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Gig Harbor man invites you to capture an image of Washington for a cause

Often, something discovered during adolescence becomes a passion later in life. That is what happened for Tyler Freeman.

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As a student at Goodman Middle School, Freeman took a photography class where he learned how to use a manual camera and develop film. Now that he’s an adult, that photography bug lingers.

He works a day job as a real estate broker with Keller Williams, but his passion is the outdoors, and specifically photographing what he finds while exploring.

“I’m starting to take some photos that I’m really happy about, and post them on my personal Instagram,” Freeman said. “It’s mostly for myself, because I’m so excited about the photos.”

An artist at heart

He has a degree in music and considers himself an artist at heart. Pencil sketches and watercolor painting also help satisfy his creative urge, photography has become his preferred medium. 

Before he launched into real estate, he spent years working in restaurants, in the horticulture industry, and as an adjunct professor graduate student assistant teaching music.

Tyler Freeman is a real estate broker in Gig Harbor who has a passion for photography and the outdoors. He created CaptureWA, a photo contest, to help raise money for organizations that are helping people in need locally.  Photo by Cora Reuter

“In all of those scenarios I was coaching, teaching, facilitating,” he said. “That is the number one thing that has brought me joy.”

But a volunteer position ultimately inspired Freeman. He volunteered in the Spokane office of the International Rescue Committee in 2010, helping set up apartments for refugees. The IRC, founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, delivers humanitarian aid to refugees.  

“I really care about the plights of displaced people, and it makes me happy to think there are organizations like IRC that are making people feel welcome,” Freeman said. “If I had to choose one thing within 10 minutes to take with me and run to an unfamiliar country, with an unfamiliar language, and food, how would I feel? Terrified, unsafe. And if someone was there to meet me with my name on a sign, and cart me to an apartment that they’ve signed me up for and connect me to other refugees from my country, that would be amazing.”

Capture WA

Now he is working with IRC’s New Roots program in Seattle, which provides refugees with access to land that they can farm. He said it’s a way for them to grow some of the foods from their culture while also earning a little money at farmers markets.

“I think they (IRC) are an amazing organization,” he said.

Combining his love of photography with a desire to raise funds for organizations helping those in need, Freeman developed a photography contest called CaptureWA. He plans to grow the contest to benefit charities locally, he said. IRC will be the first beneficiary of the photo contest.

Tyler Freeman captures an image at the edge of Ancient Lakes Trail in Central Washington. Photo by Chelsey Louden

CaptureWA is centered around story and wonder, to give Washington residents a chance to share meaningful moments they’ve lived and captured, he said. Ten professional judges will choose 16 works to be professionally printed, framed, and hung in downtown Seattle’s ArtLove Salon gallery.

The winning images , the Elite 16, will be up for auction at the fundraiser at 6 p.m. June 12 at Public Display Art in Seattle. A silent auction and raffle are planned, with 90% of all proceeds going directly to IRC.

“I believe that this has serious potential to establish itself as a cultural tradition of generosity here in Washington state,” he said. 

The contest

The contest runs through May 15, with a limit of 400 submissions to keep the number manageable for the judges. Each photographer can submit up to five photos across eight categories, but all photos have to be taken by a Washington resident, and the subject has to be in Washington.

Categories include Washington people and portraits, lifestyle and culture, cityscapes and townscapes, waterscapes and flora and fauna. Two wildcard categories are season (current season of spring) and freeform, which includes avante garde, textures, colors, double exposures and anything that leans toward a more artistic flair, Freeman said.

“Art in general makes us feel something,” he said. “The goal of this is for people to walk away with a feeling of awe, a connection to themselves, others, and the planet.”

The fundraiser is at 6 p.m. June 12 at Public Display Art, 110 Union St., Suite 400 in Seattle. Tickets cost $35 to $100. Donations are also accepted.

Click here to enter CaptureWA or purchase tickets to the fundraiser.