June is one of my favorite months of the year. It’s a crazy month in terms of festivals and activities including Seattle’s infamous naked bike ride at Fremont Solstice Parade, followed by the Seattle Pride Parade the following weekend. Not to mention more real estate gigs as the weather is more favorable for photographing homes with a picturesque blue sky in the background. Concert-wise, June tends to be on the slower side, as well as with restaurant openings, but truth be told, it was nice to take a breather and push out most of my energy in this year’s Pride Parade.
Here are some of my freelance highlights from June.
Entertainment and Events
This year’s annual pride parade was special for at least two reasons: 1) it was the 40th anniversary of the parade, and 2) the Celebrity Grand Marshall was Mr. George Takei! Admittedly, it had been several years since I had photographed Pride and I had never done so in professional capacity. But it ended up being one of my favorite highlights this year. It started with an early morning brunch at Palace Kitchen with an appearance by George Takei, watching drag queen Mama Tits stand off to some religious protesters at the start of the parade, and even saw a surprise appearance by Macklemore who was featured in the parade sitting atop his prized Cadillac. More photos from the event here.
Director Bong Joon-Ho of Snowpiercer
Also in the entertainment sphere was a celebrity appearance by Korean director Bong Joon-Ho at the SIFF Cinema Uptown in Queen Anne. Known for his films such as The Host and Mother, his latest film is a sci-fi post-apocalyptic drama called Snowpiercer. This new film is actually entirely in English and has some pretty big name stars in it including Chris Evan, Tilda Swinton, and Ed Harris. I highly recommend catching a screening of it if you can. More photos from the evening here.
The Fray at Marymoor Park
American rockers The Fray, fronted by Isaac Slade and Joe King, returned to Seattle to open up the summer concerts at Marymoor Park series. Slade did not disappoint with his on-stage presence, hopping off stage to perform right in the middle of the photo pit during one of his opening numbers.
Restaurants
Damn the Weather
A highly anticipated bar in Pioneer Square, Damn the Weather finally opened its doors in June. It is run by Bryn Lumsden, an original member of the Fleet Foxes. More photos here.
Canterbury Ale House
One of Seattle’s favorite Capitol Hill bars received a remodel and finally reopened to the public in early June. More photos available here.
Brunswick and Hunt
A gorgeous new restaurant in the northern pocket of Ballard, Brunswick and Hunt is a new “farm to neighborhood” eatery. More photos here.
A tasty brand new pop up opened up at the Sunday Broadway Farmer’s Market in Capitol Hill. Serving up traditional Indian street food and an amazing made-from-scratch chai, The Chai Place is aptly named…and one of my new favorite Indian places to eat. More photos here.
Seattle pizza chain Flying Squirrel opened up its newest location in Georgetown.
Restaurant Marron
Corporate
SMX – Sparks Online and Google
A full day of shooting the Search Marketing Expo at the Maritime Events Center in downtown Seattle proved to be a fun day of both photos and learning. Several high ranking employees from Google hosted talks throughout the day on everything from Google Ads to optimizing for mobile.
Red Lion Hotel in downtown Seattle recently received a nice renovation turning it into Motif Seattle, one of the largest independently run hotels in the area. Also part of Motif is Frolik Restaurant and Bar, hosting one of the largest outdoor patios in the city.
