Fine Art Photography Blog

With planets, nebulas, smiley faces, and a giant reflecting lake, Seattle’s fireworks are rumored to be among the most impressive in the country. Unlike the show on New Year, coming out of the Space Needle, these are launched from a barge on Lake Union.  Most of these photos were from the Moss Bay dock, where I launch my kayak:

This is one of my favorites of the night; the colorful embers spilling down from the two main explosions, and the streaming plumes of fire shooting upward make up for the darkening sky:

The lake was filled with more boats than water.  As the show went on, a thick blanket of smoke condensed on the lake, obscuring the surface level view in the lake.  The Aurora Bridge is barely visible in the bottom-right corner of the frame:

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Fuji makes slide film in two renowned flavors: Velvia, for intensely colored landscape, and Provia, a more true to life but less break-taking color rendition. Before people debated whether or not Photoshop is cheating, photographers have been choosing their film ( and shutter speed, and aperture ) to suit their tastes. Galen Rowell famously praised Velvia, asking “Who wants to take dull pictures that will last a hundred years?”

Less people these days are using slide film; photography is a digital art now. And while the biggest influence on color saturation is still lighting, we use Photoshop instead of a favorite type of film and darkroom wizardry now. To that end, how does one recreate a digital Velvia?

There are a number of options, actually. Most people use the Hue / Saturation command. Like most approaches in life, this works in moderation, but will only get you so far. Anything beyond a small dose begins to look overly colorized, like a neon sign in Las Vegas or Disney Land. Curves offers the opposite extreme: a little too cumbersome in its power and flexibility, although it makes a good color balancing tool.

Beyond vivacious color, balance is an important part of a stunning visual impression. Read the rest of this entry »

Just east of Snoqualmie Pass, the climate begins to change drastically. A desert opens up after the Cascade Mountains drop off; this isn’t the type of weather we typically associate with the Pacific Northwest. Across the “Mountains to Sound Greenway” from Keechelus Lake ( the source of the Yakima River ), is a small pond in the Aline Lakes Wilderness Area.

Ironically, Gold Creek is an artificial alpine lake. When the DOT was building I-90 in the late 1960s, the area was a gravel pit and storage yard for the construction vehicles. From humble beginnings comes a tranquil hike and a home for abundant wildlife.

A crop showing the distant snow-capped peak reflecting in the water, and the shore above … notice the deeply red tree, which is smaller and less distinct than the lone yellows:

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Ducks aren’t typically thought of as fine art, and generally for good reason. Still, it can be good practice trying to make something so plain look attractive. All of the same tools - lighting, color, depth of field, geometry - can be used on humble fowl:

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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. Read the rest of this entry »