Seattle – Page 2 – Photogeek Blog

A Visit to North Tower

Canon lenses and equipment, Finding your Zen, Health, Mental Health, Pacific Northwest, Seattle, Sunscapes, Sunsets

After wondering for days whether the fob for the south tower worked in the north tower, I took a walk around the corner to find out for sure. When my keychain hit the spot, a beeping sound automatically opened the doors as if the heavens were welcoming me with open arms. Seeing the Space Needle up close for the first time since we first arrived in Seattle felt all warm and fuzzy. Watching the sunset and the sky turn orange is just about the most effective stress reducer around, as I’ve already taken more than enough pictures. I hope to use the space and calm to practice meditating and tai-chi. For now, I’ll feed my addiction and take/share photos.

Smoke on the Water. A.K.A. Haze Part II

Canon lenses and equipment, Location Shooting, Pacific Northwest, Seattle

As bleak as the haze and smoke of Seattle mornings can be. Knowing full well that there will come a time in the day where the skies will part, and the sun will make an appearance. It’s something that has made living in Seattle a lot easier. Sure, it rains a hell of a lot, but it rarely rains all day. And while this morning, haze or smoke is new, not to mention scary. However ominous, and perhaps part of what’s being termed as “The new normal.” I’ve gotten used to watching as the thick haze disperses, giving was to the sun.
Like clockwork, it happened yesterday. Unfortunately, this time, the haze didn’t lift. It just moved slightly west to Puget Sound. Having never seen such a sight. I grabbed my camera and headed to the roof deck. Below are two of the images I managed to capture.

Saying Goodbye to Columbia City and Angeline Apartments

Finding your Zen, Happiness, Lower East Side, Narrative, Seattle, Street Photography, Uncategorized

Earlier this afternoon we closed the doors to our apartment at Angeline by dropping off the keys. Angeline was, without a doubt, the best rental experience I can remember. Everything from our apartment, the staff, our neighbors, and our neighborhood was fantastic. We enjoyed having a library next door to us during the almost three years we were there, a city park behind us, a historic movie theatre across the street, and a healthy grocery store just under us. After our dropoff, we picked up some fresh cookies at Colombia City Bakery, did some food shopping at QFC, and even got to say goodbye to the panhandler who stands at the end of the grocery store parking lot. As good as our time there was. We had to decide to either go back East or stay and buy a home in Seattle. Choosing the latter took a lot of thought, but in the end, I think we’ve been happy here.

The Right Fit.

Finding your Zen, Happiness, Pacific Northwest, Seattle

When we first moved to Seattle in June 2017. It was a completely new experience for me. Having lived on in New York and New Jersey my entire life, I was more than ready for a change of scenery. Before the move, we visited Seattle and did our fair share of online research on the area. I also consulted a close friend who had worked here, and he was excited about my opportunity as he was sad to see me go. To quote him, “The trees are fucking huge, and you’re going to love it.” Upon our arrival, my wife’s new company assigned us a real estate agent. However, after seeing five or six less than convincing condos, we decided to rent while we got more familiar with the area. Almost three years later, we decided to link up with our original agent and struck gold on the very first day. We immediately made an offer on the spot and received an acceptance call shortly after returning to our apartment. The rest, as they say, was history.

Where Ya’ Going?

Happiness, Narrative, Pacific Northwest, Seattle, Sunsets

After more than two years, (closer to three) of trying to convince, not only my wife, but myself, I’ve managed to convince the both of us that staying in Seattle is the right answer. Though Seattle has more than it’s share of problems, they’re nothing we weren’t able to face and overcome back east. As someone who’s lived the overwhelming majority of his life in New York. Moving out west has offered as many rewards as challenges. Luckily, on our first day out, we found a place we loved, made an offer, which was accepted within hours and as they say, the rest was history.

Try, fail, try.

