Friday, March 27, 2009

Mount Rainier over Lake Washington

Sunset in seattle
This is one of my favorite views in Seattle. I have been here a few times and will probably go back there for more :)

The pictures are taken from Madrona Park in Seattle. You can shoot this picture from any spot on the shoreline of the park. Immediately after you pass this park on your left on Lake Washington Blvd there is a parking lot. I usually like to go there...there are less people and it is easy to find parking.

Directions to Madrona Park

The best time for this shot is 15-30 mnts before sunset in summer. So theoretically you could shoot this shot and hustle over to the west side to shoot another sunset...in practice I've never been able to do this :)

It wasn't the fiery red sunset I was hoping for...but oh well. You have to remember to have a fast enough shutter speed so that you can freeze the boats that are in the foreground. Also if you put on the polarizer remember to remove it towards sunset....you can always use one or more f stops when the boats are moving around. The best foreground is probably a red/blue colored boat..but I haven't got that lucky yet. Ideas anyone?

Winter sunrise : Space needle



Space needle early in the morning
Equipment: Canon 20D, Canon 75-300mm
Image details:


The space needle is a great subject for winter sunrises. I took this picture just outside my apartment. There are a variety of subjects to choose from. I chose the dry branches of a tree to form a frame on the left side of the image. But the best part is that sunrise is around 6-6.30 am...the only time I have a realistic change of being up before sunrise :)
Equipment used: Canon 20D, Canon 100-400L, Tripod

Sunset on Alki beach

seattle-alki

Alki beach is a great place to take sunset shots in Seattle. The best time to shoot is usually around 8.45 - 9.00pm in summer. Traffic can be pretty heavy at this time of the day in summer on Harbor avenue...prepare to drive around for 15-20 mnts before you will get a spot.

Directions to Alki Beach

The Olympic mountains at sunset make a great background. But for a good picture we still need a foreground : ) For this picture I chose to use the Washington state ferry. There is usually one every 10-15 mnts. If you would not like to leave that to chance here is a link to the ferry schedule
Ferry Schedule

I decided to do a panorama to capture the essence and grandeur of the whole scene. The tricky issue is that the ferry is not static. Contrary to popular opinion the ferry is rather fast. It's important to have a faster shutter speed to freeze the ferry. I started off earlier in the evening using a polarizer and Neutral density filters..but as the evening wore on I got rid of both of them.

There are also opportunities to use a wide angle on the coast. I have not yet tried this and if anybody has some good spots that they can point out it would be great!

Alki sunset

Equipment used: Canon 20D, Canon 75-300mm, Tripod, Cokin Neutral density filter.

Spring in Seattle : Cherry blossoms at UW Quad

If you like cherry blossoms this is the place to be! You can get some gorgeous pictures here. The best time to take pictures is the last week of March or the first week of April. During the first week the blossoms are still on the trees. The latter week you will find them on the ground. I ave included both pictures below - pick the style you prefer!

Directions to UW Quad

Spring cherry blossom at UW

The best time of day to take pictures is early in the morning. Even though the light is great in the evenings there are big crowds here and it is impossible to take pictures.

Cherry blossom at UW Quad

I would recommend a wide angle lens or a macro lens if your interested in macros.
Equipment used: Canon 20D, Canon 18-55mm, Tripod, Cokin Neutral density filter.