopher

2009-08-21T08:50:00.001-07:00

Good night

2009-07-30T18:00:00.000-07:00

I'm thinking of signing off for good, so I'll say "good night" for now and see what the future brings. This blog may awake from slumber, it may not.

Time will tell.

New Life, New Camera

2009-06-18T22:37:00.000-07:00

Kickin' Legs

2009-05-30T23:53:00.000-07:00

Eight hours of shooting track & field and soccer in the blistering heat leaves one feeling a bit discombobulated.

But its done and here are some of my favorite images:

Buzz Cuts For Cancer

2009-05-15T16:41:00.000-07:00

I had a great time today at the Cedar Hills Landfill where I photographed and wrote about several welders, truck drivers, and shop mechanics who host an annual BBQ to raise money for Relay For Life by shaving their heads.

The whole thing started five years ago when one of the automotive machinists lost his father to cancer. Since then, the team's raised several thousand dollars to go to cancer research.

Here are some fun pics!

Mexico

2009-05-05T21:13:00.000-07:00

I took a break from photography, school and work to vacation in Mexico last week.

No, I did not catch the Swine Flu. Yes, I had a blast.

Here are some pictures from various point and shoot cameras.

More train-ing and other news

2009-04-14T21:08:00.000-07:00

I spent some more time on The Sounder today with a new, smaller camera Joe borrowed from work. The Canon G10 is a rough and tumble point-and-shoot camera that reminds me of my dad's old Rollie film camera. He used to take that thing everywhere - it was an amazing "toy."

The sun came out in time for the M's home opener - and of course, my ride home from work.

I recently found out that I was the recipient of the EPA's NNEMS Fellowship and will be going to work for them (in Seattle) starting in June. It is weird how opportunities come lumped together - especially when it seemed it had been such a long time between them. I'm excited about the future and must remind myself that I'm living a surreal dream. They are going to have me working on multimedia and shooting photos for their website. Something tells me I'm going to like that.

Tracks that equal progress

2009-04-02T22:21:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in a while because I got a job where I'm not working as much with a camera. This isn't a bad thing since I'm actually getting paid a decent wage to gather content for a quarterly newsletter at King County's Solid Waste Division. I shoot images for it too. So in many ways, this new job is developing skills in me that I can hopefully use to secure a job after I graduate.

One of the best perks of this job is the Flexpass I get to ride anywhere Pierce, King or Sound Transit operates. This benefit combined with the fact that I don't own a car has proven to be invaluable as I daily ride the train to and from work. (this equals a $10 per day savings)

I was feeling artsy on my home tonight and made some images from my seat on the train.

Enjoy!

The Goat Lady

2009-03-19T07:35:00.000-07:00

Rhonda Gothberg is a dairy goat farmer.

With 40 goats, and more on the way, she keeps herself busy from the hours before sunrise until the last chore is done and she can go to bed.

Gothberg owns and operates Gothberg Farm, which sits on 40 acres of pristine Skagit Valley farmland. In addition to milking, feeding, and taking care of her goats - Rhonda is an artesan cheesemaker . You can read all about her on her website: www.gothbergfarms.com

I had the pleasure of meeting Gothberg while on a recent assignment to her farm.

My favorite images of her follow:

Black and white

2009-03-15T01:30:00.000-07:00

I made a lot of images today - and this was by far my favorite.

Off the court

2009-03-11T16:40:00.000-07:00

I've spent quite a lot of time at the T-dome these past two weeks shooting state high school basketball tournaments. I sometimes find myself so caught up with trying to capture peak action on the court that I overlook the more subtle moments off the court. At the start of this tournament, I challenged myself to find and capture those images that I sometimes miss. Here are some of my favorites -

From the back row

2009-03-07T20:27:00.000-08:00

Ever since I became a student at the University of Washington in Tacoma, I've wanted to take advantage of the cheap student tickets to sporting events. The hoopla, team apparel, beer breath and voices hoarse from cheering and yelling do something to a person's psyche that's hard to explain.

As a photojournalist, I've been assigned to shoot many college basketball games and always enjoy bypassing crowds of people to take my front row seat on the court. This shooting position lends itself to nice, (mostly) unobstructed views of the action. It also happens to be known among fellow photojournalists as, "the best seat in the house." (You can see what I'm talking about below)

Today, I decided to marry my two interests and BUY a ($5) student ticket to a sold out UW-WSU season finale game and shoot the entire game from the position of my seat no matter where it ended up. As I walked into Hec Ed arena with ticket in hand, I started to realize my lot was not going to be so lucky. Yep - you guessed it, I had a ticket to "the worst seat in the house" in the very back row. (See photo below)
As I waited for the game to start, I contemplating giving up on my "self assignment" in favor of something better. I watched as other photographers took their customary seats on the floor and felt a twinge of envy creep upon me. Since I work for the UWT school paper, I could have just asked the SID for a pass. But then, the challenge and experience wouldn't be the same.

As I started playing around with my 300mm 2.8 lens and my Nikon D300, I realized I could probably pull a couple images out of the position after all. The elevation of my seat gave me more available light to work with and allowed me to shoot at 1000 iso at f2.8 at 1000th of a second.

The game started with all the gusto you'd expect for the final game of the year. After about five minutes, I found myself standing on my seat, leaning against the back wall of the arena with the 300mm and thousands of fans. Besides the near Coug/Husky brawl, the experience was everything I'd been expecting and more. The game was fantastic - of course, the Huskies won (and are Pac 10 champs). And I'm pretty happy with the images I got.

All but the last one, were made from my seat in the back row.

