Coupeville resident Roddy Blelloch has always been fascinated by ferries.

The first ones he rode traveled from the inner to the outer banks of North Carolina, carrying just a few cars. Since moving to Whidbey four years ago, he’s become more familiar with the state ferry system and its massive vessels.

“The ferries, for me, were a very romantic way of getting to and fro,” he said. “I’ve absolutely loved them since I’ve been on them the first time.”

A few years ago, he started capturing photographs of riders, mostly aboard the route from Clinton to Mukilteo. He uses Leica Camera, a high-end brand with hand-built lenses.

“I have never seen a grumpy person on the ferry,” he said. “People sit, they play games, they interact. It’s probably the one place you find fewer people on their cell phones.”

Blelloch’s photos are currently on display through the end of February in the Bellevue Leica store, where he recently attended a photography workshop led by Greg Hatton, a well-known Leica shooter from Los Angeles. It was hosted in conjunction with Photographic Center Northwest, a photography school in Seattle. Participants at the workshop reviewed each other’s works, choosing their favorites to be displayed in a photography exhibit in the store.

Blelloch noted that it’s an honor to have his own exhibit in the Leica store, which usually reserves its wall space for works of more established photographers, like celebrity Lenny Kravitz.

“I’m grateful and very honored to be up on a wall that many other famous people have been on,” he said.

Leica cameras and lenses are “the cream of the crop,” he added. In the modern era of autofocus, Leica is the exact opposite.

Prior to Whidbey, Blelloch had a 30-year career as a cinematographer in the California Bay Area, working in TV and documentaries. It was an easy transition to photography, especially because Leica cameras use a manual focus function when taking photos.

“It’s not for the faint of heart,” he said of using the digital cameras.

His black-and-white photos, shot on the Leica M11 Monochrom, show generations of families aboard the ferry, among other scenes. Color photos were taken on Leica M11-P and Leica Q3 43.

He acknowledged the challenges of the system, especially when just one boat goes out of service.

“People endure the problems of the ferries, there’s some complaints, but you go with it,” he said.

He intends to ride all the routes in the state and potentially create a book, or some other larger project, documenting the experience of riding a ferry.

To see more of his work, visit roddyb.com.

(Photo by Roddy Blelloch) Three generations of a family look out the ferry window.

(Photo by Roddy Blelloch) Black-and-white photography shows the contrast on the ferry.