photojournalism

Singapore to Myanmar 24-Day Car Rally | Recent Work for Getty Images

My work, photojournalism, Published work, Travel

Phil Garratt and Kieron Brown enter the Aureum Palace Hotel in a 1937 Chevrolet Fangio Coupe after completing the final day of the Road to Mandalay 24-day car rally through southeast Asia on February 24, 2015 in Bagan, Myanmar. Over 70 crews embarked on the Endurance Rally Association’s tour through Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Myanmar, finishing in the historic city of Bagan, Myanmar.

 

 

Gary Anderson (L) and Harry Dobrzensky (R) stop to dress up just before crossing the finish line in their 1930 Ford Model A Cabriolet 68-B on the final day of the Road to Mandalay 24-day car rally through southeast Asia on February 24, 2015 in Bagan, Myanmar.

 

 

Locals perform a Buddhist ceremony to welcome participants as they cross the finish line at the Aureum Palace Hotel on the final day of the Road to Mandalay 24-day car rally through southeast Asia on February 24, 2015 in Bagan, Myanmar.

 

 

Gary Anderson (L) and Harry Dobrzensky (R) cross the finish line in their 1930 Ford Model A Cabriolet 68-B on the final day of the Road to Mandalay 24-day car rally through southeast Asia on February 24, 2015 in Bagan, Myanmar.

 

 

Willy Van Loon (L) and Chris Torfs (R) celebrate with mugs of beer after crossing the finish line in a 1935 Bentley Derby 3 1/2 during the final day of the Road to Mandalay 24-day car rally through southeast Asia on February 24, 2015 in Bagan, Myanmar.

 

 

Daniel Spadini gives a thumbs up through the passenger window as he and driver Alexandra Spadini are welcomed after crossing the finish line at the Aureum Palace Hotel in their 1959 Jaguar Mark 1 on the final day of the Road to Mandalay 24-day car rally through southeast Asia on February 24, 2015 in Bagan, Myanmar.

 

 

Participants in a 1947 Bentley Special Speed 8 pass by ancient pagodas on the final day of the Road to Mandalay 24-day car rally through southeast Asia on February 24, 2015 in Bagan, Myanmar.

 

 

A 1970 Ford Mustang is pictured after completing the final day of the Road to Mandalay 24-day car rally through southeast Asia on February 24, 2015 in Bagan, Myanmar.

 

The wheel of a 1927 Bentley 4 1/2 is pictured with a makeshift mechanical solution on the final day of the Road to Mandalay 24-day car rally through southeast Asia on February 24, 2015 in Bagan, Myanmar.

 

 

Rod Wade and Jackson Evans pass by a pagoda in a 1953 Ford Crestline during the final day of the Road to Mandalay 24-day car rally through southeast Asia on February 24, 2015 in Bagan, Myanmar.

 

 

A commemorative license plate is pictured on a 1937 Chevrolet Coupe on the final day of the Road to Mandalay 24-day car rally through southeast Asia on February 24, 2015 in Bagan, Myanmar.

 

 

Driver Joanne Worth celebrates with a hand out the window, joined by her mother, Heather Worth, in their 1968 Volvo Amazon during a joyride after the two completed the final day of the Road to Mandalay 24-day car rally through southeast Asia on February 24, 2015 in Bagan, Myanmar.

GED Class for The Wall Street Journal

My work, photojournalism, Published work, Still photography

High-School Equivalency Degree Loses Its Dominant Position | More States Pick Alternatives to GED After Revamping Makes It Harder and Costlier for Test Takers

GED class instructor Marcia Leister, below, doesn’t like the updated GED test. From the article: “My students are extremely frustrated by the new test,” she said. “They are losing hope.” Read the article here.

 

Above: GED instructor Marcia Leister, standing in center, directs a class discussion at Bellingham Technical College in Bellingham, Wash., this month.

Theo Chocolate Factory | Recent Work for Bloomberg

photojournalism, Published work, Seattle, Still photography

Theo Chocolate is based in Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood and makes chocolate from exclusively organic and Fair Trade Certified beans.

 

Raw cocoa beans await processing at the Theo Chocolate factory in Seattle, Washington.

 

Scotch flavored chocolate pieces exit a bath of melted chocolate in a machine in the confection kitchen.

 

An employee places a box of chocolate bars onto a conveyor belt in preparation for shipping.

 

An employee prepares boxes of chocolate bars for shipping

 

Scotch flavored chocolate pieces await preparation in the confection kitchen.

 

Children from the Roaring Mouse Creative Arts Studio receive chocolate samples while on a tour of the factory.

