Exploring Seattle Through the Lens: A Photographer’s Perspective
Discovering the Beauty and Challenges of Capturing Seattle’s Landscapes, Cityscapes, and People.
As a photographer in Seattle, there are numerous places in the area where you can take various types of photos, including landscapes, cityscapes, fashion, lifestyle, and portraits. From the breathtaking beauty of Mt. Rainier National Park to the stunning tulip valleys in Skagit, there are many outdoor locations where you can let your creativity run wild.
Outdoor Locations for Photography
On the south side of Seattle, places like Pioneer Square, Dr. Jose Rizal Park, Downtown Seattle, Pike Place Market, the Piers, Discovery Park, Golden Gardens, and Alki are just a few of the locations that offer great photo opportunities when working outdoors.
These locations are spacious, have many access points, and can help you create beautiful work, whether you are shooting portrait sessions, street photography, or other types of photos. You can find a little bit of everything in these places. For example, Pioneer Square has access points like rooftops where you can take dreamy photos with a cityscape in the background.
However, one downside is that parking can sometimes be a challenge, and parking prices can be expensive. Additionally, homeless people can sometimes be non-threatening or even aggressive. Therefore, it’s important to be aware of your surroundings and make sure that your valuable items are placed in safe and secure areas. While I personally haven’t had many issues, I have been in uncomfortable situations where I just wanted to get away as soon as possible.
Capturing the Essence of Seattle Life
Despite these challenges, I really enjoy walking through Pike Place and taking photos of the activity and life happening all around. The key is to find places that are out of the way but still allow you to observe and capture the essence of the scene. From the florists to the fishermen hauling salmon in the air (a popular tourist attraction), there is so much happening at Pike Place.
Native Seattleites might find it boring, but if you visit the market regularly and find isolated places to capture the emotions of visitors and small business owners, you will see the true essence of this unique location.
The same can be said of walking through the International District, where places that mimic the hustle and bustle of an outdoor or indoor market remind me of home in Morocco. The beauty of these places is that you see real people living their lives, doing real things to provide for their loved ones.
The Art of Street Photography
Going out to shoot alone can be challenging, but it can also be a new experience that allows you to spend time with yourself and learn more about who you are and how you interact with the world around you.
As a street photographer, you learn about more than just composition and aesthetics. You also learn how to deal with others, how to make others feel comfortable in social settings, and how to approach people who don’t want their photos taken with a smile, kindness, and understanding. It all comes down to how you communicate with others and how you present yourself to the people you interact with on a daily basis.
This form of discovery is something that not everyone gets to experience, but for those who do, it’s important to take it with a grain of salt and continue to learn from it. You won’t learn this kind of thing in school, from a podcast, or from a post online. Encourage yourself to safely push your boundaries, teach yourself, and experience things you never thought you would. Share your stories with others, because the more you learn and teach others, the more you’ll understand and adapt to a new way of living life.
Photography Process
My approach to photography involves being present, focusing on the subject and their interactions, and occasionally capturing the surrounding environment. I use a Canon 6D Mark II but seek a more compact camera that won’t disrupt social interactions. I don’t get too technical with storytelling; instead, I focus on visually appealing frames that capture the realness of reality. Composition has no right or wrong answer, and self-expression, ideology, and execution all convey meaning and emotions.
I often head out to shoot without a specific idea in mind, waiting for inspiration to strike in the moment as I focus on a subject. However, sometimes inspiration comes later, during post-production, when I bring my image onto software like Adobe Lightroom and begin playing around with presets that I have created myself. This allows me to completely change the mood of the image, giving it an emotional feel.
Photography is my way of expressing myself and telling stories in unexpected places, giving me a sense of happiness and invincibility. I started my photographic journey with street photography, but I’ve since expanded into other styles such as photojournalism, portrait, fashion, and wedding photography with a photo-journalistic twist.
With every photo, I strive to capture the realness of reality, whether it’s beautiful or not.
Photography is a unique art form, where self-expression, composition, ideology, and execution come together to convey meaning and communicate emotions.
Thanks for taking the time to read my article on exploring Seattle through the lens! I hope it has inspired you to get out there and capture the beauty and diversity of this amazing city.
If you enjoyed my work and want to see more, be sure to follow me on Instagram @byloubaba. I regularly share my latest projects and offer behind-the-scenes glimpses into my creative process. See you there!
