Fine Art Photography Blog

Seattle is returning to its typical weather pattern, almost what it’s known for. It hasn’t rained in some time, but it’s been overcast more and more often lately, and if the sun burns through the cloud layer at all, it seems to be later in the day. Further, sunset has advanced from about 9:45 pm in the height of summer to around 7:30. Even Bumpershoot, hailing itself as summer’s last party, has come and gone.

This photo is from the edge of lovely Carkeek Park, in northern Seattle’s Blue Ridge neighborhood, but could well be any forest in the area. Still, the proximity to the ocean makes for more lush, almost rain forest conditions, and occasional eagle sightings. It’s a pleasant area to go hiking within the city - in the Greenwood neighborhood - and has a long stretch of beach to enjoy.

The fall leaves put on a brilliant display, even in urban areas, but we loose out on any natural sunlight. Winter in the Pacific Northwest means four months of cloud cover with hardly a day’s break; this, more than rain or even the occasional flood, defines Seattle. And this is what we’re heading into.

Below is a photo from about this time last year, from the city’s Arboretum ( near 520 ), showing the last golden leaves clinging to the branches of a deciduous tree against the wind, with their kin littering the hillside. This was shot in November, and Seattlites are still hoping for an Indian Summer, and to not see a repeat of last year’s flooding.