Tag Archives: seattle

Union Art Installation

This art installation is in the Arboretum in Seattle, and we happened across it while out walking. I didn’t want to take up too much time trying to photograph it. Nancy is patient enough with me as it is when it comes to taking pictures on our days out and knowing that I have blog posts in mind. Stretching that patience would be too selfish. The light under the trees was a little hard to work with and the shapes of the sculpture were not so conspicuous when trying to take the shots.

The elements hang over the path. At first I thought it was something that wasn’t supposed to be there and then, as we got closer, realized it was an art work. The shapes suspended from cables between the trees was rather interesting to look at. Whether any of these shots convey it well, I am not so sure.

Just in Time for an Everts MD-83BCF

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I was waiting for my mate to get through immigration at SEA after a flight from the UK. He was telling me that there was a horrible line to get through, so I figured I had a little time. I also knew that Everts Air Cargo’s MD-83 freighter was due to launch out of Boeing Field. Originally, I had figured I would miss it but, since he was stuck in line, I might as well wait around and get the take off. A slightly gloomy day but a Mad Dog freighter is still worth it!

Pond Weed Looks Like You Could Walk on It

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This pond in Washington Arboretum was so covered in weed and undisturbed by wind, the weed looked almost like a solid surface. There was not a ripple on the pond. While you know that there is no strength in this covering, it looks so like something could walk across it. Thankfully, I didn’t feel inclined to test it.

Sawn Off Trunks

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While walking through Washington Arboretum, we passed where a couple of trees had been taken down. It looked like it had been done very recently because the remains of the trunk where it had been sawn off still looked very fresh. The texture of the cross section caught my eye and I figured a view straight down with the light from the side picking out detail was the best angle.

Another Epic Encounter

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Nothing too special about this one. It’s just because Epics are a pretty rare type and a rather unusual looking plane so, when one shows up and I am lucky enough to be able to catch it, I think it is worthy of note. The fuselage of this type has a strange shape with a slightly humped look to it. It goes against the “if it looks right, it flies right” idea but it might just make for a more useful cabin for the occupants. Until I fly in one, I’ll never know. Would be good to get one air to air, though.

Other Sunny Sunday Bizjets

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One Sunday earlier in the year, I was up at Boeing Field for the arrival of an old Gulfstream. That proved to be a successful encounter and has been on this blog already. However, that was not the only bizjet traffic that day. I ended up with a variety of corporate aircraft movements.

There was a Canadian Challenger as well as some NetJets examples. A Falcon 7X was on the move which is a cool looking aircraft. There was also a Falcon 50 parked near the road alongside a Hawker. An Excel came through which isn’t that special but then we got an Eclipse which certainly is. It was a fun time to be out photographing with a lot in a short space of time. Here are some shots of those planes.

Drake is in Town, But Not at a Good Time

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Drake recently announced he was stepping back from touring, but this comes after he has been on quite a touring schedule. Seattle was one stop he made. He has his own 767-200 that is operated by Cargojet for him. It is painted in a distinctive sky-blue livery. It came into Boeing Field for the duration of his stay in the city. Sadly, his schedule means he finishes a show and jumps on the plane to fly to the next location overnight. That meant it arrive some time after midnight and departed at an inconvenient time too. I only got it while parked and the light was not great either. Still…

Getting Down to the Level of Fungi

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Ever since I have had cameras with flip out screens, I have been far more likely to get down to the right level for a photo. Lying on the ground was something I would only do in the right circumstances. Walking through the arboretum with Nancy is not the right time to get grubby doing that. However, now I can let the camera be low down and check the shots from a slightly more comfortable height. This was the right thing to do when I was taking some shots of some mushrooms. You get a totally different perspective from ground level!

Where Have All These Learjet 60s Come From?

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A while back, I had a spate of photographing Lear 60s at Boeing Field. The Lear 60 is not a rare jet but nor is it particularly common so seeing a few in a short space of time, caught my attention back then. The 60 was Learjet’s effort to stretch as much as they could from what they already had. They took the existing wing and added a bigger fuselage. This was possibly the limit of what could be done with that wing.

I think it is a slightly disproportionate looking aircraft. The fuselage looks a bit chunky, the wing seems small for the fuselage, the undercarriage appears to have been carried over so the wheels look particularly small for the overall size. It is a bit of an odd one. Even so, I still like it when they show up. Since they have been out of production for a while, they will start to disappear. They will be around for a while but will progressively become less common. I wonder how many times I shall have so many encounters in a short space of time.

Focus Stacking the Lily Pond

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A walk in Washington Park Arboretum in Seattle took us by one of the ponds that is covered in lilies. Unlike when I was in Juanita Bay, this pond allowed me to get down to water level. This provided a far more interesting perspective across the pond to the trees behind. It did put me very close to the foreground elements so I focused stacked some shots to provide a deeper focused range across the shot. I far prefer the lower angle as it really emphasizes the foreground elements in a way that isn’t possible when higher up.