Shooting "from the hip" all around Washington

Ross King calls himself an "impatient" photographer.

The day last April when he shot our Pix From My Weekend Reader Photo of the Year, "We had just gotten out of the car at Lake Whatcom, I saw a log by the side of the lake, and I told Kyle [his son], 'Go stand on that.' I spent five or 10 seconds sort of composing the picture, and I just shot it."

It was spring break for Kyle, 10. He and his father were on an outing to a part of the state they like best: around Bellingham and Mount Baker.

King, 53, a Metro bus driver who lives in North Seattle, moved to Washington years ago from his native state of Iowa because he'd seen enough flat farmland. When he submitted his photo to the Times last May, he wrote, "Every chance I get I travel with my children seeking out the natural beauty of this area because I know that it will enrich their souls."

He says his family doesn't climb mountains or downhill ski — "we're not outdoor jocks" — but they love to camp (Fort Ebey State Park on Whidbey Island is a favorite), and he and Kyle last spring tried sea kayaking for the first time.

King is perfectly happy with his move to the Northwest. "You know, I never even travel around the country anymore." He and his wife, Cora, along with Kyle and a daughter, Meagan, 8, get in the car and vacation in Washington.

That's when King shoots most of his pictures, so he'll have a nice collection of family photos. A couple years ago he spent a bit of money on a good digital camera, a Nikon Coolpix 5700. He took a photo class in college years ago, but that's the extent of his photo training.

"I don't mess around with settings, I just set the camera on automatic. I just shoot from the hip."

He's happy with his Nikon, but he already knows what he's getting with his gift certificate.

"My wife wants a simpler point-and-shoot camera. Mine has so many settings, she's a little scared of it."

Brian J. Cantwell: 206-748-5724 or bcantwell@seattletimes.com