Photographer's guide to the planet

Mount Rainier over Lake Washington

2009-03-27T17:26:00.001-07:00

This is one of my favorite views in Seattle. I have been here a few times and will probably go back there for more :)

The pictures are taken from Madrona Park in Seattle. You can shoot this picture from any spot on the shoreline of the park. Immediately after you pass this park on your left on Lake Washington Blvd there is a parking lot. I usually like to go there...there are less people and it is easy to find parking.

Directions to Madrona Park

The best time for this shot is 15-30 mnts before sunset in summer. So theoretically you could shoot this shot and hustle over to the west side to shoot another sunset...in practice I've never been able to do this :)

It wasn't the fiery red sunset I was hoping for...but oh well. You have to remember to have a fast enough shutter speed so that you can freeze the boats that are in the foreground. Also if you put on the polarizer remember to remove it towards sunset....you can always use one or more f stops when the boats are moving around. The best foreground is probably a red/blue colored boat..but I haven't got that lucky yet. Ideas anyone?

Winter sunrise : Space needle

2009-03-27T17:25:00.005-07:00

Equipment: Canon 20D, Canon 75-300mm

Image details:

The space needle is a great subject for winter sunrises. I took this picture just outside my apartment. There are a variety of subjects to choose from. I chose the dry branches of a tree to form a frame on the left side of the image. But the best part is that sunrise is around 6-6.30 am...the only time I have a realistic change of being up before sunrise :)
Equipment used: Canon 20D, Canon 100-400L, Tripod

Sunset on Alki beach

2009-03-27T17:25:00.003-07:00

Alki beach is a great place to take sunset shots in Seattle. The best time to shoot is usually around 8.45 - 9.00pm in summer. Traffic can be pretty heavy at this time of the day in summer on Harbor avenue...prepare to drive around for 15-20 mnts before you will get a spot.

Directions to Alki Beach

The Olympic mountains at sunset make a great background. But for a good picture we still need a foreground : ) For this picture I chose to use the Washington state ferry. There is usually one every 10-15 mnts. If you would not like to leave that to chance here is a link to the ferry schedule
Ferry Schedule

I decided to do a panorama to capture the essence and grandeur of the whole scene. The tricky issue is that the ferry is not static. Contrary to popular opinion the ferry is rather fast. It's important to have a faster shutter speed to freeze the ferry. I started off earlier in the evening using a polarizer and Neutral density filters..but as the evening wore on I got rid of both of them.

There are also opportunities to use a wide angle on the coast. I have not yet tried this and if anybody has some good spots that they can point out it would be great!

Equipment used: Canon 20D, Canon 75-300mm, Tripod, Cokin Neutral density filter.

Spring in Seattle : Cherry blossoms at UW Quad

2009-03-27T17:25:00.001-07:00

If you like cherry blossoms this is the place to be! You can get some gorgeous pictures here. The best time to take pictures is the last week of March or the first week of April. During the first week the blossoms are still on the trees. The latter week you will find them on the ground. I ave included both pictures below - pick the style you prefer!

Directions to UW Quad

The best time of day to take pictures is early in the morning. Even though the light is great in the evenings there are big crowds here and it is impossible to take pictures.

I would recommend a wide angle lens or a macro lens if your interested in macros.
Equipment used: Canon 20D, Canon 18-55mm, Tripod, Cokin Neutral density filter.

Seattle Arboretum

2009-03-27T17:24:00.005-07:00

Equipment: Canon 20D, Canon 100-400L

Image details: f6.3, 1/250th sec, 400mm, ISO 400

The Seattle Arboretum is a great place for birders! In spring and early summer you will be able to get some good shots of ducklings. I would recommend a 300-400 Telephoto lens.

