Dude showing off for the camera near Pike Place Market, Seattle, WA. Nikon D800, 14-24mm f/2.8
My family and I took the day off yesterday for Martin Luther King Day and headed to Seattle for some food and street photography. The atmosphere in town was extremely festive, especially given the fact that the Seattle Seahawks just beat the San Francisco 49ers for a chance to play in this year’s Superbowl. We had one of those rare winter days in Seattle where the sun was out, so the streets were packed with people outside enjoying the atmosphere.
My photo kit for the day was a Nikon D800 with a 14-24mm f/2.8 and a 70-200mm f/2.8. I used my Peak Design Capture system so my camera was out and ready for whatever photos presented themselves. Whenever I walk around with my 70-200mm f/2.8, people always ask about it and want their photos taken with it. The dude shown above was hanging out with his buddies at a park bench and they called me over. “Hey! How far can you see with that thing? There’s a bald eagle way over there on the top of one of those buildings.” This guy said that I needed to take a portrait of him with the eagle in the background. We bantered around for a while, talking about random things, then he said, “Ok, take a pic of me here. It’s going to be awesome. NATIVE PRIDE MAN!” Then, he flashed some Native American hand symbols and acted up for the camera.
I shot the pic with my 14-24mm so I could keep the image close and intimate. Back at my computer, I processed the image using Adobe Lightroom 5. I decreased the saturation a bit while increasing the clarity and vibrance to create a grungy look to the scene.
I think my favorite thing about this photo is his buddy in the background, just staring at the camera with intense eyes. Love it.
Here are a couple more pics from yesterday’s shoot.
This street performer was serenading the lady, while her male companion tried to laugh it off. Pike Place Market, Seattle, WA. Nikon D800, 14-24mm f/2.8
Seattle Seahawks 12th Man flag and Seattle’s giant ferris wheel. The distortion in the ferris wheel comes from trying to stitch together 9 images taken at 14mm. I was very close to the wheel and just getting it all in the panorama required a lot of pixel warping.
