Say Cheese
My first exhibition!
Some months ago I submitted some pictures for an upcoming photo exhibit called 600 sq mi: Photos from Houston. It’s a juried show, meaning that you pay the entry fee and a panel of judges determine if your work is worthy enough to be included or not.
For some odd reason I had my dates confused and thought that the notifications were going out on June 13th instead of July 13th. When I failed to receive any communication from the organizers of the event in June I figured I must not have made the grade and was, quite frankly, dissapointed. I cursed the organizers of the event quietly under my breath and swore a terrible revenge before moving on with the day to day obligations of my life.
Imagine my surprise when, as I was checking my e-mail one last time in Seattle before my flight home the other day, I discovered a notification im my inbox that said “Congratulations! Your work has been selected for “600 sq mi”
Well color me pickled tink and consider the oath of retribution retracted, null and void.
The 600 sq mi exhibition will run at MSquared Gallery in the Heights from Sept. 5 to Oct. 7, 2007, with an opening reception Saturday, Sept. 8.
If you want to know which of my photographs was selected you’ll have to come to the show…
Now comes the process of getting the print made of the piece that was selected and then getting it framed and delivered to the gallery.
Yay me!
And congratulations to the other photographers whose work will be featured in the show:
Gasworks Park
This 20 acre point on Lake Union was cleared in 1906 to construct a plant to manufacture gas from coal – later converted to crude oil. Import of natural gas in the 1950’s made the plant obsolete. The city acquired the site for a park in 1962. The park was opened to the public in 1975. The boiler house has been converted to a picnic shelter with tables, fire grills and an open area. The former exhauster-compressor building, now a children’s play barn, features a maze of brightly painted machinery.
You know, food tastes much better when you’re revolving
The ultimate destination on Tuesday was the Seattle Space Needle.
Built for the 1962 World’s Fair, The Space Needle is 605 feet (184 m) high and 138 feet (42 m) wide at its widest point and weighs 9,550 tons. In other words it quite large. Not Eiffel Tower large, but large enough.
The building you see in the first picture is the Experience Music Project, a construct designed by Frank Gehry who is well known for such notable architectural marvels like the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles.
Upon arrival we were ushered into an elevator and whisked to the observation deck. The weather is so good and the sky is so clear we had a great view of the surrounding area. Puget Sound, Mt. Rainier, the downtown cityscape was all in clear view.
We didn’t have much time on the observation deck before we were notified that our table was ready.
Moving into the dining room we were seated in short order and I just took in the view.
The restaurant revolves once every 47 minutes so during the course of the meal you get the full panorama plus a little extra.
Our reservation put us there in time to enjoy the single most spectacular sunset I have ever had the pleasure to witness.
Once the sun goes down the restaurant transforms into a very cool space
We all had a lovely dinner followed by the most interesting desert I have ever experienced, the World Famous Lunar Orbiter which is basically an ice cream sunday that spews smoke all over your table when it is served. It’s really quite fun and it even makes a 60’s sounding space noise that’s hard to describe. It’s been a Space Needle favorite since it opened.
After dinner we retired back to the observation deck and enjoyed the view
A spectacular evening reconnecting with old friends…
New Sony DSLR release imminent?
According to Photoclub Alpha, the next generation of Sony DSLR cameras may be soon to be released. In a post dated July 5th they feature a press-release resolution (14Mb) image of the new Alpha (seen above).
Of course details are pure speculation at this point. If they manage to get a handle on the noise problems at the higher ISO ranges that would be a HUGE selling point.
This makes me very happy as it reassures me that there will be an upgrade path for the infrastructure I have begun to build around my brand choice.
Portraiture
While hanging out at The Richmond Arms I popped off a few flashless shots of my friend Owen Finn.
The first one with the 20mm 1.8
The second with the 50mm 1.4
The 50mm is still the best lens I’ve got for this type of thing and I am super happy with it. It’s is so sharp and bright I always come back to it.
I love the potential of shots using a wide angle, though. That is why I have begun to investigate the new Sigma 30mm 1.4 as possible addition to the collection. From what I have read, it’s as sharp as the 50mm I am using now.
It’s around $400 so it’s far more affordable and in reach than the Sony SAL-135F18Z 135mm f/1.8 Carl Zeiss Sonnar T that I have been lusting after which runs $1400, give or take.
Williams Tower – Twilight
I was compelled to detour from my set route last night to see if I could capture a shot of the Williams Tower at twilight. I’ve been compelled before, but resisted.
In my mind this shot seems to capture a rather Gotham-esque view of this particular edifice.
Shot handheld using the Sigma 20mm 1.8
As always, the bigger size is the better view if you can afford the extra mouse click.