It pays to get more than one opinion on the weather...

My friend Mahesh called me up late in the afternoon on a recent dismally overcast day and said,  "The weather report says there'll be a break in the clouds around sunset and we may be able to get some good light."  I looked on the internet, and my weather report predicted solid overcast skies for the foreseeable future.  Although still perfectly cloudy outside, we hopped in the car anyway and headed for the Magnolia area of Seattle, where there's a marina at the base of the bluffs.  His weather report was better than mine, as you may see in the photo below.  Click on the image for a larger view.

Stormy Sunset Over Elliot Bay, Marina at Smith Cove , Seattle
Canon 450D w/ Tamron 17-50mm lens @17mm

A real-life Hogwarts

Well, not exactly. The tables have been turned around for one thing.  But doesn't this stunning Gothic-style setting at the University of Washington in Seattle remind you of the main hall of Harry Potter's Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry? Click on the images for a larger view.

Suzzallo Library Reading Room, University of Washington, Sony a55 w/ Sigma 8-16mm lens @ 8mm

Suzzallo Library, University of Washington, Sony a55 w'Sigma 8-16mm lens @8mm

Sunset at Picnic Point

I'm always looking for "secret" locations in my local (Seattle) area for photography.  So, yesterday, as it appeared form the weather forecast that there was the possibility of a nice sunset, I googled a map of the Puget Sound region and looked for some west-facing park near Seattle that I had never visited. I spotted Picnic Point Park (which I had never heard of before) on the shore of Puget Sound in Edmonds, a bit north of Seattle, and the photo below is the result of that little excursion. So if you're looking for new shooting locations in your local area, breaking out a map is very helpful in finding some less-visited places that might yield some nice images.

Sunset at Picnic Point, Edmonds, Washington; Sony a55 w/Zeiss 16-80mm lens @ 16mm
(click on the image for a larger view)

A new angle on the Seattle Public Library

I went into downtown Seattle yesterday, armed with a new ultra-wide angle lens. The weather was rather dismal (big surprise), but I managed to get off a few shots at the public library, a rather bizarre structure, both inside and out.  The perspective distortion caused by the upward-pointing lens may make the building's exterior appear either more or less odd, depending upon your taste in architecture. Click on the image for a larger view.

Seattle Public Library, Sony a55 with Sigma 8-16mm lens @ 8mm

Going to the Next Level, Seattle Public Library, Sony a55 with Sigma 8-16mm lens @ 8mm