Canon Lenses, Canon lenses and equipment, Finding your Zen, Long Exposures, Pacific Northwest, Seattle

Over the last week, I’ve spent a lot of time getting to know the features on my camera. Experimenting with long exposures and mapping out areas where I’d like to put my ideas to work. Being that the symptoms of my sorta/kinda diagnosis have consistently worsened in recent weeks and months. My wife has become warier of my jetting off in the wee hours of the night without her.
So one night, just before dusk. We drove down to Seattle’s International District, where I immediately realized why, when it comes to photography, it’s almost always better to go it alone. After passing up a half a dozen spots that she deemed unsafe. We settled for Dr. Jose Rizal Park. A nice place, but one I had taken pictures from at least a dozen times. From her continually telling me to move to spare people from having to simply sidestep me. To telling me where to focus and complaining about why I had chosen to take long exposures and her getting cold on a brisk June night. Needless to say, I did not have the opportunity to take many images or follow through with any ideas I might have had. Instead, I spent the ride home explaining camera settings to a woman who, more than not, refuses to take any pictures. Overall, Dr. Jose Rizal Park and the overpass that leads you there are great spots to capture the city of Seattle, I-9, the sunset and T-Mobil park, I highly recommend visiting.

Try Fail Try (1 of 1)

Ghosts of Belltown

Exploring, Interpreting Art, Seattle

Earlier today, we viewed a couple of condos in the Seattle neighborhood know as Belltown. We really love the area and feel comfortable there as it is just a few blocks from the apartments we were temporarily housed in when we first came to Seattle. I was lucky enough to take these two images while waiting to be taken or resuming our tour of the building. The one on the left was taken while trying to find the parking spot our unit would provide. ( I kind of dig the ghostly Inspector Gadget vibe it gives off. The black & white image on the right was taken in the lobby, showing how the entrance and the mail room are cleverly separated from one another.

Finding Light in the Darkness

Canon Lenses, Canon lenses and equipment, Long Exposures, Seattle, Street Photography

If it were up to me, I’d be out there taking most of my images after or around dusk or just before dawn. They are, for me and I’m sure many others, the best times of the day. And while, through practice and understanding, Drive-Thru (1 of 1) Drive-Thru II (1 of 1) I came to love long exposures and shooting in manual mode. While for may, the times of day mentioned are usually set aside for family or getting ready for a days work. It only makes those moments more special when you can slip away or coax a loved one away from their own down time to join you. On my second night I trade the balcony for the parking lot of our local bank. With my wife insisting on tagging along and knowing he lack of patience when it comes to certain things. I made and checked all my camera setting before we left. The images below were shot at 100 ISO F22 at ’30 second intervals.

Laying low while dusting off some old favorites.

Blogging, Commentary, Finding Solutions, Health, Mental Health, Narrative, Seattle

The recent fears of a pandemic and warnings that suggest social distancing have got us trying to stay sane as we continue to spend more and more time in lockdown. As shaking hands and sharing germs with strangers has come to a screaming halt, I’ve found more and more time to read books, listen to records, and rekindle my interest in old hobbies. When I went downtown to Pike street to pick up some refilled medication. I got a real chill, seeing what a ghost town the often lively area has become. I’ll tell you, shit doesn’t get more real than this.

An Increasingly Rare Trip Downtown.

Location Shooting, Pacific Northwest, Seattle, Street Photography

When we first moved to Seattle in June, 2017, we lived about a block from the space needle near Terry Ave. in what is considered by most to be the lower Queen Anne area of Seattle. It was a time when we often found ourselves within walking distance of downtown Seattle and the more tourist friendly Pike Place Seattle Market. Wheel (1 of 1) Since moving to nearby Columbia City and becoming actual residents of Kings County. We find fewer and fewer reasons to visit the area. On this particular night my wife and me went from trying a Vietnamese spot just off Jackson and Boren avenues to picking up something at her office to heading downtown before we drove home. We arrived at a time when most of the tourists had gone back to their hotels and the homeless had begun setting up camp on the nearby streets or getting in line to enter the local shelters. The night air felt fresh and the lack of foot and automobile traffic added a sense of calm and quiet. Though there was no place to park, we were able to pull over to the side off the road long enough for me to snap a few images. I captured these images without the help of any filters, flashes or a tripod.