Kerry Park features one of the most iconic views of Seattle. Nestled several hundred feet up Queen Anne hill, the tiny plot of land features a sweeping vista of downtown Seattle, Elliot Bay, West Seattle, and Mount Rainier. On any given gorgeous night, photographers, tripods and enough camera gear to make Ken Rockwell blush line the fence at Kerry Park. Although this was my second expedition at this photog hot spot, it was my first foray into creating a commissioned image.

In February 2008 I was shooting a Nikon D40. On a crisp, clear Sunday evening, I loaded up the Explorer and set up camp at the newly discovered (to me anyway) Kerry Park. I found a spot on the fence, setup my cheap Best Buy tripod, and cranked my exposure mode over to Shutter Priority. Through experimentation and sheer luck, I shot a panorama that I was able to assemble in Photoshop CS2.

At the end of the night I had a half dozen sequences, each about 10-12 frames. Although I didn’t realize it at the time, the problem with shooting in shutter priority is that as the meter detects different light values across the skyline, it adjusts aperture to compensate. What I wound up with in each sequence was a series of shots with different exposures that were similar, but still a little off from frame to frame. I spent hours in Photoshop manipulating and adjusting to get something that looked cohesive. I eventually achieved a satisfactory pano and sent the file to be printed by my lab.

There are three prints of this image that exist, each with a slightly different crop. My roommate has one and it hangs in a frame in our house. An old friend of mine, Alex Chu, requested a print after visiting Seattle. Unfortunately, the Dell laptop and Western Digital hard drive I used to back up my files from that era both fried. After several months of DIY data retrieval attempts, I gave up. I told Alex the bad news—he suggested I simply re-shoot the panorama.

Now armed with the superior Nikon D300 and a professional Manfrotto tripod and ball head, I accepted the challenge. At the time of the “commission,” I was living in Washington DC. As I was moving back to Seattle in March of 2009, Alex would have to wait until at least then before I could get to work on creating his piece. Clear nights in Seattle are rare during the non-summer months, and it took awhile for favorable conditions to present themselves. On April 4, 2009 Mount Rainier appeared on the horizon and I took off for Kerry Park minutes before sunset.

The ideal time to capture a city is during the “magic hour,” which is the hour immediately following sunset. The sky begins to darken and the city lights gradually start to illuminate the skyline. The trick is to have enough natural light available to expose the non artificially lit elements of the scene—in this case, Mount Rainier. Before skills like composition, exposure and technical knowledge come into play, patience and timing make or break images like this. To fulfill my mission, I shot for nearly two hours and filled up a CF card.

As I learned from my lucky experiment over a year before, I kept exposure consistent among all the frames in a sequence. This meant shooting manual and turning off Nikon’s auto ISO function. The winning sequence came from the following settings: 6 second exposure at f/18, ISO 200. Nikon 18-200mm VR lens at 65mm with VR switched off.

In post production I assembled the images into a panorama using Photoshop CS4 on a MacBook Pro. I adjusted color, contrast and exposure. I sized the photograph for the web and ran several different sharpening scenarios until I found one I liked.

For print, I sized the image to 9″ x 30″ at 300 DPI. I ordered several test prints with different kinds of sharpening to see what worked best. Once the prints arrived, I knew I overlooked one fatal detail. Modern computer screens impressively illuminate an image—this clarity does not always transfer to print, especially when dealing with a relatively dark subject. What looked great on my LCD appeared muddled on the print; not to mention that Mount Rainier was barely visible. I experimented with a number of fixes, but eventually found a solution using Curves and Adobe’s Shadow/Highlights tool.

Alex visited Seattle again this July. I delivered to him a 9″ x 30″ image—tweaked and adjusted to near perfection. The last decision was up to him. I ordered two versions: one on regular photo paper, and another printed on metallic paper. The metallic paper requires brighter ambient room light to view properly, but it has a great effect on all the lights and metal of the city. It also gives this cool electric effect to the sky. Alex immediately settled on the metallic version, had a custom frame built in Seattle, and a few days later he carted it home with him back to Los Angeles.

