I arrived in Seattle last Friday to hold a presentation at Kenmore Camera. OM SYSTEM (thanks OM, I love you guys) flew me out there to talk a bit about creativity with their new camera, the PEN. (Side note: almost all the photos are straight-out-of-camera JPEGS taken with the PEN).
I’ve only been to Seattle once years before, and I was taking a group of high school students on a cross-country trip, so I didn’t have much time to take photos back then.
Seattle was, not-shockingly, gloomy and rainy most of the time.
But who cares? As photographers, we have a choice: put our cameras away or find a way to accept the beauty of the world however it presents itself to us.
A good friend of mine, Fielding, picked me up from the airport and took the time to graciously drive me around town and hang out. It was one of the best days of photography, ever.
I’m not saying the photos are the best - but the entire day of seeing new things and having conversations with another incredibly talented photographer… that’s something special.
There was a time in my life when I would have been crushed by the weather. The rain. The clouds. I would have gnashed my teeth at the thought of not getting the greatest photos of Seattle ever taken. The rage would have been overwhelming.
Instead, it goes back to acceptance. This is the world, right now, in this moment, and I’m thankful I’ve found a way to see the beauty in all of it.
The above shot? I stole it. I saw Fielding take nearly the exact photo as the one above, so I shamelessly shot the same thing, low to the ground, focusing on the leaf on the sidewalk.
(Sorry, Fielding. Had to be done.)
What’s funny to me is that most of the photos I took all day could have been taken in other places. These are not special leaves, graffiti, murals, neon signs, or sidewalks, or sewer grates.
But the space needle? There’s exactly one of these on the planet. Countless photos of this cool structure have been taken, and my photos below certainly aren’t the best ever taken.
BUT… I’ll be honest: I really like these photos.
Are they the best photos of the Space Needle? No. Not even close.
But they are my photos, and it doesn’t even matter. Fielding and I had a blast anyway.
Photography is connection. To like-minded friends.
And to the world around us.
The journey I’ve been on with this career/hobby/obsession is wild.
And while I’m happy to have hung out with Fielding and all the great photographers I met at Kenmore Camera, I need to tell you something secret: it was ALL worth it for one cheeseburger at Dicks Hamburgers.
This place is awesome.
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Oh - and this post is 100% AI-free. Every title, sentence, misspelling, and mistake is mine, and I love that.
DEATH TO THE ROBOTS.
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