The Lamborghini Murciélargo is an all-wheel-drive chunk of octane and gloss and “DA BULL.” That aesthetic and attitude might fly in New York or Los Angeles, but I’m not sure what to make of it all in a friendly city like Portland, Oregon.
Dirt Bike Whiskey
Continuing my Seattle street photography trend from my last post, todays photo is a similarly odd vignette of West Coast life, from the punk/patriotic dirt bike to the painted brick to the elegant Jameson label.
Soy Beans For Miles
For the most part I don’t find the vast unending crops of the midwest all that aesthetically pleasing. But I have to admit that early in the morning there’s something about the way that the newly risen sun hits a few patches of mist here and there over these fields that is kind of captivating.
Opening on Saturday
I found this newsstand just around the corner from this recent photograph of Pike Place Market in Seattle, Washington. I love the stark grid of his shirt against the curves of the contrasty cover, and the two lighting temperatures of the magazines and the street outside.
The Way
The tranquil Nitobe Memorial Garden at the University of British Columbia is a very peaceful place to wander and ponder.
Writing’s on the Wall
Seattle’s Pike Place Market has a lived-in, European aesthetic. Tiny stairways and doorways peak out from beneath railings and walkways. I half-expect to see a secret agent carefully eluding his pursuers in the complicated structures. Early on a Saturday morning, however, events seem just a bit calmer.
Geometry of Madness
I was told to go to the Seattle Public Library, and gaze into the eldritch angles of its geometry. I rather like the reflections on glass and water in this image, and I think the gridwork is quite cool; still, the idea of sneaking some kind of Lovecraftian building into the architectural melange of a city sounds like the plot of Ghostbusters. Excellent.
Emerald City
It may not be be in Oz, but it’s definitely not in Kansas, and located in the verdant Evergreen State, Seattle is definitely the Emerald City.
Chrome Tower with Breakfast
Portland’s Pearl District is colonized by construction like some sort of reverse-termites; shiny new buildings add to the skyline each day. As impressive as the reflections and the bridges and the gorgeous dawn sky is, I rather love the image of the man reading the paper in the bottom-right corner of the image. He’s literally on the edge of this dramatic image, but so thoroughly unfazed. Reading the paper and eating cereal has to happen sometime!
Flutterby
This one was hanging out on some prime real estate, quenching his thirst.
Waking Up Seattle
My co-author is the true Seattleite, and I began to understand the appeal of the place when I spent time there for a wedding this weekend. From atop the Fairmont Olympic Hotel, the view of uncanny Rainier Tower complements the wee cars in the streets below. Dawn is the time to gaze down the canyons.
Streets of Storm
We recently spent an evening by the Columbus Convention Center. As I explored the neighborhood, I was struck by the combinations of tiny, earlier buildings (lik the wee gray one in the center) and new, shiny, modern behemoths. Columbus seems to be in the process of figuring out if it wants to be Pittsburgh or Cleveland.
Misty River
Early morning on the Laurel Fork. Before the morning mist burns off, walking along the river is like walking through a fantasy novel.
Kentucky Horse Farm
The grassy, rolling, limestone-based Kentucky countryside looks too perfect. Precise fencing geometries and gently rippling ponds are just too much. I’m reminded of the famous Microsoft Windows XP default wallpaper, “Bliss.” The key to making both images work, I think, is an overall very clean image with just enough small details and imperfections at the edges to show you that it must be real.
Laurel Falls
In order to get to Laurel Falls from Hampton, TN you need to inch along a narrow ledge above the river or, especially when the water’s high, take the high water route up and over. Definitely worth it.
Decaseconds 