Mt. Baker Ridge Viewpoint: Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS

When I think of the best Seattle viewpoints, places such as Kerry Park, Alki Beach, and Rizal Bridge come to mind.  Until yesterday, I had never heard of the Mt. Baker Ridge Viewpoint.  It is located at 1403 31st Avenue South, in a small neighborhood commercial district directly atop the I-90 tunnel, at the high point of the Mt. Baker Ridge. The Viewpoint offers a wonderful perspective of downtown, the Olympics and Puget sound.  I visited the viewpoint last night and this morning.  The photograph is from this morning.  It is a 7-shot stitched panorama (with the camera in portrait orientation).  The final image is a whopping 114 Megapixel file with detail and sharpness than could give you a corneal laceration if you look too closely.  Please click on the opening image to see a larger version.  I promise it’ll be worth your while.  Below are a couple of thumbnail links to 100% crops.  Click on them to see the original sizes (slightly degraded by JPEG compression artifact).  BTW, did you notice the peek-a-boo view of the Space Needle?

Coal Creek Falls: Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 17-40mm f/4L

Rainy winter days are the norm for Seattle.  However, when the precipitation abates, even if for just a day or so, it pays to take advantage by visiting some local hiking trails.  Streams and waterfalls will have abundant flow, while crowds will be at a minimum.  Mike and I hiked a few trails in Cougar Mountain, a beautiful venue just a twenty minute drive from Seattle.  The weather was cool but not unbearable.  If you get a chance in the next few weeks, I highly recommend visiting Coal Creek Falls (opening image), North Fork Falls, and Doughty Falls.  I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.

White Wash: Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 24-105mm f/4L IS

North Fork Falls: Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 17-40mm f/4L

Doughty Falls: Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 24-105mm f/4L IS

Cascading Beauty: Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 24-105mm f/4L IS

St. Spiridon Orthodox Cathedral: Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 70-200mm f/4L

Another beautiful day for photography, and today Mike and I wandered the streets of South Lake Union and Downtown.  I’ve always wanted to photograph the beautiful Russian Orthodox church near REI, and finally I got the chance to with some good light.  Then we headed over to Seattle Central library and captured some abstract patterns of this magnificent glass structure.  While we were waiting for good light across the street from the library, we were approached by a policeman.  Apparently someone had called the cops and described us as “suspicious characters.”  The policeman was very friendly, asked us what we were doing, then drove off, apparently satisfied with our response.  Mike and I shared a few laughs afterwards.  Personally, I think Mike was the suspicious looking one, as he had on a baseball cap and a hood (very unibomberesque).  Anyway, I hope you enjoy these shots from today.

Man Made Diamonds: Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 70-200mm f/4L

Patterns of Gold: Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 70-200mm f/4L

Girl with Flowers: Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 135mm f/2L

The weather let up a little this afternoon, so my friend, Mike, and I drove over to Pike Place Market for some people photography.  I love that place, as it’s always teaming with colorful characters, cute kids, and great food!  I hope you enjoy these photographs from today.

Late Afternoon Nap: Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 135mm f/2L

A Smile for the Customer: Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 135mm f/2L

Since 1909: Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 135mm f/2L

The Guitarist: Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 135mm f/2

Good Hair Day: Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 135mm f/2L

Down on Her Luck: Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 135mm f/2L

Whistle While You Walk: Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 135mm f/2L

I Wanna Hold Your Hand: Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 135mm f/2L

A Slow Day: Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 135mm f/2L

And Then She Smiled: Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 135mm f/2L

Light on Discovery: Canon 1Ds, Canon 24-70 f/2.8L

Here are a few suggestions, especially for the beginner, to capture more compelling landscape photographs.

