I've moved!

For those of you who started following along with this blog... please visit the following:
http://www.pujaparakh.com/

From there, update your RSS feed.
Or... just keep following along here.  You'll continue to receive updates (I think).

- Puja
p.s.  Just go visit my new site.  I re-did it and it feels good :)  www.pujaparakh.com

Elise's trailer

Last weekend, we took a lil' ferry ride road trip out to Port Angeles on the Olympic Pinninsula to Elise's property.  Bonfire, trailer, sparklers, good food and great company.  An epic way to spend the afternoon.  Thanks Elise for having us!

end of the day

one of the last shots of the day with linda in downtown seattle.  i love the intersection of lines and argyle in this image.

linda & andrew

andrew contacted me recently with hopes of surprising his ladyfriend with an afternoon of pictures to commemorate her being 60 years very young... our afternoon was filled with great energy and laughter to keep us going, no matter how cold it really was outside.  congrats linda!

anacortes

hwy 101

a memorable lil' roadtrip down the coast of northern california

Viadoom!

the last day the public was allowed on the Seattle Viaduct in downtown seattle before demolition

sunday afternoon walk

olive way - seattle

Sean & Geoffrey

Last weekend I was a guest at Sean & Geoffrey's wedding, which took place in the Hudson Valley area, two hours north of New York City.  Knowing Sean for a few years now, I was ecstatic when him and Geo announced their engagement, which then became even more meaningful (if that is even possible) when same-sex marriage was legalized in New York.

Watching these two celebrate their new life together was a wonderful evening where I felt fortunate to be a guest.

heart

heart & hairy

rain city rock camp showcase

another awesome year shooting rain city rock camp (formerly girls rock! seattle), where their mission is dedicated to building positive self-esteem in girls and encouraging creative expression through music.  learn more at raincityrockcamp.com

this is what a champ looks like!

afterparty

meredith's buddy clobber for a quick afterparty okstupid shoot... unbuttoning her shirt apparently made all the difference

quick sunday adventure

lake michigan

jonny tamm on lake michigan

Since I’ve begun working at ZAAZ, I have met several people from Michigan (Ford Motor Co is a major client).  There has been one woman in particular, who is from South Haven, a lil’ beach town located on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, about 45 minutes from my undergrad college town. 

Speaking with her, I was reminded about how much that area has meant to me and my friends over the years.  It was a perfect 45min drive from all the stresses of college back then.  Along the route, we’d pass the last gas station on West Main… drive through Bangor (a sleepy speed trap town just when you least expect it) and a stop at Jericho’s, the church-turned-liquor store.  When I left Michigan, this was the spot I was truly leaving behind.

Anyway, I miss it.  

I miss the warmth, the lighthouse walk at the end of the pier, the familiar Dairy Queen with air-conditioning, and the kindness of the folks who lived there, opening their precious town to the rest of us who needed it once in a while.  I still haven't found that space in Washington, however, revisiting South Haven in my mind made me realize that the search needs to continue. 

south side

the end of an era

over the weekend i went with alex and suzi over to jeremy's photo studio.  the purpose of this trip was to have a portrait taken by jeremy before moving to california next month.  the night went longer than anticipated by any of us.  it has been a long time for me to spend an entire night talking about photography... especially after spending the last two years surrounded by conversations related to grad school and designing ideas for users.
i made a quick silly video of suzi just for kicks.  i'll leave the good pics up to the other folks.

grudge match champs

For the past year, my ladyfriend has been the captain of Derby Liberation Front, one of the teams in the Rat City Rollergirls league.  Derby has been a large part of her life long before I met her (she was one of the founders!) and when we met over two years ago, I learned quickly what the term "derby widow" meant.  For years, DLF has been both the fan favorite, as well as the league champions.  Starting out small, playing at local rinks, they quickly grew into a sport taken very seriously by its fans, outgrowing each venue at which bouts were held.  A few years back, the decision for the league to move their bouts to the Key Arena (and selling out!) was a difficult decision for many on DLF, which ultimately meant that some of their best players soon retired.  With the change in roster, DLF went from first to last and saw a major shift in morale and attitude, which is when Meredith (aka Kitty Kamikaze) stepped in as a captain to help.  She provided history, motivation, leadership, and handled some difficult decisions that definitely had her coming home in tears because it was such at challenge at times.  
Last night though, after a lot of hard work by all the members on the team, and I mean a LOT of hard work, they finally saw the reward.  Not first... but not last.  They won a very important game as a new and improved team.

I am very proud of my partner and her dedication to her team, to herself, and to the fans of this incredible sport.  Congrats DLF!

downtown x-pro

i recently began a new internship in downtown seattle. it has been awhile since i've shot on the streets like i have been lately. these came out of a roll shot through the lomo, and has been cross-processed. nothing terribly exciting, but still worth a post.






thanks.

taken outside of ZAAZ, where i have been interning with creative as an UX intern