 

Marijuana Vending Machines | Recent Work for Reuters

My work, photojournalism, Published work, Seattle, Still photography

Today Seattle had two marijuana vending machines come online for the first time at a medical marijuana dispensary. Prepare to see more of these soon!

 

The screen of a vending machine that contains cannabis flower, hemp-oil energy drinks, and other merchandise is pictured at Seattle Caregivers, a medical marijuana dispensary, in Seattle, Washington February 3, 2015.

 

Lynyrd Puyat displays one gram of the Girl Scout Cookies strain of marijuana that he purchased for $15 using a vending machine at Seattle Caregivers. Puyat was the first to use the machines, which came online in Seattle for the first time Tuesday.

 

Stephen Shearin demonstrates the use the machines by buying a mango flavored Canna Energy hemp-oil drink. Shearin is the President of American Green, which provides the machines

 

 Stephen Shearin is pictured near his company’s vending machines.

STD Research for The New York Times

My work, photojournalism, Published work, Seattle, Still photography, University of Washington

S.T.D. Care for Two: Read the story at NYT.com (Photos by me for The New York Times)

From the article:

” … William, who asked to be identified by his middle name to protect his privacy, was able to include some good news. The sort-of girlfriend — his term — would not need to face the hassle and embarrassment of being tested.

His clinic had issued prescriptions for them both; William himself could give her the antibiotics. For free. Immediately.”

Dr. Matthew Golden, a public health researcher in Seattle, says that giving medicine to a patient and a partner is like giving a vaccine.

 

A “partner pack” is a method of delivering medication for STDs to partners of diagnosed patients.

Elvis Impersonators | Recent Work for Reuters

My work, photojournalism, Published work, Seattle, Still photography

Participants prepare backstage during the 20th annual Seattle Invitationals, an amateur Elvis impersonator competition, in Seattle, Washington January 23, 2015. The event drew hundreds of spectators for 20 contestants at the Crocodile, a venue in Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood.  REUTERS/David Ryder   (UNITED STATES)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seattle Shipyard Photos | Recent Work for Bloomberg

My work, photojournalism, Published work, Seattle, Still photography

I spent some time at Pacific Fishermen Shipyard in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood last week for Bloomberg. Great place and nice people.

 

 

Mike Edwards repairs a stern tube on a vessel from the Victoria Clipper fleet, which is comprised of high-speed passenger ferries, at Pacific Fishermen Shipyard in Seattle, Washington, U.S., on Monday, Jan. 12, 2015. Pacific Fishermen is a full service shipyard established in 1946 to service tugboats, passenger cruise, charter boats and yachts in addition to traditional fishing vessels.

 

Decorations welcome visitors at the entrance to Pacific Fishermen Shipyard in Seattle, Washington, U.S., on Monday, Jan. 12, 2015.

 

Metal filings cling to Mike Edwards as he repairs a stern tube on a vessel from the Victoria Clipper fleet, which is comprised of high-speed passenger ferries, at Pacific Fishermen Shipyard in Seattle, Washington, U.S., on Monday, Jan. 12, 2015.

 

Workers take measurements while repairing a vessel from the Victoria Clipper fleet, which is comprised of high-speed passenger ferries, at Pacific Fishermen Shipyard in Seattle, Washington, U.S., on Monday, Jan. 12, 2015.

 

Mike Edwards repairs a stern tube on a vessel from the Victoria Clipper fleet, which is comprised of high-speed passenger ferries, at Pacific Fishermen Shipyard in Seattle, Washington, U.S., on Monday, Jan. 12, 2015.

 

Workers repair a vessel from the Victoria Clipper fleet, which is comprised of high-speed passenger ferries, at Pacific Fishermen Shipyard in Seattle, Washington, U.S., on Monday, Jan. 12, 2015.

 

Jesse Anderson works with steel in the metal shop at Pacific Fishermen Shipyard in Seattle, Washington, U.S., on Monday, Jan. 12, 2015.

 

Taylor Tunison repairs a window on a vessel from the Victoria Clipper fleet, which is comprised of high-speed passenger ferries, at Pacific Fishermen Shipyard in Seattle, Washington, U.S., on Monday, Jan. 12, 2015.

 

Workers repair a fishing boat at Pacific Fishermen Shipyard in Seattle, Washington, U.S., on Monday, Jan. 12, 2015.

