Seattle Photography by Matt McDonald
Mar 12
by matthew in Travels 0 comments

A Winter Adventure In Winthrop

Washington offers a couple great winter getaway options and Winthrop is one of them! I recently ventured over to Winthrop for a friend’s birthday and we stayed in Mazama, which is right next to Winthrop. Not until we drove into Winthrop did we realize it was the weekend of the Winthrop Hot Air Balloon Festival! We enjoyed the hot air balloons, a live performance by Saint Claire at the Sixknot Cider House and some food from the Carlos 1600 Mexican Grill. We heard the rumor that Chumbawamba keyboardist, Danbert Nobacon, lives in Winthrop. Then we actually saw him in the Sixknot Cider House and I talked with him a bit to verify he lives in Winthrop. He actually lives in the nearby town of Twisp. We also tried to start he rumor the HBO series Westworld is filmed in Winthrop. Not sure if it stuck, but we tried. Overall, if you head to Winthrop during the winter make sure to check out the Hot Air Ballon Festival and be on the lookout for members of Chumbawamba. If you get a chance head to Mazama for some cross country skiing, chopping wood, nature and enjoying the view from Last Chance Point.
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Feb 18
by matthew in Travels 0 comments

Honeymooning in Lahaina Maui

I recently got married in 2017 and ventured to Hawaii with my beautiful wife Alyne for our honeymoon. We spent 10 days in Lahaina on the island of Maui. Maui is the perfect location for a mix of relaxation, adventure, and romance. I naturally took some photos along the way and decided to jot down notes of what we enjoyed to accompany the photos. I usually take my camera everywhere, so we captured some photos of nearly everything we did along the way. Fly Hawaiian Airlines Hawaiian Airlines only airline that I have actually ever noticed to have really good service (you used to be great Alaska) is Hawaiian airlines. They just have always treated me right over the course of my 10 trips to Hawaii. If you can fly with them do it. Where To Stay I personally stayed in Kaanapali in 1998 while on a family vacation. Alyne and I decided to stay at Lahaina Shores instead since it was so close to town we could walk back and forth from the condo for breakfast, drinks, snorkel cruises and to peruse the town. Lahaina has quite a bit to do for a quaint little town. What To Do […]
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Feb 02
by matthew in Travels 0 comments

Winter Adventures In Leavenworth

I recently made the trip with Do206 to Leavenworth for the Timbrrr! Winter Music Festival. It was my first time to Leavenworth during the winter and I absolutely loved it. So many photo opportunities! I captured photos and video of the music festival for Do206 and am also working on a Guide To Leavenworth video and photo guide for next winter. Below you can check out a couple photos and the quick recap edit I shot and edited. You also can view the quick recap over on Do206.com HERE.
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Oct 05
by matthew in Landscapes, Travels 0 comments

Autumn Day Trip To Snoqualmie

In search of fall colors I decided to do some location scouting along I-90. I ventured to Snoqualmie and Franklin Falls to capture some photos and scope it out. I was not at the locations at the best time of the day and there was harsh lighting, but I had to capture a couple photos. I also ventured to Rockwood Farms to check the colors and Snoqualmie Falls to shoot a bit of video. A bunch of these photos and video were used on Do206.com for a Fall adventure guide you can see here. Naturally, I went skateboarding for a bit as well! Until next time!
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Sep 09
by matthew in Action, Travels 0 comments

The Washington Coast: Surf trip to Neah Bay

My longtime friend Ben is moving back to the East Coast next week. I have known Ben since high school and he was also my roommate in college. Ben, and his dad Jeff, are both longtime surfers and I have been lucky to go on surf trips with both of them over the years. Yesterday Ben, Jeff and myself made the trip out to the Washington peninsula for a surf session. The surf was nothing special, but the company and time away from a computer was. Jeff is nearly 70-years old and surfs better than most people in Washington. Surfing keeps the mind and body young. He grew up in Southern California and started surfing in 1959 and has always had amazing stories to share about surf culture in California. He also was one of the first people surfing the coast in Washington state and may have discovered most of the main spots people surf today. The morning started out cold and foggy, but there were moments of sun breaks along the Strait of Juan De Fuca. Once we got to Hobuck in Neah Bay we drove back and forth watching waves and debating where we should paddle out. After […]
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Mar 12
by matthew in News, Seattle, Travels 0 comments

Capturing the Seattle Central Library

The Seattle Central Library is one of my favorite places to go on a rainy day in Seattle. Wandering and looking at new books and examining the architecture of the building is a super fun way to spend an afternoon. Central Library features a contemporary look and feel that is innovative in both form and function. Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas and former Seattleite Joshua Ramus were principal designers on the project, working closely with the Library’s board, staff and the public during its development phase. They did an amazing job. After visiting the library a couple times I had to go back with my camera and my girlfriend Alyne since she never had the opportunity to see the library before. Here’s a few photos from our most recent trip to the library. I encourage everyone to go for the books and the art that is the building. You will not be disappointed.
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Jun 19
by matthew in Action, Travels, Video 0 comments tags: portland

Portland Road Trip with DB Longboards

Two weeks ago I ventured to Portland with DB Longboards, Cloud Ride Wheels and Atlas Trucks to capture some promo photo and video for an event taking place this Saturday at Switchbacks in Portland with Daddies Board Shop. Here are some of the photos from the trip. My favorite part of the trip was visiting Rowena Crest along the Columbia River, which is the beautiful road at the end of the video. >
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May 28
by matthew in Animals, Landscapes, News, Travels 0 comments tags: bald eagles, birds, lopez island, san juan islands

Lopez Island weekend getaway

I went for a weekend adventure to Lopez Island with my girlfriend and a few friends on Memorial Day weekend. We got to the ferry early even with the reservation just to be sure since the San Juan Island ferries are alway super busy on holiday weekends. Lopez Island was bustling with holiday tourists on Memorial Day weekend, but the small island didn’t seem too packed besides bikers filling the roadways. The first day we ventured to Iceberg Point along the winding paths to capture a few photos and watch the sun drop below the horizon. The next day since I now work for DB Longboards we also filmed a little cruiser edit for DB Longboards (you can see below) and captured a bunch of promo photos. Sunday we ventured to Spencer Spit when the sun appeared on the holiday weekend and let the Charlie the dog run until he could run no further. One of my favorite parts of Lopez Island is the abundance of bald eagles all over the island. A majority of the time the eagles would watch people ride by on bikes and just take it easy in the tree. One eagle was even especially nice […]
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Sep 25
by matthew in Landscapes, News, Travels 0 comments tags: Brooklyn Bridge, cityscapes, landscapes, long exposure, Manhattan, new york, nyc

New York Cityscapes

I made the trip to New York in the spring and finally got through all of my photos. This post featured photos of the Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty and more. Here’s a post featuring my favorite landscapes and cityscapes captured while visit the Big Apple. All photos are available for prints and commercial use.
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Aug 12
by matthew in Music, Travels 0 comments tags: darrington, festival, meltdown, music, music festivals, starfucker, strfkr, summer meltdown

Summer Meltdown Festival 2014 Photos

I have attended the Summer Meltdown Festival for the past three years and for the past two years I built and maintained their website SummerMeltdownFest.com. I also have captured photos at the festival and have been providing them with photos for marketing purposes. Here are some photos I captured while at Summer Meltdown 2014 featuring StrFkr, Black Joe Lewis, Whitehorse Mountain, of friends and the campground.  
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