In winter I have seen bald eagles here on a few occasions. It is also a great place to spot the Great Blue Heron. Here is a link with more general information about the arboretum
http://depts.washington.edu/wpa/

Directions to the Seattle Arboretum

There are lots of small trails in the arboretum. I would recommend that you spend a few hours and walk the trails. You can also walk under the 520 bridge to the other side of the arboretum (Towards the Husky Football stadium). There are usually some good sunset shot opportunities on this side of the arboretum. It does get a little muddy , so make sure you have those hiking boots on. Here is more information about the foster island trail
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/getaways/116663_hike10.shtml

If you have a boat or a canoe you can also paddle through the waterways of the arboretum ...I haven't done that yet..my swimming skills are limited and I'd rather not test them :) You can also rent kayaks/canoes/boats from the various places in front of the Husky stadium and paddle to the arboretum.

Equipment used: Canon 75-300mm. Tripod. B+W Neutral Density Filter.

Kinnear park, Queen Anne

2009-03-27T17:24:00.003-07:00

Winter panorama of the Magnolia marina in Seattle with the Olympic Mountains in the background. This picture was taken from Kinnear park. Winter is a great time to take this picture. I would suggest a clear day in winter especially a day or two after a winter storm. I took this the day after the first snowfall in winter of 2006/2007. Early mornings is also a good time to take this picture.

Directions to Kinner park
Lat, Long: 47.627151, -122.366860

Equipment used: Canon 20D, 100-400L, B+W Polarizer

Discovery park

2009-03-27T17:24:00.001-07:00

This is a great spot to take pictures of ducks. Went there on a sunday evening. The place is extremely popular and there were lots of people. If you are going there for the first time its a good idea to pay a visit to the visitor center. They have a catalog of photos shot at discovery park. It's useful to thumb through the catalog to get an idea of the pictures you can take there.

There are a few small ponds. The birds here seem to be pretty used to people walking around...so you can get close and get some pretty good shots.

For more information about directions, hours of operations visit the discovery park web site

They also have a photo contest going on if you are interested.

The ponds in discovery park are located close to the North parking lot. Sunset is usually a great time to take pictures of the birds.
Lat, Long : 47.665190, -122.412310

Map of discovery park

Equipment used: Canon 20D, Canon 100-400L. The image stabilizer works :) I shot this without the tripod...

Skagit River, Highway 20 , WA

2009-03-27T17:23:00.003-07:00

Highway 20 is part of the popular "Cascade loop" (www.cascadeloop.com). The route is scenic and incredibly beautiful in summer. However I think that in fall/winter it is even more beautiful. I would highly recommend that you drive along Highway 20 in the winter.

You can get some great shots if you can be around the area at sunrise. It's a couple of hours from Seattle - so you should plan to head out around around 4.30-5.00 am. Check to see if there has been snowfall in the last couple of days - snow always makes the landscape look interesting. Also a 4 Wheel Drive would be good option to be on the safe side. There are plenty of old barns and old broken down trucks in the fields right next to the road. Pick a spot you like and wait for the right light.

I like to make this trip in middle or late January. Another added benefit is that the eagles are in the area around this time of the year. If you get lucky you might catch one feeding on Salmon early in the day on the banks of the Skagit river. On the flip side the place tends to get pretty crowded with eagle watchers later in the day.

This particular panorama of the fisherman was shot from Howard miller Steelhead park

Directions to Howard Miller Steelhead park
Lat, Long: 48.485595,-121.595778

If you get hungry and you like burgers I would highly recommend the Buffalo Run restaurant in MarbleMount(buffalorunrestaurant.com). I have been there a few times and always liked the food.

In general get a good map of the area and just spend the day exploring. There are so many scenic by roads in this area it is definitely worth exploring.

Japanese garden, Seattle Arboretum

2009-03-27T17:23:00.001-07:00

Equipment: Canon 20D, Canon 24-70mm

Image details: 43mm, f/8.0, 1/25sec, ISO 100

Tripods are not allowed in the Seattle Japanese garden except for a couple of days when they have special photography sessions.

Where:
Click for directions to the Japanese garden
Lat, Long: 47.629826,-122.293797

When:
The spring photography session is in the last week of April and the fall session is in the middle of October. You will need to sign up for this session. More details are on this website http://www.seattle.gov/parks/parkspaces/JapaneseGarden/japanesegardenevents.htm.