 

Recent work for Bloomberg: Starbucks Reserve Roastery & Tasting Room

My work, photojournalism, Published work, Seattle, Still photography

Today, Starbucks opens a new upscale flagship retail location in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood called the Starbucks Reserve Roastery & Tasting Room. The company has its sights set on the higher-end coffee clientele, and this store is the first foray into that field. Starbucks is set to open 1,500 smaller versions of this Starbucks Reserve location. You can read the story here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reflections on Photographing Tragedy

My work, photojournalism, Published work, Still photography, Thoughts

Last Friday morning I found myself frantically running out of the house to get to Marysville-Pilchuck High School. I arrived to find a chaotic, scary, and tragic scene. Another school shooting had happened in the U.S., and it was the second in Washington state this year. It was odd, in a way, as I found myself taking pictures while high school students broke down in tears. I’ve taken pictures of many similar scenes before, but something felt more strange on that day.

Tragedy had recently struck in my personal life. I had lost a cousin only days earlier, and he was much too young to go. I wondered, “What would my own family members think if they were the ones here at Marysville-Pilchuck High School being photographed? What if it were me?” It didn’t feel wrong to be present that day near the high school, when busloads of evacuated kids were reunited with their loved ones, but it was a strange, sad, and chaotic experience.

Many things about working as a photojournalist in Washington in 2014 have been tragic. A massive mudslide in March between Oso and Darrington killed 43. A KOMO News helicopter crashed near the Space Needle, killing two. A shooter opened fire at Seattle Pacific University in June, killing one and wounding two more. The Carlton Complex Fire, the largest in state history, burned over 250,000 acres this summer, consumed scores of homes, and caused one heart attack death. I was on scene during or shortly after all of these events, subjecting myself to trauma but with acute awareness that yes, I choose to be here. The question is: Why? And how can I make sense of so much tragedy?

2014-10-29-ryderfires36.jpg
(Above: Aftermath of the Carlton Complex Fire. Photo by David Ryder)

It’s normal to feel angry, sad, or fearful. There may be no answers to our questions, but I talk with friends, family, and colleagues. Some turn to religion, which has played a massive role in Oso, Marysville, and at SPU. I also approach my work with an academic lens to find meaning and to heal.

Much has been written in the academic realm about journalism and tragedy, but I think Susan Sontag’s words continue to resonate decades after she wrote them. This is a poignant quote from her book, Regarding the Pain of Others, that helped me this week: “There is nothing wrong with standing back and thinking. To paraphrase several sages: ‘Nobody can think and hit someone at the same time.'”

(Robin Youngblood on Surviving the Oso, Washington Mudslide. By David Ryder for The Weather Channel.)

She wrote this in a portion of the book on the act of looking and why we value the sense of sight so much. She says “standing back and thinking,” but that is tied closely to standing back and looking. I think that the pictures produced by photojournalists help us to stand back and to think during times of crisis. The more we can find ways to stand back and think, the more peaceful (and at peace) we can be.

This Susan Sontag quote has helped me during what has been a difficult week, a difficult October, and a quite challenging 2014. Hopefully you might find it useful, too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Photos: Indigenous Peoples’ Day in Seattle | Recent Work for Getty Images

Diversity, My work, photojournalism, Published work, Seattle, Still photography

Columbus Day is no longer Columbus Day in Seattle. Happy Indigenous Peoples’ Day. There was great celebration in Seattle after Mayor Ed Murray signed a resolution enacting the name change.

 

A man points to the sky during a celebration marking Indigenous Peoples’ Day at the Daybreak Star Cultural Center on October 13, 2014 in Seattle, Washington. Earlier that afternoon, Seattle Mayor Ed Murray signed a resolution designating the second Monday in October to be Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

 

Reneé Roman Nose addresses the crowd.

 

Nikk “Red Weezil” Dakota (R), from the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, celebrates with others from various tribes.

 

There were some great performances.

 

A man sings.

 

People cheer while listening to a speaker.

 

Tobacco bounces on a drum.

 

Rapper Nataanii Means (R) performs while Nikk “Red Weezil” Dakota (L) does an impromptu dance.

 

Men celebrate in front of Haida artwork.

 

Daybreak Star was packed.

 

People sing and dance.

 

More song and dance.

 

Celebrations lasted more than five hours. This was a big deal and an opportunity for a diverse gathering of American Indians from across the country.

 

Reneé Roman Nose receives a hug after leading an emotional closing prayer.

Kids play football in near a mural.

 

Austin Whiteraven Hehman stands near a grill covered with fresh coho salmon.

 

 

 

 

SPJ Sigma Delta Chi Award

My work, photojournalism, Published work, Still photography

 

 

I’m a little late to the party in announcing this, but I was happy to hear today that I was part of a team at The Wall Street Journal that was awarded a Sigma Delta Chi award for online reporting for a story written by Michael M. Phillips about U.S. veterans lobotomized a half-century ago. See the story in its original form online here. I contributed video and photos, some of which led the front pages of both the print and online editions of The Wall Street Journal. Thanks for looking.