The sky's the limit

Another post and run - it's Thursday night, but let's count this as a Friday post, shall we?   I will likely be offline all weekend while we are soaking up some beach time, so thanks as always for the visits and comments - they are truly appreciated!  A lesson I learned in Seattle - don't forget to look UP.  I was wandering back to my hotel, and just kept looking side to side for ideas and inspiration, when all along it was above me!

Seattle by Ferry

Pike Place Market, two mountain ranges, nearby islands, natural beauty, the Pacific Ocean, a great art community, cooler weather - what's not to like about Seattle??

Seattle is a great town - I’m a big fan.  I have been there twice this year, and considering how dang hot it is in Austin, I am ready for another trip!  I got this shot on my most recent trip up there.  We took a ferry up to the San Juan Islands over a weekend, and this was my view on Sunday evening as I was returning to Seattle.  It was cool and windy up there on top of the boat, but hey who minds that when you are snapping away?  In case you are curious, the Space Needle is not in the shot, because it is out of frame to the left.  I went for a tighter shot in this case, partly because I just love those clouds up there!  Thanks for stopping by!

Boiling clouds

This is the second image I have posted that was taken from behind Pike Place Market in Seattle, looking out at this lovely range of mountains in the distance.  This one is remarkably similar to this shot, mostly because they were taken mere seconds apart from the same spot.  I fired off a lot of shots within a matter of minutes, because it was incredibly beautiful and the clouds were literally boiling and churning, and changing by the second.  It was incredible.  I am posting this because I just confirmed a return trip to the lovely Emerald City in a few weeks, and will have a bit more time to shoot on this upcoming trip.  I hope to get some cool shots!  There is so much to shoot up there, and I can never get it all, but I can sure try!

Also, today was an awesome day in New Mexico.  We left the northern mountains and headed out to Ojo Caliente, where we sat in their hot mineral springs, where you can literally feel the stress melt away.  It was excellent, and definitely rejuvenating!  We followed that up with a visit to Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu where Georgia O'Keefe once spent her time painting - below is an iPhone shot from there.  Talk about inspiring landscapes - I was shooting left and right.  I can certainly see how that place got her fired up to create.  We landed in Santa Fe, from where I am typing this.  Exploring Santa Fe tomorrow - a town I love.  More soon! 

A Seattle abstract

I love Seattle - it’s such a beautiful city!  I hear it rains there sometimes though. :)

I was there recently on business, and one afternoon I had just a short window of time prior to a dinner engagement, so I thought I would run over to the Space Needle and get some shots.  I had been there before (a couple of times) but never had much in the way of a publish-able shot, so that was my goal.  I also wanted something slightly different, as opposed to a straight-up shot of the Space Needle rising into the sky.  As I was walking towards it, I first had to pass the Experience Music Project building, which is way cool.  It’s an architectural masterpiece designed by Frank Gehry, so you know it has to be cool.  Anyways, as I was approaching I liked how this view gives you just a slice of each structure, in sort of an abstract way.  I took several versions of this, but this one came out best.  I have plenty more of the Experience Music Project building and will get to them when I can.  Thanks for looking!

Mountains draped in clouds

I really enjoy viewing black and white photographs, though I do not employ that technique too often.  I tend to be a big color guy, if there’s such a term, but now and then a monochrome just seems to fit the bill better.  This is one of those cases.  I was walking around at Pike Place Market in Seattle and after snapping a bunch of shots there, I walked around the back side - really more off to the right and sorta behind it - where there is a very small park which offers up a commanding view of these lovely mountains.  I snapped away.  The clouds were just spectacular. 

I’m a big fan of the Nik Software suite, which fits perfectly for me as a plug-in to Aperture, and I used HDR Efex Pro, Silver Efex Pro, and Color Efex Pro all on this single exposure.  It’s fun using all these great tools!

By the way, since this image has both ocean and mountains in it, is it called a landscape or a seascape??  hehe I am really not sure how to classify it.

Seattle skyline at blue hour

I just love skyline shots, the only problem is that they are often hard to get!  In this case, this was the view from my room in Seattle, so I got lucky for a change!

