End of the year wrap up - 2021! / December 31, 2021 by Bebe Besch

Well…. the time has come. 2021 is coming to a close. In many ways this year has been difficult and in many ways this year has been totally rewarding.

Since the end of November, we have been finishing up the purchase of our first home, painting that home. moving into that home, and cleaning up our apartment. It has been so much work but we also were able to enjoy a little bit along the way. There was no November blog post as a result, but that’s how life goes!

If you didn’t know, I am trying to challenge myself to learning something new or being creative every month in some way. In November, it was learning to paint our house. I am documenting these things over on my YouTube channel - you can watch November’s video here:

December’s video will be up shortly, but for now, please enjoy some of the photos I took this month:

Lee enjoying a latte in our front yard.

We also decided to explore the neighborhood during the terrific weather.

Our neighborhood sure has changed from our location in Ballard! Look what my neighbor has parked in their yard!

Enjoying one of our local parks.

…and exploring another local park that we may or may not have been allowed at!

Finally got to decorate a little bit for Christmas, as well as wrap some presents while Max judged me about how long his next meal was taking…

Went to a holiday market at the Tractor Tavern back in Ballard to get some last minute hand made gifts.

A beautiful ornament from my mother.

A day out in Seattle with my best friend, Angela!

Some family time with my nephew, my mother, my sister, and both Lee’s.

And of course… the snow. The second big snow of 2021. We got some on Christmas Eve and then a bunch more on the 26th. It is still here, going into the new year…. hopefully it will start melting soon when the temperatures allow it!

Capping this year off with a snow-filled view from my back yard.

This year has brought along so much change. I am trying to embrace it, and actually lean into it. I want to grow as a person, and can’t wait to see what 2022 will bring.

As a side note - I only made a few posts this year on my blog, so a true end of the year post with the “Best of” photos isn’t necessary - it’s all right here for you to look at! I also am skipping 2021’s top albums. There were many great moments in music this year, but albums themselves did not capture me this year. Perhaps it was a slow year, or perhaps I was just so busy focusing on exercising, laying my father to rest, moving, and getting back into creative ventures again, during year 2 of the pandemic, that I just was neglectful.

There was only one album this year that blew me away. That was Turnstile’s album Glow On.

The album is phenomenal frontwards and back. I could not stop listening to this one. It was reflective, catchy, and filled with momentum. Here’s a bit to tie you over with:

Thanks everyone, and see you in 2022!!

Summer So Far - 2018 / July 21, 2018 by Bebe Besch

I haven't posted much because life's been all over the place. So here's just a mini update with photos from the past couple of months:

Okkervil River @ KEXP 6-5-18

I shot Okkervil River performing at KEXP again, however the timing for the instudio was moved up a few hours, and unfortunately, the information was never communicated to me. When I arrived, the band was already live on the air, and the set was almost complete. Luckily, because I had arrived so early for the time of the originally scheduled shoot, I was able to catch the end of their last song, and then take portraits of them for the station. It is always a pleasure to see Will Sheff and the band.

Lacey's Bachelorette in PDX

View of the original Jupiter Hotel and Portland from the new Jupiter NEXT hotel.

Lacey, one of my best friends (whom I took some engagement photos for), had her Bachelorette weekend in Portland - we had a blast! Lots of laughter, singing karaoke, and relaxation at the spa. We were close to the Doug Fir Lounge (we stayed at the Jupiter NEXT hotel, which had just opened), and I always enjoy hanging out at the Doug Fir! I had so much fun with Lacey and getting to know her other close friends and the sisters of the groom!

Portraits with John Behr

My buddy John Behr is a phenomenal artist - he's been illustrating for some time now and got a website up recently - which he needed photos for! Sometime in the near future he will have prints for sale, but usually his work is featured in local galleries. He also happens to be one of my favorite people to photograph! I have so many great photos taken on a whim of this gentleman!

Summer visitors

My sister Tonya and my niece Quetitia came to town from Minnesota. I got to see them a few times briefly, but it was really a great to see them. My other sister Shayna celebrated her 28th bday on July 4!

My mom's best from Frances also came to town from Minnesota - I got to have dinner with her, go swimming, and even grab lunch with her at Pike Place Market before she headed back to MN.

So far, Summer has been a bit of blur and it's only going to get busier from here on out! I take a trip to Minnesota again next month, and will have loads to post about then! Time to rest up for what's ahead - I think this lazy Summer photo of Max shows our mutual feelings off accurately.

Snohomish Senior Photos / April 17, 2018 by Bebe Besch

A few weekends ago I met with my coworker and her daughter (who is also my coworker) to take some senior portraits for her. She is graduating from high school this Spring/Summer but currently works part time with us. She requested that we take some photos in Snohomish, so that's where we went! Luckily, I had been in the Snohomish area the weekend before for a wedding, and was able to scout out a couple of possible locations.

The location we went to offered a variety of backgrounds to work with. We were also very fortunate that we had sunlight that evening, as just the weekend before it was snowing in nearby locations! We've have had our usual iffy weather in the greater Seattle area this Spring.

My personal favorites from the day were all taken close to the nearby lake, probably because I love the cool colors to balance out the warmth. There were also a family of ducks passing through, who made an appearance in a few of the photos.

We cap off this session with a tightly-framed smile. The best smiles are always sealed by the eyes. I aim to capture a sparkle in the eyes while shooting smiling portraits.

Overall it was a wonderful photoshoot - we came away with a ton of photos in a short period of time, had weather and location on our side, and my coworker was very relaxed for it being her first photoshoot! It's that much easier to capture a person's personality if they're ready to smile big and to try fun positions on the fly!