Tag: Seattle

Photographing Sunsets on TV Mode

Canon Lenses, Canon lenses and equipment, Comparison, Photosharing, Sunsets

Understanding full well that my obsession with running out on the balcony or up to the roof to watch/photograph the sunset each night will eventually fade. I’ve taken to abandoning my camera’s priority mode while switching to manual focus on my lenses. Though manual mode is, by far, the best way to learn. With limited time and a plate of homemade tacos waiting for me on the inside, I switched to TV mode, changing my shutter speed with each image. Those unfamiliar with TV mode allow you to change your camera’s shutter speed and let you play around with the amount of time. Giving you the power to create a sense of motion in your images. Below are a couple of pictures and their settings. As you can see, their taken from very different ends of the spectrum, yet the results are similar.

ISO/100 1/11 seconds at F 32
ISO 800 1/2000 at F 4.5

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.

Haze

Canon lenses and equipment, Pacific Northwest

Due to the fires in neighboring California and Washington’s pollution, some new descriptions have appeared in the daily weather forecast.
Words such as “Smoke” and “Haze” have become part of the vocabulary. When I woke up this morning, to was is being referred to as “haze.” Eventually, my curiosity and urge to document what I was seeing. Grabbing my camera, I headed to the window to capture what I was seeing.Below are a couple of images I took from my window at around 9:30 am. The one on the left is taken of the east. The one on the right shows the west.

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.

For my neighbors

Friendship, Photosharing, Sunscapes, Sunsets

As I began to head back down from the roof deck and enjoy the tacos my wife had been preparing. I was greeted by a really kind couple by the bar. After a short chat, I was asked if and where they could see some, if any of the pictures I had just taken. I gave one of them my card in hopes of sharing before I headed downstairs. While there are probably countless people living here, my hopes are to run into them again and possibly lear more from natives of the city I’ve come to call my home. In the meantime, this post and these pictures are for them.

Smoke

Blogging, Finding Solutions, Pacific Northwest

When we went out early Friday night, we couldn’t help but notice the lack of quality and somewhat toxic smell in the air. Even with our corona-masks, our breathing became so compromised that we decided to head back indoors and cut our night short. When tuning into the weather broadcast on the news, I heard a never before description of the forecast. The next few days called for “smoke” and an unhealthy air quality that came with a warning to “stay home.”

The following day was terrible, but waking up Sunday morning was downright scary, being engulfed with this thick smoke. Luckily, there was no smell of fire. But I couldn’t help but think of the John Carpenter film ‘The Fog.’ Having never seen anything like it. I raced for my camera to document the site. And what a frightening site it was.

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)