An ancient city cast in stone

I recently returned from a trip to the Middle East, including a visit to Petra, Jordan, the ancient Nabataean city hewn and chiseled out of the solid rock cliffs. Although wind, rain, and mother nature have taken their toll over the centuries, the city is still an amazing sight.  Here are a few images from this awe-inspiring place.

Tomb with a View, Petra, Jordan
Canon 60D w/Tamron 17-50mm lens @25mm

High Place of Sacrifice, Petra, Jordan
Canon 60D w/Tamron 11-16mm lens @ 11mm

Covered Parking, Petra, Jordan
Canon 60D w/Tamron 17-50mm lens @50mm

El Khazneh (The Treasury), Petra, Jordan
Canon 60D, Tamron 17-50mm lens @35mm

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

Faux sunset created by city lights

Lights from the city of Seattle reflect off clouds during a time exposure, creating a false sunset for the camera to record. The photo was taken well after sunset, when it was fully dark.

False Sunset Over Juanita Bay on Lake Washington
Canon 450D with Tamron 17-50mm lens @ 17mm

Twilight on the Seattle waterfront

After wandering around the city streets all afternoon with my camera and tripod the other day, I found myself at Bell Harbor, just adjacent to Seattle's downtown.  This turned out to be the last and best shot of the day.

Bell Harbor, Seattle waterfront, Canon 450D with Tamron 17-50mm lens @ 24mm

It was only Alki Point, but it felt like the Arctic...

A cold and bitter wind blew over Alki Point late this afternoon, and my friend Mahesh and I shuddered as we clicked our shutters.  Nice light though, and it was worth braving the wind chill factor.

Alki Point Lighthouse, Seattle, Canon 450D, Tamron 17-50mm lens @ 38mm

Seattle architecture

 Whenever I have occasion to be in downtown Seattle, I always take a camera along, even if it's just my point-and-shoot.  Late afternoon or early morning light really brings out the texture of the buildings, and if chance takes me past an interesting structure, I will stop to photograph it (sometimes even if the light isn't so great).  Usually the widest-angle setting on the camera works best.

Yesler Building and Smith Tower, Samsung TL500

Occidental Ave. & Yesler Way, Canon 450D                                Monorail and Westin Hotel, Samsung TL500

What can you do with a bell pepper?

I mean, besides eat it.  The photographer Edward Weston took a very famous photo of a bell pepper, after which the unfortunate vegetable ended up in his salad.  Here you see another pre-salad bell pepper rather close up. I illuminated it from behind with a single light bulb, using blue-purple construction paper as a background. A white card reflected some light onto the front side of the pepper. Producing a compelling image of an everyday object such as a pepper requires no special lighting equipment or fancy backgrounds, just some imagination and experimentation.

Bell Pepper, Canon 450D, Tamron 90mm macro lens 

Swirling abstracts from everyday objects

 If you have a camera that allows you to take a photo while manually zooming the lens, some interesting abstract or semi-abstract images may be produced from ordinary objects that are close at hand.  Below you see two examples, both of which show the original scene near the lower right of the image. These were taken by setting the camera to shutter priority mode, and selecting a 1/2 second shutter speed. Then, while holding the lens zoom ring (starting at the wide angle position) and rotating the camera body (so that the lens zooms out to the telephoto position) during the exposure, the swirl effect was produced.  So, the basic idea here is to smear the image falling on the camera's sensor in two different ways simultaneously, by zooming out from wide angle to telephoto during the exposure while rotating the camera body rather than the lens zoom ring. It works on all sorts of subjects both indoors and out.  And with a digital camera, one can experiment freely to obtain just the right effect.

Swirling snowman container, Tamron 17-50mm lens

Swirling wall art, Tamron 17-50mm lens