It’s okay to have fun doing what’s been done a million times

I live in the Seattle area, so I’ve seen millions of shots taken from Kerry Park that feature the Space Needle set in front of the city with Mt. Rainier lurking in the distance. It’s a great shot, and a stunning view – yet, I’ve never shot it because everyone else has done it – millions (if not billions) of times before me. However, I was talking to my mentor a while back and he said – sometimes it can be fun shooting what’s been done a million times in your own back yard. I thought about this, and decided that in 2010 when my free time matched with a good weather day I’d start trying to take some shots around the Seattle area. This is attempt number one of the many landmark sites of Seattle, so I have plenty more to capture.

Sure, I could have tried to do something different – and I did – but the reality is that this shot has been done so many times because it’s such a brilliant shot to do! I love it and it reminds me of my love for this beautiful city. So to hell with the rules and what I’m “supposed to do” – this was fun, and isn’t that what Photography is really supposed to be about? Is it not great that I now have this great image to hang in my home and I can say - “yeah, I took that!” Sure, why not?

This shot was taken with a Canon 5D mark II using EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM lens at a focal length of 90mm with the camera set to a long 20 second exposure at f/11 and ISO 100. When you hover over the shots above you’ll see the before image – which is the in-camera JPG with only a watermark added, followed by the RAW processed using my own workflow using Nik Software products (Color Efex, Dfine, and Viveza 2). Click the image to view a larger version so you can truly appreciate this shot!