I’ve been making panoramas for a while and recently someone asked if I had anything featuring Seattle’s major stadiums. I didn’t at the time, but the idea took hold. After several days of looking, I found a good location. After that there were five trips over two weeks to this area before I captured something i like.
It was vital for the composition that the trees did not sprout or most of the city would have been hidden behind the foliage.
Taken from the Beacon Hill area? Nicely done. Love the colors and the city lights. But the trees are distracting. Maybe taking a ladder next time? Or renting a crane?
I know how difficult it can be to get good skyline shots unless you know someone with a dwelling that has a great view. I spent a lot time crawling over Queen Anne Hill trying to find an unobstructed view without trespassing. Not easy.
Love the pink tones in the image, but like the others before me said, the trees are a distraction. Have you tried shooting from the 12th Street Bridge? You avoid the trees in your image, and you get a much better view of the city, especially for panoramas. I attached a image I took on the bridge while I was in Seattle last month. It's very easy to get to.
shmn wrote:
Taken from the Beacon Hill area? Nicely done. Love the colors and the city lights. But the trees are distracting. Maybe taking a ladder next time? Or renting a crane?
I know how difficult it can be to get good skyline shots unless you know someone with a dwelling that has a great view. I spent a lot time crawling over Queen Anne Hill trying to find an unobstructed view without trespassing. Not easy.
Thanks for your kind comments.
I’ve only spent a little time on Queen Anne while carrying camera gear. At a recent show some patrons told me of a few potentially good locations in that area. One person mentioned a map of several public and semi-public stairways in the area that have some awesome views.
The image (above) was from a small park I came across in the Beacon hill area. A crane would give an unobstructed line of sight but anything with shorter legs would only cost the resting space in the foreground without gaining anything for the trade. And then there’s the detail of making 9 longish exposures from a crane. Gnarly.
Thanks for the comments (to all 3 of you) about the trees. I debated that they are a tad dense in one area. The trees are used to soften the powerful back light of the city glow and that makes it acceptable to the eyes to see detail in the foreground. This all helps to build the visual resting space - which is the place the viewer can (figuratively, of course) put themselves into the image. Plus I really like the spaces that the silhouetted trees create. And then there’s the crows. And then the city. It all works for me. The exhibit piece is mid-sized - about 5’ on the long side.
nburwell wrote:
Love the pink tones in the image, but like the others before me said, the trees are a distraction. Have you tried shooting from the 12th Street Bridge? You avoid the trees in your image, and you get a much better view of the city, especially for panoramas. I attached a image I took on the bridge while I was in Seattle last month. It's very easy to get to.
Thank you for your comments. First, I wanted to write that I’m delighted by the colors and luminosity in the capture you provided. It has a sense of nuance and dimensionality that is very enjoyable and wonderfully executed. I like the view of the stadium to the south city. BTW, did you use a ND filter in that composition?
I have a number of panos from around Seattle at my web site and I like to vary the types of compositions to take advantage of the features when I can. I do have a scene from the same area as yours, which is linked below.
BTW, I’m a newbie here. Can someone tell me if there some way to preview posts?
I just left Seattle and had an awesome time but man you are right... Other than from Queen Anne hill, it's tough finding a locale that includes the needle and prominent areas of the city in a single shot. Both gas works park and alki offer nice panoramic views but the needle and stadiums are so far removed from the shot making the pano too wide. Still a fun city to shoot nonetheless.
Thanks very much for the comments P Alesse and alrac!
Uh, at the risk of shameless self-promotion, anyone can see a fairly large size print of this work along with several of my other City-Scapes at Rock Salt on Lake Union. Some of the works there are up to 6’ on the long side.