Plan to show up early. The garden opens at 7.00 AM and the session lasts still 10.00 AM. You can photograph the different parts of the garden as the day progresses. This spring when I went there there was a beautiful bloom of Azelia's being reflected in the pond.

Also the spring event is a little too late for the cherry blossoms you might get lucky and still have a few blossoms you can photograph. There are also plenty of opportunities to photograph the ducks and tortoises that inhabit the pond. Remember to also bring your macro lens if you like taking macro shots of flowers.

Admiralty head lighthouse, Whidbey island

2009-03-27T17:22:00.004-07:00

The Admiralty Head lighthouse is located in Fort Casey State Park on Whidbey island. It's a beautiful little park on the south side of Whidbey island. If you have not been to Whidbey island before I would hightly recommend it - its about an hour and a half drive from Seattle and definitely worth it! Here is more information about the various state parks on Whidbey island
http://www.parks.wa.gov/parks/regislands.asp

Click here for map and driving directions

There are a couple of ways ways to get to the light house. If you have a day to burn you can drive over Deception pass and drive down south. Otherwise you can take the ferry from Mukilteo to Clinton and get there in an hour. I did the latter and arrived at the park an hour before sunset. There are also a couple of interesting gun turrets around the lighthouse. If you are lucky you can also find a few deer in the meadows around the turrets.

The lighthouse is positioned away from the ocean ..so it becomes a little difficult to do the typical lighthouse sunset shot. I felt that shooting just the lighthouse would not do justice to the whole scene. So I decided to do a panorama of the lighthouse and the sunset colors. I shot about 3 shots and stitched them together.

This is also a great spot to get some sunset pictures of the olympics

Downtown - Washington state ferries

2009-03-27T17:22:00.003-07:00

The piers along Alaska Way are one of the best places to take pictures of the Washington state ferries in winter or summer. For your reference I have included both summer and winter pictures.

Winter is a great time to shoot the washington state ferries plying between Seattle and Bainbridge island. You can get some great shots framing the ferries against the majestic Olympic mountains.

The key is to get there on a clear day when there is no rain. Check the weather beforehand and plan your trip. I've always had better luck shooting sunrise rather than sunset. There is also a very good chance of getting some nice alpenglow on the Olympic mountains. Sunrise in the winter is usually around 7.00 am. I would plan to get there about 15 mnts earlier and find some good spots.

One of the best places to shoot the ferries is from around the Ferry terminal in Seattle downtown. The best thing to do is to park around the Ferry terminal on Alaskan way and walk to the various piers around the area. One of my favorites is the pier next to the Argosy cruise counter.

Directions to the ferry terminal

Make sure to dress warmly as it gets pretty cold standing out on the pier for a couple of hours!

Mountain loop highway

2009-03-27T17:22:00.001-07:00

The scenic Mountain loop highway is one of the most popular routes in WA in summer. In winter it offers some breathtaking panoramic opportunities at sunrise and sunset. You can also see some interesting fall colors if you drive along this loop in fall. The loop opened back up in fall 2007 after a portion of the loop was washed away in floods about four years ago. Here is a overview map of the loop - http://www.northwestplaces.com/trips001/MtnLoop-Map.htm

SeattlePI has an article describing the loop in more detail. The last time I drove the loop I didn't get very far. A few miles after taking the exit to highway 530 I found a beautiful barn set against some pines and snow capped mountains at sunrise. When I stopped to take a picture of the barn, I noticed this beautiful ornate spider web glistening in the rising sun.

Before you leave check to make sure that the roads are open - part of the loop gets closed in winter.

Snow geese, Skagit valley

2009-03-27T17:21:00.004-07:00

Every winter thousands of snow geese descend on Skagit valley for its fertile fields and mild climate. If you haven't seen a bird migration before (like me) you will be in for a pleasant surprise! The sight of thousands of geese taking off at the same time is an eerie feeling...something like a train which takes off. It also provides some fantastic photographic opportunities.

