A week or so ago my good friend Colby stopped by my house as I was geo-tagging some of my images in Lightroom. Out of curiousity he asked why I tagged my images (he teaches a class on Lightroom) and my explanation was this; I hate when I see an image and I can't figure out where it was taken. Most of the time that's because I want to go there as well and take pictures of my own! Admittedly this is why some photographers intentionally don't say where they took their pictures… they don't want other pictures popping up that look like their's. I'm definitely not one of those people. If you want to show up and take a picture that looks just like one of mine, wear it out. Differences in time of day, type of day, angle of the camera, post processing… and a myriad of other things will likely keep your image from looking exactly like mine, but frankly, even if you walk away with one just like mine, I don't mind. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so I'm good with it.
With that in mind, I thought I'd take it one step further and not only tag my photos, but also show you on a map exactly where I was standing when I took these photos. So without further adieu, I give you… 5 great places to get nice cityscapes of Seattle, in no particular order.
5. Duwamish Head, off Alki Trail
Heading out Alki Trail towards Alki Beach there is a little pier on the right-hand side of the road. Standing on that pier you can get a nice view of the city. Bring a short zoom lens and you can take some nice intimate shots of the city. The space needle will be the closest feature of the city, so it will appear larger from here than other locations. If the water is calm, you'll get some nice reflections in the water from here.
4. Admiral Viewpoint, off SW Admiral Way
When heading up into West Seattle on SW Admiral Way, there is a pulloff on the right-hand side of the road that has some really nice views. This spot is extremely easy to get to and there is parking right there. The one downside is that it has some trees that cut into your view, BUT you can get a view of the ship yards from there and if you bring your zoom lens, you could also take some intimate shots of the city from here.
3. Jack Block Public Shoreline, off SW Florida St
If you follow SW Florida St until it ends, there is a parking lot there and a few great places to take pictures. There is a great pier there (where the picture above was taken) and then also an observation deck which you can walk up to. Both spots offer excellent views of the city. I like this spot because you're right down on the water and very close to the city. At this location you are pretty far from the space needle, so it will appear smaller in your pictures. One thing to be aware of with this location is that it does close. If you're hoping to do a late night, or early morning shoot, this location won't work.
2. Hamilton Viewpoint Park, off California WaySW
To get a nice panorama picture of Seattle, I think this is actually my favorite spot. I got there super early and so I had to park on the street, but that wasn't a problem at all. At this location you are up off the water, which gives you a nice angle to the city, and had the water been calm it would have been an awesome spot for reflections. On a clear day the mountains line up nicely with the city, and had the clouds been right, this would have been an awesome sunrise spot. You will get some ferries in your shot from this location, so you may have to work around them… or work them in the shot as I did.
1. Piers 62 and 63, off Alaskan Way
If you want a nice intimate shot of the city and still be able to see the space needle, look no further than piers 62 and 63 off Alaskan Way. This is also a great spot to get a picture of the ferris wheel. This area is currently under a lot of construction, so parking might be a bit of an issue. We went down in the evening on a Monday and had no problems though. This is a really cool place to watch the sunset from as well.
The location I can't tell you
Okay, okay… I know what you're going to say, "but Dan, you said you don't care if people got the same shot as you!". This is the one exception. If you Google Seattle ferris wheel, you'll inevitably see pictures of the ferris wheel, with the space needle behind it and to the left. Some of these shots are in the day, and at least one was shot at night. My cousin and I searched all over the bay, trying to find the location that was taken. After looking all over, we're both convinced that the shot was taken from big ferry that leaves from right there beside the ferris wheel. However, we did manage to find another location, although the wheel and needle aren't that close together. To photograph here though, you'll need special permission as it is on private property… and I don't want to send people somewhere you're not really supposed to be. Suffice it to say though, drive as far as you can drive on Harbor Island, and you'll see where this was taken. OR, pay to get on the ferry and get the better shot (in my opinion).
Bonus Locations!
Seattle is a city of endless photographic opportunities, so if you want a shot other than a pure cityscape image, here are two of my favorites
1. University of Washington Campus
The University of Washington campus is absolutely beautiful. If you like architecture, you'll find plenty of subjects here. If you like beautiful cherry trees and happen to be in Seattle in March, swing over to the part of campus known as "the quad", and prepare yourself for some awesome photo ops. This place is stunning!
2. Space Needle Park and the EMP Museum
If you're looking for something different, or you'd like some shots of the Space Needle up close, head over to the Space Needle park off of Broad St. There are all sorts of neat things to do and see in the area, and then there's the EMP Museum, which I haven't been inside of, but is REALLY cool to take pictures of. This is a great place to do a photo walk!
I'm certainly no expert on Seattle, so do you know of a better place? Let me know in the comments below!!
–Dan Thompson