HDR Photography
In spring, some pastel pinks and blues are quite appropriate. This photograph is from my visit to Brendan’s normal stomping grounds, the shores of Puget Sound. The gentle summer sunset and the clusters of homes on the shoreline (and in the hills) made for a sight unlike anything I’d ever seen on the east coast.
The characteristically rock beaches of Puget Sound are awesome if you like skipping stones.
Another spectacular Seattle sunset over Puget Sound and the Olympics, this time from Magnolia’s Discovery Park. This made more spectacular by the fact that it was the dead of winter and the vista was only marred by some wispy clouds and just the lightest of hazes.
In Seattle’s Magnolia neighborhood lies Seattle’s Discovery Park, formerly Fort Lawton. The park still contains the vestiges of the old military installation including this radar dome, which looks sort of out of place in a municipal park. This was taken just after one of Seattle’s characteristic spectacularly colorful sunsets.
Such an iconic part of Seattle’s skyline, I grabbed this shot from Kerry Park on a very Seattle day. Only thing better would be if the mountain had been out.
I recently received a Lensbaby Composer, and while I was in Seattle I decided to try to figure out how to use it. It is definitely harder than it looks, and the live preview (with the ability to zoom) is a life saver when it comes to shooting pictures that are in focus, especially when shooting distant objects (arguable this is not what it was meant for). Getting the “sweet spot” just right can be a challenge in these circumstances. That said, it does allow the photographer to frame their subjects in a very neat way, and in a very authentic way as well.
Snow peaked, and with a nice alpenglow, the Olympic mountains in the morning are one of the more spectacular sights to be seen from Seattle (behind, of course, the massive Mt. Rainier which looms over the city). On this unusually calm, clear (not to mention cold) morning I was able to grab this shot of Puget Sound in front of the Olympics, along with two Ferries making the Fauntleroy-Vashon run.
Shorewood beach at low tide is a completely different place from Shorewood beach at high tide, a place filled with tranquil tidal pools and beach combers. At low tide there are sandy beaches whereas at high tide the beaches are rocky. Pictured is the row of houses which is adjacent to Shorewood beach as shot from about halfway out to the low tide point.
Another shot from Shorewood’s community beach, this time looking to the south at (from right to left) Three Tree Point, Seahurst park, and the waterfront houses on Standring Lane. The water was exceptionally calm on this summer evening and the gentle lapping and soft lighting were extraordinarily relaxing. At low tide you can practically walk straight across to Seahurst beach, but alas this was taken at an extremely high tide.
As much as I like the California ocean beaches for being the epitome of ocean beaches, I think my favorite beaches are the ones around Puget Sound. They may not be particularly sandy except at low tide, and the water may be too cold to really enjoy even during the hottest part of summer but Puget Sound is always so calm and subdued. It’s a gentle lapping of waves rather than a roar of the surf.
One of things I remember most about growing up where I did was the view of the moon’s light reflecting off of Puget Sound. On particularly calm and clear nights the moon’s reflection will be particularly clear, almost like there are two moons. It was a little cloudy on this particular night but it was still a spectacular sight; it almost looks like a painting.
Another sunset shot of Puget Sound shot just south of Seattle looking west toward Vashon. I really liked the low cloud cover on the horizon with the blue skies. The only bummer for me is the power line. This photo looks like home for me.
Seattle had rare winter sun this week which meant spectacular sunets over Puget Sound. Here’s the last clear-ish sunset over the incoming dark cloud cover.
Decaseconds 