Pretties

2009-03-06T17:59:00.000-08:00

Lately, I've been exhausted.

I've experienced a complete drain on my brain's creativity department and have overbooked every area of my life. When I first started this blog, I remember finding inspiration in photographing the little things we often overlook. Today, while waiting for a person to show up to an interview I was conducting at Wright Park, I made a couple images in the Seymour Conservatory that seemed to once again jump start my photo side.

I call them "pretties."

Pretty Light

2009-03-04T21:59:00.000-08:00

I'm a sucker for pretty light. Which should come as no surprise since basically all photographers are. I was covering the state 4A basketball championships at the Tacoma Dome (yes, back there again) and noticed an interesting scene as I walked out the back entrance that's usually reserved for bands, teams, and the media. I turned around and saw the illuminated flag against the nice, blue evening sky and make this picture.

Introducing...

2009-02-24T20:45:00.000-08:00

www.ingridbarrentine.com

I've redesigned my website and invite you to drop by and check it out:

Any feedback would be appreciated as I'm always looking for ways to improve it.

Mat Classic

2009-02-22T12:12:00.000-08:00

I spent the weekend covering the annual state wrestling championships at the Tacoma Dome. Mat Classic XXI was filled with good moments, sweaty ill-fitting unitards, and a lot of fun.

Enjoy!

My home

2009-02-17T21:20:00.000-08:00

I love the Yakima Canyon more than any other place on Earth.

I didn't realize it until recently, but I find myself at home on its scabby, sage-covered, basalt hills. For nearly five years, I lived in the Canyon near Rosa Dam. I spent many hours climbing the trail less hills around my home.

Joe took me hiking there on Valentine's Day. Despite frigid winds and threatening skies, we made the 1200 ft ascent from S.R. 820 to the peaks above the dam and found ourselves overlooking a bend in the Yakima River.

It was beautiful.

The Olympics

2009-02-17T21:10:00.001-08:00

I spent some time in a rain forest last week trying to find the subtler signs of life. I often spend my time in National Parks searching for photographs of places and things and forget to capture natural moments. The first image is not natural - but it shows just how much life sustaining rain falls on the southern tip of Olympic National Park. In case you can't read the "rain gauge," the record stands somewhere around 17 feet of precipitation.

You call that snow?

2009-02-10T16:22:00.000-08:00

It "snowed" today.

I'll never get used to the level of panic that follows such an event like what happens here in Tacoma (and all of Puget Sound for that matter) when it snows.

I call it "sno-hysteria."

It is fun.

Poles and holes

2009-02-06T22:50:00.001-08:00

Rock candy

2009-02-02T15:18:00.000-08:00

Shot this from the GWP building on campus today and thought a bit about how much I used to love rock candy.

Enjoy!

All about the fans

2009-01-25T17:41:00.000-08:00

Today I went up to Seattle with Joe to take random and artsy pictures of the Mariner's baseball FanFest at Safeco Field. The event is basically the Mariner's way of giving fans a chance to see what life on the diamond is like. It also seemed like a major marketing ploy to sell season tickets. All in all, it was pretty fun - despite some frigid temperatures.

Capitol Forest for a day

2009-01-23T21:10:00.000-08:00

I spent the afternoon wandering about the Capitol Forest near Olympia, Wash., with fellow members of my Ecological History class as part of a field trip. Our first stop was the beaver pond at McLane Creek Nature Trail - where we looked for signs of beaver and came upon the remnants of a chum salmon spawning ground. After that, we headed over to the Mima Mounds - which as of yet is an unsolved "geological" mystery. (Click on the above link for more info.)

Here are some images from the day's adventures:

Think spring...

2009-01-17T18:28:00.000-08:00

... I am.

The flood of '09

2009-01-07T20:27:00.000-08:00

Last night, Joe and I heard there might be a "storm" heading our direction. We decided to prepare our gear, get up before dawn, and drive toward the Puyallup River valley. We began the day at a Tacoma landmark - the Pink Elephant Car Wash - where they also sell gasoline.

We then drove through Puyallup on into Sumner and Orting. We were in search of a flood.

Forecasters are calling it "The Big One" and we'll just have to wait and see if they're right. The Puyallup never crested today in Sumner where we spent the majority of our time. It did, however, begin to do some serious damage in Orting and the surrounding areas. By the time we left the Rainier Manor mobile home park around 4:30 p.m., most of the residents had left. A few decided to stay and wait the storm out. Rumors were flying all day that the river would crest nearly 8 feet above flood stage.

I hope these people survive the surge.

Rachel & Lutz

2008-12-26T18:52:00.001-08:00

I shot some engagement portraits in Germany for my best friend from childhood, Rachel and her fiance, Lutz.

The light wasn't great for the shoot, but did set the mood for some fun black and whites. Here are some of my favorites.

Favorites from Germany

2008-12-25T06:48:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas everyone -

Here are some favorites from the trip to Germany. The first several are from the Zugspitze, which is the tallest peak in the country. The following images are from sites and cities in the areas surrounding Bavaria.

Santa-baby

2008-12-22T06:37:00.001-08:00

My recent visit to Germany revealed an unsettling truth about the Germans.

They have a fascination with St. Nick that's just down right creepy.

The "help-me" Santa.The "peer-over-my-shoulder" Santa.The "I'm-just-taking-a-look" gas station Santa.The "one-that-got-away" Santa.The "Santa-doesn't-feel-so-well" Burg edition. And of course, the "two-Santa-chasing-headless-Santa" version.

Merry Christmas everyone. Let's just try to keep the bearded guy to a minimum.

