I took along my Rolleiflex and a whole bunch of film on a recent work trip to Seattle. Join me for some classic Seattle views in both colour and black & white.
As well as a keen photographer I am also an avid analogue camera collector, always trying new (old) cameras and seeing which fit best to my shooting style. After a number of “buy and sell” experiences with the classic Rolleiflex camera I have decided it is one of the best travel medium format cameras out there. Granted you have to enjoy a TLR (twin-lens reflex) waist level viewfinder camera, but for size and compactness it is hard to beat.
It is also the camera I own that gets the most attention when I use it, which at times can be a bit frustrating if you’re concentrating on taking a shot. That being said, I always get a kick out of people saying they used to own one or that it was their grandparents’ camera, and it brings back nice memories for them - that’s pretty cool.
My aim for these shots was to capture some classic Seattle views and hopefully find some good light, I think I had good luck on both fronts! I brought 3 rolls of Fomapan black & White film with me (ISO 100, 200, 400) and picked up a few rolls of Kodak Portra 800 film for some nice sunset shots (bought at the fantastic Glazers Camera - what an institution!).
Classic shot from Kerry park - this is probably the most iconic view of Seattle, where on a clear day you have a very visible Mt. Rainier in the background (no such luck the day I went up there though!).
Wonderful evening lighting over the Amazon Spheres in Downtown Seattle. I had forgotten how good Kodak Portra 800 colour negative film is!
A sea plane landing on Lake Union. It is a very busy lake with planes taking off and landing around loads of university rowers and other river craft. Pretty cool backdrop if you ask me!
I liked the squeezed composition and leading lines in this shot.
Street leading up to the world famous Pike Place Market.
One of my favourite shots from the trip - what great colours, shot handheld!
Shot of the Gas Works Park on the north side of Lake Union. Apparently this is the sole remaining coal gasification plant in the United States (obviously not an active gas plant anymore though).
Shot of the iconic Space needle with the monorail weaving through the shot.
Shot inside Pike Place market at one of the many flower halls. I really like how clear this shot is. (Shot on Fomapan 400).
Loads of great fish stalls in the market.
It was hard to expose this shot as all the ice was very bright, it reminded me of shooting in snow.
Some great colours in this shot, just off centre from the Public Market iconic shot.
Grain galore. My Fompan shots mostly came out very grainy, which I don’t mind but wasn’t expecting. A really packed scene here with boats, rowers, and an airplane!
It is a pity this shot is a bit blurred, I really like the composition and evening colours. All shot handheld and with a max aperture of f3.5 it was always going to be a challenge without a tripod.
This could be my favourite shot from the trip - shoot looking up to the old gas works plant.
Downtown Seattle just after sunset with the Amazon Spheres in the middle of the frame.
Raising the flat at Mukilteo lighthouse - more on this landmark here.
Loved the colours in this shot - also great how this car wash is still standing despite being surrounded by an ever growing and expanding downtown.
A side shot of the gas works. I hadn’t noticed the woman with all the ducks around her!
There was something about how linear and messy this shot was that drew my attention - I like how it turned out!
More wonderful sunset colours!
You can read more about the amazing structure that is the Amazon Spheres complex here.
I love the simplicity of this shot.
Overall observations
I managed to get some good shots despite not having a lot of time for a lengthy photo walk, however I was still able to hit up some of the key sites across central Seattle. I really enjoyed some of the results from Kodak Portra 800, despite not having a tripod with me, and I had forgotten how good of a film this is - I must stock up on some!
I had a bit of a ‘hit and miss’ experience with the Fomapan. I think the 400 version was best and resembles Kodak Tri-X mostly, whereas the others (100 and 200) were a bit grainy and flat overall. Maybe I was just unlucky, of course Seattle is notorious for cloudy weather so the light and contrast wasn’t great in many of the shots.
I hope you enjoyed a small taste of Seattle and thanks for stopping by,
Neil