Assignment complete.

After a day of grilling, margarita making and half-drunk musical pursuits; I ended up at a Fourth of July Party in Queen Anne. Despite having had my fair share of Hornitos (via Sharat), I remembered to bring my camera and tripod. Fellow photog Rich Schwandt and I perched ourselves on a second story balcony overlooking Lake Union and opened fire on the Seattle sky.

With the Nikon D300 in manual exposure mode, I selected the “bulb” shutter speed and f/8 to start. I manually timed the exposure using a wired trigger attached to the camera. I love shooting with a tripod and trigger as it frees up one hand to hold a Coors Light. As the night progressed, I experimented with other aperture values between f/8 and f/14. All shots were made with the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 at 16mm using Nikon’s Vivid picture control with plus three saturation.

The fireworks are launched from a barge just off the shore of Gas Works Park. Last year I shot the spectacle from the park. You can view photos here.

See all twenty-five photos from last night’s fireworks display by visiting my Flickr set or checking out the slideshow below.

The George Washington Memorial Bridge is not in this picture. My camera, a Nikon D300, is hanging over the edge of the aforementioned structure, better known as the Aurora Bridge. I bolted the camera to a tripod, tilted it against the rail, and extended the center post so that the camera hovered some 160 feet above the ground. With a remote shutter release clenched tightly in my fist, I fired off frame after frame. The result is the latest addition to my “Scene from 99” series. In this entry, I captured the George Washington Memorial Bridge from the air (above), land and sea (below).

“Scene from 99” is an ongoing series exclusive to the Andy Aupperlee Explosion 5000 that features images and commentary about Seattle’s iconic Highway 99.

Air.

The view is of Fremont and the Fremont Bridge. Ballard and the Olympic Mountains are in the background near the horizon. I took this picture from the sidewalk on the west side of the George Washington Memorial Bridge. Six lanes of traffic buzzed by behind me while I monkeyed with camera settings and tripod adjustments.

To capture “Fremont Lights,” I rigged up my Nikon D300 with the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 lens. After removing the UV filter, I screwed on the 77mm Cokin P system adapter. I stacked two neutral density gradient filters (the Cokin 120 ND Grad and Lee 0.9 ND Grad) into the holder. With the lens zoomed into 16mm to prevent vignetting, I lined up the transition points of the filters with the horizon. The goal was to capture streaking traffic by using extra long exposures and not blow out the sky. With two ND grad filters darkening the sky, I was able to balance the image so both the city lights and sunset exposed properly in the same frame. We see this kind of dynamic range with our eyes, but cameras are very limited. Once I had the filters setup, I dialed in ISO 200 and chose f/8 in manual mode. I tried a number of different shutter speeds, and the 10 second exposure featured here worked best.

Using the same filter setup, I made this photo of a street sign near me on the bridge. The ND grad filters allowed me to expose for the bright moon and relatively dark sign in the same frame.

Unfortunately, the George Washington Memorial Bridge is often the venue of choice for suicidal Seattleites. Jumpers frequently shutdown traffic and give business owners under the bridge a reason to look up. The Lake Washington Ship Canal is relatively narrow, and most of the area beneath the bridge is land. Sadly, not everyone can judge exactly where the water is. Suicides are frequent enough that Seattle has installed phones and posted help-line phone numbers along the sidewalks. While it is a good faith effort to help those at the brink, some still decide to take the plunge. A multi-million dollar, 8-foot fence is Seattle’s latest proposal for keeping anyone from going over the edge. In 1996, The Seattle PI wrote an interesting article about those who have survived the jump. You can read it here.

Land.

Several nights before I made the “air” images, I walked underneath the massive cantilever and truss bridge. Opened in 1932, the 2,945 foot long structure is an engineering marvel. Looking at it from the ground offers an impressive perspective.

