I recently took a trip to Seattle and I wanted to share some of the photos I was able to snag while I wondered around the city. There is a truly an abundance of unique character surrounding Seattle, and it was a privilege to be able to capture some of it’s icons.

       The first photo we’ll look at is this daytime shot of the Space Needle. I feel drawn to the warmth of the sun on the right side of the image and I enjoy the bright blue sky that falls behind the upper section. I will admit the bright blue upper section of the picture makes the rest of the needle feel a little stuck on top of the image, but ultimately this is what I had to work with.

       Hol-ley noise. The issue with taking night time photos is that you’ll need either a ridiculously wide aperture, a super slow shutter speed, or high iso. In this case, my handy 24-105L only drops down to a f4.0. That, plus being handheld, forced me into a high iso. So it is, technically, a picture of the space needle at night, but it’s mostly a testament to how much noise my 6D can shove into an image.

       This final image I was able to snag from the ferry headed across the sound. Looking behind me the city seemed to miniaturize itself, getting ever smaller the more the boat motored away. With the sun being low in the southern sky during January what I got was a wildly front lit shot. Every color popped and every window sparkled. However, the price for a big strong light directly at your back is a loss of depth. There are only a handful of shadows to give the image dimension, so it feels almost a little pressed together.

       I am excited to be writing more in the blog, especially as I develop a more well rounded idea of critiquing my own work and as I find my style. I am looking forward to bringing you all along for the ride! Best, -Ben