I have seen a lot of Seattle skyline shots, but the best spots to take them from were places that I could just not get to on this trip.  But, hopefully I will be back and be able to capture them next time.  This is definitely not the whole skyline of Seattle, as my hotel was situated pretty much in the middle of downtown.  When I checked in and saw the hotel was a high-rise, I asked for a room with a view, and the gentlemen said “I already have you in a room with my favorite view, Mr. Nix”.  Well thank you - I guess membership does have its privileges. :)  All in all, the view was pretty nice.  If you squint and look real close, you can just make out the top of the Space Needle sort of off-center between the two larger buildings on the left.  Thanks for stopping by!

Parking in Seattle

I take a lot of shots of signs, because I like them for some reason.  I saw this parking sign hanging off the side of a building in Seattle, as I was walking back uphill towards my hotel.  I snapped a few from a distance, but when I got closer I noticed that the neon was reflected in the window, and thought that it looked cool.  So, here it is!  I ran this single exposure through HDR Efex Pro, just to grunge it up a little, and liked the way it turned out.  These little shots are fun sometimes, especially when you find something that has a gritty, abandoned feel to it!  Just a quick snap and a quick post today - thanks for stopping by!  Have a great weekend!

Pike Place Market

Ahhh...Pike Place Market - one of my favorite spots in Seattle!  Have you been?  This place is so cool.  Surely you have heard of the fish-tossing there right?

I had the good fortune of having to go to Seattle at the start of this week for a couple of days.  I really like that town.  It’s got a great feel to it.  The people are cool, the city is beautiful, and you can find a Starbucks on every corner.  Ok, that last part ain’t so special, but it’s very nearly true.  In fact, I went into the very first Starbucks and had a ceremonial cup of hot tea.  It’s cool to go see where it all began.  There’s only one place you can do that, and it’s right next to the Pike Place Market there in downtown Seattle.  This is the main entryway to the Pike Place Market.  It is an iconic symbol of the city and frankly just a dang cool market.  I have been to Seattle several times, and always make time to visit Pike Place.  In fact, I visited 4 times in the short 2 days I was there.  But hey, I have to feed my photo habit, right?  I caught this one early on Monday morning.  In fact, it was just shy of 6:40am according to that large clock up there!  That’s one of my cardinal rules - always shoot tourist spots early in the morning before they get busy - it works every time!

Snoqualmie Falls

Well, today is a two post day I guess.  Snoqualmie Falls lies about a 30 minute drive outside of Seattle and I highly recommend it.  I have been a few times and never tire of seeing it.  The Salish Lodge sits above it and provides some excellent views, and is a darn nice hotel in its own right.  You can also walk down a nice trail to the bottom of the falls, and feel the mist on your face.  The only problem with that is that you have to walk back up!  But at least your mind will be filled with all the wonderful scenery you just enjoyed!    

From Wikipedia:  Snoqualmie Falls is a 268 ft (82 m) waterfall on the Snoqualmie River between Snoqualmie and Fall City, Washington, USA. It is one of Washington's most popular scenic attractions, but is perhaps best known internationally for its appearance in the cult television series Twin Peaks. More than 1.5 million visitors come to the Falls every year, where there is a two acre (8,000 m²) park, an observation deck, and a gift shop.

This is a single shot taken at f/4 from the observation deck which is (quite obviously) placed way up on the side of a cliff.  It gives a wonderful view of the falls though!  I made some minor adjustments in PSE and Aperture.

A Seattle landmark

This sign sits atop the entrance to the Pike Place Market in downtown Seattle, WA.  It is essentially a very large and diverse Farmer's Market and it is a must-see when you get to this lovely town.  The stalls are bursting with amazingly fresh fruits, vegetables and flowers, and of course the fish are caught fresh daily (plus the fish vendors are great fun to watch as they toss the salmon about)!  Tip: get there early in the morning before it gets too crowded.  We arrived after breakfast and had the whole place to ourselves for quite a while.

A fruit stand at the Pike Place Market

Seattle is such a great town.  I love it there.  The scenery is fantastic, you have mountains and ocean both within sight, and the town has a great love of the outdoors.  One of my favorite sights there is the Pike Place Market.  It is a great open-air farmer's market downtown and you can find all sorts of foods, arts and crafts to spend your money on.  While walking around there, I was amazed at all the color and variety of fruits, so of course my camera was handy and I got a shot of one of the fruit stands.  By the way, the cherries were awesome.