Last night in Germany

2008-12-20T13:59:00.000-08:00

Miltenberg, Germany

I just saw Jesus

2008-12-18T22:19:00.000-08:00

Joe and I are in Germany for a week. I'm not going to post anything more until I get home and sort through some of the images, but here is one from a small church we visited in Partenkirchen near the Bavarian Alps.

Christmas Cruise

2008-12-08T15:41:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I covered the 2008 Christmas Cruise on the Foss Waterway for people with disabilities put on by Metro Parks Tacoma. I had a lot of fun with the gracious people who let me accompany them on "My Girl," a 69' custom yacht owned by Brown's Point Charters and Yachts.

I especially enjoyed visiting with Burtt Droge, the man in the first and last photographs, who experienced his very first trip on the waterway.

You can read The News Tribune's story by Brian Everstine here:

Burtt Droge of Tacoma gives Santa his wish list over the citizens band radio Sunday on captain Paul Stanfill’s 69-foot yacht, My Girl, during the SeaFair Christmas Cruise on Tacoma’s Thea Foss Waterway. Metro Parks coordinated the event for people with disabilities. The festivities included a spaghetti feed and a dance party.Most of the boats in the Christmas Cruise were yachts, with one large exception – the Army’s Malvern Hill, a 174-foot landing ship.

Victory

2008-11-22T21:18:00.000-08:00

Usually when I'm hired by The Yakima Herald-Republic (my hometown paper) to cover prep sports, the team I'm shooting does really well until the championship game. Then they always lose.

Little do they know - my opportunity to shoot post-game jubilation is gone.

Tonight, something in the chilly fall air erased that bad luck spell. Hopefully, for good.

The La Salle girls soccer defeated Evergreen Lutheran 1-0. (Thank God!) And I got to shoot the party.

Rotten apples

2008-11-22T21:08:00.000-08:00

Brandon Evans, left to right, Garret Ward, and Katie Loiland watch the Husky lead over the Cougs disappear in the final seconds of the Apple Cup. They lost in double overtime by a final score of 16-13.

The Huskies lost to the Cougs in the Apple Cup. Now they are 0-11 in 2008 with only one game left to play. Horrible.

The Blounts

2008-11-21T22:08:00.001-08:00

Today, I received an assignment to photograph two victims of a horrific crime.

On Thanksgiving Day of 1985, Susan Blount and her son Robert, said goodbye to their husband and father, daughter and sister, nephew and cousin when a briefcase bomb tore apart their trailer in Ft. Worth, Texas.

The bomb was placed on the Blount's porch by mistake. It was meant for someone else. Now, Michael Toney - the accused killer who is on death row in Texas - is likely to see his sentence overturned because apparently, the prosecution withheld evidence.

For 23 years Mrs. Blount has endured the heartache of her loss - today she told me she just wants some closure.

Here's an excerpt from a story published in The Dallas Morning News in 2005:

The trial started in May 1999 in Fort Worth.

Susan Blount testified, telling her story of escaping from her burning trailer out the back door. Her son, Robert Blount, told of finding the briefcase on the front porch, and of his 15-year-old sister taking it inside.

"Angela flipped the latches and it exploded, and that's the last I remember," Mr. Blount testified.

The blast killed his father, sister and cousin and blew him out the front door.

"There isn't a day that goes by," Mr. Blount said in court, "that I don't think about that day."

Susan Blount, left, and her son, Robert, pose for a portrait in the dining room of their Auburn, Wash., home Nov. 21, 2008. Susan's daughter, husband, and nephew, (L-R foreground photos) were killed by a bomb on Thanksgiving Day in 1985 in Ft. Worth. INGRID BARRENTINE Special to The Dallas Morning News

As I left the Blount's Auburn, Wash., home today, I felt extremely lucky and sorrowful at the same time. I thought about the freak things that happen in a moment and forever change the course of our lives. For me, most of those "freak things" have turned out to be good.

When I sit down to turkey this year, I'm going to pause for a moment to say "thanks."

Post election night

2008-11-06T17:10:00.000-08:00

I spent the night of November 4, 2008 at The News Tribune with Joe. He told me I had to experience an election night at least once in a newsroom - so I decided to do so.

Regardless of your political stance, there's no denying the historic nature of the Obama victory. In the future, when I have children, I'm sure I'll tell them the story of the evening I watched the first black man win election to the highest office in the land.

I was sitting at Joe's desk when MSNBC called the race.
The "dummy page" prior to the victory announcement.
Jeremy Harrison, TNT photo editor, puts together his top picks from the evening.
The front page.

The people's choice

2008-11-05T13:42:00.001-08:00

I voted

2008-11-04T16:22:00.000-08:00

I voted at a polling station for the first time ever today. It was rather exciting - despite the 1.5 hour wait.

Running and Rossi

2008-11-02T13:11:00.000-08:00

I shot two assignments yesterday. One for the Peninsula Daily News - x-country. And the other for The Olympian - Republican gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi.

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T20:03:00.001-07:00

School

2008-10-29T23:13:00.000-07:00

This is the randomness that is my life at present.

We've just wrapped up midterms - and now the push toward November and the election.

Frankly, I'll be delighted when it is all over.

Fall = coffee, corn mazes, and Halloween

2008-10-18T21:12:00.000-07:00

I'm a staff photographer now.

Hold the excitement - it is a part-time position for the University of Washington Tacoma bi-monthly student newspaper.

But, at least I'm out shooting assignments on a regular basis.

The latest issue is Halloween-centric.

Here are photos from around town.