For this shot, I again used the Nikon D300 and Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 lens. I dialed in ISO 200 and f/8, and then selected ‘bulb’ for the shutter speed. I manually timed the exposure by pressing and releasing the shutter on a remote trigger. This particular shot uses a shutter opening of 39 seconds. Taken just steps from the Burke-Gillman trail, the shot looks east across Lake Union towards the Eastlake neighborhood. The towering bridge overhead eventually terminates to the south on Queen Anne hill.

Sea.

On Monday I shot the bridge from the land. On Wednesday I shot it from the air (sort of), and on Thursday I shot it from the sea.

I just happened to be enjoying cocktails and conversation on a 130 foot yacht, slowly cruising Lake Union, when Seattle staged a glorious sunset. My D300 and 35mm f/1.8 were around my neck when Lyn, a colleague from my company, suggested I get a few shots of the vista. This image is looking west, with Queen Anne to the south (left) and Fremont to the north (right). Unlike any of the photos from Monday or Tuesday, this shot nearly encompasses the entire span of the bridge.

For more information on the George Washington Memorial Bridge, visit Wikipedia and HistoryLink.org. A complete listing off all the gear I used for these photos can be found on my gear page. Check out my “Scene from 99” tag for other Aurora related photos and commentary, or watch a Flickr slideshow below.

Aurora Avenue bisects the heart of northern Seattle. From They Battery Street Tunnel to 224th Street, Aurora is the designation given to Washington State Route 99. Heading north, Aurora climbs Queen Anne Hill until it reaches The George Washington Memorial Bridge. After crossing Lake Union, Aurora charges through Fremont and slices through Woodland Park Zoo. I took this south facing photograph of Aurora Avenue and the George Washington Memorial Bridge from the 41st Street pedestrian bridge. The Space Needle is partially obscured by Queen Anne, and the Seattle skyline sits to the east (left of the photo). Yachts moored on Lake Union are also visible in the far left of the photo.

I set my Nikon D300 on a tripod and used a remote shutter release to take the shot (more meta data). To frame the picture, I cranked the Nikon 18-200mm VR lens to 62mm. With the camera in full manual, I selected an ISO of 200, shutter speed of 6 seconds and aperture value of f/16. Nikon’s picture control was set to vivid with +3 saturation. The six second exposure captured streaking traffic, yellow headlights from the northbound cars and red taillights from southbound vehicles.

The part of Aurora Avenue that cuts through Fremont presents an interesting juxtaposition. The Fremont and neighboring Wallingford and Ballard neighborhoods are booming centers for the hip, young urban middle class. Construction of luxury townhouses and condo developments are not unfamiliar sights as they replace older properties. The major north-south artery that intersects this area, Aurora Avenue, is still littered with the origins of these burrows. Aurora’s auto repair shops and rent-to-own outfits contrast with the trendy coffee shops and boutique eateries located just off the route. Remnants of roadside motels serve as a poignant reminder that the world’s oldest profession still thrives along this corridor.

Last summer I moved into a house that sits several feet from Aurora. Every morning, I jump into my car and head south on Aurora, through the Battery Street Tunnel, along the Alaska Viaduct and eventually crossing over to I-5. Before the behemoth juggernaut that is I-5 was constructed, Aurora and US-99 were the major north-south routes in Seattle. They were apart of the Pacific Coast Highway that ran from Mexico to Canada. Aside from the rich history associated with these surface streets, they also offer unique views of Seattle, Elliot Bay and the surrounding geography. This post is first in what will become a series about Highway 99. In the future, look for the “Scene from 99” tag on posts for photos and commentary on its motels, vistas and history.

Last Saturday I hauled out the Marin, packed up my camera gear, and cruised the streets of Washington DC. I was excited to use my new Lowepro CompuTrekker photo backpack, and I stupidly packed it full of everything I could.

Nikon D300, Nikon 18-200mm VR lens, Nikon 50mm f/1.8 lens, Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 lens. Nikon SB-600 flash. Check.