Equipment: Canon 20D, Canon 100-400mm

Image details: 400mm, f/5.6, 1/100sec, ISO 100

December, January and February are great times to check out the geese. I typically like to shoot the geese in the evenings.

On a clear day you will be able to see Mount Baker in the background...so it might be good to check the weather forecast and get there on a clear day.

There are a few fields where the geese usually hang out.

1. Fir Island reserve - http://www.nwsource.com/travel/washington/puget-sound/la-conner/fir-island-farm-hayton-reserve
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/getaways/106341_shorttrips30.shtml
2. Off Maupin road - http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&time=&date=&ttype=&q=maupin+road,+la+conner,+wa&sll=48.422765,-122.436962&sspn=0.039701,0.090637&ie=UTF8&ll=48.347208,-122.432113&spn=0.01988,0.045319&z=15&om=1

If you don't see them on these fields, it pays to usually drive around a little bit - you usually end up spotting them very quickly :) Although this post is primarily about the snow geese, the Skagit valley area is a birders paradise...keep your eyes open for Bald eagles, Great Blue Herons & Swans.

Oh and one other important point..when the geese blast off make sure you are not under the blast off unless you want to get pooped on..believe me ..I learnt this the hard way :)

Golden gardens park

2009-03-27T17:21:00.003-07:00

Golden gardens park is a great little park tucked away in the northwest corner of Seattle. It has great ocean views and a variety of other subjects to choose from. Here is a link to the park web site - Golden Gardens park web site

The above image was shot handheld using a Canon 20D with Canon 100-400L.

Golden gardens is one of the best places in Seattle for tidepool photography. At low tide you can shoot a variety of creatures like Sea Stars, Anemone, etc. Also dont forget to use a polarizer when shooting the tidepool creatures - it will help get rid of the glare. All the good tidepool locations are at the northern end of the park past the turtle pond. Wading boots are a great asset if you want to do tidepool photography.

Make sure you get there at low tide - the beach is much more interesting at low tide. A good website to lookup the tide charts for the seattle area is http://www.dairiki.org/tides/. Even better if you can get there during the lowest tide of the year. This is usually in June/July. In my opinion this is the best time of the year to shoot the Great blue Herons. The normally skittish herons are so preoccupied with the bounty of fish available that they tend to ignore the photographers :)

There is also a small freshwater pond located in the park. Its a great place to shoot Red slider turtles, Mallards, Red winged blackbirds etc.

Directions to the park

Queen Anne Hill

2009-03-27T17:21:00.001-07:00

Some of the most iconic and well know photos of downtown Seattle are taken from Queen Anne Hill. There are a couple of different viewpoints here

1. Kerry Park - Every photographer in Seattle must visit this spot! It has great views of downtown Seattle and the space needle. Kerry park tends to be a little windy - so a sturdy tripod will be very useful. There are a number of interesting compositions here - Space needle with downtown Seattle, Space needle by itself, Space needle with downtown Seattle and Mount Rainier.

Don't be afraid to experiment with your composition. After sunset you can also try different compositions with the full moon. Check the lunar calendar to determine when there is a full moon. The best sunset colors are usually in summer but some of the most delicate hues are in spring - usually the day before/after a storm. The picture below was taken after a spring storm

2. Betty Bowen viewpoint - This little known viewpoint is only a few blocks from Kerry Park along Highland drive. It has sweeping views of the ocean and the magnolia marina. In my experience I have found this to be a better spot to shoot sunset colors that Kerry Park.