Joe's surgery

2008-10-15T16:04:00.000-07:00

I don't usually post personal stuff on this blog - but today I went with Joe to the hospital for his disk replacement surgery (fusion) and thought writing about it would be O.K.

He injured his neck while shooting an assignment for The News Tribune earlier this year.

I didn't get to sit in on the procedure, but I did spend several hours waiting with him in our private pre-op room.

We just got word that the surgery was successful. Now the four-month recovery will begin.

Ashley Hanson came to town

2008-10-12T20:49:00.000-07:00

I feel like it has been forever since I didn't have a packed agenda driving me from one place to the next.

The agenda - for the most part - is like a wicked step sister that you can't rid yourself of.

A good friend, and former roommate, visited over the weekend and helped me throw the ever-driving schedule to the wind. Instead of pouring over textbooks for hours, we painted the town - T-town - and made sure everyone knew we weren't letting the time of day spoil our plans.

Not even the blow-out side tracked us.

Have I ever mentioned I love being a tourist and finding the weird and wacky in my own town?

I headed north last weekend

2008-09-29T23:16:00.000-07:00

Fall made it to my doorstep

2008-09-28T21:34:00.000-07:00

Weird.

I stepped outside the other day and saw this:

The Starbucks Support Center

2008-09-24T18:05:00.001-07:00

Grey and rainy

2008-09-21T00:45:00.000-07:00

I spent some time covering a multi-sport event in the rain at Point Defiance Park in Tacoma today.

It was cold - and very, very wet!

Random bits of this and that

2008-09-17T08:11:00.001-07:00

Wild America

2008-09-13T21:30:00.000-07:00

Day one of our Great Texas Adventure has passed - and somehow I felt like I was dangling between Disney World and Wild America.

We're here in San Antonio - sipping on margaritas and enjoying the sights with Joe's dad, Bob, and his wife, Michelle.

Temperatures hovered around 100 degrees as we ducked into air conditioned shops along the River Walk. Hurricane Ike was no where to be seen.

We began the day on a river cruise where our guide pointed out all the historic sights followed by a joke or moment of sarcasm. He told us the five bells near the Alamo symbolized the first Taco Bells to come to the area. Right.

We strolled over to the Alamo, where Joe was disappointed when he discovered there wasn't a basement.

Up next: The Buckhorn Experience. A museum-restaurant-giftshop. This place was a lot of fun - slightly on the weird side, but a good time nonetheless.

Several hours later, we headed home to rest and escape the heat. After a short delay - see the photo at the bottom of this post - we arrived and rested while Michelle prepared a Latin American feast of rice, beans, fried pork, plantains, and ice cream topped with port.

Did I mention it was a great day?

Afterthoughts

2008-09-09T15:57:00.000-07:00

I've been home for two days now and I can't stop thinking about Costa Rica.

The images on this blog are helping me begin to digest my experience there. I can hardly believe the two weeks have come and gone.

Today I'm back in the real world.... the corporate one, that is, shooting the Verizon FiOS launch in Lynnwood, Wash. The scene here is such a stark contrast to the one I left on Sunday.

Somehow, I wish I was back counting nodes and berries and sipping on an Imperial.

Johnny Walker Red

2008-09-06T17:35:00.000-07:00

Ever since I spent all night hanging onto the throne in a Florence, Italy youth hostel, I've never liked whiskey.

Perhaps bad connotations create forbidden items, or maybe they just leave a scar on the memory.

Today, I decided to write wrong my actions in Italy and renew a relationship with "whiskey." Mainly because Nati insisted we bring a bottle, and mainly because I was so glad our farm-working stint was complete.

It was definitely a day to celebrate.

Tomorrow, I fly home to my old life. To my lonesome husband. And to a renewed vision for the future.

Thank you Costa Rica - for making me happy again.

Odds and ends

2008-09-05T22:03:00.000-07:00

Eliecer Naranjo.
Michael Naranjo.
A few ripe coffee cherries.
Nati.
Dr. Dirt - a.k.a. - Lewis Rice.
Alex couldn't resist the puddle.
Our fruit break... we're all exhausted!
Sebas models his Earthwatch shirt. He notes the final checked item is basically corny.
A real-life bearded woman.
Workers leave the coffee fields.
Jose, left to right, Michael, and Jorjito.

Adios!
All the farmers we've worked with came over for dinner.
Nati's father, left, and Kimball.
The farmers.

Nati in the back of the car.

A Coope Tarrazu cupping

2008-09-04T22:07:00.001-07:00

Ever since I became a Starbucks Coffee Master, I've wanted to experience a professional cupping.

So needless to say, I became very excited when I noticed the "coffee tasting activity at Coope Tarrazu" on the two week schedule that came out at the beginning of the trip.

When I worked for Starbucks, I learned how to find - and more importantly - describe coffee flavor profiles. They used to have us taste every single coffee in the store and note our thoughts in a "Coffee Passport." It was that activity that planted in me the desire to go straight to coffee's source in origin countries.

Countries like Ethiopia, Brazil, and Costa Rica.

The cupping activity reminded me of many wine tasting tours in the Yakima Valley: First, you aerate the coffee with a spoon, then smell it, swish it around, slurp (rather noisily), and spit it - with authority - into a spittoon. You then back away from the cups and ponder what you've just experienced.

We tasted several coffees from Coope Tarrazu, followed by three from Starbucks. My favorite was the Ethiopia Sidamo - it's citrusy notes beg for a lemon loaf chaser.

I made some photos of the event, and wish I could include the taste and smells that accompanied them.

Enjoy.

