Best bets for the weekend

See the beautiful photographs in today's Northwest Weekend.

See the color, the composition, the lighting, the framing, the mood.

See your own photos.

See the blacked-out figures of your family standing between you and the brightest sun in decades.

See the bodies with no feet. See the torsos with no heads. See the birds with no beaks. See the bears posing as dots on a landscape about a mile away. See nothing because your index finger got in the way.

Then:

See our photographers help you. See our lead story, and once again see yourself retrieve your camera with renewed passion and energy. And say thank-you to these folks for Shooting Gorgeous Photos 101.

After you've learned to refocus your camera and, in turn, your energy and your life, think of the rest of today's Northwest Weekend as one giant opportunity for PHOTOS!

First of all, read Cathy McDonald's Walkabout column today on Old Fort Townsend State Park just south of Port Townsend.

It's a beautiful piece of waterfront (your photographic mind should be racing).

And if that's not enough, the Pacific Northwest Arm Wrestling tournament is part of the Jeffco Expo at the nearby Jefferson County Fairgrounds. Sweat, tears, facial expression! Then, return in two weeks to the annual Port Townsend Rhododendron Festival. Think close-ups!

Always a font of things to do, our online calendar takes on even more meaning as we look through it for photo possibilities for YOU!

Here's one: The Wild and Woolly Sheep Shearing at Kelsey Creek Farm Park in Bellevue. See suddenly skinny animals through your lens! Capture their inner turmoil as they offer up their winter garb, just for you.

Here's another: The extremely low-stress Average Joe Cat Show. These things might even pose for you! Page 7.

More animals: The Grays Harbor Shorebird Festival in Hoquiam runs all weekend. A perfect chance to match your photos with the birds in today's section. If at first you don't succeed ... .

Here's something that used to make nearly every photo printer absolutely nuts in years gone by (i.e. before digital) — the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. Yes, it's still under way. And you still have time to have that colorful photo shot, mounted and put onto your wall at home. Just like all the rest of us.

Heck. Just read the Gardening listings and find your own inner flower to shoot.

Aha! A little equipment sale — of sorts. The Photographic Collectors Society Sale and Swap at Puyallup's Western Washington Fairgrounds. It includes antique cameras. See where the rest of us got our starts! Page 18.

Speaking of historic, take your equipment to the Discovery Park Lighthouse in Seattle. Built in 1881, it's now open to the public for the first time in 15 years. Just imagine the nautical themes!

Now. What to do with all these gorgeous imprints?

Well, there is reason to our madness. See the today's lead story, and there you'll find an announcement of a new feature we're planning. Your photos!

Come on, get snappy!

Coming attractions

Holland Days, May 5-6; Lynden celebrates its Dutch heritage with music, entertainment, art show, family bicycle ride, 5K/10K fun run, parade, wooden-shoe canal float. 360-354-5995.

Colors of Our Community, May 6; parade, world music, vendors, food to celebrate Eastside diversity, Bellevue Community College. 425-564-6150.

Seattle Maritime Festival, May 6; tugboat race and parade, chowder cook-off, harbor tours, kids' activities, Bell Harbor Marina, Seattle. 206-728-3163.

Opening Day, May 6; crew races and "Caribbean Carnival" decorated boat parade to open the local boating season, Seattle. 206-325-1000.

Spring Water Festival, May 6; science, stories and conservation information at Cedar River Watershed Education Center, North Bend. 206-733-9421.

Master Gardener Foundation Plant Sale, May 6-7; plant sale, educational exhibits at Center for Urban Horticulture, Seattle. 206-296-3425, tape 118.

Puget Sound Bird Fest, May 12-13; guided birding walks, boat tours, speakers, workshops and children's activities, Edmonds. 425-771-0277.

Olympia Wooden Boat Fair, May 13-14; wooden boats, entertainment, arts and crafts vendors, food court, Olympia. 360-874-0939.

Northwest Folklife, May 26-29; music and dance performances from world cultures, exhibits, films, food, Seattle Center. 206-684-7300.