Directions to Kerry Park

3. Kinnear park - Refer to this blog post -
http://seattlephotoadventures.blogspot.com/2007/07/magnolia-marina-and-olympic-mountains.html

View from Washington state ferries

2009-03-27T17:20:00.003-07:00

Washington state ferries provide some very interesting photo opportunities. I am not talking about taking pictures of the ferries but taking pictures from the ferries! I discovered this by chance when I was taking an early morning ferry over to the Olympic Peninsula. As always sunrise and sunset provide the best and most interesting opportunities. I have not had much luck with tripods on ferries, usually the ferry is rocking too much to get a crisp shot. I shoot handheld with my Canon 100-400 IS lens instead. Even with the IS lens I would recommend a speed of atleast 1/100th to 1/200 th of a sec. When I find a shot I really like I usually shoot it at a variety of different speeds just to make sure I get the shot. I would also recommend a focal length of at least a 200/300 mm for some of the compositions in this post.

Link to Ferry schedules

Seattle to Bainbridge Island - This ferry has magnificent views of Downtown Seattle and Mount Rainier. The first ferry is at 5.30 AM. It offers some very interesting compositions of the cranes of the Port of Seattle with Mount Rainier. There are also some interesting oppurtunities for creating panorama's of downtown Seattle. A polarizer will be extremely useful if you are shooting around sunrise.

Directions to the Seattle ferry terminal

Edmonds to Kingston - This is one of my favorite ferry rides early in the morning. The first ferry is at 5.45 AM (Except on sundays). This works out perfectly during the summer - you can shoot sunrise from the ferry. There are some very interesting views of Mount Baker with the various islands of Puget sound in the foreground - this is one of my favorite sunrise shots in the area. On the other side you can also see the Kingston ferry terminal framed by the Brothers peak.

Directions to Edmonds ferry terminal

Gasworks park

2009-03-27T17:20:00.001-07:00

Equipment: Canon 20D, Canon 100-400L

Image details:

The Lake Union area is one of the best places in Seattle for a newbie photographer to hone his/her skills. You can easily spend weeks shooting from around the various spots around Lake Union. In this entry I am going to talk about Gasworks park. Gasworks park is a neat little park located on the north side of lake union. Gasworks park has an interesting history. I would encourage you to read more information about the park and learn about its history.

There is a little hillock with a great view. Make sure to climb up to the top of the hillock and take in all the fabulous views! You can also use the green hills as a interesting foreground to compose downtown Seattle. Gasworks park is also one of the best place to watch the July 4th fireworks. The park is usually packed with thousands of people!

Information about Gasworks park
Directions to Gasworks park.

Gasworks park has fabulous views of downtown Seattle during sunset. My preference is to shoot during the Duck dodge sailboat races which are every tuesday. For more detailed information about the schedule of the races refer to www.duckdodge.org. It gives you great opportunities to use the sailboats as foreground.

My favorite time is the few minutes before sunset when sunlight is reflecting off the downtown skyscrapers - it makes the buildings appear like a giant mirror. A graduated neutral density filter will be very useful here.

Equipment: Canon 20D, Canon 100-400L

Image details:

The rusty old structures from the Seattle Gas company are still around in the park. They present some fabulous macro opportunities during sunrise and sunset.

Lake union - Aurora bridge

2009-03-27T17:19:00.002-07:00

Equipment: Canon 20D, Canon 100-400L

Image details:

Aurora (Highway 99) bridge is my favorite spot to shoot Duck Dodge. For more information about Duck dodge refer to www.duckdodge.org.

Highway 99 is an elevated vantage point that gives you an incredible view of Lake Union. It is even more beautiful you if you have a clear day on which you can see Mount Rainier. Pick a clear Tuesday evening in summer for your photo shoot. The easiest spot to get on the bridge is near the “Fremont Troll”. A lot of folks find the Troll very photogenic as well! On either side of the troll you have stairs to get on to the Aurora bridge. If you wish to shoot Lake Union take the stairs on the right side of the troll. If you want to take pictures of Ship canal take the stairs on the left side.

This spot is not for people who are scared of heights. The pedestrian walkway is a fairly narrow and you have to share it with the bicyclists. You are pretty close to the vehicles passing on the bridge and every time a big truck whizzes by you can definitely feel it. Walk a little ways along the walkway till you get a clear view of Lake Union. You can either shoot here early on summer evenings or you can wait for sunset. My best pictures here are from early evening. Late in the evening Mount Rainier tends to become hazy and the picture is not as impressive.