Gold chains and a little white ball

2008-09-03T21:30:00.000-07:00

Another day has passed. Just three more until we return to our homes.

I'm pretty sure I can say we will all miss 5 a.m. wake up calls followed by drives on rough roads surrounded by lush landscape and the smell of diesel engines. At least I know I will.

Today's farmer, Ernesto Chacon, had been working the land for 35 years. He started as a cattle rancher, and now operates one of the finer fields here in Tarazzu.

His smile intrigued me.

As I was waiting for Sebas to use the GPS to find our first transect, I stumbled upon the cowboys... is there a name for the Costa Rican rancher?

They were young. So young, in fact, that chest hair had only recently filled in their half-buttoned shirts.

They laughed at the sight of me. I can only imagine what was going through their heads as I quickly made images of the scene and then moved in closer to capture the details.

I feel I can truly see things when the camera is pressed to my eye. That is when I most certainly find the confidence to interpret the world around me. To tell another's story.

On this trip I feel there are many stories upon which I could focus. Each farmer has one, each team member has one, and I have one. Yet how do I tell the story? That is the question on my mind as I make the images that freeze a moment in time.

The journey excites me.

Enjoy.

Just pictures

2008-09-02T21:12:00.000-07:00

Quetzal and queso

2008-09-01T19:17:00.000-07:00

Today, we took a break from the coffee thing. Well, everything coffee related except the drinking part.

Out of our two-week "volunteer-ation," (our new volunteer+vacation term) we have one day to do something non work related. Which basically meant we got to sleep in (huge bonus, but something none of us were actually able to do... stupid internal clocks!)

Around 8 a.m., we set off from our "rustic" hotel - La Cascada - to see some cascadas for real at Quetzal National Park in the mountains.

Of course, as soon as we left San Marcos, the rain decided to pay us a visit in the form of an early morning downpour. We were not going to be dismayed.

We stopped around 10 a.m. for brunch at a buffet where I had an interesting sampling of rice, cheese tortilla, beef, and flan. Despite being a bit heavy for breakfast, the food was actually really good. I've learned that when you have the opportunity to eat, you eat as much as you can.

Once we arrived at Quetzal, the intensity of the rainfall motivated us to stall our plans to hike and instead sip cups of coffee at a wayside hotel.

Finally, we decided we didn't drive all the way for nothing, and continued toward the waterfall.

A short, relatively easy hike along the pristine Savegre river brought us to a 50-foot fall with a cave at it's base.

As usual, I made everyone wait in the shade of a rock while I experimented with various slow shutter speeds and a shaft of light. I think I made what I was looking for, happen. However, I do think waterfalls are overshot, which makes finding a different angle difficult.

We dodged raindrops on our way back as the showers decided to spare us no mercy. I wrapped my camera in my rain coat and plunged onward up the muddy horse trail. By the time we reached the cars, we all were drenched.

I've decided that Costa Rica is just a perpetual state of wetness. Sebas said the slogan for Tarrazu should be: The moist fun you'll ever have. I tend to agree.

After a two-hour ride to the hotel, I'm sitting here in my unmade bed enjoying the warmth of my covers and the sound of other guests talking outside my door.

I can't believe we've been here in Costa Rica for eight days. Its work, work, work from here on out. Tomorrow we've got to knock another two farms off our to-do list. On Sunday, we head home.

My unmade bed.
My luxurious bathroom - trust me on this one.
The common area of our hotel where we wait to be picked up each morning. That's Charlie, left, and Alex laughing about something.
We had to stop for gas today... it is basically the same price here as it is in the U.S. It cost $75 to fill the tank of our four-wheel drive.
My breakfast - I'm drinking my coffee black these days.
Quetzal... often referred to as the "Cloud Park" because the clouds meet the hills.
Log bridge, that's Debbie in the center.
Harmony is more flexible than I thought.

A real-life rain forest.

Misc.

2008-08-31T21:10:00.000-07:00

Who knew poinsettias grew in the wild?
Louis had to jump the ravine.
Nati in the field.
Our box of magic tricks.
Christine thinking outside the box.
Charlie doesn't feel like counting cherries.
Coffee cherries.
Jason participated in the Nike Human Race 10k marathon.

Downtown San Marcos.
Nati takes a siesta at the lab.
Nati.
My room, this evening.

The Naranjo farm and other odds and ends

2008-08-30T20:46:00.000-07:00

Guess what?

I'm tired again tonight and feel the need to catch up on some much-needed sleep.

Today we worked in the fields. This time, our goal was to complete six transects on two separate farms near El Salado.

William Naranjo's two acre farm was our first stop.

The 45-year-old farmer greeted us as we pulled up to the assigned meeting place. He smiled and shook Jose, our driver's, hand. He told us the road to the farm was going to be difficult and rough due to all the recent rain.

Our caravan of three vehicles decided to proceed up the steep and muddy mountain despite the warning.

We had a lot of work to do.

After some of hemming and hawing, Jose threw the Mitsubishi into four-wheel drive and courageously navigated us through one of the worst roads I've ever seen as far as mud goes.

At last, we made it to a drop off point where we could begin our work.

We finished our day as a downpour arrived. It wasn't an easy one, but it had been productive. Naranjo had invited the team over, so we joined him and his family for sweet bread and watery coffee.

Just like that, another day had come and gone. I can't believe its been a week already.

Tomorrow will me more of the same... a.k.a. coffee farm mapping, farmer interaction, and plenty of good laughs.

Enjoy.