1. Know your equipment.  Read your camera manual and become familiar with your tools before heading out to photograph.  Take test photographs and adjust various settings on the camera to see their effects.  There is nothing more frustrating than hunting for the exposure compensation dial while the evening light is fading.  Make sure the batteries are charged, your accessories are easily accessible, and your memory cards are formatted.
2. Make sure the camera’s viewfinder is focused to your eyes, especially if you wear glasses.  Most modern cameras allow you to adjust the focus of the viewfinder with a small dial next to the eyepiece.  First obtain sharp focus of an object using the camera’s autofocus function.  Then adjust the eyepiece dial (diopter adjustment) until the image looks sharp through the viewfinder.  Remember, this does not apply to rangefinders.
3. Always carry a good tripod. Yes, even on a bright, sunny day. Often, a small aperture is required to achieve maximum depth of field. To achieve a tack-sharp image, the necessary shutter speed may not be fast enough if the exposure is made hand-held. Second, on a day with challenging lighting conditions, one may want to bracket the exposure.  Bracketing an exposure refers to obtaining a set of under- and over-exposed images. The bracketed images can later be combined in an editing program such as Photoshop to create a high dynamic range (HDR) photograph.  Camera steadiness is a necessity for proper bracketing.  Third, a tripod is immensely helpful in framing a more compelling photograph. When the camera is mounted on a tripod, I find myself taking more time to insure the horizon is straight, the subject is well placed in the frame, and distracting objects are excluded from the composition.
4. Bring along a remote shutter release (wired or wireless). The timer function on the camera will work in a pinch, but is a poor substitute for a remote shutter release. The remote allows you the trigger the shutter exactly when YOU want to, not 2 or 10 sec after pressing the button. The remote allows hands-free release of the shutter button, minimizing camera shake.  In addition, if your camera permits, use the mirror lock-up function to further minimize camera movement.  Under certain situations, usually at longer focal lengths and exposure times, minute vibrations from the internal mirror as it slaps down can cause enough movement to affect the sharpness of your shot.
5. Know the weather conditions before going. Unless you own a weather-sealed camera like the Nikon F5/D1 or Canon 1D/1V series, you’ll want to protect your expensive equipment from the elements (perhaps a simple thing like a plastic bag and a portable umbrella).
6. There is no strict rule for what focal length lens you should use.  The scene, your compositional goals, and personal preference will dictate the focal length.  I often find myself reaching for a wide-angle lens, but I have also made very compelling photographs with a telephoto.  In general for landscape photography, I carry three lenses:  ultra-wide angle (16-24mm), standard (24-100mm), and a medium telephoto (100-200mm).
7. Ansel Adams once remarked, “There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs.”  Keep this in mind as you read the following “rules” of photography.  The opening photograph illustrates many of the points outlined below.

• Rule of thirds:  Don’t place your main subject in dead center for every shot.  If you mentally divide your scene into thirds, place the subject at one of those division markers.
• Don’t place the horizon at the center.  Either have 1/3 or 2/3 sky filling the frame.  As a corollary, the horizon should usually be level in the photograph.
• When possible, use leading lines or S-shaped curves to draw the viewer into the photograph
• Look for “natural frames” to surround or bracket your subject.
• Remember the 3 elements of a good landscape photograph: foreground, midground, and background. If possible, try to have something of interest in each of these positions.  However, avoid making your picture too “busy.”  Don’t go out of your way to include every single detail in your shot.  Avoid unnecessary elements from the photograph that may detract from the overall harmony of the composition.
• Midday light can produce some compelling photographs, however the best light is usually found during the early morning or late afternoon.

Golden Light on Mukilteo Light: Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 16-35mm f/2.8L II

This afternoon, my friend and I decided to take advantage of the good weather and headed out to photograph Mukilteo Lighthouse.  If you’ve never visited the area, I highly recommend it.  On a good day like today, you can see Mt. Baker and other Cascade peaks in the distance.  If you time it just right, you can even catch a ferry in your composition.  Near the lighthouse, the ferry moves quite slowly, so the shutter speed doesn’t have to be very fast.  However, to maintain maximum sharpness at a narrow aperture (for maximum depth of field), I bumped up my ISO to 400.  Shutter speed was 1/60 sec.  On a full frame camera like the Canon 5D Mark II, the increase in noise is minimal.  After the sun set behind the Olympics, I grabbed a shot of the ferry in motion and one of the beautiful sky color reflected in the water.  I hope you enjoy these shots!

Night Glider: Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 24-105mm f/4L IS

Seagull Sunset: Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 24-105mm f/4L IS

Needle New Year: Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 24-105mm f/4L IS

It was a cold but clear New Year’s night in Seattle.  Cindy and I drove up to her brother’s place, which has a great rooftop view of the Space Needle and Lake Union.  I set up my tripod and rang in the new year in our usual fashion…photographing the Space Needle fireworks show.  I hope you enjoy my first image of 2011, and Happy New Year to everyone!