The most important piece of equipment here is probably your polarizer. It will help saturate the sky & the water. Mount Rainier will also become a little clearer as the polarizer cuts through some of the haze. I’ve not had much luck here with a tripod. Usually the traffic on the bridge is pretty heavy and the tripod jitters every time a vehicle buzzes by. But it’s definitely worth a try. Most of the time I shoot handheld with a IS lens. You can make both horizontal and vertical compositions here. I favor the horizontal composition since it tends to bring out the grandeur of the entire scene. It is also a great place for a panorama :)

Equipment: Canon 20D, Canon 100-400L

Image details:

Olympic Sculpture park

2009-03-27T17:19:00.001-07:00

Equipment: Canon 20D, Canon 24-70L

Image details: f/11, 1/10 sec, 32 mm, ISO 100

Olympic Sculpture park is a trendy little park located on the shores of Elliot bay. The park affords beautiful panoramic views of Puget Sound, Olympic Mountains, downtown Seattle and Mount Rainier. This park also connects to the Myrtle Edwards park on the waterfront. The park boasts of 20 odd sculptures and a beautiful fountain. The various sculptures present a myriad of composition opportunities.

The park can get pretty crowded on weekends so I prefer to go there on the weekdays. The easiest place to find street parking is on Elliot avenue - its about a block or two from the park entrance, so it works great. The park also has a parking garage. Please refer to the Park map for more information. The park has various levels - make sure to walk through the different levels in the park.
Park Map
Directions to the Park
Park information

The shot above is a panorama of the "Eagle" - one of my favorite sculptures in the park. The best time to shoot the eagle is at sunset. A summer evening with lots of clouds in the sky is a great time to shoot. The shot was taken from the other side of Elliot avenue. You will need to walk onto the grass close to the wall to get a good composition of the sculpture.

If you have a wide angle lens you can also compose from right around the base of the "Eagle". If you have more time to spend at the park make sure to walk down to the beach and to Myrtle Edwards park.

Discovery park - West point lighthouse

2009-03-27T17:18:00.004-07:00

Equipment: Canon 20D, Canon 24-70mm

Image details: 43mm, f/8.0, 1/25sec, ISO 100

West point lighthouse is one of the best places in Seattle to shoot sunset. There are great photo opportunities from the north beach as well as the south beach. The south beach has lot of driftwood which you can use for some interesting compositions. The trail to the lighthouse is also on the south side. You can make some interesting compositions of the trail leading to the lighthouse. The north side of the beach also has interesting views. You can compose the waves crashing against the rocks at the base of the lighthouse.

Sunset is a great time to shoot the lighthouse. Wait for a few minutes after sunset to get the golden glow. Also try to pick a day with lots of clouds in the sky - it will make the composition more interesting. The best time is probably the day before/after a summer storm.

Directions to discovery park

Make sure to spend some time at the visitor center near the entrance of the park. I usually park at the North parking lot and make my way towards the beach. There are a maze of trails here -make sure you keep track of where you are going.

If you don't want to rough it out on the trails and want to stick along the road - make your way up to the Utah avenue and follow it down to the beach. (Take the left fork at the other end of the playground near the north parking lot) This is probably the best way to make it back to your car after dark. Also make sure to take a flashlight with you to help you find your way after dark.

Lake Union - Fairview Ave

2009-03-27T17:18:00.003-07:00

Equipment: Canon 20D, Sigma 10-24, Cokin graduated ND filter
Image details:

Fairview Avenue runs along the east side of Lake Union. It has mostly business establishments, restaurants and Marina’s. Some of the best views of Lake Union during sunset are from Fairview Avenue. Refer to the map below for directions to Fairview Avenue

Fairview Avenue directions

One of my favorite spots is a little distance north from the last South Lake Union Trolley station.
See the map below
Directions to Fairview Avenue spot

Try to find a parking spot a little before the bridge. I usually pull into one of the parking lots on the west side of Fairview, parking is usually free after 6 pm. Stairs from the parking lot lead down to a little pier on the water. The pier has a good view of the Aurora bridge. If you walk left just before the pier you will find yourself on a little walkway that leads to the Marina. This is a great place to shoot the Marina at Sunset. I prefer to go here in early summer/spring when they have beautiful flowers along the edge of the marina. You can use a wide angle lens to shoot sunset over the Marina with the flowers in the foreground. A graduated neutral density filter is very useful here.