William Naranjo.
Machete Man II.
Naranjo tells Jose that the drive up will be steep.
Louis chose not to look over the edge.
Finally, we made it to a safe spot for the cars to turn around.
The mud was pretty bad.
Everyone focuses on one step at a time.
The view of surrounding coffee farms from the top.
Amongst the coffee bushes there are a lot of spider webs. This one looked nice in the morning light.
We took our lunch break once we finished Naranjo's farm. Our tortilla-rice-beans-potato-egg, beef-plantain dish was fantastic.
The team didn't really feel like working on another farm.
Carmen Naranjo, William's daughter, watches us sip coffee from the door jam to the Naranjo home.
Deserted soccer cleats sit near a bench at a soccer field near Naranjo's home.
The Naranjo mutt.
I thought this was a bit ironic.
Lights out for me!

All in a day's work

2008-08-29T18:30:00.000-07:00

Today, I felt like a "fotoexpressantonio," whatever that means.

I knew it was going to be jam-packed, but I didn't know it would be 1200-images-jam-packed.

We began our day again on the coffee farms. This time we started earlier so we could avoid the rainfall and preserve our sanity.

By the time we arrived at the field, the weather was awesome and the light was beautiful.
Machete man was clearing brush as I started down the hill towards our transect. I'm told they sell these at the grocery store for coffee farmers.

I think I'll have to check that out for sure.
Jason Ambrose, who is a marketing guy at Starbucks in Seattle, is one of our leaders. He is very good at organizing people and tasks and creating a smart work-flow. I'm impressed by his ability to remain calm in the midst of utter chaos.

He's pictured here with our empty data sheets.
We happened upon this frog while just about ankle deep in slippery mud. When we toured INBIO earlier in the week, we were warned about the infamous, poisonous tree frogs the shouldn't be "licked" (who does that?).

I took this image, and resisted the urge to taste the little guy with my tongue.
Today's farm was in a beautiful area surrounded by other small farms. I learned from Sebas yesterday that farmers try to plant distinguishing foliage to help them identify the boundaries between their farms.

I liked the farmer's choice.
We stopped working around 11 a.m., two hours earlier than yesterday, and just in time to see the president of Costa Rica (yes, I said THE president) at an auditorium in San Marcos.

The gathering was for the Chinese ambassador to Costa Rica... ironically the Chinese are interested in Costa Rica's coffee too.

And the Costa Ricans put on quite a show for the Chinese.
Something tells me adolescent-age children aren't interested in traditional dancers.
According to Wikipedia (always a great source, I know) Óscar Rafael de Jesús Arias Sánchez (born 13 September 1940) is the current President of Costa Rica, and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987 for his efforts to end civil wars then raging in several Central American countries.

I couldn't get over his eyebrows.
Outside the venue, a little boy was feeling as bad about the puddle at his feet as I was about my caffeine headache.

I shouldn't have stressed over that.
While walking back to the lab, I tried my hand at the shooting-from-the-hip technique through San Marcos.

I think I need to practice it. Joe, why aren't you here when I need you?
Our day wasn't over yet. We hopped over to Coope Dota, another coffee farmer's co-op, to tour their facility.

We felt so good about the coffee we were about to have that we decided to jump for joy.
Forty percent of coffee gathered at the co-op is sold to Starbucks. The dried, green beans are bagged in burlap at this warehouse and sent to Starbucks roasting plants around the world.
Here are the beans after they've dried.
At Coope Dota, there is a small roasting operation for the 10 percent of coffee that is not sold elsewhere.

The smell from this roaster was so good. I truly wanted to make this photo a scratch and sniff sticker like I used to have when I was a kid.
The finished product looks something like this.
Yes, I finally had my cup of coffee. It was straight from the roaster at Coope Dota. Frankly - shh, don't tell Jason this - it was the best coffee I'd had in a long time, even better than Starbucks.

Slip and slide

2008-08-28T21:40:00.000-07:00

Today I decided that I'm not good at capturing the experience of the coffee farm worker (a.k.a. Starbucks/Earthwatch winners) photographically.

Fortunately, I have more time to figure out how to do it.

We arrived at our first field by 7:15 a.m. this morning in an attempt to out run the rains, which have intensified due to the hurricanes pounding the gulf coast.

Manrique Calderon, 31, led us up the steep, rocky road to the work site in the middle of his 9-acre coffee farm. He hopped off his four-wheeler and enthusiastically shook our hands.

After making brief introductions, we headed off to work.

And work it was.

It wasn't the grueling, manual labor I thought it would be (and had mentally prepared for.) It was a different kind of work.

The first part of the day wasn't too hard, and with the exception of the biting insect encounters, we fared pretty well.

We were working in teams of two or three, doing our different duties, calling out measurements of coffee bush height, how many berries per branch, and calculating density.

By the time 10:30 a.m. arrived, we were knee deep in tasks, and had become quite efficient in our own individual systems.

Then it came, just as we were moving to the steepest part of the farm where a 50% slope was our work surface.

The rain began to fall.

And the work became hard. Very, very hard.

And that was that. I ditched my camera for a rain jacket and continued working until we headed to the office for lunch at 1p.m.

The rest of the day was spent watching the continual downpour, eating rice and beans, entering data, and consuming large amounts of coffee.

Tomorrow, we begin again.
The group contemplates the work load.
Sebas, right, show Manrique how the GPS unit works.
More preparations.
Nati emphasizes the importance of the metric system.
Jason Ambrose, left, notes measurements.
Nati counts the coffee cherries.
Deborah, center, takes a breather.
Charlie, left, looks for his partner while Sebas assesses the situation.
The real calm before the storm.
Harmony, left, and Charlie pose post field work.
Deborah's trip manicure didn't fare too well after the first field day.
Alex, left, and Chris get to play with the soil samples back at the research center.
Jason, right, and Chris enter shade tree data.
Too much data entry leads to too much... well, you know.

