Miko Russell Photography

A few years back I went around Seattle with my friend Kris Seto and tried the top three clam chowders in the city. This was all for a good cause, you see, as he was writing an article on the subject for Acquired Taste magazine’s Northwest Issue. It was on hiatus for a few years but recently launched the issue, and I am happy to show some of my favorite photos from that day’s adventure.

[above] We started the day at Pike Place Market at the famous Pike Place Chowder. The owner, Larry Mellum, was eager to show us all the different chowders they served and took us behind the scenes where the magic happens. All the ingredients were fresh from the market and you can really taste how fresh everything was. You cannot believe my excitement at having so many different foods offered to me on a single day…!

[above] Next up we headed over the South Lake Union to meet up with Duke Moscrip, the owner and namesake of Duke’s Chowder House. I’ve personally been going to the Duke’s location in Green Lake for some of the best happy hour in the city, so it was great to meet the founder in person. We sampled a ton of different chowders and sat on the patio and talked about how they make their food.

[above left] Larry Mellum outside of Pike Place Chowder in Post Alley. [above right] Customers eating on the waterfront on the patio at Ivar’s Acres of Clams restaurant.

[above] Finally we ended up at the most beloved of Northwest institutions, Ivars. We had tried bread bowls at each other location so we went for the same thing here. The classic taste reminded me of growing up here in the Seattle area, very homey.  [below] The view from Ivar’s patio is great, you can watch ferries coming in and out and West Seattle in the distance.

Pick up Issue 04 of Acquired Taste magazine to see which chowder we thought was best and to see more of the photos.

Had the opportunity to shoot a great show during Seattle Pride this year for Bright Light Bright Light, a Welsh singer, producer, and DJ, for Hello Mr. I was really excited to shoot a concert since I haven’t gotten to in a while, and I was really pleased with how the photos turned out. Although a huge shoutout goes to whoever was doing the lighting at the venue, it was great and made taking photos that much easier!

Hello Mr is a new magazine about men who date men. Published twice annually, each issue chronicles everyday life and the narratives which define it through a diverse collection of essays, interviews, short stories, illustrations, and photography. Although the article isn’t online, it includes a great interview by Adam Hurly.

A few months ago, I had the opportunity to take photographs of the King of Seattle: Tom Douglas for Cereal Magazine. For those of you not from Seattle, Tom Douglas is the biggest restauranteur in the city: runs an incredible amount of restaurants, a few NY Times Bestselling cookbooks, James Beard Awards, Top Chef victory (over Morimoto, even). Needless to say, the man is a legend here (and his food is equally legendary).

Cereal Magazine is a new food, travel, and lifestyle magazine based in Bath, England. These are some of the outtakes of Tom I shot, in his headquarters above his restaurant Palace Kitchen in Belltown, outside the restaurant, and with his elk friend (!).

The article was written by my friend Kris Seto and if ya’ll wanna read it click here.

A few pictures I took at an Election Night party in Seattle at Neumos. These pictures were from when they projected Obama to win reelection, gay marriage to pass and marijuana legalized. Washington!

Recently went hiking up Mt. Si, about 40 miles outside of Seattle. The top picture is me facing towards Snoqualmie, bottom-left is my aunt and uncle, bottom-right is the view facing towards Mt. Rainier. It was too hazy to really see Mt. Rainier which is a damn shame.

Golden hour off the side of I-90 near Thorp, Washington. I’m not sure how my cousin and I made it to this spot but we were in the right place at the right time.

This picture might just be the one that ‘started it all’ for me. It was definitely not the first picture I took, nor was it the best–but it was probably the first time that I took a picture and really went, “Wow, I did that.” It was 2003 and there really weren’t too many digital cameras around, but I’d had my little brick-like Sony DSC-S30 for about two years by then. My friends and I always seemed to end up at Seattle Center when we wanted to go on a photography adventure and this was taken right outside of Seattle’s opera house, McCaw Hall. It had just rained so the ground was reflective and everything seemed to sparkle.

I posted it up on DeviantArt (this really dates me) a few days afterwards and it was a Daily Top Favorite, over 18,000 views, 650 favorites, and 320 comments. Talk about confidence boost.

Last year they began tearing down Husky Stadium at the University of Washington for renovations. Some friends and I went down to watch one of the last games played there and the lighting was magical. We won too.

Some recent photos from a morning drive with my cousin, also a photographer. Stopped by a little spot on the Yakima River, near Ellensburg, Washington for some exploring. I know these pictures don’t actually show the river, but I found the plants along the bank a bit more interesting this time. Next time, river, next time.

My favorite city.