Seattle Waterfront

A ferry in Puget Sound with the Seattle waterfront in the background.

The Seattle waterfront is a fantastic place for photography.  There are many parks and vantages to view the cityscape from, all offering their unique perspectives.  I previously offered some ideas here.

My favorite waterfront vantage is this one from West Seattle - Hamilton Park.  This park is located on California Ave just before it descends down to Alki Ave, and makes a great evening/sunset location.

This image is currently appearing in a 2013 wall calendar being distributed worldwide.  Seattle is being represented!

This reminds me that I need to get my Seattle and Puget Sound galleries added to my web site soon.  No rest, I tell you!

Dr. Jose Rizal Park - Wow!

Dr. Jose Rizal Park has amazing views of the Seattle skyline from the south, as well as Safeco and Qwest Field, and Elliot Bay.

This was my first visit to the park, and I was pretty much blown away by the views. And this was inspite of having only visited Kerry Park a couple days prior. Both parks are very nice vantages.

The first view that gets your attention is obviously the view of the city and the freeway wrapping around it. At night (or early morning in my case), headlights and taillights create colorful streams of ribon during long exposures. The above image was exposed at 15 seconds, f16.

Qwest Field is a close second in the running for your attention from this park, at least at night. The colorful blue roof serves as a beacon south of the city. In stark contrast, Safeco Field is simply a dark structure with no lights.

Also cast in bright lights in the south industrial area are the cranes serving the Port of Seattle along Elliott Bay. I found them an interesting scene, especially once the Olympic Mountains began to emerge closer to sunrise. The cargo ships can be scene docked with full loads just beyond the Qwest Event Center Parking Garage. This composition was squeazed between Qwest Field and Safeco Field.

Vertical isolations were also fun to play with from this vantage. The black building in this composition is the Columbia Center - tallest buidling in Seattle and second tallest on the west coast at 987 feet. Originally, it was supposed to be even taller. But FAA regulations would not allow the proposed height of 1005 feet due to its close proximity to Sea-Tac Airport.

The building has an observation deck on the 73rd floor that is open to the public (for a fee) on weekdays only. The views are supposed to rival those from the Space Needle - some say better. Though the panorama is not 360, they are reported to be excellent of the city and of Elliot Bay. This attraction has been added to my bucket list.
As the western horizon starts to turn a pastel pink moments before sunrise, Qwest Field again becomes an attractive scene. At least it did in my mind. I took many shots of this scene in varying light - including first sunlight on the stadium itself. However, I think the subtleness of this one makes it my favorite.

Panoramas of the city scape are also possible from here. The panorama below consists of three images stitched together for a fairly complete representation of this vantage. I wish I would have thought to take these images about 10 minutes earlier when the pink hue dominated the sky. Next time.

Dr. Jose Rizal Park is located on Beacon Hill, just off of Dearbon Street (the exit to take off I-5). The approach from the south is a little indirect due to one-way streets and freeway obstruction, but it is worth the effort! Check it out next time you are in the area!

Views from Discovery Park

The last day of 2010 and how did I spend my morning? Visiting a location I have never been too - Discovery Park in Seattle!

To top it off, it was pretty much an accident. I left home this morning to visit the piers on the Seattle waterfront, only to realize that I had forgotten my wallet at home, and thus had no means to pay for parking (there were some other obvious concerns too, which will go without saying).

So I continued along the waterfront towards the Magnolia Bridge, visiting Elliott Bay Park, Magnolia Park, and finally, Discovery Park.

Discovery Park is a lot bigger than I imagined. And those rabits...

I followed the loop trail from the south parking lot towards the water and soon found some nice, uncompromised views of the Olympics. Despite the cold, there was still a lot of haze in the air.
It was fun seeing the Olympic Mountains in all their winter splendor, and from a new vantage point. I definitely have reason to return!

Tonight and tomorrow I hope to continue my streak of visiting new places around the city. Stay tuned!

Oh, and have a fun and safe New Years!

Seattle Skyline

Happy New Year! It is hard to believe that 2010 is already upon us, and that Christmas came and went so fast.

2009 held some great memories for me. It held some sad ones as well. I don't spend a lot of time reflecting on the past, admittedly. Life just seems too busy to have the time to do so. In fact, I really need to start thinking about my plans for 2010 so that I can begin preparing! So many trips to plan and so little time! Yosemite? The Canadian Rockies? The Southwest? Alaska? The Sierras? Death Valley? I don't know. But I need to start thinking about it.

How about you? Any interesting plans for the new year? I hope so. And I hope you have a lot of fun experiencing them!

December brought a lot of fun my way. Shortly before Christmas, I turned a year older and celebrated the weekend in downtown Seattle. Rain kept the camera in its bag, but that's OK. It had plenty of other opportunities to come out. Those opportunities included Snoqualmie Falls (see previous post), Leavenworth, and these pictures of the Seattle skyline across Elliott Bay from West Seattle.

I find Seattle to be a fun place to photograph in the winter months, particularly during cold spells. Cold temperatures mean clear air and excellent visibility.

I enjoyed three different locations for these images; the pullout off Admiral Way, Hamilton Park off California Ave., and various viewpoints along Harbor Ave. near Alki Point. I'm not sure which of these are my favorite. They each have something different to offer and are all worth visiting.

The pullout off Admiral Way offers a fantastic view point of the city. I particularly like this angle in late afternoon during the winter months as the low angle of the sun reflects off the downtown buildings in almost blinding fashion.

Hamilton Park is located on California Ave, just before it begins to wind down to Harbor Avenue. It offers a great vantage of sunset over the city and, because of its high vantage, offers separation of the ferry boats and other maritime vessels in Elliott Bay. OK, maybe this one is my favorite!

Harbor Avenue is the road that stretches from the West Seattle Freeway north along Elliott Bay to Alki Point. It offers many, many viewpoints - especially as it nears Alki Point. From Hamilton Park, simply follow California Ave. north as it winds down to the waterfront and intersects Harbor Ave near Salty's. Turn left and head towards the point.

The views near Alki Point across Elliott Bay really add perspective to the buildings and skyline of downtown Seattle. Unlike Hamilton Park directly above, you are now looking UP at the buildings across the water. I find this location particularly pleasing after sunset as the city lights begin to come on. Other opportunities tend to arise here as well, such as wildlife, boats, divers, etc.

I have many other parks I want to visit yet, including Kerry Park with its famous view of The Space Needle and the city. But these are my favorite locations in West Seattle. I hope you like them too.

There should still be many opportunities yet this winter to get out and photograph or simply enjoy some of the fine views around Seattle. I hope you find the time to do so!

2010 Greater Seattle InfoGuide

I just received my copies of the 2010 Greater Seattle InfoGuide from Vernon Publications, which includes several of my images from around our state. It turned out quite nice!

The InfoGuide is a great publication to pick up if you are looking for things to get out and do, and is available at most hotels and tourist destinations around the greater Puget Sound area.

New Postcards

Last winter I enjoyed a quiet morning down on a pier in Seattle with my daughter. We arrived well before sunrise in temps barely above freezing, and waited for the sunrise. Dang it was cold!

Sunrise came and it was quite nice. It caught the low lying clouds over Elliott Bay and helped me capture images such as this one of the state ferry's coming in and out of dock.

We finished our morning with a warm breakfast and a hot cup of cocoa before retreating. It was a pretty special morning, and one that she still remembers to this day.

So it is with a special pleasure that I get to announce a new line of postcards featuring an image from that memorable morning. They are now available at a store near you!