Color and Coope Tarazzu

2008-08-27T21:34:00.000-07:00

Tonight I'm only posting photos of today's activities because I'm too tired to write.

We have to leave the hotel at 6 a.m. tomorrow to begin work in the fields. So that means an early wake up call, for sure.

Today was our "in class" day and my brain has officially hit information overload. We toured the coffee farmer's cooperative, also known as Coope Tarrazu, which was by far my favorite activity of the day.

The afternoon was spent at the research office where we learned more about local farming practices and the push toward sustainability.

Here are my favorite images from these activities. I was impressed by the color and contrasts found in this culture and hope you enjoy it as much as I am.

Inside the shop around the corner.The street in front of our hotel.Debra pointing out our enormous rear view mirror.Charlie, center, sips coffee while listening to to a lecture at Coope Tarrazu.Red and green coffee cherries.
Coffee beans after being washed.You never know where you'll see these.A mechanic at Coope Tarazzu (notice the poster in his shop.)Working man's hands.Coope Tarazzu.The life blood of the community is the river.Sebas talking about annual rainfall.Alex displays the necessary poncho.Jason sneaking under a fence.

San Jose to San Marcos

2008-08-26T22:00:00.000-07:00

It already feels like I’ve been here a month.

So much so that everyone on the team has said the same thing.

We’re “bonding” even though I’ve only known these people for a day… somehow we’ve connected.

We come from different backgrounds, but somehow share similar interests and past experiences. I think the way the “luck of the draw” put us together is pretty something.

Alex – short for Alexandra – is a hoot. She works in a medical office in Sacramento and recently lived in Paris for two years. She has children and a husband back home. Her son is in the Marines. Tonight, she confessed to me that she needed a drink.Alex taking pictures at Nati's house.

Harmony, 29, is a grad student in Chicago studying Social Service Administration with a concentration in Human Rights. She’s married and has lived in Saudi Arabia and Vietnam. Her life experience makes her seem older than she is.
Harmony, right, talks with Nati's father about sugar cane.

Lewis lives in Boston and works for a private university in their communications department. He has a wife and a 13-year-old daughter. He’s confessed that he hasn’t done much traveling, but that this experience may be the start of something new for him.
Lewis checks out spider eyes at INBIO.

There are other members who I’ll introduce soon. But for now I’ll tell you a little about the two Earthwatch employees who are natives of Costa Rica.

Nati – for Natalia – grew up on a coffee farm outside of San Marcos. She got a science degree and joined Earthwatch to help lead the teams of volunteers and work in the fields and at the research lab. She’s 28-years-old and comes from a family of six. Her parents are extremely hospitable, hosting every team for dinner several times over the two weeks duration of the trip.
Sebas – or Sebastian – is from San Jose and began working with Earthwatch 18 months ago. He’s educated in agronomy, and seems pretty knowledgeable. He’s pretty sarcastic, and has had us all laughing a time or two.
***
We began the day with a trip to the INBioParque in San Jose. Situated on 15 acres in the middle of the city, this park is a thriving zoo-like biological reserve/education center on what used to be a coffee farm. We saw everything there from giant beetles to a real, live sloth.
We had lunch at a traditional Costa Rican restaurant and were served amazing food. I’ve got to admit that I’ve fallen in love with the fried plantains. Some of which will most likely accompany me back to the states. Avocados are served with nearly every meal too, so I’m in seventh heaven.

Then we boarded a charter bus for our trip south into the mountains. I really wasn’t prepared for the beauty of the countryside, and certainly didn’t expect coffee farms to be so spectacular. The rain had started by now, and the air temperature dropped as we gained elevation.Coffee farms as seen from the bus window.

Once we arrived at Hotel La Cascada, I was thoroughly exhausted and took a short nap.
At 5 p.m. we went to the research lab for a short orientation session and then off to Nati’s parents’ house for dinner. (More rice and black beans, fried plantains, and slow-cooked beef.)

Here's the view from my room.

Nati's parents are far left, Alba, and center, Jorge.

I’m pretty dead now, but look forward to spending tomorrow in class, preparing to learn all that we’re going to need to know before heading to the fields on Thursday.

So far, the whole experience has been much more than I had planned for. And I mean that in a good way.

Costa Rican rain

2008-08-25T17:42:00.000-07:00

I landed in San Jose right as the morning sunshine was packing up to make way for the ever-predictable afternoon showers.

For weeks now I've been contemplating and imagining (and perhaps dreading) the torrents that water the verdant landscape nearly every day.

Its the rainy season now in Costa Rica. I'm told its this way from April until November.

When I got out of the shower at 1:30 p.m., the rains had started. I opened the doors to my balcony and sat and watched the downpour.

We're staying at the lovely Hotel Bougainvillea only one night before heading two hours away to the mountains where the majority of our time will be spent on the coffee farms.

Once the rain started, I broke out my rain coat and went outside to the eight acre garden surrounding the hotel. I wanted to see if I could photograph the rain.

The showers persisted for several hours. I gave up after a while - I was wet and cold.

Back in the room I listened to the sound the countless drops made as they hit the ground. I pulled out the audio recorder to capture the moment and with the help from Ozomatali (the background musicians), I decided to put together a little slide show to hopefully give you a better idea of what it was like.

If you press the button in the lower right-hand corner of the slide show frame, you'll be able to watch it full-frame.

Enjoy!