Even if you don’t have the flowers this is still a beautiful place to shoot sunset over Lake Union. It tends to be a little windy here so a sturdy tripod will be very useful. Find a nice spot and try to shoot low so that you can use emphasize the boats in the Marina.

If you wish to find more spots with a view of the Lake drive along Fairview Avenue a little further. There are a couple more public parks with a view of the lake.

Magnolia bluff

2009-03-27T17:18:00.001-07:00

Equipment: Canon 20D, Canon 100-400mm

Image details: 170mm, f/14, 1/15sec, ISO 100

Magnolia bluff is one of my favorite places to shoot sunset over the Puget Sound. Magnolia has a beautiful view of downtown Seattle to the sound and Puget sound/Olympic mountains to the north. There is a decent chance of getting good sunset shots here even on a cloudy day. In fact I prefer partly cloudy days as the sky is much more interesting. One problem here though is the lack of foreground. There are however a couple of tall trees that can be used as an interesting foreground for sunset.

Directions to lookout on Magnolia drive.

Make sure you arrive here 30 mnts before sunset and walk along the entire trail. Find the foreground that you wish to use for your composition and wait for the sunset :)

You can also stop at Magnolia park on the way here. It is a small but interesting park with tall old growth trees and a pretty view of the Sound.

Directions to Magnolia park

Elliot bay Marina, Smith Cove

2009-03-27T17:17:00.003-07:00

Equipment: Canon 20D, Canon 24-70mm

Image details: 32mm, f/8.0, 1/3sec, ISO 100

Elliot bay Marina is a beautiful marina tucked away at the base of Magnolia bluff. On the west side of the Marina you get some beautiful views of the Olympic mountains. On the east side of the Marina you have Downtown Seattle and Mount Rainier. Take your pick! All along the marina you have a clear view of downtown Seattle. If you get there on a clear day on which you can see Mount Rainier you can do some some interesting compositions of the boats with Mount Rainier in the background. A few minutes after sunset the western edge of the Marina has beautiful views of the Olympic mountains. The marina also has a couple of very nice restaurants. If you have not been to Palisades I would highly recommend it.

Directions to the Marina

Alki - Beach Drive

2009-03-27T17:17:00.001-07:00

Beach drive is on the west side of Alki. Very few people make it to this side of Alki - most of the crowd is on the other side. There are a couple of interesting spots on Beach drive. Beach drive has great views of sunset over the sound in the summer.

Equipment: Canon 20D, Canon 24-70mm

Image details: 43mm, f/8.0, 1/25sec, ISO 100

There is a small beach with rocks and driftwood at the very beginning of beach drive. The rocks can be used for some very interesting compositions at sunset.

If you go a little further you will find a cement lookout with a view of the entire sound. This spot is interesting on a day with lots of clouds in the sky. At sunset you can make some very interesting compositions.

Directions to Beach Drive

Shilshole Marina

2009-03-27T17:16:00.004-07:00

Equipment: Canon 20D, Sigma 10-24mm

Image details: 10mm, f8.0, 1/50 sec, ISO 100

Shilshole marina is a fairly large marina along Seaview Avenue. It has great views of sunset over the Puget Sound. You can do some very interesting compositions with the marina in the foreground.

There are a few parking lots along the Marina. However most of the spots are reserved for members of the marina. I would recommend that shoot for street parking and walk along the length of the marina till you find a spot you like.

Remember to take your wide angle lens along. I have found it to be very useful.

Directions to shilshole marina