Torin Blaker Photography

Torin Blaker Photography Freelance photographer based in Anchorage, Alaska. Prints and digital copies available upon request.

After getting back to Washington, one of my closest friends Calvin took me over to Seattle to work on recovering the pho...
01/20/2025

After getting back to Washington, one of my closest friends Calvin took me over to Seattle to work on recovering the photos and videos from my phone. When Lauren and I lived in Washington: I lived at my parents place on the Olympic Peninsula, and Lauren lived in Lynnwood in north Seattle. Every weekend we would take the ferry across Puget Sound to see each other. Many evenings after I got off work for the week, I would race to catch the next ferry to go see her, as she would do as well.

In all my ferry travels in Washington: the most wildlife I've seen is sea birds and occasionally a seal or an otter. Lauren was able to see a humpback once at some distance. This time: Calvin and I were on the ferry, just getting settled in after the ship left port. Calvin heard a call over the intercom: "Orcas have been spotted off the port side." I didn't even catch it, being wrapped in looking at photos of Lauren and I. Calvin got out of the car and I followed him to the railing.

There was a pod of at least 6-8 Orcas, maybe a dozen, in a couple different groups. They were feeding, coming up to breathe, and even breaching. One came right up to the boat, not more than a hundred yards away. Directly out from where we were standing; it swam with us for a few minutes, matching our speed and gazing over at us.

It was one of the most beautiful sights I've ever witnessed. I know Lauren had a conversation with them. Asked them to come watch over me, to tell me that she's still here. That she's still looking out for me.

Lauren touched so many people in so many different ways. There have been signs to so many different people already, that she's still here. That she still watches over all the people she loved so dearly. She's already been a very busy lady, as she was in life. I know she's out there keeping a well-organized excel sheet of all the check-ins she's making.

I'm back home in Alaska now. I'm having a very hard time reaching out, so if you're one of the many people who've reached out, please don't take it personally if I haven't responded yet. If you would like to stop by for a short visit in the coming weeks, let me know and we can work on arranging a time.

(1/2) Two days before the world lost its best person, we lost our beloved pet bunny, Theodore. He died in a vet techs ar...
12/22/2024

(1/2) Two days before the world lost its best person, we lost our beloved pet bunny, Theodore. He died in a vet techs arms when they called to tell us of his worsening condition. He waited until he had his mommy and daddy on the phone to pass.

We cried, we bawled, we held each other and wept. After being overcome with grief for a while, we told ourselves we'd make the best of it tomorrow. We're on our first of many wonderful vacations to tropical places. Let's continue to enjoy it.

The next day we were on a hike in Waimea Canyon on the west side of Kauai. We hadn't really acknowledged it all day, trying to live in the moment and enjoy our vacation. I was trudging along, while Lauren was holding it together very well. I didn't want to bring it up and possibly ruin the hike for us.

Finally, something in me just clicked to verbalize the observation.

"You seem like you're holding up pretty well." I said.

Her response: "Yeah, ever since I was young, whenever something like this happened, I would just tell myself 'okay, alright, this happened, this is reality now. They're not with us anymore. We have to keep going. Keep walking.' I've always been a very resilient person. It hurts, but we'll have plenty of time to grieve when we get home."

What she said gave me chills. It gave me the kick in the shorts to pack the grief away and have a great rest of the day, together. To celebrate what we had with each other, that we had each other. To splash around in the pond at the waterfall, together. To giggle at the lone chicken at the waterfall, together.

I'm a completely broken man right now. I can't eat, I can't sleep, I can't crack a genuine smile. This is being written at 2:23am. The little sleep I get is filled with nightmares that only equal the one I wake up to, never surpassing it. I've lost my lighthouse. My shining light in the night guiding me to safety. My beacon of hope.

But I'm trying with every fiber of my being to do the little things, for her. Brushing my teeth. Taking a shower. Going on a walk to some of our favorite spots. Eating a few bites when it feels like there's no way I can swallow a morsel. Reaching out to a couple people a day.

The light has gone out in my life. Words can not express the pain. Our future together. Our future home, future childre...
12/18/2024

The light has gone out in my life.

Words can not express the pain. Our future together. Our future home, future children, future grandchildren, future lives that we dreamed of, planned for, and worked toward endlessly. Stripped from us in a flash. My sweetheart, my babygirl, my darling, my angel.

I'm stuck in the most horrible nightmare I can't wake up from. All I want is to wake up panting in a cold sweat, for her to groggily console me. Tell me, "It's okay, baby, it's okay, I'm fine, we're fine."

I am not answering calls at the moment. If you would like to reach out, please only texts, emails, messages, and letters. My phone was destroyed trying to get to her, so if you reach out over text, please include your name. I am not able to respond directly at the moment. However, please know I deeply appreciate the kind words everyone has shared. I will respond in time.

Thank you,
Torin

Huckleberries 'n crown runs. Lookout can be pretty fun.
08/07/2024

Huckleberries 'n crown runs. Lookout can be pretty fun.

A day on the Elwha River at Glines Canyon.
08/17/2021

A day on the Elwha River at Glines Canyon.

Green Shore Crab appreciation post! These cute lil critters are no bigger than the size of your fingernail. Living in th...
06/05/2021

Green Shore Crab appreciation post! These cute lil critters are no bigger than the size of your fingernail. Living in the intertidal zone on Pacific Northwest ocean shores: they primarily eat kelp, algae, and diatoms, though they certainly won't turn up their antennae to meat if given the opportunity! Despite their size these feisty scavengers will give you a solid pinch if you try to pick them up. The main predation they face comes from shorebirds.

The tiny lil tentacles on some Green Surf Anemones (Anthopleura xanthogrammica)! These are some hardy lil anemones found...
02/07/2021

The tiny lil tentacles on some Green Surf Anemones (Anthopleura xanthogrammica)! These are some hardy lil anemones found primarily on shallow rocky coastlines where heavy surf is common.

Just a coupla rocks - nothin to see here.
02/07/2021

Just a coupla rocks - nothin to see here.

Kilisut: a series.
01/24/2021

Kilisut: a series.

shroomin' w/ &
10/11/2020

shroomin' w/ &

sunsets
10/01/2020

sunsets

It's a bear-eat-salmon kinda world out there, and business is booming. 🐻🌲
09/28/2020

It's a bear-eat-salmon kinda world out there, and business is booming. 🐻🌲

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98363

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