MacBook Pro and Bose headphones. Check.

Manfrotto tripod and ball head. Check.

All kinds of other random photog accessories. Check.

I think I used less gear when I climbed Mount Rainier in 2001. Oh well.

The first stop I made is just down the hill from where I live. Open City is a cool coffeehouse/diner/bar that is always open, and always serves breakfast. After grabbing a quick bite, I unbolted the Marin from outside of Open City and took off down Connecticut.

The photo above was taken in Georgetown. I paused at an intersection to grab a few photos of the Christmas shoppers. I had not originally noticed the Bennetton building, but I turned around and saw that ridiculous limo in front of it. I quickly pressed the shutter and got a shot. When I got home, I discovered the different colors in the windows.

I submitted my photos to the DCist photo pool on flickr, and a few days later the DCist used this shot for an About Tonight post. The interest generated by the DCist propelled “Windows” to the #2 most “interesting” photo (out of the 382) I’ve submitted to flickr. Flickr uses some strange kind of formula to determine a photo’s “interestingness.” In case you are wondering, #1 is “Ramps.” “Windows” replaced “Capitol Hill Obama Party,” which headlined an Andy Aupperlee Explosion 5000 post about the 2008 Election.

I packed up all my gear and made my way through Georgetown. I passed this interesting cupcake shop that had a line of 20 people going out the door. Cupcakes? Really? I asked about this place at work, and apparently it’s a big deal here in the District. I did not stop to grab a snack, but check out Georgetown Cupcake for yourself.

It was raining and snowing pretty heavily by now. Considering how ill-equipped I was to handle these conditions, I was fortunate to stumble upon two really nice bike shops in Georgetown. I ducked into Revolution Cycles and picked up this awesome under helmet beanie thing. It gets the wind off my ears while keeping the noggin decently warm, plus it wicks. Revolution did not have much inventory left in gloves, so I hopped over to their next door neighbor, Bicycle Pro Shop, and picked up some excellent Cannondale riding gloves with Primaloft.

Francis Scott Key Memorial. EXIF.

Across the street from the bike shops is the Francis Scott Key Memorial. For this shot, I mounted the D300 and Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 lens on a tripod. I popped up the built in flash and set it to “Commander” mode to trigger my Nikon SB-600 flash. The SB-600 can be programmed to fire when it receives a signal from the commander module on the camera. I held the SB-600 in my left hand and pressed the shutter with my right hand. I made several shots with the flash coming from different angles.

Georgetown Canal. EXIF.

After monkeying around at the Francis Scott Key Memorial, I again packed up everything and headed down to the Georgetown Canal. I followed a path along the canal until I reached a series of dams and bridges.

Great Blue Heron. EXIF.

It was raining pretty hard by now, and I noticed a Great Blue Heron taking refuge under one of the bridges. It’s pretty surreal to see a bird like this in an urban environment.

It was tough to get a close shot of the bird from where I was, and it was under pretty dark cover beneath the bridge. I put on the 50mm f/1.8, mounted the SB-600 and dialed in f/2.8 in aperture priority mode. I posted a closer crop of this shot on flickr: Great Blue Heron [crop].

Oak Hill Cemetery. EXIF.

The canal path eventually ran into Rock Creek Parkway. I pedaled along “The Rock” until I came across Oak Hill Cemetery. I setup the tripod and made a series of shots with different lenses. To make the shot above, I plugged in 10 seconds on shutter priority. I took the camera out of auto ISO and chose 200. I did the black and white conversion in Photoshop CS4 using Calculations.

I hopped back on the bike to head home. Although I was eager to get out of the wet and warm up, my bike had other plans. Shortly after leaving the cemetery my chain snapped, forcing me to walk the last mile. Oh well. A few days later I walked it over to City Bikes in Adams Morgan. They set me up with a new chain and had me out the door in under 10 minutes.

You can check out the route I travelled using the Google Map below. I’ve marked all the relevant waypoints and photo locations.
View Larger Map