Travel

2008-08-25T17:36:00.001-07:00

We've all suffered from the hand of jet lag.

Whether you're flying to San Fransisco from Seattle or to Luxembourg, the dreaded jet lag inevitably takes its toll.

Here's a couple images from last night's red eye flight from Seattle to San Jose, Costa Rica.

I'm tired too, but have decided that a flight to Europe is far worse than one to central America.

Here's to good times and a long night's sleep.

Uniforms

2008-08-24T20:26:00.000-07:00

I've never really liked wearing a uniform.

I used to wear one when I worked for Starbucks, and can honestly say that I've not worn any combination of black, white, and khaki since I quit over a year ago.

Today I put on a uniform again.

In a few hours I'll board a plane to Costa Rica and join nine other lucky individuals who "won" the Starbucks Earthwatch Expedition.

Yes, for the first time in my life I actually won something more significant than a door prize.

Twenty people were selected as grand prize winners in the contest that was accessed via Starbucks' website.

My husband, Joe, did not enter and will not be joining me. Its really my fault he didn't, because I forgot to tell him that I did and frankly, I forgot that I did. He found out I won (and entered) while we were in the car on our way to play golf when I got the call informing me I'd won the "grand prize." We both thought it must be a fluke. But it wasn't. One thing's for sure: he'll be missed!

Over the next two weeks, I'll be telling tales of a journey through coffee fields, team building, and random moments of hilarity.

I hope you will enjoy the ride.

Dragons and parasols

2008-08-16T23:50:00.000-07:00

Dragon boats pay a visit to the Foss
By Ingrid Barrentine

TACOMA - The long yellow, green, and black boats cut through the water towards the finish line in front of Thea’s Park.

Twenty paddlers move in synchronization as their paddles penetrate the placid blue-green water, propelling them forward.

A drummer sits at the front of the boat facing the paddlers; she leans over the instrument she’s beating and urges her team to push harder.

The Tacoma Nagas, Team Xtreme, Khmer Krom Dragons, and Kirkland Spitfire dragon boat teams have made it to the final heat of the Bon Om Tuk Asian American Water Festival’s dragon boat races Saturday August 16, 2008 on the Thea Foss Waterway in Tacoma, Wash.

“Everything’s on the water now guys,” Nagas team captain, Kosal Nam, 29, said to his 25-member crew. “It’s the last heat.”

Nagas coach, Jules Halvarson, 43, reiterates the importance of the final event.

“We have got to hammer the start on this race,” she said. “No excuses.”

At first, the 500-meter course doesn’t seem long, but after five races, the paddlers start to tire.

Drumbeats quicken as the finish line nears. With a final push, the boats zip past the line. The race lasted a little more than two minutes.

The strength and experience of the Khmer Krom team gave them the edge over Xtreme and Nagas. Only one second separated the three teams at the finish line. Spitfire crossed 12 seconds behind the leaders.

“It was so close,” Halvarson said, as she wiped sweat from her forehead. “Good job you guys, excellent work.”

The festival, in its fifth year in Tacoma, brings together people from across the country to celebrate the ancient Cambodian water festival that traditionally marks the end of the rainy season.

Chanda Sovan, 37, of Kent, was excited about the mix of cultures that showed up for the festivities. Sovan is the president of the Asian American Dragon Boat Association and the event’s coordinator.

“The goal here is to make this an international event,” she said.

Sovan explained that the festival is not only geared toward Cambodians, but also to the Thai, Laotian, and Vietnamese communities as well as anyone interested in learning about the different cultures.

A variety of Asian foods, traditional folk music, and live performances were also available to festivalgoer’s on the grounds of Thea’s Park.

For Halvarson, getting involved with the Tacoma Nagas three years ago was her first exposure to the Cambodian culture.

“I’m starting to learn the language a little now,” she said.

Organizers expected 3,000 people to attend the free event.

A light moment

2008-08-15T10:28:00.000-07:00

The Tacoma Waterfront... Take 2

2008-08-11T00:02:00.001-07:00

I spent more time on the waterfront this evening shooting fishermen at the fishing pier. It was a weird environment to say the least where some illegal activity took place in the presence of old women and children.

I like these kinds of shoots because of the cultural melting pot that helps me feel like I'm miles away from white, upper-class North Tacoma.

The mud shark gutting photo is my favorite.

Naches Peak: Mt. Rainier National Park

2008-08-10T08:38:00.000-07:00

Joe and I went hiking this week.

We found Mt. Rainier lost in the clouds and fields of wildflowers bathed in sunlight.

Enjoy~

Time lapse

2008-08-04T22:15:00.000-07:00

Spent more time on the waterfront tonight. Summer is nearly gone, so I'm going to make the most of each sunny evening.

Here's a time lapse photo of my favorite pier.

"Gloria"

2008-07-31T22:14:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it pays to leave the shooting agenda at home. Today that seemed to be the case for me here in Tacoma.

After school got out I headed down to the waterfront to scout some locations for a magazine shoot I'm working on. I stopped at the Maritime Museum and was checking out some old school boats when a voice from behind me inquired if I was with the media. I said yes because for the most part I usually am.

Ten minutes later I was on a boat being whisked off toward the Columbian Navy tall ship, "Gloria," that just happens to be in Tacoma over the weekend.

Apparently I was in the right place at the right time to be included in the Latino media’s chartered boat and two-hour on-board tour.

I left with new friends, fun photos, and a smile at such good fortune.

Enjoy!

Quirky Tacoma

2008-07-24T22:05:00.001-07:00

Bellingham Visual Journalism Conference

2008-07-22T08:18:00.000-07:00