Best First Assistant. Best Friend. Best Man.

One of the hardest parts about leaving Seattle won't be leaving Lighthouse Coffee, or Paseo's chicken sandwiches, or ending a summer day at Golden Gardens. Nope. Those will all be tough for sure. The toughest will be parting zip codes with my compadre Ryan Schierling.



Since early 2004, we've been friends, carpoolers and confidants. He's been my First Assistant on nearly every shoot including the ones paid for with only lunch. I've been his sous chef and ride to the airport. And vice-versa.

A few, of many, things I've learned from Ryan:

- It's okay to be a "cat guy."
- There's an important difference between grilling and barbecuing.
- A box of Handi Wipes can be as good as a shower.
- Gaff tape makes good impromptu mustaches. (See below.)
- A good woman is hard to find. But great when you find her.
- Cats can walk on ceilings—with encouragement.
- Halloween is the best holiday.
- Hockey isn't just for Canadians.
- Saabs aren't all that ugly.
- George Lucas is a terrible, terrible screenwriter.

I'll surely miss him. I'll miss his quick sense of humor and his knack for making a subject or client laugh. I won't, however, miss his farts in elevators.

Below are other fond memories and light tests...

























In addition to being full-time prblem solver and Best Man in my upcoming wedding, Mr. Schierling is an excellent, excellent photographer in his own right. Check out his fantastic work here.

On one of our last shoots, he made me do this and promise:



All images © William Anthony